Hot and Blooming Busy

Lots of company this past week-end and lots of projects pursued. The vase of wildflowers is the remnant from our late evening dinner right before the Sunday fireworks. Picked from the fields, they were beautifully arranged by my daughter.

The fireworks lasted two days, and as I got to the pond to watch the display from Idlewild Park, my camera battery was dead. The night was beautifully clear, and the company appreciative of the show. Even the bull frogs piped in their comments from the pond. The neighbors also had some lovely displays, as did many in the community. We could see many shows along the hills and skyline from miles around. Our 4th is taken very seriously by the pyrotechnic fans.

Wish you could have been here! Maybe next year.

National Aviary, Pittsburgh

What's everyone looking at? Why its the bird that perhaps best represents this holiday week-end.
The American Bald Eagle.

This sleeping beauty...

...and its friend were just looking for some quiet.

And this fellow got to be the star of our tour.

See the video below for more.

We had a unique birthday party today at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh, PA. We are about 1 1/2 hours outside Pittsburgh, so we don't get into the city a lot, but this was a fun one. After a guided tour by Dave, we had a lunch where we had more time to see the birds up close.There was also interesting lunchtime conversation about how often the birds all poop, eat, and injure the trainers. Not at all unlike conversations at the farm.All in all, a trip you want to take. And a different way to celebrate a birthday. VIDEO OF THE PENGUINS IN THEIR POOL ON THE TOUR

My Other "Job"

This tree is strangely special to me lately,... ...because its sits at the beginning of the first portion of our trail to be surfaced. It almost got cut down in May, because it looked as dead as the junk piled underneath it. It looked like this just a few weeks ago, ......until a group of volunteers came in and cleaned it up so that excavation can begin.
The guys with the chain saws were just itching to go, but we decided to wait and see.
Now it will be a resting place for walkers and bikers on a hot day, or a place to hide from the rain.I am the volunteer project manager working on the trail, and it has been keeping me busy as of late.
Naturally, I administer their blog too, so I invite you to see what our community is working toward.

http://ligoniervalleytrail.blogspot.com/

The trail will be on a rail bed that was sold in the 1950's, and our township acquired an easement to build a Rails to Trails project.

You can still see the coal ash and the raised area from the tracks. Already people are enjoying the cleaned out area, and soon, we will have a gravel bed for bikes and walkers to enjoy.
I'll get back to the farm soon.
The natives are missing seeing themselves here.

Scrambled Eggs and Herbs

My herbs are coming in, and some are already seeding.
Its hot, and its peak egg season.
Time for some quick recipes taking advantage of fresh from the farm, or garden, items.

I hate to do much cooking while I'm living in air conditioning (finally turned it on yesterday!), so I look for meals that require little or no cooking.
I follow Bitten, which is now Diner's Journal, on my side bar, and this showed up two days ago.

Soft Scrambled Eggs, Infused With Herbs

The photo reminded me of my mother's soft scrambles. The word "infused" sounded magical for some odd reason. So I started to read.

The first line read: I had the good luck to be at an herb garden this weekend. I read on.

There are two recipes. One takes five minutes,. The other 40. Both are scrumptious sounding, and when it cools, I will try the longer recipe. Five minutes over the stove is max for now!

Breakfast for dinner? I'm inspired.

Enjoy...and stay cool!

Arbor Complete - With Garden

Thanks for all the work, Kristin, Andrew and Dave.

Browsing On The Hill

This morning we had a good soaking rain. Good for the garden after a couple of hot days.I think the cats were caught far in the field, because they both showed up with wet fur. Not their favorite condition, as you can see by the annoyed look from Snickers.

While it rains, I thought I'd update you on the browsing on the hill.
Do you remember this scene two weeks ago?
Lush and thick. Full of variety.

Here is pretty much the same spot.
You can see the ground, and although it might look green in spots, there's not a lot left.

As the growth is getting thinner...

...the goats are depending on team work to reach the higher branches.

Not easy to do on the hill.
I must say, Pants looks a bit embarrassed to have Aziza standing on him.

Here you can see the crisp fence line area on Saturday, as the nannies and kids were introduced to the left side of the hill.

The yearling side is on its last days, but for the roses and a few tall brambles.

After two days, the left side is already thinning out.

Those big girls can really clear. And they do it happily!

The sun is coming back out. Time to work!

VIDEO OF THE TWO HERDS CLEARING THE POND HILL

Happy Father's Day

My dad, Wasyl, and I.

Perhaps this is where it all started.Our summer holiday in Germany 1960 at my aunt and uncle's farm in the Bodensee area.
Still a favorite place to be - if only it were closer.