July 1st "No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden." -- Thomas Jefferson

On a bad day, go pull some weeds. Stressed, go water something. Can't think straight, go stand in the garden and stare at a tomato for a while. It's not a cure for everything, but it's a cure for a lot more than you'd expect. Rural Sprout

    

    Fog and clouds this morning, some sun this afternoon with  a high of 90 degrees and a heat advisory from noon to eight this evening. A nice west breeze.  Tonight's low 72.  Partly cloudy tomorrow, an afternoon heat advisory with a high of 95, a nice west breeze.  Night time low 72.  Friday will be the same.  Partly cloudy this weekend.  A strong WNW breeze Saturday, high 87, low 63.  A stiff WNW breeze Sunday, high 84, low 58.  Partly cloudy Monday through next Saturday, highs in the low to mid eighties, lows about 60.  Possible showers Sunday the 12th, high 81, low 62.  Partly cloudy the 13th and 14th, possible showers Wednesday the 15th.  Highs in the low eighties, lows in the low sixties. 

   I'm headed to the garden as soon as possible, this afternoon I'll be inside.  Our summer hot water heater cools the house as it heats the water.

   As Maegin says, "Yesterday was a productive day." In the morning plants were moved, setting them up for easier watering.  Surprisingly there were quite a few customers, fewer plants to water. Lots of hay went in the barn in the afternoon.  I was happy with the number of plants I got planted.  A hydrangea was planted, soaked and mulched by the front corner of the house. 

    In the process of planting I did some weeding, including some sneaky bamboo.  The weeds are packed in a barrel.  I'm hoping the barrel heats up enough over the next few days to kill the bamboo and creeping Charlie.  Maegin is cutting bamboo too.  She is making a pile that we'll cover with plastic, letting the sun and heat sterilize it so the pieces won't sprout.

   The first thing I'm doing this morning is finish mulching what I planted.  Between unloading hay wagons Kaden carried some mulch to the flowers but I was too tired to go spread it.  What I'm planting this morning is already mulched, I'll just plant through the mulch.  Sometimes when I clean out a flowerbed I'm smart enough to put down newspapers or cardboard and mulch so it doesn't get a chance to regrow before I get it planted.

    May your day be blessed, Sally

 6/30/26  A contented life is not found in having more,  but in appreciating enough

  Our high yesterday was 89,   Mostly clear, calm, 60 degrees.  Sun and some clouds today,  a WSW breeze, high 87, low 63.  Sunshine tomorrow, a SW breeze, high 90. low 71.
More clouds tomorrow, a west breeze, high 95, low 72.  Partly cloudy Friday, a stiff WNW breeze, high 93, low 69..  Partly cloudy Saturday, a brisk WNW breeze, high 86, low 63.
Sunshine Sunday, a NNW breeze, high 85, low 60.  Partly cloudy the week of the 6th, highs in the mid eighties, lows about 60.  Variable breezes.  Cloudy Saturday the 11th, a west breeze, high 81, low 62.  Thunderstorms Sunday the 12th, a WSW breeze, high 82, low 61.  Partly cloudy on the 13th and 14th, SW breezes, highs 81, lows 61.
    Yesterday was a day of weed whacking and lawn mowing.  And cleaning haymows.  The dump truck just got backed in so they can push out the pile of loose hay they swept up yesterday..  The weather forecast says square bale time.  Today will start the watering rotation.
     We still have flowers we'd like to plant.  I'll work at that, soaking the planting hole and  mulching as I go.  The kids will bring me mulch.  I won't get as many planted as I'd like but some planted are better than none.  

     The sunflower seed feeders are only seeing a few visitors each day.   Last week everytime we looked out the window there were at least a couple birds feeding on each feeder,  yesterday maybe one on one feeder.

     May your day be blessed, Sally

 6/29/26   Savor an ordinary blessing. Fresh laundry on the line, birdsong in the morning, or the scent of blooming flowers can turn an ordinary day into a memorable one.

    Calm, sunshine, 58 degrees.  Sunshine today, a light NNW breeze, high 85, low 59.  Partly cloudy all week, highs in the eighties Tuesday and Wednesday, with WSW breezes.   Low nineties Thursday and Friday, brisk WNW breezes.   Lows around 70. PM showers Saturday, a WNW breeze, high 86, low 64.  Partly cloudy Sunday, a NW breeze, high 83, low 62.  Partly cloudy Monday, a NE breeze, high 79, low 60. Possible PM showers next Monday night and next Tuesday morning.  A NE breeze Tuesday, high 77, low 59. Cloudy Wednesday, a NNW breeze, high 81, low 59.  Partly cloudy next Thursday and Friday. WSW breezes, highs 82, lows 62.  Cloudy Saturday the 11th, Sunday the 12th and Monday the 13th, with WSW breezes,  highs in the low eighties. lows 61.

    A busy weekend.  They got a lot done in the vegetable gardens Saturday.  Bekah got more done on making  the milkhouse  a milkhouse again.  I did a little weeding and sprayed more vinegar.

    The weather says square baling will be possible so Bekah won't be doing much on the milkhouse.  Today the haymows will get cleaned out.  Some time today everyone is going out back and pick, pull, or cut  the bamboo that has found a way to grow through the cardboard and hay that is  supposed to smother it.  The bamboo roots send out long runners looking for weak spots.  None of the picked bamboo can be dropped on the ground, it will send out roots and grow.  I'm going to work on the area around the septic tank.

    I washed a hummingbird feeder this morning, ants had found it.  I hung it back up with an ant moat.  This week the feeders won't have much food in them because I'll have to dump and rinse them every other day, the heat causes mold to grow and the food will ferment if I don't.  The heat also means lots of watering flowers.

    May your day be blessed, Sally

    

 6/27/26  The heart is not like a box that gets filled up, it expands in size the more you love.

There is dense fog now, it will be mostly cloudy today with a gentle north breeze, high 75, low 58.  Partly Cloudy tomorrow, a light north breeze, high 78, low 55.  Partly cloudy Monday, a light NNW breeze,high 84, low 59. Partly cloudy Tuesday, a WSW breeze, high 85, low 64.  Partly cloudy Wednesday, a SW breeze, high 65, low 69. Partly cloudy Thursday, a stiff WNW breeze, high 92, low 68.  Possibly a late day thunderstorm Friday, a brisk NW breeze, high 87, low 63.  Possible showers Saturday the 4th and Sunday the 5th, NNE breezes, highs about 80, lows about 60.  Partly cloudy Monday the 6th and Tuesday the 8th, highs about 80, lows about 60.  NE to NW breezes.  Partly cloudy the 8th, 9th and 10th, highs about 80, lows about 61.  Possible showers on the 11th.

    I'm glad we have some dry warm days ahead of us.  I'll try not to complain about Thursday's heat.  Bekah and Jay will be spending lots of hours watering the perennials and shrubs by then.  There are some annuals left that will dry out quickly so they need lots of TLC.  The hanging petunias will need lots of water.  Even though we put time release fertilizer in the pots when we planted them we will be putting some Nature's Source liquid fertilizer in the water.  The mums are on automatic waters, they will be hooked up to the dosatron so they can get fed.  The rain washes the fertilizer out of the pots.  When it gets hot and we have to water the plants a lot that washes out fertilizer too.

    Even though there is a birthday party this afternoon, church tomorrow morning and a celebration of life in the afternoon I'm hoping to get more flowers planted so they can settle in before the heat.

    May your day be blessed, Sally

 6/26/26    Agriculture is the most healthful, most useful. and the most able employment of man.  George Washington

 Cloudy, calm, 57 degrees.  Rain this morning, showers this afternoon, foggy and damp tonight.   An ESE breeze, high 66, low 56.  Cloudy tomorrow, A light NNE breeze, high 74, low 56.  Scattered thunderstorms Sunday, a light north breeze, high 79, low 56.  Partly cloudy Monday, a NW breeze, high 83, low 59.  Cloudy Tuesday, a WSW breeze, high 81, low 62.  Partly cloudy Wednesday, perhaps a late day shower,  A SSW breeze, high 84, low 84.  Partly cloudy Thursday, a brisk west breeze, high 88, low 64,  Isolated thunderstorms next Friday, a NNW breeze, high 64, low 60.  Partly cloudy July 4th and 5th, NNW breezes, highs in the low eighties, low 60.  Perhaps an afternoon shower Monday the 6th, a NNW breeze, high 78, low 59.  Partly cloudy on the 7th, a NNW breeze, high 80, low 60.  Perhaps an afternoon shower on the 8th and 9th, highs 80, lows 60.  Scattered thunderstorms on the 10th.   

    The house is suddenly quiet as eight kids left for Bible School.  Two great grandsons from Lewiston have spent the week here at the farm.  The younger isn't old enough for VBS so he and Ruby have had the week together.  The first three days were great, I could tell yesterday that he was ready to go home, he kept wanting to sit with me and talk about nothing.  In a few weeks they'll be asking when they can go to the farm again.

     One more section of the garden to plant but the soil isn't drying out enough to plant.  Hay is being made into wrapped round bales because there haven't been enough dry days in a row to make square bales to put in the barn. Rain means the house gets some attention.  It delights the three little ducks.

     May your day be blessed, Sally

 6/25/26  Wake up with a smile, lead with kindness, and let your light brighten the world today.

Clouds, a light north breeze, high 79, low 56.  Occasional showers move about three and continue overnight.  Rain tomorrow, a SE breeze, high 68, low 58.  Cloudy Saturday, a NNW breeze, high 76, low 56.  Partly cloudy Sunday, a north breeze, high 79, low 57.  Partly cloudy Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, highs in the mid eighties, 60 Monday and Tuesday, 65 on Wednesday.  NW breezes Monday and Tuesday, a brisk SSW breeze Wednesday.  Isolated thunderstorms next Thursday, a west breeze, high 87, low 65. Mostly partly cloudy next Saturday and Sunday. west breezes, highs about 79, lows about 60. possibly a shower Saturday, scattered thunderstorms Sunday.  Partly cloudy Monday the 6th with a chance of a shower, a north breeze, high 77, low 59.  Partly cloudy the next three days,  highs about 80, lows 60.

   I got most of the Bishop's weed under the chestnut tree by  pulling or spraying with vinegar.  I sprayed vinegar around the rocks edging  the flower bed and pulled it from around the plants inside.  I resprayed along the edge of the house where I don't want anything to grow.  Soon the flowers will be too large for me to get behind them.

   The three ducklings are becoming ducks.  They chase after jay until they come to a puddle.  Then they stop and play until they decide the have to find Jay or Bekah.  Then they run around, making lots of noise until they find someone.  They are shut up at night.

    In the summer I usually only fill the sunflower seed feeders a third or a half full.  Some I take down.  I took two down when I put out the hummingbird feeders.  When the dandelions went to seed I only put a little seed in the three feeders left. Now I'm filling them everyday.  Usually in the summer we watch the nut hatches run up and down the pine tree.  This is the first year I ever remember them eating from the feeders.  The chickadees go into the woods in summer, we are seeing them at the feeders too.  I've been feeding the birds 20plus years.  Why is this year different?

     May your day be blessed, Sally

 6/24/26  Today we're blessed with sunshine and a breeze, may you all have a  productive day.

 It's mostly clear, a gentle east greeze, 58 degrees.  Some clouds today, a strong NW breeze, high 79, low 55,  Cloudy tomorrow, showers tomorrow night.  A west breeze, high 78, low 57,  Thunderstorms Friday, a SSE breeze, high 69. low 57.  Partly cloudy Saturday through the 4th of July.  Westerly breezes.  Saturday's high 76, then highs in the 80s until the 4th with a high of 76.  Lows in the upper fifties and sixties.  Possible PM showers Sunday the 5th, A north breeze, high 77, low 58.  Isolated thunderstorms the next three days, NW breezes, highs about 79, lows about 59.

     I'm going to get outside as soon as I can.  I'll be spraying with horitual vinegar.  Mostly edges, paths and around the outside eating area.  Places where grass and creeping charlie is encroaching where it shouldn't.  I'll be spraying Bishop's weed where it is growing in the rock edges.  I'll be pulling it by hand around the good plants, I don't want any vinegar drifting on them.  It is blooming, I don't want it to go to seed. Yesterday I picked up Country Junction t-shirts for Jay and Bekah to sell in the store.  Thanks to a detour I was on a road bordered by old homes.  Nearly every home had a patch of Bishop's weed.  It is pretty but we have had trouble with it growing in places we didn't want it.  Seeds spread by the wind or birds?  Wherever it grows it overpowers everything else.

   I'll be taking a break this afternoon to take some things to the Charleston Baptist Church Community Closet.  Usually I just drop off whatever I'm donating and leave.  Everything is free but I'm trying to downsize.  Today Sally Jo is going with me so we will be looking around.  She is at the accumulating stage of life.  Plus they have children's clothes.

   I'm planting calendula and dill today. Both reseed so well that we usually don't have to plant them.  There doesn't seem to be as many plants this year.  We want to make calendula salves.  Usually  we pay no attention to calendulas until it's time to harvest the blossoms.  When we went to harvest them last year they were infested with aphids.  Probably why the patch is thin this year.  We'll pay more attention to them this summer.  I think we picked too much dill, there wasn't enough left to go to seed.  I'm starting a second patch.

   May your day be blessed, Sally