The Flicker Haven Farm Files-Summer Scenes

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Now that graduation season is fully behind us, I have found myself become blissfully immersed in the day to day tasks of homestead life. I say blissfully because I might have drop kicked my to-do list into the compost pile. (Okay, not really, but I did visualize doing so numerous times).

There's been so much catch up to catch up on, on top of all the normal spring (and now summer!) chores.

But, glorious sights abound, so my overall vibe is beyond excellent these days.

As I took a break from weed-eating yesterday, I sat on a milk crate to catch my breath and began weeding the big sunflower row. We don't use any pesticides or herbicides on the place. We never have, and the insect life that flourishes on the farm is a testament of that.

My growing sunflowers are fully encoated in all manner of life. The amount of lady bugs this year is especially impressive. The amount of grasshoppers not so much. I have never seen a hatch of grasshoppers like we have this year, but thanks to my army of wild turkeys and all the predatory insects who make the farm their home, I think we'll endure.

Speaking of enduring, yesterday was also my daughter's best friend's birthday, so of course he was getting a cake. The thing was his favorite cake was a cake I had never made before. GASP! As I am married to a Hawaiian who despises pineapple, I had never made a pineapple upside down cake, but like I was going to let that stop me.

It was hard, however, to stop myself from cutting a massive slice to test for quality control reasons...

During morning watering time, I noticed the Campanula Rotundifolia (Bluebells), were in full bloom. The Bluebells always make me smile and feel a bit wistful. My grandma gave me them many years ago when she and Papa came to visit. They were starts off of her own Bluebells, and while they make me feel all the things, I also miss my Grams every time I look at them.

Another flower that's blooming like a boss is the Campanula Glomerata, AKA the clustered purple bellflower. Those flowers remind me of another grandma of mine, who gave me a start of them many years ago. Those flowers are beyond vigorous and this year they are super showy. I think it may be the composted chicken manure application😉

As I finished my chores for the day, and wandered my sore carcass back to the house for what ended up being an exciting evening of Magic The Gathering Commander time, I paused to look at another gift that was beyond unexpected and wholly appreciated.

My friend's dad is the most wonderful person ever. He's one of those people who doesn't talk a lot, but when he does, you listen. He's a master gardener, inventor, tinkerer, and knows more about practical skills than pretty much anyone I have ever met. Over the years I have gleaned so many bits of wisdom from him, and last week he brought me a wishing well that he built for me for Christmas.

Seeing it knocked the sound out of me for sure. It's just beautiful! He even brought me some marigolds to put in it. So now every morning when I get up to go out on to the porch to have my morning coffee, one of the first things I see is that beautiful piece of art.

It's amazing how such simple things as flower petals and cedar boards can elicit feelings of such existential joy. But then again, how could they not?😊

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And as most of the time, all of the images in this post were taken on the author's inspected by lady bugs and deemed not at all that interesting iPhone. The text divider image was made in Canva.

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