Jun 16 2010
June on the Farm
As I’ve mentioned before, it’s hard for us to get away in the summer because of my husband’s livelihood of farming. June always seems to be his busiest month, with lots of field work to be done, so that we seldom see him during the day unless it rains. In July and August, we have a chance at some camping weekends or quick vacations, but these can never be planned until the last minute. But not in June. June is when everything is growing, growing, growing.
Here is a glimpse of life on the farm in June.
June is green. Except for the blue sky and tan of the gravel road, when I look out my window in June, all I see is green.
The Green of June
Garden
My in-laws' farm in the distance
June is colorful. The spring blooms of tulips and daffodils are gone, but others are taking their place:
Tiger Lilies
Johnny Jump-Ups
Astilbe
Hosta Blooms
Peonies
June is a promise. The garden is blooming, and fruit is taking shape.
Potato Blossoms
Pea Blossoms
Raspberries (will be ripe in early July)
Grapes (will be ripe in August or September)
Wild "Black Caps" (will be ripe in early July)
Apples (Honeygold, I think--will be ripe in September)
Apples (I believe these are Connell Reds)
June can be rainy. The barn that is no longer used for animals is now the “sports barn,” perfect for the kids to play in on days when they can’t be outside.
Straw in the Sports Barn
Basketball Hoop in Barn
Mini Golf in Barn
June is mowing. We wish for the rain to help the crops grow well, but it also means mowing at least weekly. Even with a large mower, it takes two and a half hours to mow our 10 acres. Thankfully, this is my husband’s task.
Grass
June is delicious. Rhubarb and asparagus are ending their seasons just as the strawberries begin.
Rhubarb
Gooseberries (which I grow but never know how to use)
Strawberries
June is mosquitoes. Although four dry years have kept them at bay, heading into the shady areas of the yard ensures a constant buzzing.
Mosquito Alley
June is nature. Step outside and you’ll hear birds singing in the trees, pheasants in the ditch bank, or the sound of water moving as the drain tile empties from the fields into the ditch. My son has even claimed a new pet.
Rock Pile
The Ditch
Frog (or is it a toad?)
June is traffic. This isn’t the traffic you’re used to if you live in the city, but there’s a steady flow of farm equipment past the house. This morning, I saw a farm truck, tractor with sprayer, tractor with grain wagons, and pickup truck with cattle trailer, in the matter of just a few minutes.
Grain truck
June is growing. The corn field in front of the house has gotten taller in the past month, hasn’t it? In another month, I won’t be able to see the road.
Corn Field
June is wandering. Although my husband is hard at work, these are the laziest days for the kids and me, when we have no set schedule, nowhere to be, so we can find our fun when we want and enjoy staying home the rest of the time. I’m sure it won’t last.
It’s June on the farm. I wish you were here to share it.
Your Tiger Lilies are gorgeous! And yes, June is mosquitoes. I went to my parents house in rural Minnesota this weekend and got ATTACKED.
Happy to be back in St. Paul, but definitely do love all the greenery you have.
Beautiful photos! What an awesome look at life on the farm! I’ve never lived anywhere rural, so this is very different from what I’m accustomed to.
.-= Sarah V.´s last blog ..Honorary Texan =-.
Thanks for sharing all of this. We may not be there face to face, but you’ve invited us all in just the same!
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I love these pictures. My kid would love that sports barn, heck I would love that sports barn so I can get him out of my sports living room.
I love the photos! So familiar to me, as I grew up in Wisconsin with lots of farmers in the family.
My favorite is the photo of the strawberries. Yum-my!
Your blog is a lot of fun to visit. Thanks for capturing the magnificent beauty in nature. The picture of the farm are very stunning.
Gorgeous photos! This seems like a wonderful place for vacation!
Love this! Your kids must have so much fun. I remember quiet lazy days exploring my uncle’s farm and of course fresh strawberrries!
.-= Bridget Smith´s last blog ..Photo Friday: Farewell to Preschool Adventures =-.
I was just catching up on your blog and wanted to tell you that I loved this post! The pictures are great, and your captions and text really gave me a sense of what it’s like to be on the farm in June. Oh, and I’m totally jealous of the fresh strawberries.
.-= BookMama´s last blog ..What a Relief! =-.
I just found your blog and it’s so great. I’m writing a story and the man is a crop farmer (there are reasons which I won’t go into, why he HAS to be a farmer); anyway, as I’m a city girl so know absolutely nothing about farming I was looking around on the net for inspiration as to what people do on a farm, (because I know that you’re always busy) and found your blog.
It’s really informative, very helpful and I love seeing the pictures because it just puts it all in perspective.
I look forward to checking out your whole site. Thank you for taking the time to share with people like myself, who have no idea but either through necessity or curiosity need or want to know all life on a crop farming (hope I’m used the right term).
Linda
To someone who grew up and has spent most of her life in big cities, your photos seem like another world.
They look like a stressful free, laid back way of life, but I should imagine life is very hard as well ( ie mowing ten acres! lol)
I grew up in the Uk and the farmer is very much under threat there. Competition and cheap prices from abroad.
Here in Turkey, it is great because farmers have a chance to survive. Every Saturday I go to the local market and buy fresh fruit and veg direct from the farmers.
A lot of tourists can not believe the size of freshness of the fruit here because they are so used to GM foods, that have had loads of chemicals added to it.
Well done on having such a beautiful farm. Don’t envy your early mornings though! lOL
.-= Natalie – Turkish Travel Blog´s last blog ..Turkish Tourist Visa Changes =-.
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