July in pictures

Our July started off with the amazing SunWheel Pagan Arts Festival my blog about it is linked. Everything is growing so fast and the soil here is rich. The chickens are happy and healthy and enjoying the new and improved coop.

New and improved coop

Mr. Bug

Bug had so much fun with the moustache tattoos I bought her lol

King Connahers new Amber Hammer he bought at Sunwheel

We planted all sorts of things in pots around the yard and on the decks. Lettuce and radishes right out side the door is awesome.

Green peppers are doing good

The Roma tomatoes are ripening already

Kale and tomatoes around the hottub

Nettle

 We have two very well established nettle beds. It is awesome in smoothies, omelets and soup plus tonnes of other things. Nettle tea is a regular in our house as well. We have been eating what we can and drying lots for winter.

Strawberries

 We started our strawberry bed small cause we have not figured out were we want them yet. We will have a huge bed eventually. My parents ran a strawberry market garden for years so Mom knows how to grow strawberries. This bed will fill in and be one of many I am sure.

Chickweed

I have a nice little patch started :) I love my chickweed and couldn't imagine not having any around. It is an awesome medicinal and we love it in salads or cooked like a green. This little plant is a powerhouse.

Our Apple Tree

When we moved out on to the acreage this little Apple tree was almost dead and struggling bad. We talked about ripping it out but I decided to try and see if I could bring it back. I have held ritual around it at every Esbat since I decided to keep it and I tell it regularly how much it is loved. I hang my magick talismans in it to charge under the full moons light and drum for it regularly. I pruned it back in the fall, fed it and watered it in well and then in the spring we did a little more pruning and fed it more compost tea and look at how that love was returned :) She is beautiful and full of apples!!

A little piece of Avalon

Garden is up and growing fast but the weeds are faster :(

The caged catnip being protected from the cats

Fireweed

 We are so blessed to have many wild edibles and medicinals on our land. We have catalogued all of the ones we know and have been enjoying identifying the ones we don't and we are far from done. We have a huge variety.

Yarrow

Pea fencing  for the little peas to climb

The Maltese cross is the first to bloom in the spiral bed

I love lilies

The flower bed by the front walk way

Lunch

I love to walk my yard in the morning and pick my lunch :) Spinach, leaf lettuce, kale, parsley, lambs quarters, chickweed, oregano, rosemary, fireweed leaves and flowers, red clover blossoms, walnuts and dry currents

Such a great brother

King Connaher was playing a card game with Bug called "Go Girl", one of the cards he pulled said put your hair in pig tails for the rest of the game. The next card said act like a cheer leader lmao he is such a good sport!

Zoe playing with string like a kitten

I swear Dachshunds think they are cats. Such a silly poochie

The calendula is up and starting to bloom.

Marigolds

Violets

Johnny Jump ups is what we call them, They are a type of Violet and I have planted them EVERYWHERE!! I love them :) My Gramma always used to tell me "When you see the Johnny jumps up you know fairies have been around"

Tiger Lilies

Tiger lilies remind me of my Dad, he loved them. When we were planning Bugs baby blessing after she was born my Dad wanted her first Witch name to be Tiger lily :) I had my heart set on Clover and Daddy wanted Blossom. She ended up with Tigerlily Clover blossom :)

Geraniums

Geraniums remind me of my Gramma Jean :) She always had tonnes of them growing all over her house. They were one of her favorites and she had every color they came in. We have about 5 different colors all together.

Geraniums

Petunias

When Mom planted this basket in the spring I was saying we should plant edibles where ever we can so she stuck in a kale lol.

Plantain

Another wild medicinal that grows in abundance on our land is Plantain.It is the go to for minor cuts and scrapes, just pick a leaf chew it up and spit it on the injury it is a great healer and has antiseptic qualities.

Glass Mushrooms

Mom made these cool glass mushrooms from vases and bowls we picked up at second hand stores. They are so pretty.

 New galaxy leggings for Willowtree means she MUST have hair to match lol

My loves

 Willowtree, Daddy, King Connaher and Bug

The Apples are growing bigger

Zoe and Whiskey running and playing with Bug

Companion planting to keep the bugs away. Lettuce with dill, onions and summer savory

Garden is growing strong

Beautiful Calendula

 My goal is to have enough of my own grown calendula this year for all of our medicinal and botanical needs.

Look what self seeded in my front flower bed :) Datura

I was so excited to see sister Datura plant itself in my flower bed by the front walkway. I was surprised as it is usually Belladonna that self plants around me. I am so excited to get to know this plants spirit in hopes of working with it.

A nice fire is one of our favorite ways to end the day

Steaming sock reminds us to review evaporation and that always ends up in a conversation about the Water cycle.

Full moon so the crystals are out to charge

Habitat for sea monkeys

Daddy and Bug learning about habitats

Badminton time

The Minions love outdoor games. Badminton, volleyball and ultimate frisbee are their favorites.

The first of many Calendula petals set to dry

An assortment of flowers from the yard wild and domestic. Clover blossoms, yarrow, fireweed, golden rod, delphiniums, Maltese cross, and fly catcher.

First big harvest

Beets, peas, rainbow chard, spinach, parsley, basil and two kinds of lettuce

 mmmm! Supper all fresh from our garden.

Fresh garden salad

One of my favorite things about summer is the fresh garden vegetables.

The dachshunds love peas and will pick them right off the plants but stealing them from the bowl is fun too :)

Our chickens finally started laying!! YAY and look at that we have Blue eggs!

 The Minions were so excited when we found our first egg and even better they are a beautiful light blue color. Bug thinks it is pretty funny that our chickens lay Ostara eggs.
The end of July is my birthday :) I share a birthday with a very famous fictional wizard Harry Potter!
 

 Bug and Daddy made me a fancy birthday brunch. Pan fried asparagus topped with Havarti cheese and a fried egg with a side of fresh Blue berries, black berries and raspberries topped with ricotta cheese sweetened with maple syrup. It was so Yummy!

The sweetest birthday present ever from Bug

 The next day is Lughnasadh and we always have a huge gathering for that so this year we had a small BBQ with just family for my birthday celebrations. It was delicious and I was spoiled as usual :)

Opening presents

Super sized tea mug

New starfish for the main bathroom

Raven travel mug :)

and the matching birthday card

New jewelry box

and a surprise inside

cute pin of a kitten scaring itself in the mirror

My new Black drum

This was my gift from Hubby :) is she not the most epic drum ever!! and the sound is amazing. She is synthetic so her sound never changes rain or shine, and I have played her in the pouring rain. I love the Red drum my sons bought me and still play it but this one is my go to drum now.

Bug bringing out my birthday cake :)