This past weekend, the temp finally went below 95 degrees.... I actually saw an 88 during the middle of the day. Saturday evening was beautiful on the farm.... if actually felt cool.  There was a meteor shower over the weekend but it was also a full moon so Cris was only able to see a few fly through the sky. 

Cris bought some new parts for the Massey Ferguson tractor and it is now running much better.  My tractor (the Ford 8N) is still in parts in the barn from last year.  It is his rainy day project.  I bush-hogged as much of the lower fields as I could over the weekend, getting them cut so the grass will grow back in time to cut for hay in the Fall.

We have been working on controlling weeds in the asparagus, grapes, strawberries, blueberries and the fruit trees.  We are putting down weed block between the rows of asparagus and strawberries (and on the strawberry rows themselves) and then will lay mulch down over it.

The greenhouse is our project for the coming weekend - the peppers are done so we pulled those and will be canning and freezing this week.  The tomatoes were attached by hornworms and we also decided that we planted the tomatoes too close to each other so we are cleaning up that area and hopefully what the hornworms did not destroy will produce through the fall in the greenhouse.  We are harvesting tomatoes but not as many as we had hoped.  It's a learning experience

The pear trees did great for being their first year.  We have a large grocery bag full that will be canned this week as well.  There is a great pear/cranberry conserve recipe we are going to try and also a pear rosemary recipe that looks really good.

Cris and Alex installed the skirting around the modular home (ok.... pimped up trailer) and it looks more like a home now.  The front and back deck will be started in September.  We have a WELL!  They only had to drill down about 125 ft which is so wonderful!  We tested the water and it's free of all the bad stuff that we don't want in the water. 

Our remaining bee hive is gone. Not sure what happened.  Sometimes they just leave.... maybe it just got too hot for them.  We found moths in the hive and we are not sure if they caused the hive to leave or they came in after.  This type of moth eats the wax on the frames and they pretty much destroyed the frames and the honey is no good.  We have talked to other bee keepers and they have had the same problem the last few years.... It's something we hope to control a little better once we move to the farm full time.  We won't add any new hives until the Spring.

Our next meeting with our friends a Evergreen Dairy will include a speaker who will discuss saving seeds.  Should be interesting.  Our sunflowers are all in the drying out process now, still on the stalks.  When the sunflower heads turn brown, then it's time to cut them from the stalks.  I will have alot of sunflower seeds for next year.

Cris has been mushroom hunting every chance he gets.  He is finding Chanterelles at Shelby Farms in the hiking trail area and on our farm.  We can't wait for next Spring when the Morels are in season again.  

Alex heads to college next week.  His gets settled into his dorm Thursday the 25th and classes start the 29th.  He's way excited!

Our house has been on the market for a couple months.  Only 4 visitors but we know this is not the best time to sell.  Two have been looking for a house with the master bedroom on the first floor but all our bedrooms are on the 2nd.  We just have to be patient and the right buyer will come.