Summer happenings...

Hello to all... thought I'd better drop a line or two lest my Wildenblue Farm Journal dries up and blows away! My apologies again for not being more up-to-date... life is busy and I have been trying to keep up with things, plus find time to enjoy what little warm and sunny weather we've had on occasion! I got the fields in the barnyard mowed last week, everything was growing so tall that the chickens and geese could barely wade through the pastures! My daughter's homeschool graduation get-together was fun; we had only a bit of rain which quickly turned to sunshine, so all turned out well for that. My grandson turned one year old on July 16th, they are expecting again in November... perhaps a little girl!? (My middle son and his girlfriend are expecting shortly thereafter... another boy, if the ultrasounds are correct!) My mom, daughter and I finally finished stripping all the pine floors on the main level of the house... we got them oiled and cured just a few weeks ago! WHEW!!! A job I am so glad is finished! I've been trying to keep up with the gardens; first the strawberries, then the rhubarb, now the raspberries. There are also currants and gooseberries waiting to be picked out in the back garden. Mom and I headed over to Hick's Orchard, a local pick-your-own farm where we picked about 25 pounds of sour cherries. I made a batch of jam and a pie or two, and froze the rest for pies for the winter. We've been sneaking in a bit of kayaking when we can, as well! The chickens are still laying about a dozen or so fresh eggs a day due to the fact that the weather has not been blisteringly hot nor humid, thank goodness! I've been picking flowers and herbs to bundle; the garden shed is filling quickly with assorted bunches... last week I picked Lavender, Delphinium, Yarrow and Silver Artemesia, along with Cat Mint and Baby's Breath. I have a lot of Tansy that will have to be picked and hung to dry in the next couple of weeks, and following that will be Sweet Annie. Our seven kitties have destroyed every single Catnip plant in the garden here, but luckily mom has bunches of it in her garden! The next big thing around here is the upcoming wedding of my oldest son and his fiance towards the end of August, and whatever comes along in-between! With that brief update, I'll leave you with some pictures of the goings-on these past few weeks and I'll be off, but here is a recipe for scones which I made this morning! Blessings to all of you! xox

Raspberry Scones with White Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside. In a large bowl, sift together 3 & 1/4 cups flour, 3/4 cup Sugar, 1 tablespoon Baking Powder, 1 teaspoon Baking Soda and a pinch of Salt. With a pastry cutter, cut in 3/4 cup Butter to make a coarse, crumbly mix.

In a small bowl, add 1 cup of Milk, 1 tablespoon white vinegar, 1 egg and 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract or Framboise Liqueor; mix well. Dump this into the dry mixture, along with 1 & 1/2 cups of White Chocolate Chips. Blend til all is combined, then gently fold in 1 & 1/2 cups of fresh Raspberries. Drop by heaping dinner-table spoonfuls onto parchment lined baking sheet about 3 inches apart and bake for about 12 to 15 minutes til golden brown. Cool.