Summer Fun In The Country

Summer is showing off its best in Iowa right now. Pleasant temperatures, warm not real hot, during the day and cool at night. This makes for a perfect time to have company come enjoy our country place. My husband keeps the area mowed like a park. The lawn chairs are in the ash tree's shade. My flowers are blooming bouquets of red, pink, purple and white. The multitude of cats laze about in the sunny driveway or hide for a nap in the butternut tree or the grapevine, seeking shade and solitude. The goats wander back and forth from the cool darkness of the barn to the tree groves or pasture to graze. The free range chickens are busy scratching in all the wrong places, the garden and my flower beds. The two red and black roosters proudly crow and strut around their domain until they find some eatable morsel, an ant hill, hidden small black beetles, Japanese beetles or the biggest ripe tomato in the patch. That excites the roosters into a clucking tune that calls the hens to come to dinner.

All this activity that we take for granted is a natural wonder to our city relatives, especially the children. My husband's niece reminded me about when she and her cousins were small they each used to spend a week with us in the summer. Our son had a different playmate every week for most of the summer and his cousins got a taste of country life, because I put them to work doing chores. That's what made for wonderful memories for this niece. She wanted her children to experience a taste of that. So one day this week four generations, my husband's mother, his sister, her daughter and two children, came for the day. My husband grilled brats and hot dogs to go along with the rest of the meal. I made sure to have everything prepared before they got here including my strawberry freezer dessert which cuts like cake and reminds me of ice cream with a crumb topping.

We ate lunch right away so the tour began as soon as possible. My husband is in charge of tours. I take pictures. We're raising six turkeys this year so they were a new sight. Also new was the birth of eight chicks in the hay loft which was a total surprise, but one we expected since it always happens to us in late summer. There is always a hen or two that out smarts my husband with a well concealed hiding place. We set three hens on purpose in early summer, and they hatched twenty chicks which we thought was enough for this season. My husband gave all the chicks to one hen. I told the children she was like the old woman in the shoe who had so many children she didn't know what to do. At that time, the temperature was cool day and night. Most days were rainy. Mother hen had to worry about fluffing out her feathers enough to cover so many babies. As the offspring grew covering them became impossible so some of them roosted on the hen's back for warmth. What was even more vexing to the hen was when the chicks began to wander away from her to explore on their own. She clucked sharply, but that never did work. They ignored her so she'd wind up running after them to gather the chicks back into the brood, forcing the remaining chicks to keep up. Since the chicken room is in the barn loft, we hear the loud tromping overhead and all those tiny feet sound like a herd of elephants.

The children and their mother made a quick trip to the rabbit room. Nothing very exciting there. A black and white buck and doe sat at the back of the cage. One white doe hid in her nesting box, and no babies to report yet this summer. Since the rabbits are my husband's project I don't ask for an explanation. You see all of the above had been my domain for many years while my husband worked. He took over what we call chores several years ago. Though I still do the vet work, the rest of the time I stay away from the barn as much as possible. I tell him I'm retired.

 The doe goats are very friendly this year as long as the kids stayed on the outside of the pen. They came to smell hands extended through the gate in case the children had something good to eat and remained long enough to be petted. Once in awhile, they took a nibble of a shirt sleeve. In another pen, the smaller buck

goats circled around out of reach except for one. When he's called he still holds out hopes of getting a bottle. Most of the time I consider him a pest when he's underfoot like a dog or pressing his head against my leg to get my attention, but this once, I was glad he came for the children's attention.

Last was the tour of the garden and flowers which was given for Harold's ninety two year old mother benefit. She has always been a lover of all plants. She still has a large garden and appreciates the effort that goes into a well weeded and productive garden. Now our fall crop of veggies, radishes, lettuce, spinach and peas, can be seen in the rows hidden among the spring crops that are producing so well. Harold's mother has made it her goal through life to try to get as many different varieties of flowers as she can, and from my inexperienced viewpoint, I'd say she succeeded. I know I can always go to her for advice on flower plant care so it's always fun to show her my efforts.

That was the last of the tour as far as the grownups were concerned. We were ready for a break, but the children kept exploring.

The kitten napping in the butternut tree is tame when he wants to be. Lizzy and her grandmother petted him until he decided he'd had enough of these strangers. He jumped down, thinking he'd escape to the barn. Lizzy followed, convinced the kitten she was as friendly as Uncle Harold and carried him around for awhile. Her love of animals has her thinking that she'd like to be a veterinarian. Her mother says she should be at our barn on the days I am doctoring the animals. Her mind might change. I wouldn't bet on her mind set changing as far as loving animals goes, but she does have plenty of time yet to come up with what she wants to do as a profession. In the meantime, it never hurts to have this one option. I love animals. Maybe I and my husband contributed to Lizzy's passion for animals. At least, we've given her good childhood memories to look back on when she's grown just like her mother.