The sun and heat of summer has caused a lot of the mustards to bolt and go to flower. I don't mind as those flowers make a yummy addition to salads, giving it a little kick of flavor and color. Plus the bees love the flowers too!

All that sun and rain helps the grass to grow, including in my rows. There is so much of it that even Hella kitty felt obliged to help me remove some as we inspected her progress of Project Mole Control.

With all the hail, wind, and rain sometimes you need to take a moment to enjoy the sunshine of a Montana summer while you can!

I found this little nugget when I almost stepped on it while trying to set up my camera to film the mower in action. It was nestled right in the center of where I needed to mow, sooo I didn't mow there that morning and have begun walking the areas to be mowed to check for more little nuggets of gold in the grass. While walking back to the house after this discovery I saw a doe leading another little wobbly nugget across the lawn to a new hiding spot in the tall grass. Luckily, this one had moved by the next day and I was able to mow.

Once I was able to finish mowing, the Violet Green Swallow watched cautiously from its nest in an old fence post as it watched its new neighbor settling in. It returns to this same nest every year and swoops over my head as I work in my main field plot.

Hella finds the strangest places to feel safe and cozy, including inside the new tiller attachment for Oscar, the Tractor. It was only sitting in the grass, not even hooked up, but it is a good reminder to check everything and everyone before getting started.

BEFORE: the perennial patch filled with weeds

AFTER: weeds be gone! Now the rows of potatoes in the foreground, asparagus in the back left, and sunchokes in back right can be finally seen!

Iris, in the rear, and Rosemary. The remaining golden girls from my original flock of 8 backyard chickens. They are 10 years old now and Rosemary still lays a few eggs every spring. They are left to roam during the day but don't roam far, preferring to spend warm days on the cool, shady porch by the little fountain. Don't let them see you with food or they will become your shadow and sometimes jump up to pull it from your hand. Luckily they can't jump too high anymore.

The upside to getting up before dawn is watching the morning mist grow and shift across the valley. The river is just the other side of the field from my house and it helps supply the cool, moist air that settles in just before dawn (and usually frosts just to keep things interesting)

Some farm helpers are tiny, like this ladybug. It, and more importantly its young, are feasting on the aphids that have taken hold of the lupine in the wildflower patch. As it gets too much for the plants, these little warriors move in to devour the pests and protect the plants!

The tomatoes are blooming with fruit not far behind. This is the first year I get to really use (and appreciate) my dome greenhouse. I wouldn't be able to grow anything as heat loving as these without it!

and peppers too!

Caterpillar Tunnels! The good kind of caterpillars on a farm. Under these are the first planting out of baby Cosmos, Dahlias, Celosia, Calendula, Honeywort, Rudbeckia, and more!

They grow up fast! Their ducky down is disappearing and being replaced by their big girl feathers! First they get the chest and shoulder feathers (they look like little epaulettes) and some pin feathers on their wings are showing but these will take a few more weeks to fully 'feather out'.

Also, the big ducks have discovered the little ones and are fascinated by them, or at least the drakes are. They better enjoy the company for now as once the little ducks are big enough the one remaining lady duck, Sapphire, will be leaving the company of her four male 'friends' to join all the little ladies. Then the drakes will be lonely bachelors once more.