The Good, The Bad & The Ugly!

The joke was on me!  I spent most of a day digging up what I thought were Daffodils from the city's easement across the road.  They get mowed down most years & I thought they would be so pretty along the edge of the woods.  I also put the bulbs around an old stump in the yard & along one section of the east fence.  I waited & waited.  Eventually, the leaves died back, without producing any blooms...  I decided it might take a year for the bulbs to recover.

Naked Ladies

 Wrong!  Wrong on two counts!  A couple days ago, I walked out to find fairy like, light pink buds opening on long, long stems!  These were appearing everywhere I'd planted bulbs!  I recognized them now, for what they were!  Naked Ladies!  The blooms are lasting longer than I expected, we've had a couple beautiful cooler days that helped.  Yesterday was our prettiest day of the summer!  Temperatures in the mid-70's & blessedly lower humidity.  The evening & sunset were stunners!

Japanese Beetles~

 Their are no words to describe the hordes of beetles that come in with the warm summer months. I decided to try picking them off, just one planter of Marigolds.  Of course some of them fly when you try to get them - the above bucket was the result of just one day.  We're told to put a bit of dish-washing detergent in the water.  It works, but what a mess.  Rumor is, they  have now invaded Colorado & are moving west.

Cicada exoskeleton~

The Cicada shells are appearing everywhere! Looking like something from a sci-fi horror movie, they seem to like attaching to fresh wood. I found this one on one of our light posts. No harm, but they sure crackle if you step on one. The blog article I've linked to is an interesting read.

Appleblossom Rosebud

I've been so happy watching the above flower grow & bloom. Another transplant from WA to keep me company.

Editorial help, from under my desk~

 As for Nika, today we have a beautiful rain!  Of course we enjoy the rains so much.  The we - does not include Nika...  Butch & I were having lunch, when Nika, who had been outside, crawled under the table!  I asked Butch if he'd let her in.  No, he hadn't.  She has learned how to jump up & hit the lever on the back door & let herself in.  That's what she'd done at the first hint of the rain.  Knowing, when the rain comes, lightening & thunder follow.  She gets so terrified - we may yet resort to drugs to calm her.  Following my every step around the house & even braveing the vacuum to stay close.  

Just another summer day in Iowa!

Soft Summer Nights~

As we turned the corner, stepping into the month of August, we've had some of the most beautiful evenings of the summer.  Cooler temperatures, light breezes & the air filled with a rich, sweet smell.

Early evening from the deck~

I think it's so important to love where you are. I've always loved the places I've lived. Iowa is no exception. It's a state of vast, green expanses & endless blue skies. On many days, full of white puffy clouds. The state's mild-manners of summer can & do change quickly though! The cracks of lightening & ground rumbling thunder can make the most seasoned resident jump!

Zinnia now top the fence, with marigolds & day lilies behind~

Clara stopped by to walk the property the other day, checking up on her hosta's! We did find that the deer have been munching on some of the big plants outside the fence. Butch caught them at it, one evening & Nika scared them off. I've sprayed with repellent, but we've been having thunderstorms during some nights. Usually dropping just enough rain to wash away the repellent.

Cabin from the front porch~

Everything is staying so green! As Wes said one day, it's hard to leave a state that's green for one that isn't. We left a green state - I hadn't even realized that Iowa was also so green! The lawn hasn't needed additional water.

Night falls~

The days are already getting shorter! The sun is setting earlier & the lights are coming on earlier too. The Cicada's have been chirping since July. Butch has been finding their shed shells already.

Blooming sedum~

The Japanese Beetles, are on the rampage this year & have even eaten holes in the sedum. The blooms are coming on & they are beautiful in the two gardens I have at the edge of the timber.

My Rosebud Gerabuaceae Pelargoniums ~

Probably close to thirty-years young, my Pelargoniums have done beautifully this year!  I've been told that they are rare, but I have found them on-line. The seven plants I overwintered were planted in May & are blooming!  All the cuttings are growing, but have yet to bloom.  Putting them in partial shade has been perfect.  Full sun here was just too hot for them.  They seem very resistant to the beetles!  Only a few leaves have any holes.

Butch & I have been making more exploratory drives & finding some beautiful areas, not far from home.  Here's to the remainder of summer!

Fourth of July!

No doubt about it - it's been Hot!  Humid too, with the dew points into the high 70's.  All that pushed the heat index over 105 for the last few days & today was no exception.  Last evening we had big plans though!  Kay set out chairs & fans, cold ice tea & snacks.  We watched a super fireworks display at the LeFever's, with Seth as our ignition tech!

Early evening on the 3rd.  The marigolds are now in full bloom!

 Linus's seeds have made a wonderful hedge of beautiful marigolds & the original orange daylily's are in bloom behind them.  I've been watering a couple times a day & they seem to be handling the heat better than most of the flowers.  Those in pots bake, even getting watered three times a day.

Today, Grandma's ice cream maker took center stage!  It had been among Mom's things in her garage in Boulder.  I had to wonder what Grandma would think?  Her ice cream maker had made ice cream on so many Fourth-of-July days here in IA, when I was a kid.  Then, at Mom & Dad's in Boulder, it was used a few more times.  Now, here it is back in Iowa & back to doing what it does best!  I used Grandma's recipe for the mix.  We didn't have the farm fresh cream, but we did have eggs off the farm!

Linus & Butch in the laundry room~

 With the record breaking heat, there was no way the guys could set up outside, even in the shade & expect the ice cream to freeze.  The laundry room in the basement worked.  Farah's feed tub acted as a drainage basin.  Gary pitched in too & the three men took turns cranking.  It didn't take long & soon the cream froze!  It was packed in fresh ice & covered with towels to season.

Finished product!

After dinner, out the can came.  When we opened it up - well - it was perfect!  To say that it was good - isn't saying enough!

Home~

Our second Fourth in IA & the time has flown. The date of the Blue's & Brews Festival at the park has been changed to August.  This in the hope that more people will be in town to boost attendance. The weather man is promising us a couple cooler days & we're ready! The firefly's are lighting up the dark, humid nights & the cicadas' are just starting to chirp. A sure sign that our summer is here!

Sign of Summer - Cicada's!

Waubonsie has become our go-to place.  On hot days at least the trails are in the shade & shade is hard to come by here.  Of course there's the workout that we can get with all the hills, then the quiet during the week is so nice - we're usually the only one's here.

Very obvious signage~

 Two men were just finishing up the mowing when we arrived!  I picked up what trash I could before the mowers hit it!  The fire pits are a mess too.  People use them for trash, rather than their intended purpose.  We'll be cleaning them out this weekend.  Such a shame that so many nice campsites are now closed due to the road erosion.

Farah thinks she hears something :-)

 It was super nice out on the freshly done trails.  There had been quite a few horses on them over the weekend, we found trash out there too :-(

As the title of this post suggests - it's the time of year for the Cicada's!  Since I was almost always in Iowa during the Summer months - the sound is one I associate with childhood.

Dead Cicada~

In the deep woods, they can get very loud!  I took the video of Farah trotting along just for fun - but if you can listen closely - they're in the background.

With temperatures in the low 80's it would have been a little nicer without what felt like pretty heavy humidly - at least to me!  The video above was taken over one of the few flat sections of trail!

Slit River~

 It was a super quite afternoon too & so peaceful in the dappled sunlight of the Timber.

Through Tall Trees~

One of those dreamy days of Summer that go too quickly.  Farah worked hard, we were both much wetter than our wonderful ride of last week.  When I go to unsaddle & my hand hits dripping sweat at the cinch - I know it's been humid.

Cinch with foam`

Speaking of cinches, the Montana Cincha I've been using for several years now is still my favorite!   Mohair, with Neoprene under the buckles it has never galled & helps to keep the saddle in place.  Here, I rinse it out almost every ride!

Butch & Farah at the farm~

We started back all too soon, I had an appointment with the Farrier.  We decided to pull shoes for the next few weeks.  I've not been back out on the gravel & she has a little thrush.  I think the shoe keeps more of the dirt etc. packed into the bottom of her feet & it's so nice to have her barefoot!