Friday notes

In the morning, I went out to feed the chickens. I returned to the farmhouse more than two hours later. Ed said it best later in the day: without the buzz of mosquitoes in your ear, we stay out longer, do more, work harder and appreciate every minute of our time outdoors.

I cleaned the day lily plants (July is their peak season and I do have a lot of day lilies flowering right now), and watered the front flower bed. I'm hoping that the rains tonight will do the work for me in the remaining flower fields.






(The froggies are back in the lily field!)






(The monarchs are fighting over property rights to the milkweed...)






(Pepper, is, I think, one of the cutest in our bunch.)






Finally, breakfast.






It's quite late when I set out to grocery shop. And I nearly stumble over Stop Sign! I think she has decided that the indirect approach doesn't always bring her the food she needs. We've not seen her regularly, but it may be because we're not staring at the space underneath Ed's car (where she likes to hang out) on a regular basis. She's going for an "in you face" tactic now. Today she eats voraciously -- clearly the little cat is hungry.






And then I pick up Snowdrop.






It's grand to have her in the farmhouse again. Summer opens up activities that take us on adventures elsewhere -- typically the pool or the park. But today, it's Snowdrop with her favorite props, telling us a story of mystery and intrigue.






(A game that involves her babies and Ed. She's reading a book to them.)






I'm to take her home. On the way out, she spots the bowl of apples. Can I have the pinkest one?
Sure!

I'm impressed that she can multitask!






Pepper is a show off today!






The sun is low now. I've taken the little on home and  I'm starting to think about dinner.

It will include corn.

Have you ever tasted freshly picked Midwestern corn? You have? Well then you'll know why we'll be eating it almost daily this month. It's that good.

Ed walks to the barn to give an extra handful of corn to the cheepers.

(In this photo, you may be able to appreciate how large the Big Bed of flowers is as measured against his tall frame.)






Storms rumble to the west, to the south. We'll be getting some rain tonight and really, that's a good thing. The flowers need it. The farmers' crops need it. Me? I'm just happy to be walking outside again, snapping photos, smelling the lilies.