8/17/26"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished." — Lao Tzu

   As so often seems to happen we didn't get the overnight rain that was forecast and less is forecast for today.  Rain will start shortly and continue for a few hours, then showers, then cloudy the rest of the day.  A stiff SSW breeze, high 70, low 63.  Showers tomorrow, a light NE breeze, high 75, low 62.  Mostly cloudy Wednesday, a west breeze, high 81, low 59.  Part;y cloudy Thursday, a WNW breeze, high 80, low 55.  Sunshine Friday, a WNW breeze, high 81, low 55.  Partly cloudy Saturday, a SE breeze, high 78, low 58. Showers Sunday, an ESE breeze, high 76. low 61.  Scattered thunderstorms next Monday, a SW breeze, high 75, low 56. Partly cloudy the rest of the work week, WNW breezes, highs 76, lows 56.  Possible showers Saturday the 29th, a WNW breeze, high 76, low 56.  Partly cloudy Sunday the 30th, a WNW breeze, high 75, low 56.  Morning showers Monday the 31st, a WNW breeze, high 75, low 56.

   I'm not sure we'll get enough rain to help the pastures or second cutting.  We won't have to water today, a nice break but not enough.  At least for now the fire danger is only moderate. And there are no nineties in the forecast, not even high eighties.

  Today is make butter day.  Sweet corn and lobster feeds mean we sold our last pound of butter yesterday. Bekah thought there was a good cushion with several pounds in the freezer.   

   I'm getting several eggs a day from the pullets.  Soon there will be eighteen sized boxes for sale for three dollars.  A per ounce equivalent of a dozen of our boxes of large plus, henhouse run, brown eggs.  We won't be selling any of the blue or green eggs for a while, they start out so small, we'll use them ourselves.

    May your day be blessed, Sally

A lifestyle that cannot sustain protecting a two to three hour window for your mind and soul is not a sustainable lifestyle.  It's not regenerative."  The same principle that governs what a farm does to its soil governs what a life does to the people living it. Take more than you give, and eventually you run out. Give back more than you take – in soil and in time and in community – and something can actually last. 

 8/15/26  A child may outgrow your lap but they never out grow your love and prayers.

    55 degrees. sunshine, variable breeze.A NW breeze today, high 77, low 51.  Partly cloudy tomorrow, a SW breeze, high 79, low 62.  Rain Monday, strong south breeze, high 67, low 61. Partly cloudy Tuesday, a light north breeze, high 78, low 59.  Partly cloudy Wednesday, a WSW breeze, high 82, low 62.  40% chance of showers Thursday, a WNW breeze, high 78, low 55.  Sunshine Friday, a NW breeze, high 78, low 53.  Partly cloudy next Saturday through Tuesday the 25th, west breezes, highs about 80, lows in the upper fifties.  32% chance of showers Wednesday the 26th, a WNW breeze, high 79, low 57.  Partly cloudy the next three days, NW breezes, highs about 77, lows about 55.

    Jay tried two new potato varieties, the Purple Majesty potatoes are delicious and productive.  Customers like them, we are enjoying the ones that aren't perfect.  They are making up for the Baltic Rose that didn't do well.  All the potato bugs went for them.

     If you've been deadheading your coneflowers it is about time to stop.  Coneflower seeds are an important part of songbird winter diet.  Especially finches.  Any seeds the birds miss will produce more coneflowers next year.  My sister has several volunteer petunias in a garden where she planted petunias last year.  They are beautiful. She pulled some up before she realized they weren't weeds.

    I started a peppermint patch last year from a packet that said  peppermint seed.  The plants came back.  Everyone thinks the plants may be chocolate mint. I think they are a cross.  I'm growing peppermint to place in cupboards to repel mice.  I'm not sure the plants will repel as well as real peppermint.    The new greenhouse is built on my old peppermint patch.

    May your day be blessed, Sally

 8/14/26  Friendship is the greatest of worldly goods.

Sunshine all day, a strong NW breeze, high 78, low 55.  Partly Cloudy tomorrow, a NW breeze, high 78, low 53. Partly cloudy Sunday, a SW breeze, high 79, low 63.  Rain Monday, a stiff SSE breeze, high 69, low 59.  Partly cloudy Tuesday, a NW breeze, high 81, loe 57.  Partly cloudy Wednesday, a WSW breeze, high 83, low 61.  Showers next Thursday, a brisk SSW breeze, high 78, low 57.  Partly cloudy Friday the 21st through Friday the 29th.  WNW breezes, highs in the upper seventies and the low eighties until  the 36th and 27th, highs 76 those days,  lows in the upper fifties until the 27th and 28th when night time lows will be 52.

    We had a short but violent thunderstorm yesterday.  A seventy year old neighbor was hit by lightning.  He was not killed but went to the hospital.  His son posted on FB that all things considered his father was in good shape.  He also praised Bradford's rescue team's response and care.  Meanwhile we were watching the ducks, they thought the skies had opened up just for their pleasure.  We got about 3/10th inch of rain.

   I was wrong, the male finch fledglings do turn gold.  The feathers that replaced their baby fuzz were olive drab like the females and the color the males are in winter.  Now they are turning gold.  I only fill the feeders late in the afternoon even if they are empty earlier.  Other summers there have been so few birds at the feeders that the seed would mold if I filled the feeders so I'd only put in a cup at a time.

   There is a strong breeze already, working in the garden will be pleasant today.  May your day be blessed, Sally

 8/12/26  Good Morning!  Some days we crush it, some days we just get through it.  Both Count!

Sunshine, calm, 62 degrees.  Sunshine today, a WNW breeze, high 82, low 58. PM Thunderstorms tomorrow, a WNW breeze, high 76. low 57.  Sunshine Friday and Saturday, NW breezes strong Friday, lighter Saturday.  Highs in the upper seventies, lows 55.  Partly cloudy Sunday, WSW breeze, high 79, low 63.  Morning showers Monday, west breeze, high 79, low 59.  Partly cloudy Tuesday, a NW breeze, high 82, low 56.   31% chance of showers next Wednesday, a WSW breeze, high 83, low 60.  Mostly sunny next Thursday, a WSW breeze, high 80, low 60. Partly cloudy Friday the 21st through Wednesday the 26th.   WSW breezes Friday, westerly breezes the rest of the days.   Highs in the upper seventies, lows in the mid fifties.

     We've had a lot of pleasant summer days including today.  A few heat waves that we didn't need.  According to the drought monitor we are still in a drought.  Rains have helped but we haven't had enough to replenish the groundwater.  Some people are having problems with their wells.  Not as bad as last fall. We are doing using a lot of water  but our well is good. The long range forecast for this fall is wet and cool.

    Maegan is making ice cream.  All the cream the cows produce goes into butter and ice cream, we often run out of both.  Milk and yogurt sales are steady but we don't usually run out.  Sometimes the chickens get some.

    Today is a good day for me.  I have an appointment to get my refurbished hearing aid.  It will be so good to be able to hear.

     May your day be blessed, Sally

 8/11/26  Be the encourager for someone today! 

    About a half inch of rain overnight.  We have thin clouds, calm, 63 degrees.  Partly cloudy today, a strong WNW breeze, high 82, low 59.  Mostly sunny tomorrow, a WNW breeze, high 81, low 58. PM thunderstorms Thursday, a west breeze, high 78, low 58.  Scattered thunderstorms Friday, a strong NW breeze, high 73, low 58.  Mostly sunny Saturday, a brisk NW breeze, high 79, low 55.  Cloudy Sunday, a WSW breeze, high 80, low 60. Rain Monday, a south breeze, high 75, low 59.  Sunshine next Tuesday, WNW breeze, high 80, low 58.  Partly cloudy next Wednesday and Thursday, WNW breezes, highs 80 and 83, lows 61 and 59. Mostly cloudy next Friday, a WNW breeze, high 79, low 58.  Partly cloudy the weekend of the 22ed and 23rd,  Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th.Wnw breezes, highs in the upper seventies, lows in the mid to upper fifties.

   We were on the edge of a thunderstorm, we were happy to get a half inch of rain.  The only water will be plants protected by the eves.  Everything is fresh and green,the flowers cheerful.  Sunshine has broken through the clouds.We have lots of zucchine. Relish is great.  The easiest way  to preserve it is to shred it, let it drain and freeze.  I freeze it in sandwich bags, measured for  different recipes.  I write the measurement on the bags, then I stack the bags in a bread bag and freeze.

  I got three pullet eggs yesterday.  The pullets are 16 weeks and four days old.  The timing is perfect because we'll start baking more with the cooler weather.  We didn't expect eggs quite so soon.  Bekah had been waiting for cooler weather to get their "grown up " room ready.  Cleaning for a new batch of layers didn't seem like a good idea on 90 plus degree days.  With the cooler weather and the wedding behind us this was the week.  She'll start today!  As soon as I sign off I'm going to put some temporary nest boxes in the grower room.

   May your day be blessed, Sally

 8/10/26  "Summer's lease hath all too short a date." — William Shakespeare

    Cloudy, calm, 67 degrees.  A quick shower is possible this morning, sun and clouds the rest of the day with a WSW breeze.  High 84, low 63.  Partly cloudy  tomorrow, a strong WNW breeze, high 83, low 59.  Sunshine Wednesday, a WNW breeze.  High 82, low 58.  Thunderstorms Thursday, a west breeze, high 78, low 57.  Partly cloudy Friday, a strong NW breeze, high 76, low 56.  Sunshine Saturday, a brisk NW breeze, high 80, low 55.  Partly cloudy Sunday, a west breeze, high 80, low 59.  Showers next Monday, an ESE breeze, high 75, low 57. Partly cloudy next Tuesday, a NW breeze, high 80, low 58.  Sunshine next Wednesday, a west breeze, high 82, low 60.  Partly cloudy Thursday the 20th, WSW breeze, high 83, low 60. Clouds and Fog Friday the 21st, a west breeze, high 80. low 59.  Partly cloudy the weekend of the 22ed and 23rd and Monday the 24th.  WNW breezes, highs 78, lows 57.

  After some quick showers  with no thunder Saturday morning, the sun came out for the wedding. The ceremony in the transformed pole shed was lovely. No hint that Thursday morning it contained a saw and lumber.  A joyous occasion that was full of laughter and tears as the toasts were made.  The bride was beautiful, the groom handsome and the children adorable.

   Saturday's  hot afternoon sun meant no church yesterday for the decorating crew..  First thing in the morning Bekah, Jay, Heather and Darel took the truck and collected all the pots of flowers and ivies they had decorated with.  They brought them home and gave them a good soaking.  Then put them in the shade because yesterday was hot and humid too.  Mabel and Mathilda were in a pasture with no shade.  Late afternoon they were happy to go into the barn with a fan.

   Customers are at the stand already.  Jay and Bekah were picking cucumbers.  They heard them drive in and bought them some cucumbers.  Customers can't get them any fresher than that! Bekah had to dry the morning dew off them!

   May your day be blessed. Sally

 8/8/26 Imagine if we spent as much time clapping for one another, as we do critiquing.

What a world it could be.

   Cloudy, calm, 69 degrees.  Rain and thundershowers this morning, cloudy this afternoon. a light north breeze, high 78, low 66. Thunderstorms tomorrow afternoon, a north breeze, hih 86, low 65. Partly cloudy Monday, a WSW breeze, high 85, low 63.  Partly Cloudy Tuesday and Wednesday, WNW breezes, highs about 83, lows 61 and 58.  42% chance of showers Thursday, a WSW breeze, high 79, low 59.  36% chance of showers Friday, a strong WNW breeze, high 76, low 56.  Sunshine next Saturday, a strong WNW breeze, high 78, low 55. Partly cloudy the week of the 17th.  West breezes become WNW breezes Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Highs in the upper seventies, lows about 57.

   The weather was posted late this morning.  I got up late and my computer was messed up.  Fortunately it fixed itself after I shut it off a few times.  We are hoping the weather fixes itself by afternoon.  The forecast says rain ending by one, the wedding is at four. If 'thundershowers" holds true there won't be any wind to damage the beautiful wedding venue Jordn and Chiara have made of their home.  It has pleased me to watch family and friends all pitch in over the last few days to help them.  It is raining now, no one has to water.  The ducks will be happy to have the puddles back.  We are happy the heat wave has broken.

     The garlic has all been pulled and is curing.  A lot of it has sold already.  We have music, a richly flavored garlic.  The jumbo cloves mellow out significantly into a smooth, sweet, and savory taste. It has been the favorite over the years.  We also have Russian Red, an heirloom variety with a robust, spicy flavor.   This year we have Georgia Blue for the first time.  It has a mild flavor, often preferred for roasting.

     May your day be blessed, Sally