'Tis the season-- the kids and I have been scouring the farm for thistle and dealing with them in an organic way. We cut off each bloom then dug the plants up by the roots. As you can imagine, on 80 acres this has been pretty intense. After Day 1, I admit that I was tempted to throw in the organic towel and reach for some chemical spray. But I remained strong. I told a fellow farmer friend that I thought we were finally finished dealing with the thistle. Her response: "No. No you're not." She's right. Since then, I've spotted yet another couple as I've driven up and down our driveway.

The girls before we set to work on Thistle Mountain.

The kids think it's fun to don their boots, load the Ranger with our thistle-hunting supplies and head out.

With music blasting (lately their song of choice has been "Dear Future Husband" on repeat), we scour every inch of the farm.

Girl 1 has her blue-tinted sunglasses that seem to give her an advantage when it comes to spotting the thistle. The purple blooms really pop when scanning the field through those lenses!

Like so many other things on the farm, this activity teaches the kids how great a feeling it is to work hard at something and see the pay off.

We HAVE (at least for now) conquered Thistle Mountain.

This is a lot of downed thistle!