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.

Snow Birds

I happened upon some of my winter photos and am sharing them just as a diary so I can use them to compare next winter. 

This was my view out my kitchen window, after it snowed. 

As the local ponds froze, we had some duck visitors. 

I suppose the sight of a bit of liquid water lured them in. 

They made themselves quite at home on our partially solid, partially liquid pond.

 Our aeration bubblers prevent the pond from freezing completely.

There were a couple of different types of ducks over a few days, but I only got these pictures of the merganser duck family.

Thanks to my zoom lens, I didn't have to sit in the bushes in the freezing cold to get this shot.

We don't ordinarily get many ducks on our pond.
A mating pair in Spring occasionally, or a hungry solo flyer every once in a while.

(Sneaky wildlife photographer stays warm and undetected in cozy house.)  

For some reason, we don't have any ducks who have taken up permanent residence in our pond. 

We try to welcome them with this duck nest attached to the tree, but so far,  no one has taken advantage of it. 

So happy to be swimming in freezing cold water and air. 

 Crazy. I don't get it. 

Zoom back to the porch.

 I love this one with the finches on the bird feeder out my kitchen window. 

I had so many grateful  birds this winter. 

Back to the ducks. They would dip under the water, pass under the ice bridges and move to another section of pond. Smart. 

In addition to the mohawk hairstyle (which I never managed to get a good shot of), the mergansers have long pointy bills and gray and white wings. 

They seemed so happy to have found us, but when the pond thawed they quickly abandoned us. Apparently their own ponds are superior. 

Duck super-power factoid: they stand on ice indefinitely. 

Can you imagine doing this in your bare feet?

And when tired of standing, they sit. 

They are obviously quite adaptable to the winter cold.

Me, not so much. 

I much prefer the Spring, Summer and Fall. 

Looking so forward to the predicted return of sunshine this weekend. 

Dragonfly Gala

We have hundreds of these on the ranch, and they were our inspiration in naming the place. 

They come in red, orange, gold, copper, green, blue and black.

Their wings and color patterns are unique as fingerprints.  

And they are friendly, often landing on our fingertips.

They sit on all kinds of surfaces. Their amazing eyes allow them to see 360 degrees in every direction. 

And the heat on this deck doesn't seem to be a problem. 

They also wait patiently as they are being photographed. 

After they emerge from our ponds, they have an approximate year long life span. 

The nymphs climb out of the water, shed their skin, and pump up their lacy wings. 

Then they serve us by eating mosquitoes all summer long. They provide excellent natural pest control. 

They co-exist beautifully with humans and frolic joyfully in the summer sun.

Like small helicopters, they can fly up, down, forward and backward. They usually dart and swoop gracefully. They love to stand on stems and sticks. 

Our land is full of hundreds of them and they are one of the great delights of summer.

I would love to capture a picture of them in flight, but they are fast, and it is difficult to follow them with a camera.

But I am content to meet them just this way. Their colors are so beautiful up close. 

On the tomato cage, or the decks, or the tall grasses.

Or riding a rocking chair.

Or meeting up on an outdoor rug. 

Or on an iron bench, conversing with an enormous grasshopper. 

Enjoying a summer day.

The Dragon-fly

By Alfred Lord Tennyson

Today I saw the dragon-fly

Come from the wells where he did lie.

An inner impulse rent the veil

Of his old husk: from head to tail

Came out clear plates of sapphire mail.

He dried his wings: like gauze they grew;

Thro’ crofts and pastures wet with dew

A living flash of light he flew.

Summer at the Farm

Man's best friend braving the 96 degree weather and taking in the view.

The Coke machine is hosting cantaloupes and pumpkins. The Black-eyed Susans are getting tall.

The screen porch is a cool spot for napping. 

The grass is a luscious, splendiferous green.

The pond is calm but teeming with life just under the surface. 

Another favorite summertime shady spot at the back of the barn. 

The cutting garden is full of herbs and flowers.

A beautiful long-stemmed Mr. Lincoln rose.


My one and only Stargazer lily, planted as a bulb two years ago, and all but forgotten till this happened. 

Colorful Blanket flowers that look especially cheery in mixed flower arrangements. 

And chocolate mint...it is delectable. Just crush and drop into ice water for the most refreshing summer drink. 

The fragrance of the Double Delight roses is sweet and heady. 

The basil is falling over from heaviness. Pesto tomorrow. 

And heirloom tomatoes are beginning to develop. 

The strawberries bear sweet fruit every couple of days. 

This is my favorite summer morning sitting spot. I can watch the birds fly from the willow tree to the porch. 

We have hundreds of birds here everyday, and the occasional squirrel who seem to have outsmarted my plastic dome baffles. Squirrels are little geniuses.


This deck is perfect in the evening for dinner and watching sunset. 

In the daytime, this is my shady, comfy spot. Well-used, as you can see. 

And this is the breeziest place on the farm, and good for rocking while discussing politics. 

My climbing roses are making their way up again, as they did last summer. I wonder how high they will climb this year?  In the shady trees beyond, there lives a family of deer with two fawns.

My summer self is a bit like this gal here.