How To Make Dogs Really, Really Happy

It's simple. Just take them for a romp in a hay field! I walked the dogs across the north field in search of colorful maple leaves. I found no leaves to use, but the dogs had the time of their lives. You can see little Jack in this photo, just rounding the bend at full speed:

And then Clover took off running - so fast that no one else could keep up:

Of course, everyone had to stop and sniff for wildlife:

But then they again took off running:

It's not a big field, so we were soon at the opposite fence line. I walked along the fence, watching for colorful leaves:

The dogs walked with me, sniffing for wild beasts:

The walk didn't last long, and soon it was time to return to the house and barn:

Which of course meant more running at full speed:

The little dogs ran, but Seamus and I, lame old codgers that we are, just plodded along:

Jack disappeared momentarily, but he too came running when I called for him:

It was a joyous procession back across the field. It did my heart good to see the dogs so happy:

And soon we were home. The dogs got to run to their hearts content and smell the exciting smells of whatever it is dogs smell:

Scenes From Around The Farm

Winston and his Aunt Gracie lounged in the shade during a hot day:

 If this seems like an odd pose for Winston, it's because the camera caught him peeing. It does however show the house and barn in the background:

There won't be many apples this year - except for a couple of trees which appear to be loaded with them:

The baby pigeon from a recent post, where I recorded his growth for the first 27 days, lost his mother one night. I found her dead near the nest and her baby was peeping loudly for someone to feed him. His father should still be available, and the baby is still alive, so it looks like he will be fine. That's him in front of the feeder:

 

The front of the house, with lots of flowers: On the left is the Tree Hydrangea, in the middle are the seven baby hardy roses, and on the right are the Rose Mallows, just beginning to bloom:

I saw a Monarch butterfly when I walked out of the house but it took off so fast I didn't even try to get my camera out. When I got to the sunflowers, some of which are now 12 to 14 feet tall, there was a hummingbird enjoying them. I reached for my camera and realized I'd forgotten to put it in my pocket. I went back in the house to get it, but the hummingbird was gone when I arrived back. I then went into the barn to get the lawn mower, and when I came out, there was a brilliantly colored male Goldfinch atop a sunflower, but he too took off before I got a photo. Well, at least I got a photo of the sunflowers and daylilies:


The Frans Hals Daylilies are putting on a real show. I didn't know it when I ordered them, but they are considered to be one of the "Repeat Blooming" varieties:

My neighbor cut the hay in my north field one afternoon, so the next day he was tedding it. Tedding lifts and separates (like a Playtex bra?) the hay to speed up drying:

We had a spell of lovely but cool weather, so he had to come back repeatedly and keep the hay turned over until the sun dried it thoroughly:

The Elderberries began to ripen, but the birds ate them so fast it would have been easy to miss seeing them:

Whenever I drive to Massena, I pass by the "Barney Tree" on the left. It looks like a Tyrannosaur and I get a kick out if each time:

 I planted my Carnival  morning glory seeds in too shady of a spot. They barely grew because of lack of sun, so when one small flower appeared, I figured I'd better get a photo of it. There may not be any more of them:

Baling Hay And Cutting Flowers

My neighbor mowed half of my north field, but it was tall and thick, unusually slow to dry - so he raked and tedded the field for two days:

I was wrong when I said there had been no baby fantail pigeons to survive. I found this youngster in a nest on a shelf:

Hello, little one. Welcome to the world:

And then my neighbor and his uncle came to bale the hay. The baler has a kicker which tosses each finished bale up into the hay wagon as it is finished:

The uncle's job was to catch each bale and stack it neatly:

Being an old hand at this, he was usually able to direct each bale toward its final resting place, thereby saving himself from needless work and possible injury:

The hay dust was so thick that I itched and coughed for a day after taking these photos. I only got half of the field cut and baled, and the field produced less than expected, so there is much more haying to be done:

And the next morning, the purple Iris began to bloom:

They are indeed a flower of exquisite beauty:

The Bridalveil Spirea also bloomed:

Their tiny flowers are produced in such abundance that they are amazing:

They are also pretty, so I put some branches in a vase with those from the Snowball Bushes and brought them to church. I gave the flowers to a woman from choir when church was over:

June In The North Country

The fantail pigeons have not successfully raised any babies yet, but they are happy and healthy - and plentiful enough that I don't really need any more birds:

 They do, however, keep going through the motions of courtship, nest building, egg laying, etc:

 The lady on the right with the demure look on her face has a particularly nice nest, but nothing yet has come of it:

 The chickens are old enough that their egg laying is much reduced. In all honesty, that's a blessing for me. I simply can't use any more eggs than I'm getting:

Their eggs are pretty though, mostly green, pink or off-white:

 The lilacs began to fade so I took one last photo before those flowers became just a memory:

 The last and perhaps most spectacular bloomer was the Prairie Rose flowering crab. It was in full flower when everything else had quit for the year:

 And I couldn't resist one more close-up of this, its most floriferous year:

Our weather finally turned warm and sunny, so my neighbor came to begin cutting hay. He'd barely begun when he had to return to the gate to replace a broken shear pin. A few hours later, he went over a stump and had to replace a knife. This may look scenic and peaceful, but it's work which is not for the faint of heart:

 The field had already(!) grown to two feet high or more, and was so dense that cutting it was slow:

 But it was a beautiful day in a beautiful location. Life is good:

 And this hay looked like it will be spectacular:

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: