and August arrives

Officially on their own....that is the word for flowers that weather this drought, kittens now graduated (at 3 months) from their mom, goats learning to pasture this summer in a bewildered heat-o-rama.....officially on their own.

Big sister barn cat, Chestnut, attempts to soften the "orphaning" process with wild treats caught in the fields....she hurries to the barn with a mouse or bird and gifts it to the babies. I try to help the plants along with evening drinks of water. The goats slim down to a healthy weight (oh wish I could do so too) with the work of foraging...yet I gift them with tree cuttings in the early evening. And I feel ever so glad that we invested in air conditioning this of all summers.

August arrives and finds us all moving a bit slower. Tonight we are sitting in the potting shed, a former chicken coop....taking refuge from those pesky flies. With kittens playing, a slight breeze blowing, crickets singing, and warmth cocooning us....we welcome August.