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:

Around The Farm In July

My little garden continues to fill in, and I hope that all the crowding will keep down the weeds. I have seen evidence of some animal sitting on them during the night, but at least whatever it is hasn't been digging in there or eating the leaves. The yellow Asiatic Lilies are left over from the woman who lived in this farm house before me, though I've moved them several times. Moving them seems to cause them to grow stronger and to multiply:

I have several Chipmunks living around the house and barn:

Since it's summer, I go out extra early to do the morning chores. I turn on the lights inside the barn while I'm in there and sometimes, if it's going to be cloudy and rainy, I'll leave on the lights for the pigeons and hens:

And many times I enjoy the spectacular morning skies. On this day, the colors were muted but still beautiful. This was due north:

And looking southwest:

 Northeast:

But one day I was feeling down and discouraged as I mowed the lawn. Then I noticed that I was being watched by a vulture on a fence post. I thought that perfectly summed up my mood:

The bird let me snap a couple of photos before it flew away, apparently deciding that eating my carcass would raise its cholesterol too much. That bit of humor and the beauty of the wild bird helped lift my mood:


And the town put down fresh gravel on the road. Thankfully, they graded it and carefully pulled the stones off of my lawn - unlike what they did last time:

What is this, you may wonder - Sadly, it's a cornfield after several months of excess rain. Not all fields are this stunted and wet, but some are. The farmers who don't have enough money to install drainage systems are more influenced by the wet weather:

The old fashioned rose I saved has continued to bloom, though its June extravaganza is now past:

And wildflowers spring up everywhere. Here by a post, where the mower couldn't reach, Black-Eyed Susans and Oxeye Daisies sprang up to brighten the yard: