Celebrating the Fourth with Some Down Time

July 's warm moist days and long evenings are the perfect times to contemplate the journey.  There seems to be color and scent everywhere flooding  the senses. It is a great time to  kick back and take it all in for a little while and celebrate the abundance of one's life. 

It has been five years now since leaving the hustle and bustle of my past.  When I first saw the house there was not a flower or plant other than straggley lawn grass around the house.  This is what it looks like today.

The front porch still needs work but it is less noticeable being surrounded by a variety of summer blooming perrenials.  I loved those columns from the first day I saw them.

The daylilles and the hollyhocks are past their bloom but their luschious leaves still frame the east side of the house. The old bourbon barrel stands guard in its corner.

The side porch seats have peeled down a bit more of their red paint revealing the lovely mustard underneath.  This wonderfully shapely old bike will either go to the shop and be covered with knitting or become a planter near the front fence.  I'm searching for a metal basket for the front and side saddle newspaper baskets for the back.  We shall see. Today it got scraped of loose rust and sprayed with acrylic to protect its soft brown and worn blue finish.

Ah! Chickens! Can anything be more entertaining? They have multiplied and set up their little family groups headed by a rooster. The Buddy the Rooster and his two hens that we got last year, have thoroughly adapted  and flourished.  I've lost count of how many therre are now.  They free range throughout the entire farm keeping the whole environment free of excess ticks and other pesky bugs.  They roost in the trees and the ram shed in addition to the chicken coop. They also love hanging with the Ewes in the front pasture.  In spring there are plenty of eggs to share with friends but by July those smart chickies  hide their clutches and soon parade their babies around.  Right now there are two little families of baby chicks.

The garden project has not been as  successful the last three years for a variety of reasons having to do with weather and timing (plus focusing on the wool and yarn shop. )  Luckily, I can raid my down the road neighbor's peach tree.  These beauties are almost ready to go into a pie.

Two new Shetland ewe girls, Coco and Ashley, joined us this spring and most of the rams born two years ago have found new homes.  The pastures can now be managed better for breeding and hopefully, next spring, we will again have lambs born at All One Farms. Can't wait to see what the rest of the year brings! 

Summer! Lushness!

Summer has arrived in all its glory. Beautiful red sunrises and the most amazing orange glow moonrises i have ever seen. The full moon this past week was a huge blood orange hanging in flowing cotton candy clouds over the sheep meadow. The days now are still with little breeze to beak up the afternoon heat. I have to admit that it has driven me under the old apple tree in the afternoons to escape the humidity. There is no air conditioning in this old house and no way to put it in without hanging heavy ducts all around. The original builders wisely planted tall maples on the south side and every outside wall (all walls) have a window in which creates a nice cross breeze most days. But if there are no breezes, unusual really, it can be quite steamy inside. I am way behind on working on my wool because of the heat.

The garden is doing well. The tomato crop just continues. Potatoes are almost done. Still have beans and carrots. New fall crops are in the ground, finally. Ten varieties of pumpkins and gourds are in and will hopefully be ready by early October. I spent a few hours this weekend creaning up the herb and kitchen gardens which were in need of a little maintenance.