BUMPS AND BITES

Working in the Garden is not all fun and games.  There are many adverse events that take place.  Hazards.  The mosquito bites that make you itch like crazy, particularly about your ankles and shins.  Then there are the wasps nests that you inadvertently knock when you are reaching into a plant for pruning.  This happened twice this week and gloves are no impediment to the bite. This is a major problem starting now and going into the fall.  There is the occasional bee that takes offense and the biting flies. No, it is certainly not all beautiful flowers and butterflies.  Just this week I had a nasty encounter with a saddleback caterpillar.  In fact several of them, living in a group on the Rudbeckia maxima.  I was pruning and felt a little sting which did not stop me, but soon my whole arm was on fire and I was feeling a little nauseated.  Yes this little, less than 1/2 inch, caterpillars did a lot of damage.  I iced my arm and recovered, but not a lot of fun.  If you add in the scratches, bumping you head because your hat obstructs your upward field of vision, and the sunburn,  well it is downright dangerous.

LOVE OF A FIG

Heat is an amazing.  It certainly does all manner of evil things to the trees and the plants, causing thirsty drooping leaves, but it also has turned on the Fig ripening mechanism.  The trees have been covered with the little fig bulbs, but with the onset of the heat wave, I can barely keep up with the harvest.  Fresh tree ripened figs beat anything you find in the stores.  Soft, sweet, lovely little balls of gooey deliciousness.

RAINS

I needed to put on the knee high green rubber boots this morning for the walk.  The rain gauge in our weather station measured 2.35 inches of water during the storm of yesterday, and I knew the grass would be really wet.  I was correct in the assessment.  It was cool as well.  I started to think that perhaps I should have put on a long sleeve shirt and long pants because of the chill, that notion was quickly abandoned by the time I turned the south west conner of the hedgerow.
The rain had been the steady all day sort, sometime heavy, then getting lighter, but never stopping.  There was no wind and the drops fell straight to the ground, so much so that I never needed to close either of the french doors to prevent moisture from coming into the interior.  We were a little bored and house bound, but we made it through.  I got lots of knitting done, Zoe had another day to recover from her surgery, and Parker tried his best to be good.
Lots of deadheading and pruning right now to keep the garden looking fresh.  The corn has grown tremendously, and is tasseling.  This rain should get it through the ear making phase and then it will be onto drying out for harvest.  Sadly the barley could never be harvested.  It stayed to wet, the grass grew too tall, and the heads dried out and fell to the ground.  Really heart breaking, it had been such a beautiful stand.
I had planted the Paw Paw trees in the back to encourage Zebra Swallowtails to inhabit my garden, even though I had never seen one anywhere around.  That all change, I was out putting some debris in the compost pile, when the unmistakable spotting occurred.  The distinctive black and white coloring is readily noticed.   No mistaking it for something else.   It flitted around and much to my delight, landed briefly on a young Paw Paw leaf.   I have not seen this beautiful little creature again, but I keep looking.   Could this be one of many generations to come?

FOURTH

The 4th of July came and went, peacefully around the farm.  There were chores to take care of, and then an annual party to attend on a farm on the bay. At home, we could hear and see distant fireworks of the celebrations taking place around the county.  All and all it was a relaxed, but hot summer day.  The corn is tasseling(on other farms, not here yet), our soy beans have broken ground, the alfalfa, responding to the rain we have received, is already back up from the last cutting, and the garden is still abundant.  There is a trend towards less moisture for the coming week or so.  We will see.
The  twin eagles have been out in the field playing some sort of tag.  I have seen this behavior in others that have matured on this farm before these two, wish I knew the end game.
The wind has been kicking up early, making rowing a poor choice, the afternoons as well have had winds, but I am keeping my fingers crossed that perhaps things will die down today and I will get a sunset row in.  I am really wanting to be out on the water, and if it does not calm down I will have to go out on a rough ride in the morning, searching for the calm water that might exist in a protected spot on the river.