Happy Midsummer's Day!

Dear Friends,

This year is flying on eagles' wings! Can half the year be gone already? We have been taking life one day at a time, working mostly outside (sadly, the house has been greatly neglected) to get the bulk of the garden in while there was still time.

I have been sneaking beans here and there, as well as squash, trying to fill in every available space.

Today we harvested some yummy purple ones!

The roses I planted in March are starting to bloom. We pinched the first buds off to encourage leafy growth, but they have decided that it's time to put out blossoms, in spite of our pruning efforts! I will be pinching off the petals to use in potpourri, and to prevent them from forming hips this year (Setting fruit the first year makes for a weaker plant).

Our chicks are getting bigger, and the ducklings are huge! I am working on making a duck house for them, since all we have are the movable pens, and I'm nervous about leaving them outside all night with predators around. It's been so hot lately, that it's been hard to get out and do anything physical without getting heat exhaustion, but thankfully the next few days are supposed to be cooler, so we'll be out working hard.

I'll leave you with a link to "Mabel on Midsummer Day," which is the poem we read to our children every Midsummer's Day. I first shared it back in 2009, when we lived in Idaho.

http://sweetefelicity.blogspot.com/2009/06/mabel-on-midsummer-day.html

Love,

Marqueta