Empty Nests

The final baby House Wren left the nest this morning. Baby was peeking out of the birdhouse hole when we went out to the barn for morning chores. . . twenty minutes later, the birdhouse was empty.

. . . but look who we found, a couple of hundred feet away, perched on a piece of antique garden equipment!

She wasn't exactly delighted to see us.









But doesn't she have the cutest feathers???





And so our front yard was a very noisy place all day today, as the entire House Wren family chattered and squealed from various bushes, trees, and fence posts.

We found another empty nest in the grass near the maple tree this morning; this one was a sparrow's nest, constructed almost entirely from horse hair. Specifically, Buttons' mane and tail hair, since most of the hair is grey and she's the only grey pony we have. :-) It's nice to think that Buttons has been helping to nurture the next generation of baby sparrows.

It's Raining, It's Pouring. . .

It rained again today. Not significantly, but a steady drizzle that kept things damp outdoors today.

As you may recall, we had 3" of rain last Wednesday night. As you may also recall, we had 2" of rain on Monday night.

And so we have puddles in our driveway. Due to our previous lack of rain, it's been quite a while since there have been puddles in the driveway. Judging by this photograph, it appears the puddle was cause for celebration!

Update from the Garden: Peas!

As we mentioned a couple of days ago, the Golden Sweet heirloom peas are coming along beautifully--we should be enjoying them very soon, maybe even for dinner tomorrow!




We finally have flowers on the Green Arrow heirloom peas-- aren't they beautiful?



We also have flowers on the Dwarf Gray Sugar peas. They are---quite simply---exquisite. And thriving! They are coming along very well, even better than the Green Arrows, which are usually such prolific producers for us.

Tuesday update . . .

. . .without photos, I'm afraid! Today's photos are still on the camera card and it's rather late to download them now. Suffice to say that we had another 2 inches of rain last night (as you may recall, we had 3" a few days ago), so everything is pretty well soaked around here. On the other hand, everything is growing like crazy, so we're glad to be getting the rain after such a long dry spell.

Update from the birdhouse--there are three baby House Wrens still in the birdhouse. They are big enough that we can see their little heads through the birdhouse entrance. Mother and Father Wren are a very noisy pair, chattering all day long (beginning at 5am; they are still chirping at 10pm), and the babies scream with delight when either parent arrives at the nest with a tasty treat. So cute!! We tried to get photos of the baby birds, but haven't had success yet. We'll keep trying.

Sometimes You Have to Look Closely. . .

Fascinating things are happening all the time, sometimes you just have to look closely in order to see them.

Summer Rain

Wednesday evening brought us some much-needed rain. . . over 3 inches, in less than two hours.

It rained and rained, and then it rained some more, and the storm also brought some pea-sized hail and lots of lightning.

Here is what the fields looked like on Thursday morning. . .

Golden Sweet-ness

We are very happy with how the "Golden Sweet" peas are coming along.

The flowers are purple---beautiful, rich purple---and the pods are golden. . .

Aren't they the most beautiful peas you've ever seen??? We can't wait to begin dining on their golden sweetness (the pods are edible, too).

What's better than heirloom gardening???

He has a name. . .

We've gone ahead and chosen a name for the newest buckskin colt, born 3 weeks ago. We've settled on Miracle Jack Bee Nimble and it does suit him as he's as handy a youngster as I've seen. Quite a fancy guy and loads of good Welsh movement. His four white stockings only compliment his already handsome looks. The stockings in front go a bit up over the knee in front and are up to the hocks in back. He's going to be very similar to the yearling colt Miracle Jack Bee Quick. What a gorgeous driving team they'd make for someone. I can just picture them together.

Here are two of the latest photos of Jack Bee Nimble taken yesterday.

A Bird in the Hand . . . er, House

Last year, the children built three small birdhouses from kits that they received as gifts. The finished houses were quite cute and one of them was placed (hanging from a piece of string) in one of the crabapple trees in the garden for decoration.

Recently we discovered that "someone" had moved in. :-)

"Someone" turned out to be a pair of House Wrens, who have taken possession of the decorative birdhouse and have filled it with twigs and bits of grass. They are a busy pair; in and out of the house all day long, and quite vocal if anyone dares to go near their abode.

"Is the coast clear???"

Nature's Jewelry . . . Part II

The Black-Eyed Susans have finally bloomed, and we're very happy to see them.

They make exquisite jewelry. :-)

Actually, they look lovely wherever you decide to display them.

The roses are in full bloom as well---and quite decorative in their own way.

The Sweetness of Strawberries

We're still waiting for the first vegetables of the season from our garden, but while we (impatiently) wait, we're thoroughly enjoying the delights of freshly picked strawberries. They are beyond delicious!

Learning to Lead--- times 2!

Our new little buckskin baby is growing so quickly and is getting cuter every day. He's two weeks old today, and doing very well with learning to lead. . .

The foal isn't the only one learning to walk on a lead . . . although it's more like "following" instead of leading, in this case!

Nature's Jewelry . . .

Young girls love jewelry . . . and flowers . . . and so combining the two makes for a picture-perfect photo session *and* a happy little girl.

Fox Hill Fencing Team

Summer is the perfect season for fencing, and we have been busy moving fencing and making new paddocks.

Here are the results of last Monday's labors. . .

The ponies are enjoying themselves very much. :-)

Update From the Garden - 07/08/09

Have we mentioned that we love poppies? This blossom just opened this morning.

Have we mentioned that we also love bee balm? It's just beautiful. We love the name, too.

Daisies, daisies, daisies---incredibly cheerful with their yellow faces and bright white petals.

The peppers are coming along very well---it won't be long before we're enjoying them!
. . . and the tomatoes are coming along quite nicely as well. So far, lots of Stupice and Mexico Midgets.

Friday Fotos :-)

A few new pictures to post. . .

The new little fellow at 3 days old . . . too cute for words! Still nameless, but we're working on it. :-)

There are other babies around the farm, too. . . including this tiny baby Thirteen-Lined Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus, in case you're wondering), munching on a dandelion leaf. She's only about an inch wide. :-)

The peonies are blooming! Such beautiful flowers and such a deep pink!