in our house, prim came first. then her egg. we are very proud.

golden buff pullet egg with bloom

saint paul, minnesota

so far you you’ve met effie and rue.  this is prim. prim has the most beautiful markings of all her sisters, like a lace shawl draped over her back. we were told to expect our first eggs some time in july.  so we have begun checking the nesting boxes every morning. the prediction that chickens would be less work than a dog, but more work than a cat has so far proved about accurate. we love our girls, and they seem to love their home and us. we are getting excited for œufs à la coque.

cinnamon comet (aka golden buff) chicken at four months

saint paul, minnesota

i was so fond of my thistle bouquet i wanted to show one more image of it.  i usually don’t show two images of the same subject, but i love the wild grape vine twine binding the sheaf of thorny thistle stems (say that 5 times fast). it’s something about all that texture…

wild grape vine wrapped around a bouquet of musk thistle

saint paul, minnesota

for a brief time each year, i find myself pulling to dangerous stops on roadway shoulders, armed with a lopper and heavy leather gloves, to gather june thistles. they seem to thrive most accessibly along the most hectic stretches of interstate highways and the tops of busy exit ramps. today i managed to snatch a five foot bouquet of thistle blossoms from a roadside slope that roared with the sound of commuters hurrying home. they may have wondered who the crazy lady was walking back to her car with an armload of spiky stems. or, in their haste, they may not have wondered at all. no matter. i have an extravagance of lavender to remember this day by.

roadside musk thistle

saint paul, minnesota

i get so excited when i am out hiking and i find a new (to me) plant to photograph for STILL. today i got home and googled this lovely purple darling, only to find out it is a “non-native common weed that sends out noose-like tendrils that can cause strangling of smaller plants.” it’s like coming home to discover that your ringlet-curled blonde angel has garrotted the babysitter

cow vetch

saint paul, minnesota