Keeping Cool

One thing that Summer demands of us is flexibility.  This summer has, so far, been extremely hot and humid (with an occasional temperate day just to keep us sane!)

Getting the horses out to pasture as early as possible is essential.

It takes a lot of restraint for this boy to refrain from "sharing" the carrots that we add to Ginger's breakfast.  What a good boy!

Garden chores are done either early in the morning or late in the evening.

This weekend, we tidied up the garden, cleaned the picnic pavilion, and mowed the farm in anticipation of our summer farm family picnic. 

 We had planned to have a make-your-own pizza party in the picnic pavilion.  But, with temperatures in the mid-nineties and high humidity, we decided to move the festivities into the air conditioning.  This gave the kids an opportunity to spend the afternoon in the pool.

By later afternoon, a little shadow fell across the blueberry field, cooling things down enough for a pick-your-own session.

And still, there are thousands of blueberries in need of picking!

It was another wonderful day spent with our loved ones!  Our next family picnic is planned for autumn - cooler weather... perhaps an apple harvest picnic.

As for the garden, more and more produce is appearing each day.  The burgundy green beans are beginning to appear.

The dragon's tongue beans are emerging as well..  These beans are a drying bean that we'll add to our pantry for winter use.

The calendula is in need of cutting and drying.  After it's dry, I will used it to infuse an oil for soap making.

So many queen line zinnias are in bloom... 

Sunny sunflowers...

And finally... I was so excited to find our first loofah gourd, hanging from the arched trellis.

It looks as though the heat is here to stay - at least for the foreseeable future.  We'll keep cool in whatever ways we can...