August Happenings...

We took Sunday Ride vacations,,,

...they usually include a beautiful view

 -- here on Samish Island --

 and lunch or dinner out.

Though we were done with harvest early, there was little time to vacation,

 other than our Sunday drives, as the Farmer had lots of projects going, 

and a few extra weeks of hired help before school started.

The Farmer and Right-Hand Man Bret, got the posts pounded in the baby field.

Cloudy days yielded relief from heat, but not much precipitation.

We hosted the Traditional Likkel Couples' Shower for Niece Alicia and fiance Greg.

As usual, lots of laughing and fun!

The Farmer and I celebrated our 36th Anniversary by watching the air show from our deck.

The Canadian Forces Snowbirds!

A group of agricultural students from Trinidad came to visit our farm and learn about raspberries...We made sure they ate some raspberry goodies too!

The Farmer finally lost the "biological dressing", i.e. dead skin cap, from  his pinkie amputation accident -- which happened in April!

Bret & Jake, the hired hands, worked hard at cutting the old canes down from the wire. Then helped remove posts, and drip irrigation, and wires, and...in the next section of field to be replanted.

Lots and lots of beautiful sunsets!

The Farmer covered the fallow field with a heavy coating of cow pucky.

Daisie is gazing in amazement: "So much poop, so little time."

She capitalized on the opportunity...

Barnaby & Imogene helped to clean up trimmings from the yard.

A new strategy for visiting The Fair: visit the poultry barn on the first day. 

It still smells like clean shavings on Monday!

Before I got Imogene & Barnaby, I was considering buying goats like these Boers. 

Pros: Goats with dewlap! Cons: They are BIG!

I came away confident of my choice of the Nigerian Dwarf breed!

Speaking of which: Here is Sammi showing Hershey, Barnaby's sister. 

Barnaby and Hershey are two of Imogene's triplets from this year.

 Barnaby is a LOT bigger than his sis...and is now on a diet.

Imogene should be proud because Miss Hershey won Reserve Jr. Grand!

Miss Brittany, on the right, kindly let me pet her heifer,

 and run my hand down the dewlap on her neck! 

If you don't know what dewlap is, you are missing out.

I was a helper in the Small Animal Experience at the Fair, 

and got to watch over these little piglets during my shift. 

Born on the first day of the Fair, they were tiny! They are SO cute at this stage.

But alas! They grow up to look like momma.

After all the stuff was OUT of the field, 

The Farmer came in and mowed the canes down to nothing.

I had a second helper shift at the Small Animal Experience

and HAD to watch over these wee bunnies and allow little kids to pet them.

Tough duty.

I will never sell hamburgers at the Fair again if I can keep this gig.

There was a wedding in the family!!!

We helped set up for Greg & Alicia's big day, 

and this is what it looked like when we were done.

Erin & Alicia had a great plan,

and we had such fun helping them execute it!

The Bride on her Dad's arm...

Alicia's brother, Jeffrey, officiated.

Her other brother, Derek, did the music.

The Bride and Groom had a PIE cutting.

Blueberry pie made by the Mother of the Bride, 

was the finishing touch.

I harvested and froze a pile of Anaheim peppers from my garden.

Jake and The Farmer working in tandem to dig the old raspberry roots out of the soil where we have taken out the old plants.

The Farmer fills the dump bucket on the digger,then backs up to dump into this trailer. 

Jake or I then had to haul the roots to dump again, and pile up so they could be hauled away.

Yes, I can actually back up a trailer...as long as I don't have to go too far.

The field is cleaned out and now just needs some cow pucky, 

and will be seeded down for the winter.

And then, the month had a wild finish with the windstorm I told you about earlier.

A busy, busy and very productive August this year!