Dragonfly Ranch

…from our very own corn field!

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On Sunday I helped our neighbor Abe move his four mares from one pasture to another. My very important role was to open and close gates while he led the horses — two with ropes and halters, two following behind — and to stand in an intersection to make sure the two loose mares went the right way.

Phil is the estate manager and I’m not allowed to do anything that requires discrimination or skill. So I’ve been assigned to pull up the ivy at the side of the house. Where’s Dad when we need him?

Our first real crop of fruit. The birds are likely to get most of them, but I’ve picked several pounds already, and they’re delicious.

… But we like to think of it as a huge dog bowl, a odd die wading pool, or a bathtub.

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The first of Farmer Phil’s cherry tomatoes!

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If I can get Arlin out of the pool,

We can get to some new crafting ideas.

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I found this beautiful California king snake outside our house at 5:00 pm today. King snakes eat rattlesnakes, so I was glad to let it slither away into the ivy. The tiles are 12 inches on a side, so this was a 3-foot-plus adult.

The snake is a rich red-brown with cream accents. The green thing is a garden hose.

None of them ready, but all on the way.