Early July at the Farm

Hello dear friends,

 we have just enjoyed another week of vacation and although we had a very long list of things we wanted to do we actually spent a few very relaxing days doing none of them!  My sister in law came to visit from Montreal with her binoculars, bird book and note book in hand.  She is an enthusiastic birdwatcher and listed 19 different birds on one day alone!  It was lovely to see her again.

We have gone from a very cool and wet spring to some rather sudden heat and humidity.  There is little rain in the forecast so we have been cutting hay.  The mosquitoes have been horrible though so working in the gardens has been rather uncomfortable.

I somehow missed most of the peonies in bloom.  It seems like one day there were lots of buds then suddenly they were open and past their prime.

The plants in the koi pond are doing well.  A few weeks ago I purchased water hyacinths and water lettuce which will multiply rapidly over the summer, providing shade for the fish and helping to cool the water.

Horatio is happy to have his photo taken.

This is a bee and butterfly house.  We have mounted it on one of the veranda posts in a warm and sunny location.  So far no visitors though.  We do have a lot of pollinator activity at our farm but would like to do more to help them by providing food and cover.

The lawns have been growing like crazy and it is a big job to keep them mowed.

We have lots of frogs in our ponds.  I have spotted four in the koi pond alone!

We observed a Baltimore Oriole and learned that they like oranges.  I threaded orange slices and cranberries and hung them in a tree but it doesnt look like it is very popular.  It looks pretty though!

  We have a number of glass wasp traps which are supposed to help control the wasp population around the house.  They are all made of glass and are quite pretty.  I am not very good about remembering to add liquid to trap the wasps so most of the time they are just decorative.

The local statue shop has been sold and the owners are moving to Northern Ontario.  This is sad news as I do love buying statues!  We purchased a big goose that is in memory of one of our Muscovy ducks as well as a sweet statue that will mark the resting place of Drakk and Holly, two of our lovely German Shepherds that were brother and sister.  Perhaps this weekend we will find the time to move them into position.

Jerry the rooster is thrilled to welcome 18 new laying hens!  Jerry and our one surviving hen have been very lonely for the last few months.  They are appreciating all of the company and seem to be so much happier.

We have so much happening in the gardens but those photos will need to wait until later.

Thank you for visiting!