Sweet Summer

Our sign says it all. 

So many hundreds of colorful dragonflies this summer... more than ever before. 

I cannot capture on film the masses of dragonflies frolicking through our yard and down our roads. 

You will have to take my word for it.

.

Blue. 

Red. 

Green with a striped black tail. 

My favorite chair for watching them flitter by.

The enormous willow tree at the back of the photo is prettier than ever, and the when the wind blows, she dances a hula. 

This large mama garden spider (at the left of the kayak) built a 15 foot wide web over our pond, from tree limb to tall edge grasses. She caught dragonflies, butterflies, and horseflies, and spun them into tasty bundles covered with silk. She created the zigzag in the center of the web for stability and hung there waiting for prey. When she had had enough of this locale, she ate her web and moved on.  The male spiders don't go to all this trouble, they just visit for meals. 

A new barn hiding in the woods. Husband calls it the "Bat Cave". 

A new vintage farm artifact--a mower. For effect only. 

My perennial flower garden is in almost full bloom, despite some deer and bunny damage. 

My vegetable garden has tomatoes, kale, brussels sprouts, onions, and basil. 

A close-up of my tangled flower party. 

The only roses I could harvest. The deer ate the rest of them. :(

You can fight, but you cannot win. 

Flourishing tomato plant with the most delicious fruit (which I have already picked and eaten.)

A visit from the Stay-Puffed Marshmallow Man.

A beautiful moody night sky. 

How I love summer.

P.S. Follow this link Barn Wedding to see another wedding at our farm in May 2015.

My Secret Garden and a Surprise

This is the entrance to my Secret Garden. I tied together a couple of branches to create the arch. Other than that, it is fairly non-descript to preserve its "secrecy". 

Once you enter inside, the magic appears. This overgrown section of our woods used to be some kind of dumping area--long before we got here. When we cleaned it out, we found the random stones and concrete pieces and lined the edges of the path with them.

You can see all the over-arching branches that create the shade. It is 15 degrees cooler in here than the rest of the farm in the summer time. A nice cool, quiet, peaceful getaway place. 

In the center, under some gnarled trees, I placed my angel and bell trellis, creating a little sacred space.

We found these moss-covered foundation stones scattered in this area, and encircled the tree with them. There are hosta and ferns planted under the twisted tree. 

We covered the ground with mulch and added benches and birdhouses. 

Across the garden, we added an old swing, revitalized with fresh paint, hanging from a reinforced branch. 

The swing is illuminated by these little solar lights, and they line the path as well, guiding you inside in the dark. 

  Although I enjoyed the summer coolness of my Secret Garden,  it was a bit too cold for autumn and winter. It just seemed to be begging for a cozy cottage in the corner, to really create a sense of place. My husband indulged me for our anniversary, and our carpenter went to work on it. 

This was the little 8' x 12' house after the construction. Our carpenter nestled it under the trees, and created all the gingerbread details. 

Here is the interior in process. He added a bench seat all along the back wall, and a shelf above it. 

The ceiling fan gives light and a breeze for the summer. 

This is the finished exterior, painted to match our barn. I love the frilly screen door and the little stoop.

This is what you see when you open the door. I'm a tea lover, so I decided to create my own little tea room. I call it the "Tea House of the August Moon". 

I left the interior framing exposed, and painted it all white. I furnished the house with tables, chairs, and a food prep area. It's a cozy girly space, with a touch of British propriety. 

I like to go fancy with my tea parties, so this is my formal tea service. I also have a nice variety of glass and china tea pots I have collected over the years. 

This is the view of the garden out one window. Around the table, you can see the nail head upholstered chairs and the shelves laden with tea supplies. My floral and polka dot apron fits in nicely. 

This is a peek out the other window, and a view of my other prep area with its electric tea kettle. It heats the water almost instantly.  The cupboard holds other essentials. The various handmade hearts on the wall  are sentimental and were gathered in my travels. 

This table holds tea cups, and the shelves hold a variety of tea snacks, in case I am not baking and just need a nibble of something sweet with my tea. 

This is the view toward the door. I like all the cubby holes the exposed interior framing creates. 

This is the shelf above the bench with an antique tole painted tray and some of my other treasures.

The 85 year old typewriter was given to my husband  when he was 10 years old by an elderly neighbor. The silver stand holds a  unique black and white plaid tea cup and saucer. 

There is room enough for up to six guests, or I can make the table smaller as needed.

When I step outside, this is the view from my Secret Garden looking out toward our barn. If you didn't know it was here, you wouldn't even suspect!

I feel like I stepped into a fairy tale here. 

 

This wonderful little place helps me do just that!

End of Summer Highlights

Cantaloupe growing up the trellis in the Coke planter.

Rust somehow makes things on the farm look better.

Cantaloupe baby.

Bumper crop of basil.  Pesto all winter long!

Finches swinging in the shade of the porch.

A pale green luna moth with its fragile beauty. It eats, lays eggs, then dies.

Mrs. Cardinal eating a seed.

Mr. Sneaky Squirrel running away from our dog.

A gorgeous neon lit sunset.

From my garden.

Ever blooming strawberries.

One for the birds, one for me...super sweet.

Summer ivy crawling up the porch.

The ones I hadn't picked yet.

A new one, just ready to burst forth.

Pink coneflowers--a summer staple.

Porches are a staple too. Nothing like early evening on a summer porch.

Fall is here now, and the landscape is changing once again. Those pictures will be coming soon.
One season at a time...