Unpacking Summer

A recent visitor to Thistle Cove Farm is still here. This fawn and mother were in the hay pasture when Mom decided to jump the fence. For some reason, the fawn wasn't comfortable following, stayed behind and, eventually, made her way to the yard. To allow the fawn access to pastures, I opened gates and she made way to the upper pasture, "helped", I'm sorry to say, by Sam P. Spade. Hopefully, Mom is able to find the baby but if nothing happens, this fawn should be old enough to make its way. It's really too young yet but I've done what I can do.

~ Good Golly Miss Molly ~

"To lie sometimes on the grass

under trees on a summer's day,

listening to the murmur of the water,

or watching the clouds float across the sky,

is by no means a waste of time."

~ John Lubbock ~

Dog days are winding down as Sirius, the Dog Star, wends its way across the night sky. The traditional time period is July 3 - August 11 due to the ancient Greeks interpretation of the Canis Major constellation. Sirius is the dogs nose or dog star and chases Lepus, the hare.

Sadie and Sam just think it's hotter than Hades and spend their days finding the cool spots. I'm spending my days mowing and moving hay bales.



To each their own, Dogs. I wear bib overall's that are too tall for my shorter frame. Fortunately, each leg can be rolled up and snapped to shorten the legs. Recently, someone told me to cross the straps in the back and that will take up a little more fabric which will, hopefully, help. Behind me is a stand of thistle that was mowed down; in fact, the entire field was mowed. Some folks wanted to bale the hay in this field, change their minds and I mowed everything down. It took me about 3 days 9 days...1 to mow, 2 to recover, 1 to mow, 2 to recover, 1 to mow, 2 to recover. Knees are wrapped like babies in swaddling clothes bandages yet still manage to feel the pain of working the clutch, brake, gas. When using the tractor, both hands, both feet are called into use and all feel the agony. Usually I wear a visor but lost it somewhere along the way; haven't found it yet.

Not a bad day at work...good scenery, nice breeze, great equipment and God's strength to keep me going. The fields haven't been sprayed since 2009 but this coming spring, they'll be sprayed for weed control. In case someone wanted to buy USDA 'organic status', not spraying chemicals is important but I no longer care. The weeds are terrible and I'm too old to keep up; I'd rather have a good field of hay than weeds.

 This morning, a heavy fog covered the valley, making the round baled hay resemble Shredded Wheat in a field of green. This cutting yielded 33.5 round bales 5x5 feet and weighing about 1100 pounds. Even before cutting, someone asked to buy so they'll be contacted to bring their trailer and, using the tractor, I'll load their hay straight from the field. My bales will be moved to the barn lot, stored under shelter, waiting for winter.

Thornless blackberries have a good harvest; enough for several cobblers or one cobbler and some to freeze. Some years ago, Dad gave me the slips and this is the first year they've born abundantly. The apple tree is going to have an abundant harvest as well...delicious apples, I believe them to be Punkin Sweet, a heritage apple that, after a hard frost, eats well out of hay, makes delicious pies, cakes or can be dried, canned or frozen.

Soon, very soon, I'll have a Youtube site where videos of Thistle Cove FarmLife! will be shown. Last week was my 21st wedding anniversary and I left home, thinking to take myself to lunch. Instead, I found myself at Sam's Club where I bought a GoPro (expensive non-lunch!), brought it home and managed to take a video of me doing tractor work. One of my errands is to stop by Studio Addison, take a cake, my GoPro and some other things to wheedle them into helping me ask them to help me.

Leaving you with a photo of Sadie, above and Sam, below

Happy Dog Days.

Ponder this ~ make the least of all that goes and the most of all that comes ~

The Blue Moon Magic of Dog Days

~ antlered male white tail deer ~

The above photo hasn't anything to do with dogs or blue or moon but it could be argued it is a magical. Let's face it: have you ever seen an antlered male (or any gender) deer urinating? It's rare and this is the first time I've ever seen, or captured in a photograph, such a sight. Dear God, thank YOU for nature...I LOVE IT!

As an aside, I don't doctor my photos as (1) I'm too lazy, (2) because pretty is as pretty does, (3) it's fake, false, faux, (4) time is sorely limited. On rare occasions I will crop a photo with key word being rare. Heck, I barely have time to post two or three times a week and have to choose wisely where my time is invested.

~ TCF ~

At Thistle Cove Farm, we're firmly in the grips of Dog Days leading to a Blue Moon on July 31st. If you're wondering, dog days are between early July and early September, but usually ending by late August when the heat of summer is stultifying and the humidity threatens to suppress deep breathing. (Thank God, yet another reason to put off yoga or any other form of exercise save walking in the cool (being a relative term) of the evening.) 

~ days old fawn ~

Anyway, back to dog days. In the millennium of yesteryear, the ancients would connect the dots of the heavenly stars and come up with bears, dippers, bulls, twins and any manner of beings. Mind, this was before light pollution but at Thistle Cove Farm, during each months darkened nights, such sights are still readily seen. Many nights, much to the dog's dismay, I go for a walk at 0:dark thirty simply to hear the nightingale sing and to see the diamonds of the Milky Way cast across the night sky. I can imagine God, shaking a handful of stars in preparation to slinging them away from Him. Much like those ejits do when playing roulette or dice or some other form of "entertainment" designed to separate fools and their money.

Canis Major, the big dog, is Sirius (yes, that is where XM radio got their name) and it is the brightest star in the southern night sky. In summer, Sirius rises and sets with the sun and in late July, is in conjunction with the sun thus leading the old timers to believe its heat (brightest star = heat) made sultry and hot weather. The period 20 days before and 20 days after this conjunction are the "Dog Days of Summer" and are generally between 3 July and 11 August.

~ Actias or Luna Moth ~

On the 31st of this month, hopefully we'll see (as in no cloud cover) a Blue Moon, meaning the second full moon of the same month. A full moon is when, in this order, the sun, earth and moon line up and the light of the sun shines directly onto the moon. I've read it's also when lunar energy is most intense, whatever that means. There are all kinds of sayings regarding both moons..."take back control of your life", "it's a magical, mystical time" and so forth but I say if you're waiting for a full or blue moon to take back control of your life, well, it's no wonder your life is in a mess. In the first place, never give up control of your life (unless it's to Jesus) and secondly, if you do give up control (unless it's to Jesus), take back control ASAP and don't wait for the moon to do her thing. I mean...seriously folks, we get one shot at this thing called life so make it count.

This button buck, meaning it's a young male with antlers beginning to grow, was being dive bombed by a red wing blackbird; their antics were amusing to watch.

In the morning, some of the barn cats sit in the window, waiting on breakfast. I try to finish outside chores by late morning then do inside chores until late afternoon. Sometimes the plan comes together but on days like today, when the temps are in the 90's and the heat index is nasty, even working inside produces rivulets of water dripping down my body.

It's dog days with a vengeance and 11 August looks a long ways off.

Blessings ~ healthy animals ~ white tailed deer ~ buck deer ~ Sirius XM Radio ~ Luna Moths ~ Dogs Days ~ Blue Moon ~