Mouthful of mayflies

Had a lovely Saturday alone on the farm today. Everyone went into town for a respite in civilization so I was left to myself to rebuild the laundry line on the deck, clean the kitchen, and do a little cultivation in the thyme bed. I know, you may be thinking I am crazy for farming on my day off after a 60 hour week, but I guess I farm so much now, I simply cannot stop. Actually, weeding thyme is an extremely pleasant, fragrant experience--I kind of wished there had been more of it when I was finally done with the bed.

The tree swallows continue their quest to nest, albeit in a bit of a dysfunctional fashion. I've found 3 of their hatchlings, passed away and expelled onto the deck below the nesting box. Plus today one of the parents dropped an egg onto the deck when it flew out of the box. Not sure what to make of it. They continue to occupy the box and bring mouthfuls of insects in each time they swap places. I haven't heard any baby bird noises emanating from the box so it's all a mystery to me. I hope they figure the parenting thing out; it's so disheartening to see them work this hard and then not have the babies make it.