June

May came and went and the rain finally stopped. We planted ornamental grasses in front of our propane tank - that's a law in the country isn't it? To try to conceal that monstrosity with tall grasses? 

Our first spring here brought a few surprises, like these peonies in front of the barn. We have a lone petunia that keeps sprouting up under the deck, however that got there. Peonies are one of my favorites, but they're so short lived. We have several - bright pink and dark burgundy, which I hadn't seen before.

The equipment was at the ready, sitting idly, patiently waiting for the ground to dry out. 

More acreage means bigger equipment! This beast can rake mean rows in about a third of the time. Plus it makes for a pretty cool photo. And it made for interesting lawn decor when a hydraulic line blew the first time we used it.

Finally it was time to cut hay! Our days of running short and scrambling to buy a few hundred bales at a time was over! The first cutting was successful enough (about 1400 square bales) that the barns were full and we even had a few spare wagon loads to sell. 36 acres of hay doesn't sound too unmanageable until you start stacking. 

                        

We managed to squeak in a garden, not quite as large as we're accustomed to, but then again, who has the time for weeds! The scrapped wood from disassembling stalls made excellent raised beds. The pig weed filled topsoil filled them up and started a nightmare for weeds. Asparagus and strawberries were started for next year. The blueberry bushes peaked early and we enjoyed several bowls, not having the patience to wait for enough to bake a pie. Lettuce, carrots, herbs, bush beans, beets, turnips, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, sweet potatoes and a brand new fig tree rounded out the food plot. Within a week, most had sprouted, within 2 weeks they were being choked out by pigweed. Those little buggers are hardy.

We cut. And raked. And baled. And stacked. And unstacked. And retstacked.

And got really sweaty. And itchy.

And done! Just before the rain threatened.

June also brought sadness. Having a cluster of older pets really, really sucks some times. Rosie left us at age 13-ish. We aren't certain as she was a rescue but we'd owned her since 2005 when it was believed she was 1-3 years old. One day she was fine, the next she was having difficulty walking and failed quickly within the next 1-2 days at the clinic with heart failure. Rosie was the sweetest, most affectionate and tolerant cat I'd ever come across. And a little freaky, depending on who you asked. We still miss her every day.

And sometimes in sadness comes growth. Two stalls were emptied and prepped in June for our newest additions. More to come...