The first month in Argyle

I am going through a ridiculous amount of socks. It is bloody hot and wearing long lace up boots in 90 degree weather does that (due to snakes also needing to wear for work). We are all coping better with the heat and humidity – it is so damn beautiful here you really can forgive Mother Nature for putting up the heat, but each time that it rains, we all squeal with excitement and go out to get drenched in it!

Fire flies are amazing (or are they called lightening bugs? Is there difference? Not sure yet). Each evening they come out in all their glory to light up the country around them. Prior to Steve’s return to England, we took a late evening walk to a pasture behind the house where it seems they were everywhere, like fairy lights flashing on and off all through the hedges and grasses. (Photo is Garage Remains)!

I am NOT doing well with the snake situation. When they are basking in the sun that is great, when they come flying out of the undergrowth in front of me THAT most certainly is NOT. I refuse to put anything down to rid them, they were here first after all and they do lots of good jobs. Just wish I could stop being such a ‘girl’ about them. They really are quite beautiful and very peaceful, on the whole. Tried to re-build part of a stone wall where there used to be a building behind the barns and found very quickly that I was definitely in a ‘snake’ area – thought after that day that I would be cured once and for all – having seen every shape and size of garter and garden snake I could imagine and THEN when picking up leaves, yup, had one in my hands for a split second before it and the leaves went flying. THEN the big bugger by the barn – that did it. Came inside, sulked, and thought I should maybe invest in a pair of wader type boots that come up to my chest?

Thunder and lightning storms have been plentiful. The weather tends to be warm to scorching hot during the day followed by an occasional storm with lightening at night, a little rain and then it all starts again in the morning. Looking forward to autumn already.

Forgot to mention the birds, they have a blue bird that is electric dark blue with a slight hint of purple, looks like a very expensive taffeta, woodpeckers, little wren sized bright yellow birds, the red cardinals which are vivid lipstick red and hawks. The mail man tells me you can see bald eagles here too (he also tells me there are mountain lions, lynx and the odd bear in the winter)….

The neighbor’s generosity never ceases to amaze me. A gentleman came by today to offer help in delivering 100 bales of hay to cover Pie over the winter period. He will be using a full sized trailer so has offered to bring the whole lot in one go, which will save me five trips with a small trailer. He also suggested ways to keep the water from freezing once the temperature drops below -32 in the winter, which would have been taken should we have had electricity in the barn… have to look at other possibilities for keeping water ice free

Phennie will be off to University soon. Tom will start his enormously long summer holiday and then High School. Steve will be off to Korea and I will just be trying to keep things running smoothly here until his return home. I do miss them both very much.

Barn residents