It's hot here in Ontario today (90* F., feels like 108.) and on days like this we don't do much that causes us to break a sweat. Even the breeze off the lake is hot air, though I am thankful we have it.
When life slows down, you tend to take an extra moment here and there to notice the little things.
Our Pilgrim goose Elsie is twelve years old and a nicer goose you couldn't find. Every morning when Brian lets her out of the chicken house, she goes to her wading pool and waits for him to pour a bucket of water over her. She even lets him pat her a bit, and she is always glad to hang out with him when he is outside.
Elsie loves the treats that summertime brings her. Brian likes watermelon, but a watermelon is a lot for one person even over a few days, so Elsie is delighted to help him eat it. She also loves musk melon, strawberries, pears, banana, and just about any other fruit she can get hold of. For years we didn't know what to give her for treats, but we sure do now! The bowl-shaped rind of watermelon with plenty of the flesh left in it is definitely at the top of her list.
There is a huge six-foot thistle plant just outside the kitchen window. I asked Brian to spare it and I'm glad I did. It's a magnet for bees, butterflies and the local goldfinches. Seeing a male goldfinch or two pulling thistledown out of the gone-to-seed flower heads at close range is a daily delight. I've also seen bumblebees and honeybees and lots of butterflies: yellow swallowtails, fritillaries, whites and sulphurs, and -- not so common nowadays -- monarchs.
We leave lots of bird and butterfly weeds alone here on our 32 acres. And we're amply rewarded by the abundance of little creatures around us.
I'd enjoy hearing what small special moments y'all are enjoying just now.
When life slows down, you tend to take an extra moment here and there to notice the little things.
Our Pilgrim goose Elsie is twelve years old and a nicer goose you couldn't find. Every morning when Brian lets her out of the chicken house, she goes to her wading pool and waits for him to pour a bucket of water over her. She even lets him pat her a bit, and she is always glad to hang out with him when he is outside.
Elsie loves the treats that summertime brings her. Brian likes watermelon, but a watermelon is a lot for one person even over a few days, so Elsie is delighted to help him eat it. She also loves musk melon, strawberries, pears, banana, and just about any other fruit she can get hold of. For years we didn't know what to give her for treats, but we sure do now! The bowl-shaped rind of watermelon with plenty of the flesh left in it is definitely at the top of her list.
There is a huge six-foot thistle plant just outside the kitchen window. I asked Brian to spare it and I'm glad I did. It's a magnet for bees, butterflies and the local goldfinches. Seeing a male goldfinch or two pulling thistledown out of the gone-to-seed flower heads at close range is a daily delight. I've also seen bumblebees and honeybees and lots of butterflies: yellow swallowtails, fritillaries, whites and sulphurs, and -- not so common nowadays -- monarchs.
We leave lots of bird and butterfly weeds alone here on our 32 acres. And we're amply rewarded by the abundance of little creatures around us.
I'd enjoy hearing what small special moments y'all are enjoying just now.