Notes From Around The Farm

Most of this year's apples never developed but two trees near the road seemed to be the exception until these quarter-sized apples began falling off one day. I collected about two thirds of a bucket of them and fed them to the cattle. Of course I drove out into the field on the tractor because I didn't want to be out there on foot with the bull:

And when I started to drive back to the barn, this is the lovely scene which was displayed before me. I am blessed to live with such beauty:

And the morning skies seldom disappoint, a combination of pink and baby blue:

As the sun begins to peek up over the horizon, a golden yellow starts to infuse the pink and blue morning sky:

A pair of pigeons is using one of the new nests I made out of cake pans. They seem to like it:

Ladys-Thumb Smartweed, a member of the Buckwheat family, is growing abundantly near the barn door and the dogs' ramp. It usually has a dark triangle on each leaf but these show only a slight darkening instead of the triangle:

Wood-Sorrel also grows by the dogs' ramp, but beneath the Rugosa roses, where it has lots of shade:


The baby fantail pigeon who was so badly attacked by the adult birds is alive and growing rapidly:

The top of its head still looks terrible, as if there is no skin left there at all. I hope it will heal, but will be happy as long as the bird can live a normal life. So far, things look hopeful:

The bantam hens have reduced their egg laying to about four eggs per day. That's not many, but they were laying more than we could use before, so this is better:

The giant Rose Mallows seem even more giant than usual this year, perhaps because we've had so much rain. I counted 15 stems, each topped with about 7 flower buds. If things continue as they are now, it will be a magnificent display. They are so tightly packed that I think it may be time to split them up in the spring and replant them in more compost:

My Tree Hydrangea lost a limb over the winter but seems to be doing well in spite of it:

Plants And Animals

It's been a wet summer, difficult for many people but good for growing my perennials. Notice Fergus watching me from his fenced yard:

 A normal dawn sky in the northeast, something I see nearly every morning:

 The fantail pigeons are earning their keep just by being pretty and fun to watch:

 Just about the time the Rugosa Roses slowed their blooming, the wildflowers growing at their base began flowering. These are called Bouncing Bet, and they bloom here every year:

 It's been so wet that mushrooms sprang up on the lawn:

 The bantam hens stayed indoors, clucking and eating and laying eggs:

 They seem contented with their lives, though I know they'd rather go outside:

 The apple trees all got sick from something and dropped all their fruit, though I found one tree with a few apples on it. The pear tree, after a questionable spring, surprised me by producing nicely. These baby pears are growing rapidly:

 I thought I'd moved all the old Asiatic Lilies to the new garden, but one plant is rooted below the shed over the generator. It sent out a flower stalk and is blooming happily. I hope to find its root in the autumn and transplant it:

 And in smaller, less conspicuous flowers, there is Wood-Sorrel blooming everywhere:

 I heard peeping one day in the pigeon room and looked for a baby. There was one, about a week old, on the floor and doing quite well. How I never noticed it before is a mystery to me - or perhaps a testament to my lack of attention:

 I wish I'd taken a photo of this spot before I cleared it, but at least I got a picture of the results. It was covered with brush and filled with large rocks. I removed all the brush and most of the rocks, then filled it back in with compost. I have ordered a Wisteria vine, a variety good to -40 F and reported to bloom repeatedly in the summer, to be planted this autumn. I will encourage it to grow up this power pole: