Saturday, July 9, 2022

Summer @ The Kessi Ranch 2022...

 The first week of July

and we are finally getting summer weather

here in Western Oregon



Foxgloves growing by the barn...





We are making round hay bales...





Roses and Peonies blooming by the front door...

There are baby tree swallows living in the

2 story bird house the Cowboy built for me.





The chickens scratching through the iris bed.

They eat all of the slugs and bugs...

great for the flowers!




The second hay field is mowed...

I am raking....the Cowboy is baling.






Round Bale





We moved the main cattle herd to new pasture

last evening...





They are in grass up to their eyeballs...

Lots of munching goin on !





First hay field all baled up...











Queen Anne's Lace growing along the fence...



Thread Shed...


In between hay fields,

I have been stitching in here...





I finished up the machine quilting on

this warm up piece I started a few weeks ago...






I had to see if I remembered how to

stitch a feather...





It took 5 bobbins and 5 hours of quilting...








It is a 1 yard piece of hand dyed fabric:


Vicki suggested I make a tote bag...

I think there is enough for two !








We are in the 3rd hay field:


I spent the day mowing...

if you look close you can see I am

down to the middle section of the field...



I am not alone:


A fledgling sparrow is keeping me company

on the fence post...





Bye For Now...

Happy Summer 2022 !


Enjoy the Hay Baling video below:


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May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn Kessi

#LuAnnKessi



Sunday, July 3, 2022

New Kitchen Island...

We found this a few weeks ago...

we thought it would make a great

island for our kitchen

 






It needs some work...



in between haying...

I have been sanding and painting




The butcher block top was a mess...

lots of stains and dents and scratches !



I spent an hour with the sander:


very pleased with the newly sanded top !



Now for the new paint color:


Squash Blossom Yellow





The yellow is so cheerful in our kitchen !





The butcher block top gets a food-safe finish

of walnut oil





Here we go...





So simple to apply...





I am in love !

This will give us so much more counter space

in the kitchen.



Here comes the show ' tell:


Makes you want a glass of lemonade !





The wire baskets on the side

make for extra storage space...





The Cowboy's aunt gave us the kitchen table.

It is from the 1960's...





The table and new island fit nicely together...





Now, time to get back to the hay fields...

lots of mowing, raking and baling to do !


CLICK HERE to view all Improv posts


CLICK HERE to view all Fabulous Finishes 2022


CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts



May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn Kessi

#LuAnnKessi

Saturday, July 2, 2022

Hay Season....Raking & Baling


We are back in the first hay field today...

 


The mowed grass has dried out some

and I am raking it into windrows

so the Cowboy can come along later and bale it...





This is my ride today...

The Cowboy's John Deere 4440





This is the hay rake...

It is attaches to the back of the tractor

and creates the windrows






These HUGE metal tines scoop up the hay...






Windrows...

The rake merges the hay into a row

and the wind dries it.





The Cowboy is baling up the windrows...

The tractor straddles the windrow and

the baler scoops up the hay and creates

a round bale...





The ravens spent the day 

in the hay field with us...




We also had another visitor in the hay field:


Garter Snake





She is a real beauty...





Garter snakes won't bite you unless provoked. They won't chase you. They are really very shy and are not looking for a fight! Garter snakes do produce a very weak venom, but the venom is so mild that it rarely has any effect on humans.





The raking is all done...

I get to sit back and watch the Cowboy make bales.





Another beautiful day in the hay field

More To Come !


CLICK HERE to view all Improv posts


CLICK HERE to view all Fabulous Finishes 2022


CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts



May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn Kessi

#LuAnnKessi