We had just experienced an hour or two of welcome, soaking rain.
Then, the sun came out.
With it appeared an array of lovely and billowy clouds floating through brilliant blue sky.
A stunningly beautiful afternoon followed.
I had picked up a sack of whole oats at Wood's Hay and Grain and moved on into town to buy a mop at Co-Op.
So, I chose Hickey Road in Oden as my route back to the Selle Lovestead.
While passing Hickey Farms, I noticed some men working out in the field next to the road.
Turns out it was the Holt brothers, and the oldest, Dean, happily walked over to the gate where folks drive in to pick their produce, opened it and welcomed me inside.
"I just want to wander around and take pictures," I told Dean.
He gave me the go-ahead nod, so, after snapping a few shots of his twin brothers, I moved on looking here and there for some fun shots.
Hickey Farms is selling some green beans right now on certain days of the week, but they are gearing up for October when the former dairy farm turned pumpkin patch will be open every weekend to sell a variety of farm products along with those hundreds and hundreds of pumpkins----all shapes, sizes and colors.
As I walked around the corn, squash and strawberry fields, I saw other folks here and there, including Dana Sperry.
I'd seen Dana's photo numerous times on Facebook but met her for the first time yesterday.
She was picking green beans and showering her friend and neighborhood mentor Jim Hickey with praise.
Seems Jim has been there many times when the Sperry's have needed advice or help, including yesterday when he went to their place to down a tree.
My Hickey Farm walkabout also included climbing the steps up to a platform above the corn maze.
Views of the farm are lovely from up there.
I've been familiar with Hickey farms since the good ol' days when an always affable Jack Hickey ran his Holstein dairy and owned a horse or two.
Jack and his wife Lois Hickey, a longtime local school teacher, had two children, Jackie and Jim.
During junior high years, Jackie became my friend, and I remember a day visiting the house that sits up on top of the hill when Lois gave me a couple of small china tea cups. I still have them packed away in a box somewhere.
Jackie and I also talked away the hours in Carter Hall while attending the University of Idaho "way back when."
Jackie eventually married Jim Holt who had gone to the Navy.
Since those days, they've reared four children, Dean, Kristi, Jeff and Mark.
A few years back, the Hickey-Holt family teamed up in a new concept for the family farm involving produce, most notably pumpkins.
The operation continues to expand, and through family teamwork has evolved into a "must visit" venue every fall, and increasingly during each year's growing season.
This year I made my first trip to the farm to pick strawberries, and pretty much every year I have joined thousands who come each October for the pumpkins and a whole range of other activities, including the corn maze, live bands, sale of crafts and baked goods, etc.
It's a fun place, and having been friends with many of the family members for most of my adult life, I always feel perfectly at home any time I visit.
After all, friendship and farming go hand in hand, right?
Twas a fun stroll in the sunshine over ground which had been cleansed by that welcome rain, especially fun stopping and visiting.
October is just around the corner. So, more fun times ahead, picking out pumpkins, etc. at Hickey Farms.
Happy Saturday.
As for Annie, she added two miles on to her regular route today, all for a geocache.
So, she hasn't posted many photos or her blog yet.
Check her blog later at
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