Some sunflowers for you...

I went to my daughter Abby's today. She had planted these sunflowers and now they are so tall and full of beautiful flowers. Aren't they amazing? I just love sunflowers. I took these with my phone.

Flowers, a ripe tomato and a baby!

 I was picking zinnias yesterday morning for market and put the little buckets on the big bee hive. I just thought it was pretty.

And our first ripe tomato! It's a little bitty one, but the first! I hope there will be many many more and a whole lot bigger. No matter where I get tomatoes in summer, they never taste as good as my own.

Today when I got home, I went out to feed the chickens and get them put up for the night. I heard a baby chick. So I went to look and sure enough, under Miss Broody hen, there was a little wet chickie butt poking up in the air beside her! So I guess all was not lost when she got up off that nest full of eggs and went to sit on another nest of eggs. I thought for sure all the eggs would go bad. But we have at least 1 little chickie baby so far!!

Rain!!! And markets.

 It's been so dry here that I've been feeding the sheep and alpacas a little bit in the mornings. Some alfalfa pellets, sunflower seeds and minerals. They also get baking soda. They sure don't look like they need anything extra. But there is hardly anything out there growing.

So Saturday, I called my hay guy up the road to bring me a round bale. So it's here if they want it.

So yesterday, while I was at the market in Rad Bank, it was pouring rain here at the house, for several hours!!!! As I was driving home, I could almost see everything turning green again! It was amazing! All the buckets and other things laying aroun had at least 5" of water in them!

You can see here how green it already looks.

But all that rain just bent over most of the borage. I've been gone all day so haven't been back out there to check on it. I hope it was able to get back up after all the water ran off them. The bees are loving all the flowers. So are the Japanese beetles. They are all over them too.

But walking out there this morning, everything looked so refreshed and different. There's just nothing like rain water to get things going in a garden. The beans and sunflowers looked like they had all grown a foot.

I won't have to water for several days!!

I have been so busy the past week. Last Friday, I started going to the Erlanger hospital market at 11-1. It's inside the hospital in the food court area. So we park in the garage and have to haul everything inside about a block away. And I found out after putting soap out, that I cannot sell it there. I had already sold 2 bars too. So I have lots of flowers, herbs and dryer balls. And when I get veggies, I will sell them there too.

After I leave that market, I go straight over to St. Elmo market at 3 and set up there. I can sell anything there.

Then Sunday, there's a new market up on the mountain at Lookout Trading Post. These 2 guys have a great little store where they make pottery and have a little gift shop and have a really good lunch menu. So we get to set up there for free! But it's 9-3. It was so hot Sunday. Then it rained like crazy. Up there. Not a drop down in the valley. But I'm not complaining at all. Everyone needs rain.

Then Mondays are the Red Bank market from 4-7. Then Tuesday is Audobon Acres 4-7.

So 5 markets a week now. I have no time for anything.At least I can leave everything in the Trooper for 3 days in a row.

My goal is to have my own shop right here so I don;t have to go anywhere like I am now. I want an open studio-store right here. I want to add on at least 300 sf onto my studio. I want a pottery studio. Then have the wool things in the new addition. And the soap in the kitchen area. I'd like to have it all done and opened by at least September. It's a dream right this minute that I hope will come true.