Making hay, sickle style, and pulling the knapweed between.  This is kind of crazy , so labour intensive!  But I need mulch for the garden & bedding for the chicken nest boxes throughout the winter, why buy a $7 bale when I have acres & acres of  grasses (& weeds, mostly knapweed & thistle).  And I need to pull that knapweed growing around the house (at least!).

Ugh!  This old farm is near wearing me out, as I pull thistle & watch the seed heads blowing in from all directions.  And that approx 5 acre field of knapweed ever encroaching.  I am slightly disheartened.  I would NEVER Round-up but I see the idea of spraying something on these fierce weeds to take them out.    I guess having livestock on the land for a few years would be the only way, but then there is fencing & never leaving the homestead...

For now we eat raw pie, an almond date crust, filled with fresh peach slices folded with blended soaked cashews and honey.  Perfect on a hot summer day.

Big boy in the tummy tub cooling off.

Presently 'into' Robin Hood, making bows & arrows, archery.

Local festival with farming friends.

Observing samples of insects from the river & streams.

What a poor photo but I must share...you can't know how I admire these women, these acapella singing doukhobor sisters,  their grace & virtue, truly who they are as human beings.  One is a glowing herbalist that I have long repected, the other a homechooling mother of five that  I occasionally see around & have a great heart connection with, she emanates peace, happiness, wisdom, elegance & gratitude.  Then I found out they were sisters & they sang!  Today I saw them sing together for the first time, incredible & inspiring pslams they have written, as well as hymns in Russian & English, then a few folk songs with guitar.  I will carry their peace & beauty in my heart.