A Summer's Evening

The other evening I noticed that the house was a little too quiet.  Supper was cleaned up; the kids weren't wrestling on the couch; Hank wasn't clicking away on facebook.  I was all alone in the kitchen.  So I wandered out into the barnyard to investigate. 

I found my daughter sitting in the grass, a pile of clover at her feet, braiding a chain.

The 122 bales from our first cutting were patiently waiting to be put up.  While not a huge crop, this alfalfa/clover/grass combo is perfect for the animals.

Bumper and Rusty were methodically devouring one of said bales.  It's been so dry here that the pastures just aren't maintaining growth like they should.  I hope we can get at least two more good crops off the field to see us through the winter.

Behind the main barn, the skid loader sat idle, but obviously some project was in the works.  The ewe's manure pile had been partially scooped away.

Finally followed the noise and found Hank spreading that manure pile on the freshly cut hayfield. I thought about using this photo as my cover shot on facebook.  It's picturesque, but it is manure.  Still debating...

And just about then my daughter came running up to show me, "Mom!  Look!"  She was mighty proud of her first handmade flower crown.  We put it in a shallow pan of water and kept it overnight in the fridge.  Moral of this post:  when you find yourself alone in a quiet house, take a moment to search out the simple, every day pleasures that are going on right outside your window.