Anticipating week 14 at farmer's market

In anticipation of this Saturday's farmer's market, we have asked all our customers on our e-mail list to come early (before 11 a.m.) due to the Festival of Fools. This event, featuring international street performers runs from Friday to Sunday, with stages in City Hall Park (and a beer tent). The festivities start at 11 a.m., and St. Paul Street has been blocked off, reducing parking (including our regular parking space). Is it wrong for me to hope for rain? I'm a bit disappointed that more sensitivity was not given to the farmer's market (it runs 8:30 to 2:00), and the potential loss of sales that would occur if this event were to be so big as to make the regular shoppers want to avoid the park due to traffic congestion and parking difficulties. How it shakes out, I'll know in two days, and I'll certainly let you know.

It's third cut already!

It's time to cut hay again. The alfalfa field that borders my house has started to flower. With rain predicted for the next five days, we may test our luck over the weekend or risk having the hay lodge (tangle and mat down) due to wind and storm.

Shady Ladies

This volunteer tree in the chicken pasture has grown big enough to provide the girls with some shade, though they have plenty of other options with a yarrow patch covering a quarter of the pasture, and overhanging trees from the lawn in addition to the coop. We decided to let the yarrow be for the time being (instead of mowing it down), since an eagle was spotted flying over the house two days ago and the plants provide cover.