Deep summer

June was a transitional month. Cool, wet spells prolonged the feeling of spring – until that feeling fled and summer stood, fully revealed. The ewes and lambs were shut off the pastures full of nasty grass awns, and I went on full noxious weed attack to root out tansy and thistle before they could flower/seed. That included provoking my hay fever by pulling a forest of tansy from the tall grass in the NW corner of our eastern neighbor's property, and digging up one giant 'bull' thistle just outside our gate. (My husband recently lost a horse to tansy poisoning, so it is absolutely worth doing.)

slain tansy in the neighbor's corner

Goldenrod Crab spider on the pre-felled thistle

Our garden continues to do well, with buds and blossoms on nearly everything and fruit forming as well. Two ripe gold cherry tomatoes – our first  – were added to our salad of homegrown greens (lettuce, kale, Italian parsley, and tender beet tops) last night. 

winter and summer squash all doing well

Near the garden Rick and Brian have embarked on a big project – tearing down our old woodshed in preparation for building a new woodshed and shop (gotta put all that stuff from Texas somewhere! 🙄).

On the last day of June, a friend and I went to Black Sheep Gathering. She got her very first Jenkins spindle while I got my, um, umpteenth Jenkins spindle, joined in some spinning contests just for fun, proxy-shopped, and met up with some of the many "Jenkins Junkies" who traveled from near and far (Texas, Minnesota, Washington D.C., Germany, the Netherlands!). Many 'Jenkies' had brought small prepped fiber samples, as I did, to use as trading cards; I took 15 little baggies of Broadway's hogget roving and came home with 15 assorted souvenirs that I have already started spinning with my new Tulipwood Chickadee for the Tour de Fleece, along with my ongoing spin-for-a-sweater project.

yeah, that's me in a horse shirt at a fiber festival 😁

my new spindle and shawl 'pin' magnet

We had a quiet 4th of July, picking up the last 108 bales of this year's hay (second cutting) and getting it stacked in the barn, then mostly relaxing. We (and the hens) enjoyed the first watermelon of the year. In the late afternoon while I was riding Stella, a drone flying an American flag appeared over our hill; that was fun! After dark, Rick and I sat on the deck to watch the fireworks in the valley to the east, capped off by the display put on at the end of the St. Paul rodeo. Happy birthday, America!

first of two loads

Now we are hunkering down as much as possible to endure the heat dome that has settled over us; it got to 100° today. Even though they are in the shade, the heat is hardest on the hens and sheep; the horses don't seem to mind it. Water, of course, is essential for everyone.

Speaking of sheep, I took time to look closely at Bitsy's fleece. She started out fluffy, but her jet black wool is getting crimpy now – just what I like to see.

Sweatin' in out at . . .