Productivity

We're supposed to be past the worst of our short, record-setting heat wave. So now, of course, the AC has been (sort of) fixed. (The technician didn't finish connecting all the wires last fall; he remedied that yesterday afternoon, but determined we need a new thermostat which he will install soon.)

First load of hay backing up to the barn. So thankful for that trailer, Dad!

Old hay, new hay; still need more hay. (All inspected by Oreo the barn cat.)

But no matter how much one would like to sit in front of a fan with an iced lemonade, work continues when it's hot. Actually, I think work increases when it's hot. Yesterday the assorted "we" who live here buried (another) dead chicken, hauled in 132 bales of hay and stacked it in the barn, moved hoses and watered and moved hoses and watered (garden, berries, fruit trees, flowers), mowed lawn, harvested rhubarb and baked a crisp (yes, I had to turn on the OVEN in our oven of a house D-:= to take to a cooking class demonstration at church – also not air-conditioned), picked five big bowls of strawberries and got 19 pints in the freezer. Today my back is NOT happy; such is life. Make no mistake; it is a blessed life, and I know it and thank God continually for it!

And then there were nine (one black hen is in the coop):

Updated garden panorama, taken from the west side this time:

Varieties (updated; for my records) are: Yukon Gold potatoes; bulk snap peas, variety unknown; 'Black Valentine' bush beans; 'Nantes' carrots; 'White Egg' turnips; 'Blue Lake'-type bush beans (forgot to keep seed packet); 'Ace' (3), 'Celebrity,' 'Sungold,' 'Super Fantastic VF,' 'Sweet Million,' and 'Stupice' tomatoes, 'Purple Beauty' bell peppers (2); 'Italian Sweet Large Leaf,' 'Red Rosie' and 'Spicy Globe' basil; 'Chioggia' beets; 'Lacinato' kale; 'Delicata' winter squash; 'Satin Beauty' eggplant; 'Early Prolific Straightneck' summer squash; 'Black Beauty' zucchini; 'Marketmore 98' cucumbers (2 hills); and assorted lettuces. Everything is up and looking good now except the Delicata squash, carrots, and newly planted Black Valentine beans. Now we fight the weeds. ;-)

First dahlia of the year:

New York asters below Brian's window watered and weeded. Bought these on clearance at Lowe's last year to replace the 'Tasmanian Tiger' euphorbia that died out (the sole survivor is visible on the far left):

That's it for today at . . .