Everything's Coming Up Flowers!

The Iris finished blooming a long time ago, and then the yellow Asiatic Lilies began to bloom. When they were through, the orange Asiatic Lilies bloomed - and then the red lilies took over - along with the Blue Sea Holly:

 The red lilies are taller than the orange, which are taller than the yellow. Perhaps that's why they bloomed in the order they did:

 They made a spectacular display:

 And the Blue Sea Holly is putting on quite a show:

The pink Yarrow was the first to bloom, but then the red also began to bloom:

 And my new Heliopsis is also blooming (with purple Veronica on one side of it and Chives on the other side):

 The Lupine seedlings (on the left) are still babies, but the new Gloriosa Daisy is spectacular:

 And then the Cherry Rose Sunflowers began to bloom:

I planted six assorted Yarrow plants, but I seemed to be getting multiple colors out of each pot I planted. I think the nursery scattered seed in the pots and I actually got more than one plant, therefore more than one color, in each pot. At any rate, they look like they may become one of the best, most reliable, most hardy flowers on the property:

 Some more cut flowers I took to church - This one included red and orange Asiatic Lilies, Gloriosa Daisies and white (wild) Bouncing Bet:

 A second vase included old fashioned roses, pink and red Yarrow, and white (wild) Bouncing Bet:

Around The Farm

Summer is a busy time. Remy has mostly been a good boy, staying in his corral and not causing trouble except sometimes when he balks about returning to the barn in the evening. I don't think he objects to the barn, but sometimes freaks out when we walk through the opening in the electric fence. He doesn't mind going through in the other direction and he doesn't mind if I tie him to a fence post for a minute before leading him through the opening. I have no idea why that helps, but it does:

 Blue is more easily frightened but is also more compliant, so he's always (well, almost always) a good boy:

 They still get lots of hay in their corral and it's time for me to start worrying about the Box Elder tree in their yard, which is covered with (poisonous) seeds. When they start dropping, the horsey boys will have to stay in the barn until it is safe in their corral again:

The Red Poll herd makes frequent trips from the pasture in to the barn because that's where the stock tank is located:

 But mostly they eat grass and lounge around the pasture, always swatting at the pesky flies:

 Violet is timid and easily frightened, despite her large size:

Indoors, Sammy and Bugsy relaxed on one of the yoga mats:

 Clover, Fergus and Daphne napped on the big green floor pillow:

 Daisy hopped up on a chair and rolled over, begging me to pet her. I rubbed her cheeks, which she likes, because I know better than to rub her belly:

Flowers, both wild and cultivated, are blooming prolifically, and I try to bring a vase full of them to church each Sunday. Last week I brought three vases. This one included orange Asiatic Lilies, Blue Sea Holly, wild Cattails, a Ninebark branch with burgundy colored leaves, and white (wild) Bouncing Bet:

 This vase had two colors of Asiatic Lilies, purple Veronica, pink Yarrow and yellow (wild) St. Johnswort:

 This vase contained two kinds of roses, orange Echinacea and white (wild) Bouncing Bet:

A Season Of Life

The fantail pigeons are all looking healthy and content with their lives, good examples of what I meant when I entitled this post "A Season of Life:"

Furthermore, they seem to be more successful than usual raising babies this season. This pair had two hatchlings in an unlikely spot but they've done a great job of feeding them and keeping them warm:

And the two babies have been wise enough to stay on their narrow shelf. Jumping down to the floor could subject them to pecking by other adults:

The little hens are likewise comfortable and without any stress:

The cherry tree began to show red cherries, and I was immediately drawn to it:

Only the pure red ones are ripe, and even they are not particularly sweet:

But they were tasty, and I truly enjoyed my trips beneath the branches while I was on the riding mower. Each pass by the cherry tree enabled me to stop for a couple of ripe cherries:

We had so much rain that mushrooms appeared in the lawn and pasture. This row was near the cherry tree. Yes, my lawn has almost as many weeds as grass:

The old fashioned rose which I'd saved several years ago (and then drastically cut back this year) finally bloomed, filling the air with its scent. Behind it are the two Ninebark bushes and the old silo base which is filled with Elderberries in bloom:

A closeup of the old fashioned roses:

And a better view of the Elderberries:

Up close, the Elderberry blossoms look a lot like Queen Anne's Lace:

A Season Of Great Beauty

The cherry tree is producing fruit nicely, but I have been here long enough to now realize the birds will probably eat them all long before they ripen:

The little climbing rose, called Darlow's Enigma, is living beneath the former farm sign framework but certainly hasn't grown much:

The other five new roses have more sun in their spot near the county road, and they seem to be doing better:

The Mock Orange bush never reached its full potential this year, but I'm not complaining - it was still beautiful:

The Ninebark bush truly outdid itself this year:

I was mowing the lawn on the north side of the house when I noticed this lovely scene and stopped to take a photo of it:

Alas, that's when I noticed that the Prairie Rose flowering crab tree has got some kind of disease again this year. It has almost no leaves left:

My crowded little Iris and Lily garden is so full of plants that it's a wonder any of them can live. One Oriental Poppy is blooming this year and the Blue Sea Holly is going gangbusters:

The old fashioned rose I started with a shoot from a bigger rose began to bloom nicely:

And the white Peonies were spectacular:

There was also one red single Peony which I planted two years ago:

I often take pictures of nice dawn skies, but this one may top them all. I was putting the little horses out in their corral just after 5:00 AM when I saw this sky:

Fabulous Flowers

I cut back the Rugosa roses almost to the ground this spring, and my efforts began to be rewarded with this, the first Rugosa blossom of the year:

The Ninebark buds began to open:

And the giant Iris, which I planted two years ago, blossomed. This was a bi-colored flower, and the small, yellow one behind it is the old fashioned type which came with the farm:

A giant purple Iris, so heavy the stem fell over:

And a giant pink Iris:

And my old fashioned white Peonies started blooming abundantly:

They are having their best year ever:

 The old fashioned rose which I rescued got cut down to the ground this spring and hasn't bloomed yet this year, but its offspring, started by putting a cutting in the ground with a bottle over it, is blooming nicely:

A close-up:

One of the two Morden roses I planted last year is already putting on a show. This is the Morden Blush variety. The other variety is budding, so should bloom soon:

The Mock Orange bush burst into bloom:

I collected some of the flowers in a vase and took them to church. Alas, I learned that Oriental Poppies wilt quickly when cut. Besides the Poppy, I included Peonies, three varieties of Iris, Mock Orange and Ninebark: