Strawberries

This past week, the strawberries made their debut.

I have been buying a quart of strawberries early at every farm market this week.

 They usually run out by noon.

Today, I bought three quarts to freeze for my winter fruit fix.

There will be a lot more strawberries in my freezer in the next few weeks.

 

I am so tired of the California strawberries that are big and red with no flavor inside.

These local strawberries taste like candy!

 

Now comes the best part.

Michael's strawberry shortcake with fresh whipped cream on top!

What a great way to enjoy summer!

Saturday Stroll

On my post Farm Market Saturday stroll around our property, I found many beautiful sights today.

 These flowers are so fragrant!

 The poppies are a great contrast to the grass. They are scattered throughout the property.

 Daisies are so strong. These daisies are growing up from a pile of rocks.

 These daisies have a better life in the grass.

Guess what else I found? 

This is a birds nest. 

We have no idea what bird family this was, 

but the nest is very small. It blends so perfectly in the cedar trees.

 

God is so amazing.

All of this beauty was found in one small space!

Baby Snapper

Today was the first day that I was able to ride our Harley Davidson with Michael. As we were turning into our driveway, we saw a spot on the pavement. When we got a closer look, we found a baby snapping turtle! I went to the office to get the camera, while Michael picked him up (with gloves on) and headed for the creek. Mr. Baby Turtle looked slow and tired and hot. He was a long way from any water. He also had a really ripe scent to him. It was not pleasant.
Michael got him to the creek, gave him a quick splash of water, then put him on a rock at water level. By the time I was able to put the camera to my eye, we blinked and Mr. Baby Turtle was gone! He took one look at the cool water and jumped right in!
Two weeks ago, Maureen found a very large snapping turtle up the road from our office. Michael got a milk crate, picked him up, put him in the crate, brought him home and set him free in our creek. He was not a cute and happy turtle. All he wanted to do was bite Michael! He was so large that he barely fit into the crate.
If this keeps up, we will have lots of snapping turtles in our creek! Fun to look at, but not fun for the little fish that the turtles will have for dinner.
If we had been in the car, we never would have seen him. I am glad that we had a fun ride and could rescue the turtle, too.

Pretty Purple

 I love our property in every season.

Last week, I enjoyed the fragrance and delicate beauty of the Lily of the Valley.

This week, the beautiful Iris has bloomed.

 We have iris flowers throughout the property. 

Some are under our deck, while others are randomly scattered in our back field.
One dark purple plant is in our front planter.
I found the image of that flower in last year's blog, on May 24!
Are we behind in blossoms and blooms this year!

 I gathered some of them in a vase to hold them in.

They were so tall that I had to photograph them on the ground.

I get to enjoy them on my counter for the next few days.

God's creation is so incredible!

Matthew 6:28

“And why do you worry about clothes?

See how the flowers of the field grow.

They do not labor or spin.