Summertime

School is out for the summer and all our kids are home. Popsicle season is underway at the farm. What’s a kid to do? First, you must wash coolers for the farmers markets.

Everyone knows how seriously clean coolers are to Jake’s CEO Lou Ann, aka Grandma.  You want to put a perfectly marbled pork chop into a dirty cooler? The shame! Our kids are always excited to tackle this job while the sunshine helps dry their progress.

They also have their own animals to feed and water daily. Lucy feeds and waters two pigs, and Huck tackles the two dogs. The littlest ones tag along for fun, sometimes carrying a bucket, sometimes dropping it, and sometimes making the older ones laugh or grumble.

The rest of the day can be spent on a rope swing, or digging up the dirt. They help plant the garden, keep it watered, and pull some weeds when needed.  

Sometimes they sit in front of the TV too while I tackle some work at my desk. Thankfully our neighbor is able to hang out with the kids a couple of days a week this year. They’ve already created crafts, made cookies, and mastered a few intense games of hide and seek.

The most sought-after time so far this season has been riding our Ranger to the back woods to see all the flower blossoms. We watched mamma sows nurse their piglets in the grass while eating their breakfast too.

Tonight, as the sun sets on another day, I am reminding myself to soak up all the simple joys of this popsicle season on the farm.