It's been a dry second half of the summer, we need rain in this part of Kentucky.  The fall colors are out now on the trees.  It's getting chilly in the mornings, but then warms up good in the afternoons.

Dixie and Daisy are both wonderful Spotted Saddle Horse mares.  They are retired here, having worked on some farm somewhere all their lives.  They are spoiled and happy.  They are both around 15 years old, and are broke to everything.  You can lead them in the pitch black and they will follow you, keeping touch to your back with their noses.  This breed is a fantastic homestead horse.  Our pastures are still very green as we cut it last at just the right time, and the little bit of rain has gone right to the green grass.

Despite the very hot summer and record breaking heat, I have managed to keep the tomato rows alive and growing, although not as abundant as they normally would be.  We only have a deep well, so watering the garden runs the 220 well pump, so we have always been very careful with our water use.  I am starting now to get some tomato harvests.

Early morning pictures of some of the little herd out grazing.  It's been so hot they stay in their open barn during the middle of the days.  They play and run mornings and evenings, and stay out grazing all night long.  They are chubby little horses.  Tonto and Star are growing fast.

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Well the Cucumbers are loaded and I've been picking smaller ones to keep the burden off of the plants.  It has been so hot here, and we are really in need of rain.  I peel and slice the cucumbers thinly, and then just add a tiny bit of Italian dressing.  They are wonderful just like that.  The tomatoes are full of fruit, but they are still not ripe.  They will be ready soon.

The gardens are coming along nicely, we have had an excellent amount of rain.  Half of my tomato plants are volunteer plants, the other half I bought.  A lot of the Sweet 100 cherry tomato plants came back up, more than the others.  Sweet 100 is a very hardy plant with very thick, dark green leaves.  The volunteer plants are very thick and sturdy little tomato plants, easy to transplant and move.  I have a thick layer of grass clippings now on all the rows.  I have to wait till the last of the volunteer plants come up.  I think it is safe now.

The Miniature horse babies are growing like crazy.  They are now in the herd with the other mares.  All are family.  Ginger, Cricket and Spirit are still due to foal.  The pony herd comes in 3 or 4 times a day to drink, and I call them to the barn in the heat of the day to stay and eat some hay.  The babies sleep in the cool barn during the afternoon if it is hot.

The Rose of Sharon trees are blooming heavy this spring.  We do have hundreds all planted from cuttings.  We have Pink, Purple and White.  They re-seed themselves and grow baby trees by the hundreds each spring.  They are great trees to have to keep the bees at your farm for the garden.  You need to have lots of flowers for the bees to feed on.  The Rose of Sharon flowers will stay from the middle of June till the frost gets them.  All summer blooms.

All the rain has made some beautiful green pastures.  I use the riding mower to mow all our pastures.  It is so much cheaper on gas, it's fun and it doesn't tear up the land like a large tractor.  I mow on the highest setting, and it knocks down any weeds and gives the grass a great place to grow.  Plus it distributes the grass seeds into the soil.  Broom-sage hates being mowed constantly and it will kill it.  Broom-sage is no good for your pastures. We have a lot of Lespedeza in the back pastures, which is great for pasture grazing.  Mowing it on high helps it to spread side to side. We are lucky to have a large stand of Lespedeza here, probably planted long, long ago.  Plus the ponies like short sweet grass the best anyway.  Mowing on the riding mower is my favorite thing to do on the farm.