Busy July

Most of the photos in today's post are from the first of July but I'm getting around to sharing them now.

The lilies are the shining star of the early July flowerbeds. They're so pretty! 

The purple cone flowers were just starting to bloom the first of July. They are very invasive and threaten to take over my flowerbeds.

I clip off the seed heads every year. Last summer I took the seeds and walked along the south edge of a hay field that is located along the road. I threw a handful of seeds in the road frontage all the way west to the line fence with our neighbors.

Purple cone flowers don't bloom the first year they're planted from seed, they just grow. I'll find out in 2022 if my experiment was successful.

Little wireman is almost overgrown with this ground cover. I'll make sure he doesn't get completely buried. He's been decorating my flowerbed since 1999! He was made in art class by a son, I put him in the flowerbed for his high school graduation open house back in '99. He never made it back into the house.

I haven't had my own garden for several years. Our local son has a garden and I've been helping with his this year. I ran out of green beans last winter so I've planted plenty. They had tiny flowers the first of July, we're getting plenty to eat and put in the freezer. Yes, I freeze my green beans, I hate the canned ones.

The grass needs mowing and the garden needs to be weeded but we had too much rain the end of June. I feel guilty for saying that when the western US states need rain so badly. I just couldn't get yard mowed with it raining every day and I don't like to mud around in the garden.

Twenty plus years ago I planted two different varieties of blackberry bushes in a corner where the west barn intersects with the west shed. I made sure I planted thornless plants. They're loaded with immature berries, I should have plenty for the freezer.

Of course I had to use up last years frozen berries so I baked a blackberry cobbler, it was delicious!

I love summer, so many beautiful flowers and the bounty of all the fresh vegetables and fruits, it's wonderful!

Linking to To Do Tuesday, Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss, Stitch, Sew & Show, , Needle & Thread Thursday

The Last 2 Weeks

Our daughter double masked and hand sanitized her way from Phoenix to northern Indiana for a two week stay. It was wonderful to have her here. She waited to visit until both the farmer and I were vaccinated. Thankfully neither one of us had any side effects from the vaccine.

I decided to take a vacation/break from hand quilting and just enjoy our time together. I also read a couple books, sewed binding on quilts, pieced some easy crib quilts and embroidered quilt labels. I've actually got the label ready for blue stars around the garden but no picture.

After a week of no hand quilting, I started again and made a little progress.

The center is slow going. I still need to stitch in the ditch around the leaves and stem on the right side of the big flower. And I need to get the stencil out and mark the space where I missed a line.

I also worked outside in the flowerbeds and the yard. The older grandson was on spring break so he got to spend time picking up sticks.

The crocuses are blooming, they're so bright and happy.

I wasn't home when the farmer put the cows out on pasture so no pictures of the celebration.  They enjoyed a lazy sunny Easter afternoon on the grass. The grass isn't very long, we're rather dry. 

Linking to Link Your Stuff!, Patchwork & Quilts, Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching, Show & Tell Monday, Monday Making, Design Wall Monday, BOM's Away

Frosted Trees

Today's post is not about quilting but about weather and the trees.

On New Year's day we received freezing rain. The temperature was cold enough the rain dripped/froze on the trees making little icicles 2" - 3" in length. The trees were very pretty but the roads were extremely hazardous and there were power outages in our area. Our electric stayed on.

Trees with ice. I should have take a close up of the icicles but I didn't.

Sunday morning, the 3rd, it started to snow, a heavy wet crunchy snow. Crunchy snow means when you walk in it, it crunches. The trees got a frosting of snow over the ice, now they're really pretty! But a wet heavy snow means even more weight on those tree branches which means more power outages. Again we kept our power. 

These are the black walnut trees along the west fence row of the south heifer pasture. I often see squirrels running along the branches and jumping from tree to tree. They didn't do any of that New Year's weekend.

The east side of the pasture along the driveway. The cattle aren't outside in the pastures during the winter.

Can you figure out what this picture is? It's a close up of my clothesline. The ice/snow layer is an inch thick and it's wound around the line!

This is another picture of the same heifer pasture, those trees are on the south edge, along the road. In the winter this is the sledding hill. The grandsons went sledding later but I didn't get pictures.

I planted this tree 35 plus years ago when it was only 6" tall. 

This is looking south down our driveway. I'm standing in the curve of the drive.

I'm still standing in the curve of the drive but looking west towards the house.

That branch leaning over on the fence isn't broken. By evening the temperature rose, the snow/ice on the trees melted and that tree stood back up.

Frosted trees don't happen all the time, I'm glad I could share the pictures with you. 

Linking to To Do Tuesday, Midweek Makers, Clever Chameleon, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle & Thread Thursday

Life on the Farm

Our life on the farm hasn't changed much, farmers are fairly isolated to begin with. The cows still have to be milked twice a day, the milk truck comes every other day to pick up the milk and take it to the plant for processing, cow feed is delivered very 10 days and the farmer drives to the mill weekly to pick up bagged feed for the heifers.

We're starting to get geared up for spring planting. The fuel truck has come and filled the farm tanks with diesel fuel and gasoline. Seeds have been delivered and planting will begin once the soil is warmer and dry. The alfalfa is greening up and growing, soon we'll start baling hay, hopefully the first of May. 

Also we've opened the gates so the cows can get down to the permanent pasture. We're very happy when that happens, so are the cows! I think most of the pictures are self explanatory but in case you don't speak cow 'talk' I'll make some comments.

When I went outside, the cows were lined up and waiting. They knew something was going to happen but weren't sure what.

Finally, the gate is opened and they're off!

Get out of the way!

Can you see, these cows are running?

Is this how we will act when the all clear is sounded and we head to our favorite LQS?

Which way should I go?

They always run straight ahead . . .

then turn to the left at the corner of the field, they're still running.

The north side of the pasture grows faster than the south  section. There's an electric fence wire running through the field to keep them in the north section. 

They don't run through the wire, they turn toward the east again.

They've had a good run, now they need to establish hierarchy in the herd.

The excitement was all over an hour later and they were grazing quietly and peacefully.

Our younger son and his family live in a separate house on our farm. We're trying to keep the grandsons lives as normal as we can. The 3 year old isn't hard but 7 is more challenging.

One of the activities has been to pick up all the sticks that came out of the trees over winter.

I sent the sticks home with them, told them they could burn them when their family has their next hot dog roast.

Weekly grocery shopping is not my normal, my last stockup shopping was March 23rd. I have a large chest freezer with plenty of vegetables, meat and fruit. We drink the milk our cows produce and I have my own laying hens. 

But I did leave the the farm to make a trip to a local seed (seeds as in corn, soybeans, wheat and such) & supply business.

Several years ago the owner's wife added a greenhouse/garden supply business to the original seed & supply. I bought onion starts, broccoli and cabbage plants then planted garden later that day. Guess you could say I went grocery shopping in a way.

I was the only customer and had all the vegetables starts and flowers to myself. I couldn't resist these beauties when I walked passed the display of pansies/violas. A few packs came home with me and I repotted them into a couple of planters.

The daffodils are all open, adding a touch of sunlight even on cloudy, overcast days. The flowers permanently face east because the wind blows them that way.

Linking to To Do Tuesday, Midweek Makers, Clever Chameleon, Wednesday Wait Loss

Baskets & 9 Patches

It's May and I've pulled the unfinished Baskets & 9 Patches project to progress into the flimsy stage. I had to look to find when I last worked on this quilt, it was in August 2017.

This pattern was designed by Karen H from Faires & Fibres.

Spring has finally arrived in northern Indiana. The grass is green and the girls are down in the field.

This gate was shut last November. The cows spent the winter in the free stall shed dreaming about summer pasture.

The gate has been opened and Rissa is the first to head down to pasture.

Happy, happy cows!

This was still a chilly day, notice the grandson in his winter coat and hat.

Heading toward the grass.

Then there is always the head butting trying to work their way up the social order.

Making sure the water tank is ready to go.

Finally all settled down and enjoying the sunshine.

The chicks are growing. They love their heat lamp.

Linking to Sew Stitch Snap Show, Let's Bee Social, Whatever Wednesday, Needle & Thread Thursday, Finished Or Not Friday, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, TGIFF!, Finish It Up Friday