every day is a good day
Walking up the driveway this morning, I noticed some of the chickens out in the far pasture. The pictures give an idea how much space the chickens at a man and his hoe® have. This is probably the impression many have when they purchase organic/free range chicken in the grocery store. Chances of buying chicken growing up in an environment like this in a supermarket are next to nil.
The thimble berries (rubus parvilorus) are starting to ripen. This year there is a bumper crop. Chances are, you will never see them in your grocer. They are very fragile and soft when they ripen. If you don’t eat them within a day or two, the berries will droop and then fall.
The best food isn’t purchased, it’s gathered by yourself.
Back in May, I mentioned missing the cows on a nearby farm. Today when I was pedaling home from the post office, the cows were back. I stopped and talked to the owner. He was looking pretty good, but did say he wasn’t sure what his prognosis was. He will be keeping the cows on the farm into fall. He didn’t think he would winter them there.
I wish him well. At one point, he had lost use of his right side, but he has regained use of it. He still sleeps much of the day as the chemotherapy wears him out.
His farm is such a magical place. It is like something you would read about in a fairy tale. His wood stacks are works of art. The flower beds, fruit trees, and rambling vines look like illustrations out of a children’s story book. I look forward to bicycling by the farm every day.
See: Cancer Strikes and Now I Miss the Cows
This is what summer looks and tastes like at A Man and His Hoe®. The cherries are ripening early this year. Often, the birds finish off the cherries before we get a chance to enjoy them. This year, the birds are leaving them alone. Hurrah!
The raspberries are inside the hoop house, safe from the birds. They are most delicious picked in the afternoon when they are warm. Only a few make it into the house to be served.
It’s wonderful being able to eat these fruits directly off the vines and the trees. With most people living in dense urban settings, it’s a privilege to be able to walk out the door and enjoy them without having to go to a store to get them.
Every evening, many of the chickens end the day grazing on the grass next to the chicken yard. This time of year when the sun sets after 9 p.m. and dusk lingers until past 10 p.m., the chickens take their time getting to bed, especially the younger ones.
Morning colors this time of year are so soft yet brilliant. Getting up early is the thing to do this time of year.
The two hens sharing the two chicks continue their shared co-parenting. At times, each one takes one of the chicks for some “quality time”. At other times they are side by side. It’s interesting observing them. Will this unusual child rearing make a difference for the chicks? Probably not, but time will tell.
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