For the love of Zinnias.....

....there isn't a better flower to hold it's charm in the blazing heat, and flourish with just a little watering! I planted several varieties of zinnias seeds on May 26, and here they are now.

All of these photos were taken yesterday afternoon and evening. It was 108 degrees! Coupled with diligent watering, and soil that is heavily incorporated with natural organic matter, the soil allows water to really soak in, and not evaporate.

I can't leave the Sunflowers out! They are really doing well but require a bit more attention and water on these hot, hot days!

Are you wondering what the rich organic matter is? Our girls provide the best there is!!
All through the year wheel barrows full of fertilizer are spread out in the gardens. It's just one benefit of taking chickens seriously!

I am currently reading the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. (She is an excellent author and worth reading)! This particular story is about Barbara, along with her family, attempting to grow the food they eat for a year. She gives valuable answers to the question, "Where does our food come from and how is it grown?" She supports the notion of growing what you eat...and eat what is growing for that season, from your region of the country. I will warn you, she exposes what we are eating and what it does to the health of everything....natural and imposed.

Weather is.......

....hot today! It doesn't matter if everything is watered when it's 106 degrees. The lovely daisies are not taking the heat lightly! Bart has the option to come into the house but his body doesn't budge. He's hydrated, so it's his call!!

Tomorrow is suppose to be hotter! Ok!! Who is cooking dinner? HELLO!!

Wild animal sightings

There certainly is a lot of animal activity on our driveway! A while ago I posted about the crows and their nest. We hoped to see the baby crows when they were small, but Peter and Pandora crow kept the babies out of site, until today!! What a noise the babies make...squawk, squawk,squawk!

A squirrel joined in the commotion that was going on in the drive-way. They were all volleying for the same food under the apple tree!!

I drive right by this farm everyday. It is a pretty farm for it's old style barn, and it's fun to watch the changes that are made from year to year. The large riding arena was added,in stages, over the past two years. I wanted to get a picture of the hay sitting in the field because it looks so pretty. And, on this day, as I had my camera out and pointed at the field, my eyes keyed in on one very large bird of prey. He was spread out and hovering over a small creature that was probably mowed over by the combine. The bird is a Turkey Vulture! This bird is quite common all over the United States. The Turkey Vulture has a wingspan of 67–72 in, a length of 25–32 in, and weight of 1.9–5 lbs. It has dark brown to black plumage; a featherless, purplish-red head and neck; and a short, hooked, ivory-colored beak. Its life expectancy in the wild ranges upward of 16 years, with a captive life span of over 20 years being possible. That is some bird!

I have mentioned the deer population around our farm and yes, it is growing! I've been waiting patiently to get a picture of the twin fawns, and this was my day!! They were so little when we first saw them, and they are growing up quickly! Their ears pickup every sound! Mama doe is use to us, but she doesn't take many chances. They nestle down for the night in the woods, and we really appreciate watching this deer family most every day through the summer months. By the way, that is the same apple tree the crows, and squirrel were under earlier in the day!

I wonder which animals will cross my path this week?

I love you! I love you,Gaga!

This is a first try at getting a short video on my blog. I was not successful with a clip longer than this one.

The camera is a Nikon, Coolpix S60.

The video is of my husband and granddaughter. Kisses were blown in my direction and my heart melted!!

For Bees & Me

Some of my favorite cookbooks come from Gooseberry Patch. The title that I find myself thumbing through each summer is For Bees & Me. There are some tasty recipes in this cookbook that help me use my garden produce! On page 223 there is a recipe that looks quick, easy, and sounds like something we would eat. First, I take a walk out to the garden to pick fresh basil and tender zucchini.

Next, the recipe......

then.....all mixed up, put in a pie plate and ready for the oven.

Fresh from the oven, I added Parmesan cheese and watched it melt into the savory dish.

It came out of the oven as my husband walked in the door, and in ten minutes the casserole was gone! I guess this recipe is a keeper!
Gooseberry Patch has so many cookbooks and they are as fun to read as any magazine. Take a moment to check-out the web site at http://www.gooseberrypatch.com/.

He who plants a garden plants happiness.

Old Chinese Proverb

Western Pond Turtle - Endangered

I took another trip up the Columbia River Gorge, to Skamania Lodge, with a group of gals from my watercolor class. Our aim was to sketch and hike. We had no idea of what we were about to see! We chose to take the Lake Loop trail and it was beautiful around every stretch of it's 1.7 miles.

The trail led us to this beautiful lake where we heard birds singing, and noticed a large family of turtles basking in the sun.
They were difficult to see at first but as we got closer our excitement raised! "Look," I said, and we quickly got our camera's out! There will probably be several works of art produced from this scene, and just exactly the kind of subject matter we were hoping to find!!

The information (below) about these turtles in very interesting and I am glad that a place like Skamania Lodge resort is making an effort to provide this endangered species with a safe habitat.

COMMON NAME(S): Western Pond Turtle
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Clemmys marmorata
CLASSIFICATION: Phylum: ChordataClass: ReptiliaOrder: CheloniaFamily: Emydidae
DESCRIPTION: Length: Ranges to about 7 inches.
General: Smooth, broad, low upper shell (carapace) is olive to dark brown; often marked with a network of dark flecks and lines radiating from center of scutes (scales). Under shell (plastron) pale yellow, hingeless; may have dark brown or black blotches along scute margin. Male plastron is somewhat concave as compared to the female.
RANGE: Washington south through Oregon to Baja California
HABITAT: Ponds and small lakes with abundant vegetation. Also seen in marshes, slow-moving streams, reservoirs and brackish waters.
STATUS: General: Endangered WA State: Endangered
DIET: Consists primarily of invertebrates, carrion and plant material.
REPRODUCTION: The breeding season extends from April to August. Using her hind legs, the female digs a hole in the soil and will deposit a clutch of about 11 eggs where incubation lasts about 12 weeks.
LIFE SPAN: Ranges to about 70 years.
BEHAVIOR: Western pond turtles engage in basking behavior, a means by which to regulate body temperature. Baking regulates body temperature by the amount of exposure, or orientation to sunlight. When preferred basking sites are limited, competition for these sites may occur.
SOURCES: Status of the Western Pond Turtle in Washington – Washington Dept. of Wildlife The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians – Knopf

Information taken from the Northwest Trek Wildlife Park web site here.

Red Marigolds, Red Geraniums, Red Croscosmia

Being able to grow flowers, and especially red flowers, is reason enough (for me) to garden! This is a "Red Day" for reasons of spreading some cheer! Geraniums are showy with their variegated leaves and red flowers set them off beautifully!

More marigolds.......and Saliva......
..another kind of variegated geranium with red blooms....
Red Begonias......
and Red Croscosmia!
The color of "cheer" does show up as red!!