happy first day of summer!

Ahhh, today is one of those days that will surely bring up opposite points of view. To some, (me), it's hard to believe the days will be getting shorter...it's a bit sad, how is that possible already? To others, (you know who you are!) it's now officially summer, nothing sad about it, let's enjoy every moment!  

And so it goes...summer has officially come to the farm, but you would hardly know it. 

yes...the flowers are in boom

yes...the garden is growing madly

yes...the grass seems to need mowing endlessly

and yes, the kiddos are out of school and enjoying these lazy days

However, my hubby said it was 48-degrees when he left for work yesterday, and do these look like scenes from a Midwestern summertime usually filled with heat & humidity?

Yes...this is Sweet Girl, 

and Little Man, roasting marshmallows...in June!

Now, don't get me wrong...this is just fine by me. While I love the summertime bounty found at the farmers' market and from our own back yard, I do not love the heat & humidity that usually come along with such joys of summer.

The weather, while fall-like, has been ideal for putting in the garden, weeding flowerbeds, and all around summertime chores. It could stay like this all 'til October and I'd be jumping for joy!

And so, while it lasts (deep down I know it will hit 90-degrees eventually) tonight, to celebrate the first day of summer, I'll hang tealight lanterns from the trees, light a small bonfire, and we'll be roasting marshmallows again...s'mores anyone?

Sarah Ban Breathnach sums up my feelings perfectly...

"I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens, but those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string,"

Happy first day of summer, friends! 

4-H llama time!

When we see this rolling field,

 and the cupola with a distinctive llama at the top...

we know we're getting close to the llama farm! Both our kids are in 4-H, and will be
taking llamas to the county fair for showing...there's just something about
these quiet, and yes, humming animals, they have always loved.

And since we don't have llamas of our own, we're fortunate enough to have found a club that has a terrific Lease-a-Llama program...it works out perfectly!

The warm weather has found us at the farm lately for practices and meetings, and yesterday we were greeted with lots of friendly faces enjoying the springtime sunshine...

along with week-old babies...

and this sweet one-day-old, who was staying very close to mama...

There are lots of things I like about 4-H, and the pledge sums them up best:

logo source: www.caes.uga.edu

garden whimsy...

Some spots in our our flower gardens just need a little pop of color. The flowerbeds on the west side of our house, which should have lots of cheery afternoon sun, are in heavy to dappled shade from 3 very old, very tall maple trees.

Now while that makes the house much cooler on those hot summer days, it makes planting colorful flowers somewhat hard on that side. Hostas are thriving, but nothing else seems to, and I'd really like a bit more color.

And so, here's a fuss-free, no-weed solution...

What do you think?

It's oh-so easy to make...you can have your own in no time at all. You'll need four mismatched plates of different sizes, a little glass bottle (you can find them at your local craft shop), a 20" length of rebar from the home improvement store, and a tube of permanent adhesive (Quick Grip is my favorite...it's water and weather-proof.)

Set aside the largest plate, right-side up...this will the bottom of your stack of plates. Making sure each plate is dry, begin with the next smallest plate and run a bead of adhesive along the underside. 

Center it on the large plate you've set aside. Continue layering the remaining two plates the same way, until all 4 are glued together. Set them aside to completely dry for 24 hours.

Once the stack is dry and secure, gently turn it upside down and center your glass bottle on the back of the largest plate like this...

and let set for 24 hours...just to be certain it will be strong.

Here's the fun part, find a spot in your garden that needs some color, and pound the rebar into the ground, leaving several inches showing. Turn the stack of plates so the bottle opening is facing down, and slip it over the rebar.

You may have to adjust the height of the rebar a few times to get it just right, but that's easy.
And you're done...

stand back and admire your creativity!