Summer Days

Each morning, as the sun is rising,
we head out to the barn.
The horses are brought in from their night of grazing,
and we busy ourselves getting all of the other animals fed,
watered and cleaned.


It's wonderful working in the cool morning air,
before the sun has warmed the earth.

Garden chores are done... picking, weeding, or watering.



Yesterday, being Monday, was laundry day, so the bedsheets
were washed and hung on the line.


If I had the time, I would wash my sheets and hang them out to dry
each and every day.  Climbing into bed, exhausted, at the end of a busy
day... and settling into crisp, line-dried, outdoors-scented sheets is 
truly one of my greatest simple pleasures!


Mornings are the best time for bike rides,


before the roads have heated up in the sunshine.

I can honestly say that the E-assist bikes we bought last summer,
were money, well-spent!
I have over 500 miles on mine already.
I truly feel like a kid again... able to ride anywhere my heart desires.
(No hill is too high!)
We get to explore the countryside while getting a good amount of exercise...
(without killing ourselves in the process.)


It's fun to observe the subtle changes in the land over the weeks
of riding.
The day lilies are blooming alongside the roads, now;


as are the wild roses.


Yesterday we saw our first red-headed woodpecker ever,
sitting on a fence post.
I was unable to catch a photo of him, as I was moving
and only had my cell phone.

We rode past the farm that raises our grass-fed meats.
Though we don't eat a lot of meat, what we do eat is
humanely raised and pasture-fed on this farm.


After a well-deserved lunch, we tackled the mowing.



I had the opportunity to check on our active wild beehive.
I would love to open it up and look at how they have constructed their
honeycomb.
There are no frames in the hive, so I imagine they have built their own
frames vertically, hanging from the inside lid.



I won't open it up... as I don't want to disturb their colony.
But rather, will remain hands-off in hopes that they can manage
to keep themselves alive through the winter.
They are quite docile and don't seem to mind me driving the mower past 
their hive.


After mowing, I sat in the sheep yard for a while....

[link to video, if needed]

Afternoons are the perfect time to get a little sewing or knitting done.
I am working on another shawl in a beautiful, colorful Japanese wool.
This one will eventually end up in my Etsy shop.


Once the sun is lower in the sky,
we finish up the day's chores.
Evenings are as busy as mornings in the summertime.
The thing is...
the kind of work that we have here on the farm is very gratifying...
and never burdensome.
It's a busy life... but, a great life!

Comments

colleen said…
It is funny that you mentioned freshly laundered and hung out bed sheets. A friend and I were talking about the same exact thing last evening. The roses took me back to my childhood. We had them growing up by our barn and to this day I can still remember that wonderful smell. The shawl is gorgeous. xoxoxo
Lisa said…
I love the idea of an e bike! Do you have anymore hives that you collect honey from? If your bees are docile that means it's a good, calm queen. That's what we were told. When your queen is crabby, the whole hive is crabby. You know the saying when mamma ain't happy nobody is happy.
Anonymous said…
You never sit still!!!
Lynne said…
In a perfect life . . .
I too would have fresh air dried sheets on our bed every single day/night.
(Realty . . . not every day, but our sheets don’t visit the clothes dryer! Air Dry is the winner!)

Looks like the “grahams” are loved as much as the Ritz!
Is that why Graham Crackers have been sold out during this S’Mores season!?
This N That said…
It's a good life , for sure..Not for the faint at heart..I miss my line dried sheets.Nothing like them.Glad you are enjoying your bikes..Another thing I miss..Oh well, enjoy them as long as you are able..Nice that you have a surviving hive..Are the others still available? I like your pants..I would have a hard time chosing between Ritz and Grahamies....Nice to have both..xxoo
Junebug said…
I loved the feel and smell of my fresh outdoor line dried sheets as I crawed into bed last night! Nothing better!
Alex Petrov said…
Beautiful animals!