What's Happening Around The Farm

The little bantam hens are only laying three or four eggs a day, but even that is more than I can eat. I've begun bringing eggs in for a friend at church each Sunday, which so far seems to be a perfect solution:

I still don't let the chickens outdoors, though I hope I can do so in the fall. Though our fox population seems down, I now have seedlings and new plants all over - and I remember when I first got the chickens and the little hens raided my garden, first eating all the tomatoes, then eating all the plants:

The two baby fantail pigeons are amazingly healthy and smart. They jump down from their nest to join the flock and explore, then jump back up and peep for their parents to come feed them:

Their nest is on a ledge, just above the food barrel and someone else's nest on the floor. The babies frequently jump down and get friendly with the bird on the floor nest. I expected a defensive reaction from the adult, but so far everything has been friendly. The babies hang out with the nesting pair on the floor, then socialize with the flock, then hop back up on their ledge and call to be fed:

When I first moved here, there was a woven wire fence stretching halfway across the middle of the south field. It was dilapidated and of no good use, so I began removing a couple of sections each summer. This year there were only two left, but I hadn't had the energy to dismantle them. Then one day I was cleaning out the barn and saw there were only two sections of fence, so I drove the tractor over there:


Instead of the slow and careful dismantling I did previously, this time I used the tractor bucket to pull the fence and posts up out of the ground:

I got them all firmly held in place on the bucket and drove them out the gate and around by my work area:


I carefully removed the fence from the posts, then folded up the wire into two sections, put them in empty feed bags and dropped them in the trash bins. Now that awful, useless and potentially hazardous section of fence is gone forever:

The little garden I made where I'd removed most a giant stump was looking hopeless, but it improved a lot as the Yarrow and Chives began to grow. There appears to be some Globe Thistle coming along, and the Heliopsis, Delphinium and Veronica I bought at end-of-season sales are helping make my little garden look like it might work:

The stretch of Sunflowers is growing so fast that any photo I take is obsolete in a couple of days. Many of the plants along the fence are already over four feet tall. There are much smaller seedlings in the front of the strip, but they get the most sun and are therefore still likely to do well as the summer progresses:

And then one day, the first Daylily bloomed. I couldn't remember the variety name, so I looked up my last year's order. It is called "Chicago Arnie's Choice" and it appears as if there will be a lot of them. By the way, I've been calling them Day Lilies (two words), but it appears as if the correct name is Daylily (one word). I will try to remember to use the right word in the future:

What is this mess, you may ask. It's the northeast corner of the barn, where the traffic cones I used to use when the cattle crossed the road are nestled in giant Burdock and Ragweed. It's a good thing I don't have allergies:

The Last Days Of Summer

As our nights got cooler, the morning mists and dew grew heavier. This morning view is looking from the dog yard out over the Ninebark bushes, gravel road, north field and the trees beyond:

One pair of pigeons produced another baby. I feared it wouldn't make it, but it's been doing just fine:

The Wild Cucumber vines bloomed everywhere but were especially dramatic atop the old-fashioned rose bush. Alas, no photo of the combination turned out and I had to settle for just a photo of the Wild Cucumber blossoms:

Goldenrod, Burdock and Cattails abound along the fence line:

The New England Asters began to bloom. I hope they'll attract masses of butterflies like they did last year. There are a number of Monarch butterflies around but they won't hold still for photos:

One day I found half of my north field mowed:


And the next day my neighbor began tedding the mowed hay. Tedding is turning it over so it will dry thoroughly in the sun:

There was so much dew that he had to ted the mowed hay repeatedly:

And then, just before rain was expected, he and his uncle came to bale the hay. There were only 54 bales because the drought had kept it from growing for a month, but it was beautiful hay:

The best part for me was standing around afterwards and chatting:

The pink Rose Mallows began to bloom. They produce all their buds at the top of a big stalk which displays nicely outdoors, but renders them unusable for cut flowers, at least until the end of the season when there are just a few left. As you can see, the opening buds are gigantic like the flowers:

With the neighbors' barn and horse across the road, I thought they made a great late summer picture. You can see a red Rose Mallow bud on the top left, just about to open and add to the color:

Around The Farm In Late Summer

I had far fewer apples than usual this year, but a few hardy trees are producing them anyway:

The plum tree was loaded with fruit but it appeared as if my straightening of the tree set back the ripening. I don't mind, as I only eat a few anyway:

  I do, however, certainly mind the regrowth of the Burdock and Thistles in my fields. I spent an afternoon once again weed-whacking them. The thicker stems had to be cut with lopping shears:

 The fantail pigeons have had several afternoon community baths. It's fun to watch them as they appear to be giddy with joy, splashing and playing like happy children:

 I cut down the remaining Blue Sea Holly flower stems. There are no flowers left in my little rock garden, though maybe something will rebloom in autumn:

 One day the pink Rose Mallows began to open. They are spectacular:

 More opened the next day. The red flowers always open later, so they are yet to come:

 I got onto a Sunflower kick and found a website which offered seeds of many varieties. I prepared a sunflower garden alongside the dogs' fence and adjacent to the Day Lily garden. I ordered four varieties of seeds, which I'll show in the pictures below. The website, if you are interested, is here:

 I ordered Cherry Rose seeds, the fastest to bloom:

 And Little Becka, a dwarf plant with 5" flowers:

 Red Wave, a short variety with short, branching stems and plenty of big, red flowers:

 I also ordered Pastiche, a variety of multi-colored flowers on branching stems. I put so much compost in the sandy soil that I expect to have a sunflower bumper crop next year:

Summer Around The Farm

Our recent heat wave stopped the grass from growing and, in many places, it turned brown and brittle. Walking over it shattered it and sounded crunchy. I was truly worried, though it was nice to not have to mow the lawn:

 But the little rock garden produced flowers abundantly. Yellow and orange Asiatic Lilies competed with the Blue Sea Holly:

 A black striped Garter Snake of rather impressive length (about 30") began living somewhere around my biggest lilac bush. I previously had a smaller, melanistic Garter Snake living near the barn and I reckon they are likely related. Looking at this photo now, I wonder if this is the same snake, just moved to a slightly new location:

 The two baby fantail pigeons are doing quite well:

 The baby pears are also doing quite well:

 They're getting big now and I am amazed at how many there are:

One morning before it got too hot, I took pruners and weed-whacker out into the pasture and began taking down the Burdock along the fence:

 I did not cut the White Sweet Clover, which I was happy to have growing:

 But I made a special effort to take down all the Bull Thistles I could find. They were not along the fence line but scattered around both fields:

 And the Canada Thistles. They were smaller and easier to miss, but just as prickly and invasive:

 Some places are filling up with Lady's-Thumb Smartweed. I didn't try to fight that. The animals don't eat it at first, but if they get hungry they will eat it:

 Near the house, at the base of the Rugosa Roses, the wild Bouncing Bet (in the Pink family) is blooming as it does every year. Now that's a "weed" I can truly appreciate!:

The Red Poll Ladies

For all the hubbub about calves and breeding and feeding and haying, most of the time the cows spend lounging around and chewing their cuds:

They have two trees for shade:

They show a fondness for being near the barn, grazing in a section which I kept mowed before the cattle arrived. Perhaps there is more grass and fewer broadleaf weeds there:

They've got the grass clipped short near the barn but it's longer (and weedier) farther out in the field. The brown in the field beyond the fence posts is mostly grass seed heads:

After I took this picture, I went back into the barn and got the weed whacker. I took down all the thistle-like plants and Burdock I could find:

The cows usually avoid the wet areas, but have enjoyed them during our hot, dry summer:

I remember how things were when these girls first arrived. They were skinny and fearful. Things have sure changed in three years!

This is Rosella, just before she gave birth. She was actually much wider than she looks in this photo:

My neighbor comes once each week and drops off a trailer load of grass clippings for the girls to munch:

The Red Poll girls didn't figure out what they were at first, but they certainly know now. The entire load of grass clippings is eaten in about an hour:

And then they come in for a drink of water:

This is Violet, the one cow who I thought would never become friendly. But she is beginning now to think maybe I'm OK after all. I guess it takes longer to win over some hearts than others: