Summer Celebrations

 It’s mid-summer at MeadowWild -

 (not Midsommer, the horror film currently getting favorable reviews as a genuine scare)

 that wonderful lush green time on the farm

  when one wonders if those endless winter months were an illusion and couldn’t possibly return.

 We seem to be living in a Henri Rousseau painting – but without the dyspeptic lions.

 We do have visits from lots of other critters, however.  A variety of birds pigged out on the oranges we supply daily: grosbeaks

 woodpeckers

 

 scarlet tanagers

 

 and catbirds and orioles are still showing up in mid-July.

 Fawns traipse by, barely visible in the tall grass

 

 and turtles have been laying eggs in our sandy front yard.

Come late August and early September, we hope to see lots of babies emerge and head for the front pond.

 After a winter's worth of hardtack and salt pork

It's a joy to receive weekly boxes of fresh vegies from our CSA, Northern Harvest Farm.

Earlier, we got tons of asparagus from neighbors Tom & Gretchen

in exchange for our rhubarb.  Barb made her mom's internationally famous Rhubarb Torte.

The goats are enjoying these salad days, too

browsing on the lush vegetation

and trimming low tree branches.

They could do without the warm weather, however.  While a string of days in the upper 80s might seem fairly mild to many people

these Alpine goats are genetically predisposed to prefer snowy mountain peaks.

Actually, we're down to five goats 

and two industrial-size fans

the girls stand in front of to stay cooler

and keep flies away.

They try to capture that dog-with-its-head-out-the-window experience.

Barb’s generous friend Andy (of Andy’s Acres) gave her a separator so she can now collect the cream from her own girls’ milk for ice cream and other goodies

such as clotted cream

to go with the scones she made for a Wimbledon finals party.

It's been quite a social spring and summer.  Barb and Janet are conducting a class reunion at the farm one classmate at a time, with fun visits from Mary

and Joyce.

The goats have to get in on the socializing, too.

The BIG social event of the season was a reception for recently married friends

Hilary and Rumbidzai.

For the goat that Hilary bought (not from MeadowWild but from neighbor Carol Jelinek's meat goat farm), Farmer Mike's son Jason provided a grill fashioned out of a converted milk bulk tank.  Barb roasted the goat slowly to perfection all night long.

Friends Tom, Gretchen and Rick loaned tables and chairs, and friend Laura helped set up and decorate.

Barb catered the whole affair with the able assistance of Clara.

A congenial group of Hilary & Rumbi's friends gathered in the front yard

the champagne flowed

(Hilary supplied fifteen 1.5L bottles for 32 people -- plenty was left over, but Barb's big vat of non-alcoholic rhubarb punch disappeared completely)

and then everyone sat down

to a dinner of roast goat, Hoppin' John and a salad of mixed greens topped with Barb's own halloumi cheese fried in butter.

There was time for a visit to the goat barn

before the cutting of the cake.

Everyone wished Hilary and Rumbidzai

congratulations and best wishes for a wonderful marital journey together.

Bones from the feast were hauled out to the SW corner of the farm, where this handsome fellow picked them clean.

Another visitor stopped by to check things out but didn't stay:

Mr. Turkey Vulture then proceeded to perch on the field camera, poop all over it, and knock it out of focus.

When he's not snoozing on the desk next to his favorite window

 Dustin has the uncanny ability to predict where Steve wants to sit (either the office chair or the living-room reading chair) and preempts that spot.

It’s especially important for Steve to have the office computer chair for an important research project:

ranking this year’s State Fair foods and deciding how much can be eaten in 8 hours while Barb attends the Alpine Goat Show.

Among the early contenders: Nordic Waffles' Pebbles & Bam Bam

and Deep-Fried Dilly Dog: Pickle stuffed with bratwurst, dipped in batter and deep-fried.

The list was narrowed when the Wingwalker Donut Flight (An assortment of hot, deep-fried cake donut holes and three syringes with DIY fillings – Bavarian cream, chocolate custard and Minnesota lingonberry jam) was axed with 2 months to go.

Objectors pointed out that "The waste generated (three syringes times thousands and thousands of orders) over the 10 day fair run is absurd. In addition, the image conveyed by syringes being cool and containing treats, not to mention being littered around on the ground is not one we should be wanting to promote."