7/15/25 People who bring sunshine into the lives of others find the sunshine reflects back on them.

Calm, dense fog, 62 degrees.  Partly cloudy,  high 90 degrees, a WSW breeze. Partly cloudy tonight, low 65.  Sunshine tomorrow, a SSW breeze, high 92.  Low 66.  Partly cloudy Thursday, a brisk south breeze, high 63. low 71.  Partly cloudy Friday,a strong NW breeze, high 77, low 66. Partly cloudy Saturday, a WSW breeze, high 81, low 60.  47% chance of PM showers Sunday, a SW breeze, high 78, low 68.  Sunshine Monday, A NNW breeze, high 77, low 57.  Partly cloudy next Tuesday through Saturday the 26th, SW breezes, highs in the low eighties, low in the mid to low sixties.  Possible PM showers Sunday the 27th, WSW breezes, high 80, low 62.  Partly cloudy Monday the 27th and Tuesday the 28th, high 80, low 61.

    The children enjoyed both the Corinth and Bradford VBS.  I had a good trip to Bangor. Tackling reorganizing the garage will be easier with "stuff" gone.  Today we'll start  on another load.  The man at Goodwill told me to just let him unload everything.  When I started to park in the Federal Building parking lot a lady passing by pointed out there were handicapped spaces close to the door and told me how to go around to get there.  When the security guard called Susan Collins office to see if they were expecting me  they said yes, but she doesn't have to come up.  We'll send a page down for the forms .Everywhere people were friendly and thoughtful, reassuring me that despite what we hear our country is full of good people.

    When I got home I watered.  The temperature forecast tells me I'm watering all the flowers around the house this morning!  I took a bucket of grass clipping to a pasture of Doug's heifers.  They acted like that tender lawn grass with dandelion leaves was candy.  The chickens eat all the dandelion leaves and then the grass.

    Two trailer loads of hay were filled from the barn and delivered to regular customers.  They want last year's hay.  This year's hay needs to cure a month before they feed it.  Jay picked 97 cucumbers yesterday.  Today he hopes to break the 100 mark.  Zucchini and summer squash are too many to count.

    A neighbor hooked up the propane rage ,  He replaced the line carrying propane in.  Insects had the old line full of mud they'd laid eggs in.  The top burners and the oven pilot lit just like they are supposed to.  The oven burner didn't light.  I spent the evening googling how to clean a propane cook stove oven burner.  I'll tackle that this afternoon when it's too hot to do anything else.

    May your day be blessed, Sally

 7/14/25 A hug is like a boomerang — you get it back right away.

62 degrees, calm,   Cloudy today, a south breeze, high 75.  Cloudy tonight, foggy and damp after midnight, low 65. Partly cloudy tomorrow, WSW breeze, high 90, low 65.  Sunshine Wednesday, a SSW breeze, high 92, low 67.  PM thunderstorms Thursday, a brisk south breeze, high 84, low 70.  Partly cloudy Friday and Saturday, SSW breezes, highs about 80, lows about 60. PM showers Sunday, a west breeze, high 76, low 60.  AM showers next Monday, a north breeze, high 75, low 57.  Partly cloudy the rest of the work week, slight chance of a few showers Friday morning. Highs about 80, lows around sixty.  Showers Saturday the 26th, WSW breeze, high 82, low 23. Partly cloudy Sunday the 27th, a west breeze, high 82, low 62..  

   Yesterday was a beautiful day.  After church I napped, watered, did odds and ends, and finally mowed the lawn.  Over the septic system the grass was thicker than I thought.  I'm feeding some to the hens and i'll rake up some for the cows, the clippings are too thick not to rake up.  Away from the septic system I didn't even have to mow..  I ordered a new liner for the garden pond, somewhere it is losing water,  That is the original liner.  Over the years dogs have swam in it.   Did their toenails as they climbed out leave holes that have gradually gotten larger?  Kids have thrown rocks in it?  Whatever, redoing the pond is in the near future.

   Jay picked ninety cucumbers yesterday.  They were gone by mid afternoon. He is picking lots of other vegetables too.  The fence is keeping the deer out.  The predator hasn't found a way to get in the barn.  Jordn trapped the coon that opened their chicken house door and helped himself to a meal.  They  also put what they hope is a coon proof latch on the door.

   Two Vacation Bible Schools start today.  Mornings at our church and evenings at Bradford Baptist.  The kids are going to both.  Maegin and I are transporting,  Too many children for her van. 

    May your day be Blessed, Sally

 7/13/25 You don't need all the answers, you need to know who to ask.  With God all things are possible.  Matt. 19:26

Cloudy, calm,62 degrees.  Partial clearing today, high 77, a stiff south breeze.  Clouds tonight, a brisk south breeze, a low of 61.  Cloudy tomorrow, a south breeze, high 75, low 65.  Sunshine Tuesday and Wednesday , SW breezes, highs 90, lows about 68.  Mostly cloudy Thursday, a stiff south breeze, high 87, low 70.  PM thunderstorms Friday, high 81, low 62.  Partly cloudy on the weekend.  A NW breeze Saturday, high 82, low 61.  A SW breeze Sunday, high 77, low 60.  43% chance of morning showers next Monday, a north breeze, high 78, low 60.  Partly cloudy next Tuesday, a SW breeze, high 81, low 61.  Possibly a few showers Wednesday the 23rd,  a  SSW breze, high 80. low 63.  Partly cloudy the 24th and 25th, SW breezes, highs 81, lows 63.  PM showers Saturday the 26th, partly cloudy Sunday the 27th.  Highs 80, lows 62.

    Everyone was tired last night but they still had enough energy to go to the fireworks that ended Bradford Days.  The parade was great,near the end they ran out of candy and started throwing flowers to the ladies. This year no Smith's caught a pig in the pig scramble.

    I was able to help the customers that came why I was holding down the fort.  And I got the flower beds along the side of the house that faces the nursery weeded.  The petunias aren't the deep green they should be.  Their yellowing is an iron deficiency.  It's been hot, they've needed lots of water.  Our hard water ties up the iron in the soil.  I gave them some "MR Iron" . We put a time release iron in our containers and hanging baskets.

    Church this morning, back to the backyard this afternoon.  Vacation Bible School this week will make a busy week.  May your day be blessed, Sally

 7/12/25 It is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change. Queen Elizabeth II

Fog, clouds, calm, 66 degrees.  Fog is supposed to lift by eight. Mostly cloudy today, a south breeze, 78 for a high.  Clouds tonight, fog after midnight. low 61.  Morning clouds/afternoon sun tomorrow, a brisk south breeze.  high 77, low 61.  PM showers Monday, south breeze, high 76, low 65. Sunshine Tuesday , a west breeze, high 90. low 65.  Partly cloudy Wednesday, SW breeze, high 92, low 67.  PM showers Thursday, a south breeze, high 86, low 62.  Thunderstorms Friday, a NW breeze, high 77, low 62.  Partly cloudy next Saturday, a NNW breeze, high 80, low 60.  PM showers Sunday, a south breeze, high 78, low 63.  Partly cloudy the rest of the week, highs in the low eighties, lows in the low sixties.  Possible showers at the end of the week.

   Today is Bradford Days, the parade is at ten.  They will be lined up early because all the plants will be put in the truck for the ride down.. Fog is slowly lifting.  We are thankful that there is no rain in today's forecast.  I'll do my best to help any customers that might come during the parade.  It's hard to get through Bradford midmorning due to the crowd and parade.

    Yesterday was the same as most days, harvesting, watering and weeding,  Some deadheading.  My climbing rose blooms are looking very tattered.  I plan to deadhead it why I'm watching the nursery.  A lot of people deadhead their wave baskets.  I find that if I keep them well watered and fertilized I don't have to.  My Walker's catmint and cranesbill geranium needs shearing.  Then they'll come back with more blooms.

    May your day be blessed, Sally

     

 7/11/25 You can’t go back and make a new start, but you can start right now and make a brand new ending.

Cloudy, calm, 64 degree,  Cloudy today, gentle SSW breeze, high 78.  Fog after midnight, low 61. Mostly cloudy tomorrow, a south breeze, high 78, low 61.  Morning cloudys/afternoon sun Sunday, stiff south breeze, high 75, low 61.  Possible PM showers Monday, SSW breeze, high 79, low 65.  Sunshine Tuesday, a west breeze, high 88, low 64.  Partly cloudy Wednesday, SW breeze, high 91, low 67.  PM thunderstorms Thursday, a south breeze, high 88, low 67.  Thunderstorms next Friday, a west breeze, high 81, low 62.  Partly cloudy next Saturday, a NNW breeze, high 80, low 59.  Partly cloudy the week of the 20th, WSW breezes,highs in the low to mid eighties, lows in the low sixties.

    Hay was delivered, round bales wrapped, everything watered, grocery shopping done.  Gilbert's  trailer is here, today it will become a float for Bradford Day's parade tomorrow.  When Maegin went grocery shopping yesterday she bought bags of candy for the kids to throw to the parade watchers.

    A deer, a young one judging from the track size, ate the swiss chard Wednesday night.  The swiss chard will grow back.  The deer came from across the road.  Bekah put up a temporary two strand electric fence on our side of the road yesterday.  The problem with our fence is now the deer will be Gilbert's problem.  Doug's cattle fence prevents deer and bear from coming in from the woods side.  Doug's fences stop just before his house.  So the deer go around them into his yard and eat his blueberries.  Predators come in the driveway from Atkinson road.  Doug had something come up on his porch and eat corn the other night.

   Time to hang out the laundry.  No rain is forecast but clouds and no breeze will mean slow drying.  May your day be blessed Sally

 7/10/25 God's plan for your life far exceed the circumstances of your day!

 .26 of rain.  Rain showers this morning, overcast skies this afternoon, a stray shower or thunderstorm possible early evening.  It is 65 degrees, Today's high 75, tonight's low 61.  SE breezes today.

Morning clouds/afternoon sun tomorrow. A light SSW breeze, high 76, low 61.  Partly cloudy Saturday and Sunday, south breezes, highs in the low eighties, lows about 60.  Mostly cloudy Monday, a brisk south breeze, high 78, low 63.  Partly cloudy Tuesday, Wednesday and next Thursday with WSW breezes, highs around 90, lows about 67. PM thunderstorms next Friday, SSW breezes, high 83, low 64.  Partly cloudy the weekend of the 19th and 20th west breezes, highs about 80, lows 60.  Possible showers the next three days, SW breezes, highs in the low eighties, lows 62.

   Yesterday was a quiet day for me.  About all I did was dishes until late afternoon.  I scrubbed and rinsed hummingbird feeders and put in fresh food.  Soon they will be bringing babies to the feeders.  Bekah folded laundry for me and Maegin watered my flowers.  She also smothered bamboo on the corner.  We've decided to cover it with black plastic and tires and let it sit this year.  Next year we'll put dirt in some of the tires and plant pumpkins.  She put down more cardboard and mulch in the kitchen garden.  And worked on walkways.We've had some strawberries but not enough to make jam.  the girls picked at the strawberry farm.  We froze 12 quarts last night.

    All of the sudden we are seeing lots more bumblebees, little ones.  The few bees that made it through the winter must be  reproducing.  Our bees are doing well.  There are lots of little green beans, they'll be on the stand next week if not sooner.

   The rain has made everything green and fresh.  It's raining lightly now.  Bekah and Doug are delivering hay this morning. It's in a covered trailer.  Maegin is making a Sam's run.  This afternoon I'm going after feed. All those chickens are eating lots  of feed!  My truck will be hooked to Gilbert's trailer tomorrow.  They'll be making it into  a float for the Bradford Day's parade Saturday.

   May your day be blessed, Sally

 7/9/25  Usually if you make the effort to understand each other you will be kind to each other.

Fog, sunshine, calm,72 degrees. Partly cloudy this morning, more clouds this afternoon, possible showers overnight. a gentle ESE breeze today, high 81.  Tonight's low 62. Cloudy tomorrow, a SE breeze. high 76, low 61.  Mostly cloudy Friday, gentle south breeze, high 74, low 61.  Partly cloudy Saturday and Sunday, highs about 83, lows about 62.  A gentle ESE breeze Saturday, a south breeze Sunday.  PM showers Monday, a SSW breeze, high of 80, low 64.  A west light west breeze Tuesday, high 85, low 66.  Partly cloudy next Wednesday, a light NW breeze, high 85, low 65.  PM thunderstorms next Thursday, a south breeze, high 85, low 66.  Scattered thunderstorms next Friday, a SSW breeze, high 80, low 62.  Partly cloudy the weekend of the 19th, 20th, and Monday the 21st with westerly breezes, highs 77 to 81, lows about 62.  Scattered thunderstorms the next two days.

   My doctor took her time gently convincing my muscles to allow her to put my back in place.  Afterwards she wanted me to take a couple advil and stay a while with heat on my back.  She is adamant the advil is never to be taken on an empty stomach.  I keep an ensure in my truck in case I feel the need to take a couple advil when I'm away from home.  She went out to the truck and got me the ensure..  That's what you call going above and beyond!  I am a very fortunate lady.  I have heat on my back this morning but not sore enough for advil.  I'm standing straighter and I'm not walking like I'm intoxicated.

   Yesterday they soaked shrubs, roses and the dozen or so fruit trees they had left.  They also moved them so they are sheltered from the warm winds that have been drying them out.  Today there is no wind in the two week forecast!  Not much rain either unless we get a thunderstorm.  As much inventory as has sold keeping everything left well watered takes a lot of time and water.They had some annuals in what they call their ICU section.  Most of them are looking so good that they got put out on the display benches for sale.  We're going to plant some of the ones left in ICU.  They aren't  good  enough for customers but fine for us..

  Last night everyone worked on the barn.  Everyone but me.  I sat with a heat pad on my back per doctor's orders.  They even put wire over some high windows that are open for ventilation in case a coon tried to climb in.  All is well this morning except for an angry barn cat who couldn't get in the barn to eat.  Between the laying hens, the new pullets we are raising and the meat birds there is a lot of money in that barn.

   May your day be blessed, Sally