The Hot Spell

"Early in July the weather turned very hot,
    'Ain't had a spell like this in Fourteen years,'  Eli Scaynes said happily.

Each day it was hotter.  Julian and Portia felt proud of it.

'The thermometer say 95 degrees,'  Julian announced one morning; and on the next he said triumphantly, 'It's 98!'

And then one day it was 100, and the children were overjoyed, though the grownups were not."

~Return to Gone Away Lake~  By: Elizabeth Enright

(So our really hot spell came in late June instead of early July, and it still is reaching in the 90's every day.)

~Chs

Summertime is for...

 .... Impromptu picnics under the willow tree.

Complete with Hot Dogs roasted over an open fire (despite the 90 degree weather)

 And delightful thirst quenching lemon water with lots of ice.

 Grapes and Crackers.

 Yummy!! 

 We had two very attentive furry friends. 

"Anything you don't want, huh?" 

 After lunch we had an impromptu grass blade concert and Sadie Rose wasn't quite sure whether to join in or not.

 Baby, our elegant and elderly reigning queen.

 The chickens joined us for the crumbs after lunch, and our handsome rooster Yankee Doodle Dandy decided to pose for a photo.

"The faces"  (minus the person behind the camera of course :)

~Chs

Ladies Luncheon

For the past 4 years Mom, Faith and I have been blessed to volunteer at our local Pregnancy Resource Center, and while there we have worked with some wonderful ladies.  So this past week we decided to host a luncheon for all the ladies that we work with.

We just happened to pick a day that was right during Strawberry season, so dessert was Angel Food Cake or Biscuits piled with sliced strawberries and finished with fresh whipped cream, and for the chocolate lovers we also had a plate of gluten free brownies. 

Our Sweet Peas had begun to bloom, so Faith and I picked a large bouquet to grace the table.

Strawberry Lemonade and Ice Tea for beverage.

The main menu included Cream puffs filled with Chicken and Tuna Salads, with sides of Pasta Salad, mini stuffed eggs, and fresh garden veggies.

Each lady had a sprig of Sweet Peas at her plate to take home.

It was a delightful time of fellowship chatting, exchanging stories, relating incidents of days gone by, and of course eating!

Dessert!

After finishing our conversation and cleaning up, we headed outside to conduct a tour of the farm.

We are very blessed to have our golf cart, and were happy to be able to drive some of the ladies around so that they didn't have to walk.

It was a lovely afternoon, and we were glad to be able to host the luncheon for the wonderful ladies who we work with.

~Chs

Buildings Continue

Here at "Lily Spring Garden and Farm" there is always some building or structure being assembled.  The latest and truly greatest construction project was a chick house for our in-between laying hens that need a home before they integrate with our main flock.

So, while we just go and throw up goat sheds with press boards and practically no supports, for some reason this structure which was meant for little fluffy chicks, was built.  And I mean BUILT.  

Solid plywood floor, walls with studs every two feet, this thing is solid!

These chickies better appreciate all the hard work we're doing for them.  :)

Finally after much planning and labor, the four very solid walls were put up, and it was simply waiting for it's substantial roof.

Here it is in all it's brightly painted glory!  Barn red with white trim to match our other chicken coop.

One of the fluffy and hopefully grateful occupants.

So that is the story of our latest project, I am sure there will be more to come, and now just in case we have a tornado we know where we will be going!  (okay that might be a slight exaggeration, but it sure is solidly built!)

~Chs

Softball Season

That time of year has come where once or twice a week we hurry through our dinner, pile in the vehicle, and go watch our men play softball.

Josh is a very talented left fielder, rarely missing anything. 

 And is also not too bad with a bat, if I do say so myself! :)

 Dad might be the one of the oldest players on the team, but that doesn't mean he can't hit or run!  He usually plays catcher (though he says his knees are starting to complain about that:) but somehow I didn't manage to get a picture of him behind the plate.  He has also had to pitch a game or two and has done a good job.

 Sadie loves "softball season" and enjoys watching the game, giving kisses to anyone brave enough to come near her, and eating any flower you make the mistake of holding to close to her nose.

 We are always delighted when we get to sit in the shade (except for one of the first games where it got down right chilly) especially the last one when it was reaching for 90!!

 The little people are Sadie's biggest fans. I think they watched her more than they did the game.

 When the game isn't going the way you want it to, there are always flowers and berries to discover along the edge of the field. 

 Sometimes other puppies come to watch the game to.

 One of the Ladies always brings snacks for us devoted fans.  Sugar snap peas anyone?

 I believe she is the favorite person on the entire stand.

 "Father and Son"

 Our faithful and excellent pitcher. 

The season is about half way through and right now we have 5 wins 3 losses.  Not bad at all!  (oh and just to let you know the times they lost were the ones when Mom, Faith and I weren't able to be there to cheer them on :)

~Chs