Near the beginning of each month we like to pause and take a look at what’s going on in the world around us, with a particular focus on animal activity, farmers’ fields, and environmental holidays. *You can find our archive of previous welcomes here (a few months are missing from the archive, we’re bowing our heads in shame).*

Hello, Summer!

Are you feeling the heat? Based upon our Instagram feed, I sense that most of the country had a nice spring and then transitioned into hot weather sometime last month. Not us, we had an unseasonably large snowstorm in late May, which confuses our minds and the garden. Remember last month’s welcome when I was already talking about the crazy weather BEFORE that storm? But anyway, our hot days have arrived, and we’re loving it!

We’re transitioning to more dinners on the deck, more long evenings playing in the dirt, and (of course), more fresh seasonal eats.

The image above is from the Library of Congress’ online prints and photos collection. I love these old prints. The designs are awesome, and they tell a story about the times. I also love the idea that the government was trying to get us to work together, a particularly common theme for the posters made during WWII, and even outside of war times there were others about taking care of yourself (eating healthy, exercising, etc.) and some about celebrating American heritage. If you’re looking to waste time online the LOC is a great place to do it.

All good stuff, but I thought that this one was particularly timely as we head into summer : a reminder to dump out all standing water to reduce mosquito populations. If you didn’t know it, mosquitos lay their eggs in water, where the larva will hatch and develop. If you have a pond in your backyard, keeping the water moving will deter mosquitos, and adding a few fish will help because they’ll eat both the eggs and larvae. In the past we’ve also used mosquito bits or disks in our pond.

Looking Forward

Here area  few things that I’m looking forward to this month:

• We’re having a BBQ this weekend, and I’m hoping to put together a batch of popsicles for the kids. Coconut are my fave, but these lemon ones are perfect on a lazy summer evening.
• There are piles of rhubarb at the farmers market, so I’m thinking a jar of rhubarb syrup is necessary. And so is the mojito!
• And speaking of mojitos, our mint patch is overflowing! Don’t worry, I’m stocking up on limes, and reviewing our mint posts from the summer of 2014 when mint was our ingredient of the season. Remember these lamb meatballs? yum.

 

Natural Cycles

Our yard is bursting with animal activity!

Birds

We have birds nesting (or trying to nest) in every sheltered spot they can find. We had to evict a poor pair from the BBQ grill two weeks ago, and they seem to have moved over to a hanging plant basket before I had a chance to add plants! I’ve decided to let them be and skip the plantings for the moment.

If you’re experiencing a similar situation, it’s always good to review when you can and should remove nests, and when to let them be. In addition to the birds, now’s a great time to look for broken eggs when hiking. We found a robin’s egg in the backyard last week, and it’s always really special to be able to share those treasures with the boys. They go from being rough and tumble one moment to calm and gentle the next. While we’re on the subject of baby birds, here’s a good reminder about what to do if you see a baby bird out of its nest.

The Fox!

{Excuse the bad phone pic, this guy doesn’t properly announce his arrival.}
Not much to say about this guy, other than he seems to be a new resident around here. There are plenty of foxes living in the mountains, so seeing one isn’t too surprising, but it seems that this guy has a daily route that takes him through the yard. We’ve seen him a handful of times, always on the same path. It’s hard to tell from the pic, but he appears to be healthy (full coat of fur, doesn’t limp, etc.), but if there were any sign of danger, we would call our local wildlife folks.

Of course, we are making no effort to contact him, and he’s been giving us the same courtesy. We’re just neighbors, and it’s pretty awesome.

The Bugs

The bugs are out, and our guys are having a great time observing, holding, and imagining all sorts of bug adventures… adventures the bugs go on because they (apparently) live very exciting lives. We’re IDing the bugs when we can, but surprisingly a few have already stumped us when we can’t find them in the guide books.

If you have bug-lovers in your house, don’t miss our post on how we encourage the love, observation, and awe of insects. You can see our bug-themed Easter Baskets here (They include gifts that are great for summer too!). And if you’re feeling really adventurous, this bug-themed post is for you.

~

As you can probably tell, we’re spending as much time as we can outside. Enjoying the warm weather, long days, and everything else that comes with the season. Basically, we’re hiking up our super-hero pjs and putting our toes in the mud, because summer is here!