Summer On The Farm

There are ten little bantam hens now, seven Barred Rocks and three Easter Eggers. They aren't laying many eggs, but there are still more than I can use:

A pair of fantail pigeons successfully hatched two babies in their cubbyhole nest:

The babies were doing well for several days:

And then one morning, I found one dead and the other missing. I'm afraid this is a common occurrence and I've become accustomed to dealing with it:

I'm glad to say, however, that there are some successful nests in which parents raise healthy babies to help make up for the sad losses. These two are so close to adulthood that I feel confident they'll make it now:

They are growing rapidly and don't mind being held:

Flowers have been blooming in abundance and I collected two colors of roses and three colors of lilies into one vase to bring to church on Sunday:

I also collected an armload of Elderberry blossoms and put them in a vase, then stuck a couple of Ninebark branches in for color variety. Alas, by the time I arrived at church, the Elderberry stems had wilted so badly that I had to dump them in the weeds by the church parking lot. I know now that Elderberries, like Oriental Poppies, should not be used as cut flowers:

A new color of Asiatic Lilies, planted just this year, have been blooming copiously:

You may remember the photo of baby apricots in a previous post. There is now only one marble-sized apricot left and I don't expect it to last. But at least I now know that the tree can produce fruit:

The always productive plum tree is producing nice looking plums, but the other plum tree has lost its fruit:

I planted a whole row of seeds in an area where other seeds didn't take. I now have lots of baby Lupines emerging. They're awfully close together, but I think I'll leave them alone and let nature take its course:

The Beauty Of Summer

It seems bold of me to type the word "summer," for it has seemed that spring would never end and we'd move right into autumn and winter again. We had to heat our houses at night right through most of June, but at last I can safely say it is summer now. The baby fantail pigeon is doing extraordinarily well:

 And most of the adults are nesting or quibbling over prime mates or nesting sites:

 The bantam hens have reduced their egg laying to a just a few per day:

 And they seem comfortable and happy with their lives:

The offspring of the old fashioned rose began to flower:

 And the damn Canada Thistles and Bull Thistles crowded the fence line:

 I took a weed-whacker to them and things began to look better:

 With longer days, I began going out to do the chores at earlier times, with exquisite sights such as this dawn sky being my reward:

I planted Iris several years ago and this giant purple one began to flower. It is huge!

 Baby apricots (I think - it's hard to remember which tree is which), the first time I've had fruit since I planted the tree:

 And baby plums on the always productive tree. The nonproductive tree looks to be carrying on its nonproductive tradition:

 I planted a hardy Blue Moon Wisteria 3 or 4 years ago, but it never grew an inch. This year it appeared to have died, and even when it produced leaves, I held no hope for it. Then suddenly it began to send up vines as if it was finally going to thrive. Well, better late than never:

Spring Now In High Gear

My north field is filled with Bobolinks and Meadowlarks this year, but especially Bobolinks. They sit on fence posts and telephone wires, singing their loud, happy, bubbling song. This photo is from the internet because I couldn't get a good close-up:

I could, however, get a video of a male singing on a fence post. That's my north field behind him, and the tree in bloom in a Shadbush. The Bobolink is facing the camera and you can see the flash of gold from the back of his head every time he looks to the side or toward the ground:


 One of the Plum trees and the Apricot tree both burst into bloom:

 The Apricot tree, planted six years ago, has never bloomed before. I'm hoping to taste my own apricots this year:

 The Plum tree has bloomed before but never borne fruit because it is not in blossom at the same time as the other Plum tree. This year, however, its flowers coincided with the Plum trees across the road. Maybe there is hope yet:

I collected the last of the Daffodil flowers, put them in a vase and brought them to church:

And while I was at it, I clipped off some PJM Rhododendron branches, put them in a vase and brought them to church also:

The fantail pigeons are nesting but so far there have been no babies (except one dead one):

The bantam hens are laying eggs, but (I am happy to say) at a much slower rate than in the past:

They seem happy and content in their room inside the barn:

I have only 11 birds left and don't plan to get any more when they are gone: