Little bells are blooming all over Coppertop in shades of purple, white, and pink. Campanula, which means “little bells” in Latin, are commonly known as bellflowers. These delicate flowers are supported by other plants and by garden structures. I love the way these bells nod and sway on their stems in today’s breeze. These in front of the Rosa rugosa are cheery.

Others grow at the base of the grapevine arch.

These miniature pink bells are in front of our home.  As one of my sisters pointed out, these little bells are penstemon.

One of my favorite varieties of bells in the gardens is the Campanula sarastro with its larger, vibrant, deep purple bells. I like to think that the bellflowers are ringing to announce: We have eggs! Well, EGG, really. The most mature barred rock hen (that I had placed my bet on) laid her first egg yesterday afternoon while free ranging in one of the hosta beds. She and a couple of the other gals have been making quite a ruckus rummaging in the nesting boxes and repeatedly singing the “Egg Song” in their coop for a few days, so we knew something was bound to happen soon. If you’ve never heard the egg song, listen to this from another chicken farmer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47l396ZWWRo  I kept checking the nesting boxes, finding them empty, and getting tired of those hens crying wolf! The first egg is smallish, light brown, and perfect. I’m now debating naming this hen Martha Washington, as in the former first lady since she’s our first lady 😉 or perhaps Horatia Hosta.

The neighbor’s Arabian horses are wondering what all the excitement is about, while they munch away.