a walk in the sun

When Piper comes along on a trip to the feed store, we usually stop midway at a public walking trail that makes a loop through the fields of a working farm.  Here Piper must stay on lead, but on a sunny day, perhaps 90F with high humidity, a walk on a lead is not as boring as it might sound.

It's a very different habitat from Piper's usual woodsy ramble. Lots of open field, hedgerows, and long-distance views.

And haze, when it's humid.

We see many plants and birds that thrive in open conditions, quite different from what we see at home.  I don't know what kind of butterfly is enjoying the milkweed, but isn't it lovely?

Note the two strands of electric fence - another very good reason for Piper to be on lead!

The farmland is nearly all pasture and hayfields, but this little knoll has a few trees that provide very welcome shade.

 These lilies tell the story of a former home site.  One sees them all over New England, often in small gaps in the forest, along abandoned cart roads, or in an area where there is no other sign of human habitation, past or present. 

Like a cheerful greeting from the past.

~~~

Even though it was all walking, no running, Piper doesn't look too disappointed, does she?  She took our sedate constitutional in typical happy-go-lucky style.

So, when we continued on to the feed store I invited Piper to come inside with me and choose her own treat from the bin.  It was crunch, crunch, crunch, all the way home. 

There are a few additional chores in the mornings lately, which is slowing me down.  But tomorrow I will try to get everything done early, so we can get into the woods for our more typical mayhem:

~~~~~

advice on insect damage?

Or should I say,

Insect damage! 

PLEASE HELP!!

Behold, the gorgeous cauliflower.  And associates.

Something nibbled several of the first cauliflower plants a while ago.

Happily, it wasn't this bunch of hooligans; they were being very good and eating only what they should have been eating.
Good goats.  Carry on.

Also happily, the nibbled plants rallied and recovered, putting out new leaves.  I rejoiced!

I also paid very close attention, and although I never saw bugs eating the leaves, I did sometimes find teeny-tiny white bumps - insect eggs, maybe? - in a scattered group on the underside of a leaf or two.  I destroyed them immediately, by rubbing them out with my thumb and finger on either side of the leaf.

I know.  Ewww.

But it seemed necessary.

But ewww.

Moving on...

Now there has been a repeat attack, of awful severity.

One example:

 

This makes me wince.  I can only imagine how it makes the cauliflower feel.

I still have not seen any bugs, and any white bumps have been dealt with right away.  Sometimes I do notice a little bit of darkness inside the little nook created where a leaf attaches to a stem.  I thought it might just be dirt, but now have taken to flushing the dark bits out with a spray bottle of water, just in case it's some kind of bug-related bother.

Hmmmm.

"Teeny-tiny white bumps."

"Little bit of darkness."

Maybe, just maybe, this is another situation where eyeglasses might be helpful.  I prefer to use my hand lens, but I can't find it.  Possibly eyeglasses would help in situation also.

More insect damage:

my one ground cherry plant has also been struggling with attackers, but almost from Day One.

Leaves get chewed up, the plant gamely puts out new growth. Holes appear in the new growth.

It's very hard to watch.

I think it's a different kind of bug than the cauliflower attacker.  I occasionally spot (and try to grab) a very small stripey winged creature on one of the ground cherry leaves.  There has never been a huge number of these bugs on the plant at one time - three, max - but there certainly is an ongoing problem with leaves being eaten.  Those bugs are quick, too...I've only managed to catch a few, by knocking them from the leaf into a jar of water before they saw me (and the jar) coming.

So far, all I've done is spray plants every couple of days with a very weak solution of water and tea tree oil, and sometimes other essential oils such as balsam, eucalyptus, and cedar.  It's a spray I use on myself when working outdoors and I usually have a bottle within reach.

Clearly I need to do more.  After seeing those cauliflower plants this morning, I am determined to find a stronger - but still organic - option.  Or many options.  I will be happy to experiment.

I know many of you lovely readers are also gardeners, so if you can suggest anything I would be so very grateful!

I planted more cauliflower and also cabbage last week, when the feed store had clearance-priced the last of their organic seedlings.  This morning the little cauliflowers look like this:

I want to prevent insects from even getting start on these little ones!  They are just beginning to recover from too many weeks spent crammed into tiny cubicles of potting soil.

The determination (for lack of a better word), the flexibility and the resilience of plants is a source of constant inspiration to me.

Morning smile provided by this sprout, growing in the tiny space between the base and leg of the goats' stanchion.

~~~

Thank you in advance for any suggestions on dealing with damaging insects!!!

~~~~~  

a most refreshing salad

This is one of my all-time favorite summer treats.

I learned to make it about a hundred years ago, from my dear friend Peter's college roommate, Rick.

Thank you, Rick!

~~~
And Peter? Thank you for the perfect combination of softly scrambled eggs with baked beans and sweet relish on the side.  I suddenly remember a summer day as hot as this one, sitting on the kitchen counter in your folks' house, sipping a cold bottle of beer and watching you scramble the eggs.

All these years later, I often make scrambled eggs with baked beans and relish.  Never as good as yours, though!
~~~

I made a bowl of pea and peanut salad for the Independence Day barbecue, because I couldn't think of anything more refreshing for a hot, steamy, July afternoon.

This was the first time I've made it with homemade mayonnaise, and oh my.  It was an improvement on an old favorite.

Have you ever tried pea and peanut salad?  Do you love it?

It's an unlikely-sounding combination for sure, but it is delightfully sweet and light and flavorful.  And versatile!  I had it for breakfast this morning.

If you'd like to give it a go, here is a sort-of "recipe."  Rick didn't have an actual recipe that I recall, and I take the "why measure?" approach to making it, and have never had a disappointment. Experimentation and adventure calls you!


Pea and Peanut Salad

frozen peas
Spanish Redskin peanuts
sour cream
mayonnaise

Mix a generous dollop of mayonnaise with a smaller amount of sour cream.
Maybe two or three parts mayo to one part sour cream.

Mix some frozen peas with a smaller amount of peanuts.
Maybe four or six parts peas to one part peanuts.

Gently combine the two mixtures and chill.

That's it!

Using the peas while they are still frozen (but loose, not in a lump) means you can do the mixing without smooshing the peas at all.  They begin to thaw very quickly, though, and I like to eat at least a little bit of the salad immediately.
You know, just to decide whether it needs a little sprinkle of salt, or more peanuts or mayo or something.
Yes, that's why.
That, and because this salad is so tasty I can't put the bowl in the fridge without eating some first.

If you try it, please let me know how you like it!
~~~~~

Independence Day

A friend invited me to a 4th of July barbecue this afternoon, so of course I wanted to wear something special.

Happy Independence Day to all who are celebrating...

safely, I hope!

~~~~~

shifting goats

One effect of all the rainy days this season, is this:

when I wake up in the morning and it is not raining - at least, not yet raining - there is no time for slouching around.  I must get up and get out.

If the goats are going to have an opportunity to dig into fresh browse before the next rain sends them back to the shelters and hay, my priority task is shifting goats.  Some or all will be moved into smaller fenced areas that have been allowed to grow up into goat-appropriate vegetation.  There they will spend a few hours chowing down, before I shift them back to their usual digs.  If I hear thunder, the shifting back to shelters goes a lot quicker!

Betula and Acer work the fenceline bittersweet.  You go, boys! 

Moving my goats between pens is tricky.  They must have collars put on, and be walked, one at a time, on leads.  At each gate, all the other goats must be prevented from squeezing through.  The goats don't always make me work up a sweat getting them from Point A to Point B...

but most days they do.

Goats are strong, and goats are determined, and goats often do not want to be separated from their companions, even by a single fence, even for a moment.  So although we go through this goat-shifting routine all the time, there is often heel-dragging.

To add drama, the oldest doe bellows non-stop whenever any goat is moved.  And she carries on bellowing for several minutes after everyone else has forgotten what they were agitated about.

It is remarkable how much noise one goat can make.

Betula: "Why is my mother roaring like that?  I'd like to roar back in solidarity but it's hard to roar when your mouth is full!"

Lily: "Let's try a new system today.  I have packed my baby in a tub for easy transport.  I call this invention 'Kid In A Tub.'  I suggest you carry it on your head."

Thanks Lily.  I'll think about it.

Tsuga: "Or you could just deliver my food here.  I'll wait."

~~~~~