Flowers and Concrete

We've had nice, cool weather. Phil started work on Tuesday with only a few more levels to go.

He had forgotten how exhausting the top levels are, hauling the concrete blocks up and up, and getting the mortar up and up. Progress feels excruciating slow to me, with nothing more physical to do than walk down to take photos.

I am done trying to predict how much longer until it will be until the walls are finished. I hope our sand pile, now much diminished, lasts until the end.

I was pleased to see some flowers poke their way back. I took photos of them all, so this is a comprehensive sample of all that's in bloom. Wild poppies.

A nice single pink flower with white speckles.

A cluster of purplish blooms.

And a pink cluster.

My one returning allium.

And is this a ubiquitous daisy? I'm happy for it.

We also had a day with some new experiences. My arms and hands are still trying to acclimate to the three gallons (almost) I milk by hand. In case I am ever away from the farm, we tried out a milker. Belle wasn't thrilled with it, but in the end, she stood and dealt with yet another unexpected experience. Good for her.

The clean up time, though, is a good deal longer than a milk pail, so I think we'll mostly stick with hand milking. And Belle is so well trained to the lead rope now, I can get her and gently bring her where I want her to go.

The other new experience was that Isaiah made baking powder biscuits yesterday, using our milk and our lard. They were tasty!