Another Look

Ah, the summer. The heat, the wind, the eating hordes. The grasshoppers are here and the chickens are having fun chasing and eating them. But we need many more chickens. I think we will get eight more next year. The deer have been sneakily living behind the ag building, right under our noses as it were. But the plants are surviving. Here is the pond at its low level. It has since gotten even lower still.



This is the lovely flowering hyssop from Horizon Herbs.


The insidious but lovely Morning Glory. It has taken root with the Bamboo on the West against such odds. :)

I was telling a friend how I find the summer difficult. She said she felt the same way when she first moved here but after a few summers she began to see the beauty in it. She said she loved the mornings where the air was so sweet and the world was warm but still cool. She said she loved the long slow evenings where you could linger over a meal outside. She did concede that shade was a necessity. But her observations got me rethinking summer. And this morning while I watered at 6am and felt the cool morning breeze and the enjoyed dawn's light glimmering off the plants, I had to admit she was right.

Here are some recent photos.




The jungle that is the east side. Much needed protection and shade provided by the towering Jerusalem Artichoke.


With the addition of Water Hyacinth (I really do like invasives!) the little frog pond has finally cleared and remained so even in this intense heat. The micro-pond also contains mini-cattail and lilies and small water snails.




Sweet Potato Patch, first time for them.


Yard long beans. What a surprise!






We need homes!!! Smudge has brought two mice to the kittens to familiarize them with the prey. One of the kittens is going to be a fierce predator. He went right for the mouse and gnawed off its feet! I might keep that one! ;) This grey one was the runt but has since proven to be both agile, curious and quite the adventurer. He has such a Puck like spirit to him.