Flowers in July...

are simply beautiful. Look at the marvelous colors, the delicate petals, the unique qualities of each individual flower... and then smile. :-)

For those who like ponies... Part II

We love summer for a myriad of reasons--but it's also our favorite season for Pony Photography. Since it has been awhile since Miracle Maid to Order (a.k.a. "Chocie) was photographed, she had a quick photo shoot last week.

Chocie is a daughter of Gallimaufry Jaguar and Heritage Hall's the Cat's Meow, and she is the dam of Miracle Minute Maid. She has many championships to her credit and is just generally a fun pony to have around. :-) We like her, and we think she's pretty cute, too. :-)

A Very Charming Visitor

We see Whitetail Deer quite frequently here at the farm, but it isn't every day that we spot such a charming visitor right outside our dining room window:

Don't you love those spots? And those eyes? And how about those ears?

Just as quickly as he arrived, he took off for the woods again with his Mom and his twin sister. Happily, Dan was able to snap these pictures before the little guy disappeared. :-)

A Rose by Any Other Name...

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." -Shakespeare

For Those Who Like Ponies...

(Which we do, incidentally... :-))... here are a couple of recent pony photos, showing a couple of our young Sec A Welsh Mountain Pony fillies:

Miracle Lady Fiona, 3 yrs old, sired by Mt. Ridge Yellow Jacket and out of Doncardeb Miss Sunny Ruby. As you can see from the photo, Fiona enjoys having a good time--she exudes joie de vivre. :-)

And here is Miracle Minute Maid, aka "Cadi." She just turned 2 yrs old on June 16, so this was her birthday portrait. Cadi is also sired by Mt. Ridge Yellow Jacket; her dam is Miracle Maid to Order.

We're quite pleased with how these lovely girls are maturing. Hope you enjoyed seeing them as well.

From our flower garden...

"They speak of hope to the fainting heart,

With a voice of promise they come and part,

They sleep in dust through the wintry hours,

They break forth in glory--bring flowers, bright flowers!"

-Felicia D. Hemans

[Variety pictured: Cherokee Sunset, Rudbeckia Hirta]

Daisies: Part Three

We recently posted pictures of Daisy the cow... and then followed that up with a series of daisy chain photos... and while we have daisies on our minds anyway, here's one more that you might enjoy:

Celebrate... Summer!

Everyone stay cool this week with the record-breaking heat across the country! Find some lemonade or iced tea and relax in the shade. Isn't it refreshing just looking at these photos? :-)

Things that we might not have mentioned...

#1: It's looking to be a very promising year for blackberries:

#2: We planted watermelon again this year--Petite Yellow, an heirloom lunch box variety:

And #3: It has been raining quite regularly:

(Because we *know* that you were wondering about our blackberries, watermelon, and rain amounts! :-)

Red, White, and Blue...

Best Wishes for a Happy 4th of July from all of us at Fox Hill Farm!!

Daring young bird on the flying trapeeze

Upon awakening, I heard a "thunk" on the window.  It was the kind of "thunk" that is unmistakeably a bird "thunk."  I went out to investigate and sure enough, a baby bluebird was laying upside down in the grass.   As I gently turned him over, he came back to life and flew over to the clothesline where he proceeded to try to land on the line itself.  Being such a baby, he didn't do too well on the ever-moving line and as he gripped it at tightly as he could, he just swung upside down and hung there for a second or two.  If a bird can have a perplexed look on its face, then I'm sure I saw one.  Suddenly he let go and flew off again, in that swoopy up-and-down flight pattern of a "new to flying" baby.  Out of the trees, mama bluebird came and zeroed in on her beloved child and followed him to wherever her little one wanted to go.  Just like a good mom does.  Just like she should.

Garden Update: Heirloom Peppers

The pepper plants are coming along nicely and the King of the North plants are producing particularly well this year.

The potatoes are coming along beautifully--we can't wait to uncover our "buried treasure" later on in the season! :-)