Morning garden update

Among other things. Warm, hazy, and humid this morning. At 8 a.m. it was 73 degrees and 49 percent humidity. That there is humid, at least for this part of the world.

My sweet corn was flowering this morning.

Squash bee in a pumpkin blossom.

Out in the country, sunflowers and corn in a field of proso millet. And an unidentified bee zipping through the frame.

Dryland soybeans were setting pods.

Field corn flowering.

Prickly poppy, one of my favorite wildflowers.

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And of course there had to be an irritating part of the day.

The cow that does this pushes her head through the wire to reach grass on the other side. It's learned behavior and probably comes from being hungry in another pasture or lot and learning to reach for grass through a fence. In this case it's become a habit. She has to walk through green tasty grass to get to the fence, and the grass (and millet crop) on the other side is neither as tasty or nutritious.

Because she's a cow, big and strong, she can push the steel posts over as she reaches for the grass. Along the edge of this pasture, where it butts up against a farm field, the soil is quite loose and doesn't firmly hold the steel posts. Which is why when I built the fence I placed eight-foot wooden posts in between the steel posts. That means that the wooden posts are anchored in four feet of soil. They'd be very solid and prevent the steel posts from pushing over except for one thing. They were improperly treated against rot and insects. The shoddy treatment crystalized the wood. So when a cow pushes on them, they break at ground level.

No use in blaming anyone but myself. Caveat emptor.

The whole fencing gig is a process. Fences are temporary structures placed upon an astonishingly dynamic landscape in an extremely dynamic environment.

All in all it's a good thing. This quarter section is the only place we have this problem, and the fix is relatively inexpensive and requires only time and effort. It's work I enjoy doing in a place I love to spend time. And good physical labor is beautiful exercise for mind, body, and soul.

So there's that.

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Seen at the local dollah sto'.

To help me what?

Yeah right.

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After checking cattle I worked on corrals. By that time it was muggy and well over 90 degrees. A superior workout with lots of sweat sting in the eyeballs and biting stable flies. Those things are a challenge and a trial. It's good to be uncomfortable from time to time. It's important to know that hard work and discomfort aren't fatal, that they can be worked through. That knowledge might be the difference between living and dying when the unexpected happens.

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Then I spent quality time at the park with the kids, followed by a late lunch at my house including free-range cherry tomatoes from the garden.

And tricycle decoration.

July has been delightful. Bring on August!

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Be well and embrace the blessings of liberty.