TURKEYS AND BAGS

Two broods of baby turkeys graced our yard before the recent rains.  It had been so dry.  But then we got several major rain storms so things are starting to green up again.  The male turkeys stop to argue with their reflections in the truck's bumper.

The sheep took advantage of the rain to graze when the bugs wouldn’t bite them.  Their wool got soaking wet. When they had had their fill they went back into the shed where the dirt was still dry and dusty.  And they did what sheep do before they lie down.  They pawed and dug at the dirt and it cascaded all over the wet wool! They are out in the other field this week with no shed getting rained on and washed off.

The summer squash has been going insane.  Tomatoes are ripening and the beets are glorious.  I put up some pickled beets and usually have a jar of refrigerator pickled beets on hand.

I made these funny little bags for my teenage granddaughters and niece.

Sator square

I picked the last of the black raspberries today and so far have made over a gallon and a quarter of jam - - in 8 oz and 16 oz jars.  There is still a half gallon of juice in the freezer, but I think I will let that wait until the weather is cooler.

The Eye of the Tiger scarf is finally finished and blocked.  I am thinking of brushing it to fluff up the mohair in it.  Riverrim had given me some natural colored mohair a while back.  I carded it with Finn wool and then overdyed it blue and spun the yarn for the scarf.

The Italian bush beans are plentiful and delicious this year and I picked the first ripe tomato yesterday. The tomatoes were planted early  - - around mid-May so that is the reason for the very early ripe fruit. 

I am nearly finished with the Sator square.  It is supposed to protect a household or barn.  The Sator square goes back to ancient Roman times, but they say the Amish sometimes used it to protect their barns from fire.

BABY BEARS

These are pictures of Smoky rolling. He thinks it is a better way of keeping his coat nice than licking it all the time. Who wants all that fur in your mouth and hairballs anyway?

Everything has been growing and blooming. One of the roses has climbed all the way up into the apple tree. Most of the other roses have faded with the hot weather.

  Spinach and lettuce bolted. The beets are great with lots of greens and refrigerator pickled beets. The beans have flowers and peppers are ripening and there are some green tomatoes coming along.

Look closely at the photo of the pasture. On the lower left the sheep are hanging out. In the upper right there is a mother bear (well, just the back end of her) and her two cubs. I grabbed the camera when I saw them walking down our road and just managed to catch the tail end of the parade.