The Summer Solstice

Summer arrived last week and it wasn’t a very impressive debut. While some parts of the country are roasting with temperatures above 100°, we never hit 80° all week. Some, especially those melting in the heat, would think I should be grateful for that, but I’m not. We have so few really warm days here and so many cool, cold, and freezing ones, that I yearn for a bit of heat in the summer. Not too much, but a bit.

The summer solstice is one of those days I observe with celebration and sadness. I love the long hours of sunlight. I was up before dawn to watch the sunrise and out at dusk to watch the light fade on that day. But with the solstice past, we are now on the downhill side of the year. The days are growing shorter again and we’re headed back toward winter. It makes me sad to think about it even at the very beginning of summer.

The long flower bed.

It rained a lot during the week. I love the rain. It is a blessing to my gardens and my orchard. I love not having to water the garden. I love the lush greenery that comes from abundant rain.

Same garden, other end.

I have never been one to go barefoot. When I was a small child, my mother didn’t allow it. She told us we would get worms if we went barefoot. But sometimes in a naughty moment we would take off our shoes and socks. The alley behind our house in New Cumberland was paved with tar and on hot summer days the tar would soften and deep air bubbles would form under its surface. My brother, sisters, and cousin Rick and I would take off our shoes and socks and walk on the hot tar and pop the bubbles with our toes. What child could resist that? I’m sure our filthy, tar-stained feet were the real reason my mother forbid bare feet. I read the other day that scientists are saying that walking barefoot on the ground grounds the positive charge that builds up in our bodies. Apparently that’s a desirable thing, so I’ve started doing my daily weeding barefoot now and then. It’s a bit painful at times because my feet are very tender from a lifetime of going shod, but they will toughen up after a while. I don’t really feel electrically recharged, but it does feel good to sink my toes into the grass and soil.

My war against nature has expanded. Last week, in an effort to drive away the chipmunks that were freeloading at my bird feeders, I took the feeders down and stowed them away in the woodshed. The birds were disappointed at first. They kept coming by to feed and were perplexed to find the feeders gone. But after a few days they gave up and stopped coming. The chipmunks kept showing up – are still showing up now and then, but I only see one at a time so most of them seem to have moved on. And now there’s a rabbit frequenting my big garden. I’m setting a live trap for it, but I might have to just shoot it. I haven’t seen the woodchuck in a while (knock on wood). I still find deer tracks through the garden some mornings, but fewer than before.

My new enemies are sparrows. For several weeks, every time I went into the lower part of the barn, there were a dozen sparrows in there. They were flying in through the little door the chickens use to go in and out. These are house sparrows, a non-native, invasive, and highly irritating species. They were devouring my chickens’ food, cleaning out the feeders in just a few hours. They were pooping everywhere, which is a problem as wild birds can carry diseases that can infect the flock. Oddly the sparrows had no trouble getting into the coop, but when I entered, they couldn’t find their way out and would fly against the windows in a panic. I’d have to open all the big doors and chase them out. I tried several things to get rid of them. First I put a net awning over the chicken door. That didn’t work. Then I expanded the awing, dropping it to the ground and leaving an opening just big enough for a chicken to go through. That didn’t work either. If a chicken can go through, so can a sparrow. Then I did a bit of research on the internet and saw an idea from someone else with a sparrow problem. I followed their instructions and it worked! I took a bunch of old CDs and drilled a hole in them then hung them across the entryway to the coop using fishing line. The spinning, reflective CDs seems to spook the sparrows. At first the chickens were spooked too, but they got used to it. The sparrows, so far, have not gotten used to it and have stayed out of the coop.

My anti-sparrow setup.

Also down in the barn – Lola’s child, the chick she hatched, the ugly one with scrawny Mohawk, is a rooster. I didn’t know for sure until I observed him trying to court some hens. He’s still pretty young, a teenager in chicken years, but he’s already feeling amorous. The other two roosters don’t seem to have noticed his gender – yet. When they do, there will be trouble. Ugh. I didn’t want him to be a rooster. I’ll just have to watch and see what happens next. I don’t want any cock fights in the coop.

Out in the garden, the opium poppies (papaver somniferum) are blooming. These are ornamental and have no narcotic properties. Their flowers are gorgeous – big pom poms of purple, red, and pink. The larkspur is starting to bloom. It self-seeds and sprouts all over the garden. I let it grow wherever it wants. The cabbage patch is looking good – if I can keep the pests away from it. Out in the orchard the apples and pears are getting bigger.

Red and pink poppies.

Purple poppy and cornflowers.

Larkspur.

Cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower in various stages.

Apples the size of golf balls.

Small red pears.

I finally had a chance to paint the back porch between rainy spells. It took me an entire day and it dried just as the next bout of rain began. It looks good – good considering the overall condition of the porch itself. I still have to paint the trim. I also did some work on the front porch. I painted the benches and we bought some cushions to dress it up a bit. We also got a new screen door for the front door. I will install that tomorrow. Someday I hope to remove the front and back porches on this house and build a wrap-around porch. Someday.

The back porch - almost done.

The improved front porch.

Yesterday Stacey and I made our monthly trip to the temple. Going to the temple recharges my spiritual battery. The long car trip is a bit painful, but it was a beautiful day and the drive across Western New York was gorgeous.

The temple yesterday.

Today it is a little chilly and it looks like it might rain – again. We’ve had lunch and now it’s time for me to go down to the barn for the afternoon chores. That won’t take long. Then there’s plenty of time for a Sabbath nap. I love a Sabbath nap. After that, if it’s not raining, I think we’ll go for a walk up to the woods.