The bounty begineth

Most inquisitive and gentle readers, it is summertime here at Stratheden. The daytime temperatures have hovered about the 80F mark and the grasses and trees all are bedecked with their verdant splendor. The land yieldeth healthy and delectable foods for those of us planted and transplanted on the farm.

The gardens are almost completely planted; in a day or two a second planting of corn, beans and peas will be made. The harvest season has officially begun today with the harvest of 12 pounds of cherries (yes, that is a LARGE punchbowl!) which Mrs. Fuzzy will soon gently cajole into new forms of earthly delights such as jams and wee pies. The apples are forming well although the MUTSU apples which were so prodigious last summer are clearly resting this year - thankfully the other types of apples are stepping up to fill the void. The first tomatoes are formed and growing in the lower garden.










Ornamental flora are delighting the eye in the decorative gardens in the front and rear of the house. The lilies are bursting into their spectacular display but are challenged by the clematis for the title of most amazing display.











Even at night, there is beauty as the fireflies perform their aerial peregrinations in the dark, moving through time and space with their glow like tiny meteorites streaking through the night. Might they reflect the long departed Native Americans who once resided here?

Mrs. Fuzzy's chickens are prospering - and looking much like adults despite their youth.