Dual Cat Lap Day

For some reason Snots and Daisy decided to double up on Alan's lap at lunch. Nothing like a hot cat pile up on your lap in the summer.

Casablanca Lily

I finally got a single Casablanca lily to bloom this year in my Ozark garden. I got it before the Japanese beetles ate it. It was 5 inches across with a strong scent. These are my favorite flowers to grow and cut. They last a long time in the vase and fill the room with a sweet scent. While my veggie garden did not thrive at least my lily garden did.

Bean is Milking

Today is day4 of little bean's life. He is a tiny thin foal but he is thriving. We are watching and making sure he gets all the milk he needs from his mama Luna.

Holes

In between baby horses, pasture class, work and chickens we are also building an additional stable for our four horses. And we are doing this in the hottest part of the year. We had no choice since the baby horses came. Digging holes in Ozark soil is VERY hard work. We tried to use an auger on a tractor but it kept hitting rocks. So we ended up digging the six post hole by hand about thirty inches deep. Being so hot we can only do this in the early morning and evenings, when the horseflies attack. Nothing stops horseflies. I hate horseflies and they know this. The fun part is seeing all the different kinds of rocks we have here. And how many horseflies I can hit with the rocks.

Little Bean is Born

This morning we got a 4am phone call from our nearby horse trainer, our foal was born. We hurried, dressed and dashed out of the house down to the stables. Luna, our fox trotter, finally gave birth to a tiny little colt. Luna waited until the hottest night of the year to do this. She gave birth in the mud so both of them are caked up. Our vet came by around 8am to float Dolly's teeth and check Little Bean. He was missing antibodies in his blood and needed a booster. Luna was not happy about this but we were able to administer it quickly. Both are staying cool inside a stall for now. They will be back into the pasture by this weekend if all goes well. And we will try to give them a bath.

Maple's Colors

Our young filly is growing out of her baby hair and into her adult colors. Looks like she will be a liver chestnut like her dam. I am so glad she will not be a red sorrel. Now we just need to train her to behave like a lady.

Hickory Nut Tree

Being a southern girl I thought I was looking at a pecan tree in a field. But a local farmer told me this was a hickory nut tree. These nuts are very hard to crack. It takes a long time for these trees to grow into marketable timber. Still, it was still nice to see the tree full of ripening nuts and full green leaves surrounded by tall Indian grass.

Pasture School

Last week my husband and I attended a grazing and pasture class sponsored by the local extension office in the Ozarks. It was full of information about fencing, feeding and land management for livestock. While the photos look boring, each was a lesson about electric fencing options for goats, horses and cows. We have to put in our own fencing and water for our farm. This class took us on farm tours to show us how the locals around us build it. Being new to all of this we learned a lot about managing our farmland. I am understanding now just how hard it truly to be a farmer. You have to be a vet, guard, plant expert, trainer, handyman and business manager to be a farmer.