the last sunflower

Yesterday I realized that we have one sunflower that hasn't fallen over yet, and figured I better document it, since I kind of slacked off shooting and blogging during the heat of the summer.   Jamie played the role of light stand for me.

 Our plan was to have a big hedge of amaranth, but it never grew tall like it was supposed to.  Maybe I should have thinned more/earlier.  Or maybe the sunflowers sucked up all the water and nutrients.

When the sunflowers fall over, cardinals and goldfinches sit on them and eat the seeds, leaving a pile of shells.

early morning fishing

We got up around 4 a.m. yesterday and went to Cooper Creek access on Taneycomo.  Jamie has made the early morning trip several times lately, but I had never gotten up in the middle of the night with him before.  

He got the spot at the corner of the dock and started catching fish right away.

Anyone know what this is?  I haven't figured it out yet.  He was pretty skittish.

After the sun came up and Jamie was (finally) ready to go we continued the adventure with breakfast at Persimmon Hill Berry farm, where we got a tour of their shiitake operation, more fishing and swimming at Baxter access on Table Rock, and antique shopping in Crane.  

backyard flowers

A sunflower from a plant that sprung up near the roses. It has multiple buds on it, which I didn't know was possible, but Kelly Bigbee from Farmers Market of the Ozarks told me that it might have come from a bird feeder with black oil sunflower seeds. 

a firefly on a sunflower leaf 

I think this is clematis? We tore out a crazy mess of honeysuckle and vines to put in scarlet runner beans, red malibar spinach, strawberries, and flowers. I was pleasantly surprised these grew back.

pretty peas and garden update

Peas are so cool, don't ya think?

These are an heirloom variety that are supposed to have blue pods.  I can't wait to see them. 

Our knockout roses are going nuts! 

Everything is planted in the main garden: six types of tomatoes, 10 or so types of peppers, scallop squash, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, peas, beans (pole and bush types) spinach, garlic, parsley, sage and thyme.  
(I know.  I need rosemary.)  We also have a bed that I scattered a bunch of different flower seeds in.  And another with scarlet runner beans, red mailbag spinach, cilantro, zinnias and snapdragons.  And one in the 
front for Love Lies Bleeding Amaranth--google it.  it's awesome looking.--and sunflowers.   We had tons of cherry tomatoes that reseeded in the garden and have given a bunch away, but still have about a dozen.  

New Chickens!

Yesterday I brought home 3 new chickens!  It got dark on the way home so they were asleep in the cardboard box when we got there.  This morning I got up early like a kid at Christmas to get some photos before work.  

One of two Ameraucanas.  

Hester, the other Americauna and the only one we've named so far.  

This one is a speckled sussex. She's supposed to look "more striking" with age. They're all about 10 months old and already laying.  

nieces pieces

A few photos from my family's visit to Springfield last weekend:

Malory

Presley and Ashlyn 

(Sorry you're not in here, Weston.  Maybe if you wouldn't close your eyes and/or hide from me I could get a decent shot of you.  :)

more cattle

I went to a livestock auction yesterday for a story on the FDA's new guidelines aimed at reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock feed. The light was pretty awful inside and when I tried using flash, it freaked the cows out. As we were leaving, I noticed people backing up trailers to load their purchases and got this shot. I like the the way the cowboy is perfectly centered.