The beginning of August

Welcome August.
We saw our first buck in velvet close to home while having coffee in the morning. He was walking amongst several does who just stared at him as he walked through the neighbor's field and woods.

Something alarmed the gals and they took off to the west while the buck took off to the east. They look hazy because of the smoke and some fog.

I have 4 o'clocks blooming all over the place. Each year, I collect the seeds and then randomly drop them into different areas.

Some of them have grown to nearly 5 feet tall and others are being entwined with morning glories.

It's a mess in this spot, but I am enjoying the mess. I may chop it all down after a frost and see what comes up again next year.

Thankfully, Little Richard has been busy helping with the yard work. I put him in some spots that seemed to be growing faster than the rest of the yard and he did a nice job overnight.

Mornings are still the best to go look at things in the garden. The past few mornings are cool with fog and smoke.

The bees are really busy in the pumpkin plants I planted ... ahem, sort of ... by accident in front of the house.

Actually, having them so close is nice. I can see how the bees work the flowers and I can watch the funky pumpkins grow!

These pumpkins are a cross between some gnarly bumpy pumpkins I had last year and the original whitish-yellow pumpkins I had. So it will be interesting to see how large they get. 

I have several other pumpkins in another spot in the pasture that I fenced off. 

I have tossed pumpkins in for the mules to eat the past few years and it seems that they eat them and then stomp the seeds into the ground.

Here are some more flowers to enjoy. All of them taken early in the morning with dew drops on them.

I sure do love the morning glories!

 

What about the mules?

When I whistle or holler out their names, they appear out of the woods. These shots were taken on some of the more smokey days.

Mica is the grey mule and she knows if I holler her name, it is time to come for her Senior Feed.

Quickly, though, the red headed sisters decide that they will race to me. Do I bring hay, treats, or is it that they just want someone to rub their ears and tell them how beautiful they are?

These girls will take a  touch and a kind word just as eagerly as they would a treat.

The one in the rear is our gaited mule. She is a Peruvian Paso mule. She rarely breaks into a gallop and prefers to gait out. She is also usually the last one to come when I call. She loves attention and is a fantastic ride.

She hates leaving home. Once past the mailbox, she realizes that she needs to pay attention.

They all walk along their well beaten trail through the woods to come out on the old winter pasture. 

I rotate them from one large area to another every few days.

I am hoping for the weather and smoke to break up a bit so I can ride again in the evenings.

Poor Mica suffers the most with this heat, smoke, and dust. She has Equine COPD or Heaves. The rest of my girls are still looking rather fat and sassy.

Happy July everyone. 

PS~ Send rain.