The Fruits Of Our Labor

 Now is the time when the work done in springtime pays off. 

 It's garden harvest season and we are enjoying fresh veggies on a daily basis.  Every meal of every day is made, at least in part, from ingredients grown here on the farm.  It's more than ample payment for all of the hours of labor over the past few months.  It's been the best summer for fruit.  Berries have been plentiful.  Peaches are now in season, as well.  I mixed the first of the ripe peaches with some black raspberries and made this galette.

Back in March, I had started some seeds for Queen Lime zinnias in a few colors.  These might be my favorites of all the zinnias.  Although I do love bright colors, these subtle shades speak to me of serenity.

Behind these zinnias, I had planted several sunflower seeds.  The sunflowers are now at least 10 feet tall!

In addition to the daily harvest of cucumbers, squash, herbs, tomatoes (finally), and greens, this weekend we dug potatoes and pulled yellow and red onions.  

The onions are drying in bunches in the cool, dark barn.  The potatoes are in our cellar drying for two weeks before I put them in a container for winter storage.

We had a quiet, stay-at-home sort of weekend.  Which, after the busy-ness of July, we desperately needed.  On Saturday morning, we ran to the feed store for supplies - and on the way, stopped at my favorite coffee shop so that I could get a Spanish hot chocolate (hot chocolate with some cinnamon and cayenne pepper - it's delicious!). Forrest had his very first puppuccino (a little whipped cream in a tiny cup.)

We've been taking Forrest on little trips like this to get him used to the car and also for socialization.

It was a beautiful sunny weekend with the added pleasure of decent air quality.

I spent a little time picking blackberries and found these mushrooms at the edge of the woods.

Jack found this lovely specimen in the yard.

I can hardly wait to walk in the woods and see what has emerged with all of the rain we have received.

I think one of the things I love best about having a puppy is getting the chance to watch pure joy...

in action!

One of his jobs is to help me feed Ginger each morning.  He does so enthusiastically -

poking his head in the pig house to say hello.

Guess who has been hanging out at the barn lately...

Yep... that's Cheerio!  He still won't let us get any closer to him, but at least he's comfortable at the barn.

 

Yesterday, as I was mowing around the barn, I noticed a couple of guineas nesting in the flower box outside the greenhouse.

Typically, they sit on a large clutch of eggs for a period of time - eventually losing interest.  In all of the years that we've had guineas, only once did a hen hatch out chicks, so I don't hold much hope for this clutch.  Time will tell.  

The coming week is the first of the summer with nothing on the calendar.  I have to say - I am looking forward to it!  

I hope to have time for a little creativity... a little knitting, a little photography, a little writing.  All of that depends upon the whims of a certain little puppy, however!