Bike "Seens" in Selle

It's haying time in Selle, and Jim Taylor does pretty much a one-man gig on cutting, raking, baling and hauling in his hay crop. 

From the looks of the fields I've seen so far, this year is looking much, much better than last for yield.  With last year's drought-like conditions, crops were down as much as 50 percent, so I think the farmers are relieved that they probably won't have to purchase hay for this winter.

Lots more fields are waiting to be cut, so we'll be seeing the farm equipment out and about for the next couple of weeks. 

After finishing my latest lawn mowing project yesterday and with a comfortable evening temperature, I took off for my first summer bike ride. 

Amazing how much better the bike goes when the tires are aired up.  A week or so ago, I rode to Selle Road to meet Debbie who was riding in the PAFE fun ride.  The tires were pretty low and I had to huff and puff to get that bike moving. 

Last night's ride with full tires was beyond pleasant in comparison.  With Selle Road pretty quiet traffic-wise, I stopped often just to admire the beautiful rural sights----horses grazing in some fields, another taking it easy in the shade of an apple tree, and, of course, the deer. 

A few days ago one of my brothers came by with a flower he'd plucked along the roadside on a trip to Clark Fork.  He wondered what it was.  Bill and I didn't have an answer, but when he put a picture on Facebook, we all learned that it's a wild sweet pea.

They're in full bloom right now and are quite common along fencelines---always pretty combinations and great contrast with the greenery. 

On Forest Siding Road (the north-south version), I came upon the little one in the photos below, simply standing out in a field, probably where Mom told it to stay.  Don't know where Mom was, but she had left her little one, which appears old enough to think for itself. 

The baby stood for a while and then went bounding through the field, eventually coming my way but stopping at the fence.  Later, it headed back to where I'd first seen it, probably soon enough that if Mom returned, she'd never know about its little adventure into independence. 

Anyway, the bike ride provided a lovely ending to a busy but enjoyable day.  Looks like another great one ahead, and the best part----the lawn is mowed and I can tend to other pursuit. 

Ah, Summer!  Happy Sunday.