Tangled Webs

Ahhhh... rainfall.  It happened Wednesday evening - just a little over a tenth of an inch ( a drop in the bucket compared to what we need right now).  And yet, it made for a beautiful morning, yesterday, as everything glistened in the glow of the rising sun.

 There's nothing like a little rainfall to highlight the work of Mother Nature's skilled artisan weavers.  Although I don't see many spiders around these days, their handiwork is always on display.  According to Hubbs' research, there are four kinds of spider webs...

The intricate, organized, mathematical web of the orb weaver:

The sheet web - most of the webs here on the farm are these...

The cob web - random webs with no pattern to them.  I commonly find these by the score in the animal houses and barn.

And lastly, the funnel web, which I could not find a single example of yesterday.  Here is a stock photo just as an illustration.  I've seen many of these over the years, but for the life of me, cannot find one right now!

A few of the chickens looked a little bedraggled yesterday morning as a result of spending the night out in the rain.  

Yes, we still have a group of gals who insists upon roosting in the willow tree beside the chicken yard instead of going inside for the night.

It's actually a safe location, and I'm sure they enjoy the night air and the sounds of the crickets and katydids lulling them sleep.  But, when it rains, they get wet and need to spend a little time the next morning...

getting their feathers back in order!

And by the way... Helen still waits every morning for her lift from her roost to the ground.  Spoiled?

We are in the midst of tomato season and the beginning of pepper season.  Yesterday's comments included a question about roasting tomatoes.  I simply cut them in half (or segments if they are large), drizzle with EVOO, sprinkle with sea salt, or kosher salt and roast in a 400 degree oven until they are somewhat shriveled up.  Roasting intensifies their flavor.  I then freeze in silicone bags and use them  later in soups and sauces.  I do leave the skins on because we have no objection to skins.  They can always be pulverized later by a stick blender.

It's also thistle season... one of my favorite weeds and difficult to pull out because of the jaggers.  So, instead, I choose to see them as a beautiful gift... and leave them wherever they grow.  The bees love them!

We've arrived at yet another Friday.  We'll be back on Monday to share our weekend adventures with you.  Until then... stay cool.  My fingers are crossed that this weekend brings some much needed rain!