Evening Stroll

I was able to be home all day today!  What a treat.  We've been working our head off.  Reynald and Alicia are putting our summer fertilizer in the ground.  I have been following up with the coil packer.  Today was a rare day at home, all by myself and it was glorious.  I spent most of the day doing housework.  I tend to ignore this aspect of my life, when I get busy in the field and in my yard.

It was a warm day today, and this evening it was just gorgeous so I took a little stroll around my yard with the camera.  Here's what I saw!

The garden is coming along.  I planted so late, everything is behind, but it's trying to catch up!

This is Elmer.  He's going to watch over our garden this year.

Definitely some garlic mashed potatoes on the menu soon!

A very slow garden, taking it's time growing!

Fruit is ripening in the orchard.  We'll be picking cherries soon!

The pie cherry tree is loaded.  The pie cherry tree has larger fruit than the sweet cherries!

This sweet cherry is a Rainier type, so it will be a pinkish yellow when it's ripe.

These sweet cherries will be a deep purple when they are ripe.  Still a little ways off, but they've turned a lot in the last two days.

Red currants are almost ready to pick.

I apologize for taking yet more photos of roses, but they are so pretty this year, I just can't help myself!

This is my favorite rose.  If I could only have one rose, this would be it....Graham Thomas.  

I love sweet William.  They are so happy and bright, but self sow like crazy so you have to be a little careful with them,

And here's an embarrassment!  Must have let a prostrate red root pig weed go to seed in this spot last year.   Lots of happy little plants!

This will be taken care of tomorrow morning, first thing.

This rose is actually more of a purple maroon than the pink that it shows here in this photo.  

Mr. Mozart continues to bloom his little heart out!  What a job it's going to be to dead head this fellow in a week or so!

More proof that I don't have just pink roses!

The chickens love the shade that this vigorously growing rose provides.  

A couple years ago I planted some lavender around the propane tank.  The bees love lavender.  Well, who doesn't love lavender?

No reason why the compost bin area shouldn't be pretty too!

Another view of the compost bin flowers!

Found this bicycle in a shed a couple weeks ago!  Thank you Pinterest!!!

And a gorgeous sunset to watch with dinner and a glass of wine.  Life is good!

 Love this Cheshire Cat moon which came out with just a little sunset color left in the sky.

Father's Day Wheat Tour

We used to go on a Father's Day wheat tour, but for some reason we haven't done it for a few years.  This year we brought back the tradition and what a wonderful tour we had!  It was a beautiful evening, not a breath of wind and comfortably warm.  There is this fragrance, this time of the year, of wheat beginning to ripen.  It's subtle, but very recognizable and was especially noticeable Sunday late afternoon.

Our Father's Day started off with brunch at Alicia's house.  She wowed us with two different quiche, a fruit salad and I made cinnamon pull apart buns.  I forgot to take a photo of the beautifully set table but I did get an image of the three best dad's ever, that happened to be in attendance!

Reynald, my dad and my brother Ted.

Here are a few photos of our wheat tour, all capped off by an amazing sunset and wine on the porch.

This is one of our fields.  The colors that evening were spectacular.

Reynald is checking to see how many kernals are pollinating and how many seeds are filling.  

 The snow mold damage is still very evident in our fields.

You can see the shorter wheat in this draw.  That is the snow mold damage.

Not only is the wheat shorter, but it did not bunch out and fill in like the undamaged wheat.

These are a set of our rod weeders, parked on an un-farmed area between Les and Greg's houses.  The purple lupine is blooming and so pretty right now.  In the back ground you can see Les' farmstead.

These power poles march across the land the Knapp/LePere ground.  I know, without a doubt, that one day I am going to hit one of them.  I am going start a campaign to have the line either moved or buried.  Just seems dangerous to me.

Photos of the wheat tour participants!

Mom, Alicia, dad and Reynald standing in belly high wheat!

Dad and Reynald standing in the field that my dad farmed all his life, and his dad before him.

Three generations of farmers.

Again, three generations of farmers!!

This is the wheat at the "home place".  There are places where there is snow mold damage but those spots are not visible from this angle.  From this vantage point, it's all wheat, all the time!  The trees in the background are Alicia's place.

Home place wheat with Alicia's home in the background.

The sun and the shadows and the glow of the wheat was just stunning.

Grandpa is explaining something and has both grandma and Alicia's full attention!

Les made these signs a few years ago.  Who knew then that twitter would mostly be litter these days!

Right across the road is one of the most beautiful pieces of spring wheat that we have ever grown.  One more good rain, in the next week, and it would really yield well.

Reynald out in the spring wheat field.

The spring wheat is just beginning to head.  These are nice size for spring wheat.  And notice the callused hands of our favorite farmer!

Another look at the spring wheat field with just a glimpse of Les' trees in the background.

We arrived home just in time to enjoy a beautiful sunset, wine on the porch and the comfort of knowing that Baxter is on full alert at all times, protecting the farm!

This rose has been blooming his heart out for about two weeks.  I love the echo of the pink tinted sunset cloud behind the rose.

A happy farmer and father!

Baxter on alert!