August Sunrise

Accidental Harvest

Last year, I had this near my front door.

So, this year when a little sprout came up in the area,

I let it grow.

Into this....

There's a bird bath in there somewhere.

Looks like I'm gonna have plenty of Baby Boo Pumpkins!

Arrowhead Spider

This is an arrowhead spider.

He has taken up residence on my Kawasaki Mule 

which pulls my manure spreader. 

He goes for a ride every few days

which destroys his web.

He faithfully rebuilds it and catches lots of flies!

Late Summer Flowers & Flutters

Late summer blooms seems dominated by

bright yellow, such as this Wingstem,

bold purple, as in this Ironweed

and blue, found in this Chicory

with a little orange thrown in (Jewelweed).

The butterflies are flocking to the flowers,

getting the last of the nectar.

Buckeye butterfly

Sulphur butterfly

Pearl Crescent Butterfly

Raggedy Cabbage White Butterfly

And the hummingbird moth is still going strong.

Day Riding at Westwood Park

Some friends & I hauled the horses to Westwood Park

near New Castle for a day ride.

We rode in cool tranquil forests,

down pastoral quiet lanes,

 circling the serene Westwood Reservoir.

 

It was a lovely day for a ride,

made even better by a great trail horse.

Down on the Farm

Yesterday,we walked to the neighbor's to see the new barn they are building.

New barns are a big deal around here.

They are cattle farmers.

Here is some of this year's stock.

I liked this white-faced cow named Lucy.

We checked out the new chickens too.

Then walked home in 96°heat.

Soon these hot summer days will just be a memory.

Big Carp

We saw this big carp in Hinkle Creek today.

Puffball Trail

These puffball mushrooms popped up overnight 

after a rain shower yesterday.

Some of them are bigger than soccer balls.

Indiana State Fair

No summer is complete without a trip to the State Fair.

This year we took the oldest granddaughter.

A local train museum offers train rides to the fair,

so we took the train.

Here it comes!

 We are on our way!

We saw a lumberjack show,

Tractors and old barns,

Fish, snakes and butterflies in the DNR building,

Fed & petted farm animals,

Rode some rides,

 And rode some more rides,

 Ate deep fried food, such as this twinkie

And made great memories!

Aerial Acrobats

The hummers have raised a family

and are draining the feeder daily.

 

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They are feisty little sprites of the sky!

Hay!

After a wet Spring, we finally have hay in the barn.

 The elevator arrives.

This ancient machine is a back saver!

My hay man said it is older than him.  He's 70.

The hay wagons are here!

Yea!

Up it goes!

Thank goodness for big strappin' country boys

who don't mind getting sweaty and dusty.
Cookies and cold drinks all around!

We are ready for winter!

New Shoes & a Pedicure

Horse hooves are like fingernails.

So occasionally, they need to be filed down and prettied up.

That means its time for the farrier to come.

First the old shoe is pulled.

Next, large nippers are used to trim off the excess hoof.

 

Then the hoof is filed to correct shape and readied for the shoe.

The shoe is also shaped to fit the hoof and pounded flat.

Sometimes it is heated at this point.

Finally the shoe is nailed into place.

A little polish to seal the nail holes, 

and they are ready for the trails.

Even horses who don't wear shoes need the feet trimmed on a regular basis.

Today Rocky and Jasper got shoes,

Tag, since he is no longer ridden, just got a trim.

Tools of the trade