July concludes with a string of hot, humid days.
Temps in the mid-80s (with an official high of 86 on July 26) and elevated dew points drain the energy from goats and farmers alike.
(Brother Dave in Baton Rouge is not impressed.)
Vegetation, however, is thriving.
Mojo and sons gather in the cool of the morning before breakfast.
The does seek out shady spots to browse
and get lost in the tansy.
Ladies and gentlemen walk their separate sides of the fence line.
Mojo's raised roach suggests that breeding season is approaching
but for now he's content with a good rub against the fence
and then a trip to the snack bar.
The hot weather has slowed even the young does down
though they continue to grow apace
and Ahni still can't pass by a piece of metal without clamping her mouth around it.
Toads and frogs proliferate.
This little guy hangs out on the front spigot and trellis.
Dustin wonders if he'd like to come inside to play.
It's perfect insect weather, so spiders are everywhere.
The Gentlemen's Club looks like the set of a 1940s Universal horror movie
and it's impossible to deliver water, hay or grain without disturbing some webs.
Friend Larry Weber insists that the spiders are harmless
but we suspect they intend to drain our precious bodily fluids.
The old cherry tree produced lots of cherries
that were immediately gobbled up by birds.
Apple trees promise an abundant fall harvest
and raccoons are already eyeing the grape vine hungrily.
A clickbait website published a deliberately provocative list of "the 10 worst places to live in Minnesota" (all in the northern half of the state)
ranking nearby Cloquet at number 4.
Aaron Brown and Bob Collins challenged the methodology used for the list.
The claim that "there is simply nothing to do out here" seems particularly perverse in July, when there's actually too much going on to take it all in:
Fourth of July celebrations in Cloquet, Barnum and Moose Lake
the free concert series at FDLTCC organized by friend Tom Urbanski
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Agate Days in Moose Lake
(which saw the inaugural appearance of Grandma Laura's Cookies
made from an original recipe by Grandma Laura herself)
and, of course, the Free Range Film Festival at a gorgeous barn in nearby Wrenshall.
The excitement at MeadowWild Farm included a visit from friend and Barb's former student Diane and her family
who spoiled the goats shamelessly with a lot more attention and coddling than they're used to.
July featured weekly bike rides on the Munger Trail
and weekly boxes of fabulous fresh vegies from Northern Harvest Farm
(out of which Barb fashioned a delicious quiche).
Up next month: the Carlton County Fair and State Fair.
