Apples and Such

We are very pleased to have apples for the second time ever!
Patience rewarded as the tree we planted is now six years old now and thwarted by a draughty summer and possibly neglectful watering on my part.

However, persist it did. Plants must display some degree of toughness to bear fruit in south central Texas. Lovely.

The newish hens are getting to peck the windfall apples.
I am tossing them into the coop, trying not to hit anyone.
Not my fault that the hens move so quickly!
Our annoyed looking Golden Laced Wyandotte does not approve.

I love this view of the garden fence near the chicken coop, prayer flags fluttering in the breeze.
It looks like a massive amount of weeding is in order. The frothy mass is a stand of 20+ year old asparagus

 Sam the chocolate lab (outside the garden yard) likes to look at the chickens while I garden. She does not mind the weeds. Good dog. So pretty.

A Perfect Day

Gentle rain the whole day. The kind that soaks in and gives the trees and plants time to soak it up before it sinks through the dry cracks .
Just perfect.

Those of us in central Texas are still reeling (literally) from last summer's historic drought and 90+ days with temps over 100 degrees.
If that sounds like hell, well, it kind of was.
Please let there be enough to fill the lakes and aquifers and keep us green a bit longer.

But today we have rain and cool temps and happiness.

Sam the Lab

Sam the lab and I walk across a green meadow in the rain to feed and water the flock of hens that live in the garden enclosure. Dampish, fluffy, rapidly growing 5 month olds and two stately 6 year olds  flap their  wings and crowd round to vie for first choice of brown rice , strawberry tops and lettuce bits. Somewhat spoiled, those girls.

Fern the Barred Rock Plymouth impatient for snacks

I pick some cherry tomatoes that have sprung up by the coop gate, no doubt seeds from last year's chicken snacks, washed out from the hen house to grow along the perimeter. They are thriving in the rich runoff from the coop.

I love the smell of the  coop's deep hay litter in the rain. Love of farm smells runs in this family. Not everyone-there are camps for and against but count me happy to stand in the rain and breathe it all in.

Sam is waiting outside of the gate to practice walking at my side back to the house.
She knows that there is a dog treat nubbin in my pocket, like there is everyday.
Sweet dog.

And because this is a perfect day, I turn away from the scheduled chores, grab a basket of baby gnome parts, a latte, listen to the rain and stitch away while watching episode one of Downton Abbey ( I know, the last person in America to see it!)

Gnome Bits

A really good day.