Fasten your seatbelt...

...AND PUT YOUR TRAY in the upright position. Please put all bee-longings under your seat, and prepare for landing. The weather is fine today for arrival on Rose of Sharon, with clear skies and a soft breeeze from the southwest at approx. 5 knots. Thank you for flying with HoverBee Airlines today, and please accept our complimentary pollen snack as you disembark.

bee-autiful dreamer

PRETTY SURE THIS little bee will get his fill of pollen and treats on my giant red sunflower.

my lovely neighbors

THE DARLING MORALES fambly up the street helped me get my yard shaped up, free of weeds and trimmed and mowed. Here are their darling faces...you can see poppa Morales (Jesus sr.) is camera shy. I'm afraid I embarassed them. The 2nd pic is Jesus jr., little Isele, and mom Maria. They're so sweet, and have gifted me many awesome veggies and fruits from their garden. They brought me a new sun hat, too. Man.

sorry, more sunsets.

CAN'T HELP IT ... I have to keep taking pix of the skies here. So clear. So gorgeous. I promise after this post I'm adding a few different things... :B

august skies

MAYBE BEFORE TOO long, I will have more pictures of my surroundings...I have been so smitten with the sunrises and sunsets here, it's just about all I'm taking pix of. This was the next morning after a really spectacular thunderstorm.

feeling at home

AT THE FARMLET, I am slowy getting my plants, objects and belongings in their correct places. Interestingly, everything I have is at home here, as if I was collecting all this stuff so it would be here someday. Besides keeping the plants alive, ornaments and furniture and stuff are finding their spots. Pix to come of my little vignettes. Some will be used in a "Farmlet Presentation" now in progress. Will keep posting!

it's MY yard.

OPHEE SURVEYS HER domain. I think she's finally gotten used to the Farmlet, and enjoys her walks on the property, checking for intruders, or at least their poo. <:B sorry.

a good morning

REALLY. I MEAN, what's wrong with a sky like this? Yes, that's the moon there in the blue space at left. It's so lovely here. I may have to become a morning person. We had a tremendous thunderstorm on Wednesday, with huge rain, wind, hail, and lightning like crazy. I sat on the porch and watched it instead of my DVD rental. And the sky is still showing its personality this morning.

my first welcome

A LITTLE BIRD is my first "welcome" talisman since I've moved here. Please come and feel welcome! Little SquishBird got her name when she was run over by a wheelbarrow. Nevertheless, look at her joyful posture!

blooming in july

LAST OF THE hollyhocks, and here come my red sunflowers. I'm sleepy, like these hot July days, and a little wilted like my plants. Acclimating to averages around 90°.

happy chicken news

MY FRIEND LEE, intrepid reporter for the Wenatchee Business Journal and fellow Farmlet dweller has provided me a preview copy of the July 21 Wenatchee Planning Commission agenda, which has chickens and farm animal law up for discussion. I am blessed with just under an acre of property, so I am already good to go. They will be trying to reduce the restriction so smaller homeowners can have chicken friends. :B

off to market

DRIVING UP TO the Leavenworth Farmer's Market with my camera this afternoon. Intend to come back with bushels of flowers and tons of good veggies.

once a shrub

NOW A TREE, my dad's Spirea prunifolia(?) must be at least 60 years old. It was on the property when he bought it decades ago, and continued growing until its giant trunk now looks like this. It's beautiful and kindly to all, full of bees and birds, provides shade, and I'm going to give it a proper pruning this fall. I should name it Claude. I just did. One day soon, Claude the spirea will shade the little potting shed near my veggies.

city chickens

I'M PRETTY EXCITED. Terrie, Vicki and Brian and I went to the City Chickens Tour presented by Seattle Tilth. Also saw my bees. Can hardly wait to introduce them to the Farmlet. Brian turned this pic of me holding a chicken into a chicken holding me.

9-ft hollies

THESE HOLLYHOCKS ARE growing up the side of the turret, in a little planter that hugs the bldg and gets lots of heat and light. I'm only allowing the Nigra (alcea rosea nigra) to seed. If I see a pale yellow, it goes to the compost. They look red in sunlight, but in the morning and evening light, are near black. These come back every year now, even though they are bi-annual bloomers. They have self-sown into happy giants.
photo: Lee Fehrenbacher

rose parade

MY FATHER'S ROSES are sprinkled over the property, coming on full in the July sun. I love all the south-of-the-border colors he chose. Here are only a few...I'm building a tribute garden with all of his roses and will mount pix soon.

it's so hot

MUST GET USED to the hotness again. 90° last couple days, and probably going up in July. The roses like it though.

the bluest sky

...YOU'VE EVER SEEN is in Wenatchee. I'm going to post some night shots if I can get them...a neighbor said the silica in the hills reflects off the moon and clouds, and makes the evenings so beautiful and bright.

sometimes they fall

THIS LITTLE BUSHTIT didn't make it far from his nest. To understand his smallness, the space he's in is a birdy tealight holder. My sister observed two tiny fledglings just sitting on her porch, and a frantic mother apparently trying to get them to follow. One did, but this little guy was weak and didn't survive the night. Even the little tufts of hair on his tiny head are counted by God.
photo: tshattuck