Hi Farmgirl Readers! I hope your summer is off to a great start! It’s been a busy one here in New England! Since my last blog post, my month has been busy, doing some of my favorite things. It’s been a month of blooms, critters, and crafts!
I love to see how green and lush summer is in New England. Seeing all the perennials blooming that I have planted over the years, eating fresh produce from my veggie garden and berry bushes, and planting potted plants wherever a pop of color is needed makes me happy. I love being outside, and in summer, I am outside as much as I can be.
This season has been strange – first it was cool, then it was hot with cool nights, then it was super-hot and humid! In between, we have had lots of rain. All this sun, water, and warmth has made for great blooms!
I’ve also been adding lots of plants to pots this year. Potted plants add color and life to every corner! Nothing is better than sitting a spell, soaking in all the beauty from summer blooms!
We aren’t the only ones enjoying the summer! We have seen so many beautiful birds and wildlife this year! I work very hard on our yard, keeping everything as organic, blooming and healthy as possible; I like to think of our little spot of the Earth as a wee sanctuary for the bees, butterflies, and wildlife that visit.
We have had lots of migratory and nesting birds this year. Colorful robins, goldfinches, red cardinals, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and hummingbirds galore are gracing our yard. Mourning doves and catbirds fill the air with their sweet sounds.
Do you remember my May post, when I put up a second hummingbird feeder? Both have been busy spots! In the thirty years of living here, we have never seen so many in one season! One balmy summer evening, we counted ten birds at the main feeder!
Did you know that hummingbirds remember faces, feeders, and those who fill up those feeders? That means that hummingbirds travel thousands of miles to visit me! It fills my heart and makes me feel really honored!
One little hummer follows me around, perching nearby when I sit, read, or garden. My little friend is so sweet! I will really miss them when they migrate back South this fall.
We have not just had hot and sunny weather, we have also had some days of heavy rainfall. My little hummers still came to the feeders, despite the rainy weather. I felt sorry for them, but they seemed unfazed.
Another little visitor I see everyday at my feeder is the prettiest little black squirrel. We call it “Smoke Puff Jr.”, after the other black squirrel that used to call our area home a few years back. Black squirrels are still not as common as grey; scientists believe they have evolved to withstand colder climates.
We also see chipmunks. Look at this little one with its cheeks full of seeds!
One day, we came home to a very special visitor at our door! A small, spiny snapping turtle was right by the garage, just sitting at the door, like he wanted to come in! He wasn’t very old, (but not a hatchling). It was an especially hot, sunny day with dreadful humidity. He had dried mud on his shell, like he had been cooling off somewhere. He just sat there in the shade of the overdeck, perhaps cooling off or hunting the insects that we often see in that corner. You aren’t supposed to move a turtle. If you change their direction, or move them too much, they can become confused, searching for their way back (this can harm the turtle or even lead to death). I have a friend in wildlife rehabilitation, so I texted her. She said keep an eye on the turtle but leave it be. It should find its way on its own. We were delighted to see it all afternoon. After a while, it turned back, crossed my driveway, and headed off to the cool, muddy woods.
We have also seen so many sweet babies! Animal and bird babies are the CUTEST!
On a trip to our favorite beach, my daughter and I saw that the Canadian Geese had returned, and hatched a brood of new babies. Is there anything more adorable than goslings? They’re so fluffy! One was a trouble maker – pecking at the others, trailing behind. (There’s always that “one”). We sat quietly on our beach blanket and watched as Mama Goose “scolded” her naughty baby. Soon they all lined up and swam across near the shore.
At home, I was walking to the front of the house to cut some fresh oregano for a greek salad (I know, herbs are better when harvested in the morning, but I digress). As I walked past the herbs, I saw a flick of movement – then still. This sweet baby bunny was nestled beneath the rhodododendrons.
Don’t worry – Mama bunny was close. Peekaboo! I see you, too!
We saw this mama and her baby in a neighbor’s driveway while we were on a walk. We’ve seen her often in our yard, too.
Summer brings many beneficial insects, as well, which I want to embrace! Keeping my garden and flower beds organic, planting native plants, and always having something blooming draws many bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. Wasps, however, I would rather NOT have. I know they are beneficial (not as much as other insects, though), but they can be so dangerous, especially the aggressive bald-faced hornet. After coming face to face, literally, with these demon spawn a few years ago (and almost dying), I want them to move along and have them not make their nests near my home. I started seeing them in early summer. I made decoy paper nests, and have not seen a single wasp nest this year!
To make a fake wasp nest, take a paper lunch bag. Inside, place a plastic closed Ziploc bag, stuffed with newspaper. Shape the bag into a “nest” shape, with one end tied shut. I used a rubber band to tie the top, then used garden twine to hide the rubber band and make a tie. I made several of these, hanging them where we typically see wasp nests, including the bush that housed the nest from when I was attacked. These fake nests work! No wasp nests this year have formed.
We also have had a problem with carpenter bees making holes in the chicken coop. At first, the carpenter bees buzzed about, almost looking confused. No more carpenter bee damage has occurred since! The fake nests did the trick, and were made from items about the house. Despite the heavy rains we have had, I have not had to replace them. The repurposed lunch bags dry, and even look more authentic after having been soaked!
I’ve been repurposing some “fun” items, as well! One project I have been wanting to do for a long time is to make a giant fairy lamp using an old, Victorian heater. I had this vintage “Perfection” oil heater in my garage for awhile. From the late 1800s to the 1920s, these portable, kerosene heaters were in nearly every home.
Mine was rusty, crusty, and faded. After cleaning it up a bit (and removing all the spider webs), I opened the unit and removed the metal “innards” – the container that would have held the kerosene. I also carefully removed the crusty, dark and peeling “window” from the middle, making sure I had on a mask and gloves.
Next, I painted the whole outside using a can of Rustoleum “Hammered” spray paint, with built-in primer. This charcoal-colored paint is a favorite of mine, and helps to hide any imperfections in things I paint. (Make a note that if you are redoing one of these heaters to use as a heater, you need to use a spray paint meant for high heat).
For the missing window piece, I repurposed flat plastic from a package (from Costco razor blades), carefully cutting the plastic packaging to size to fit the window, and then hot-gluing it in place from the inside the heater.
Once dry, I put a metal pie pan from the dollar store in the bottom. It’s the perfect size! I then used a battery-powered pillar candle in the middle. For lights going in through to the top, I used a battery-powered string, attaching them by hot gluing little 3M hooks throughout the inside.
I love the result! It looks like a large fairy light and casts such a warm, cozy glow! One man’s trash is another farmgirl’s treasure!
My sweet daughter turned 24 this month! (Yes, 24! Time sure does fly). Another piece that has been sitting in my basement for years is her little, red, Radio Flyer tricycle from when she was a toddler. It had been sitting in the corner gathering spider webs for decades.
I cleaned it up using dish soap and a Mr. Clean Eraser sheet, added plants, a turtle garden sculpture, and flags – VOILA! It is now repurposed into the cutest little plant stand!
After working so hard on the yard, now it is time to really enjoy it! I hope you all had a wonderful July 4th weekend (and our nation’s 250th)! We had friends over for an old-fashioned cookout, and are looking forward to another visit from more family later this month. Have a great rest of the summer, and I’ll see you here in August!
Tell me, what is your SUMMER like this year? Leave me a comment and let me know (or just say hi)!
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