waiting for Spring

 

 

Despite the snow and cold, there are hints of Spring...the sunshine is a bit brighter, and it is still light out when we sit down to dinner.  The geraniums over-wintering inside cannot wait to get outdoors, and outside I see tulips, daffodils, and allium beginning to push up through the snow.  Last week, three bluebird couples were seen on the pasture fence posts and were checking out the bird houses.

Though we had a perfect snow cover this past weekend, it was just too bitter to venture out on the skiis...instead we cleaned the basement, cooked some homemade spaghetti sauce, made lemon cake, and played Scrabble.  Some of us napped...

I am ever so slowly finishing up the last elann mitt, which somehow I thought would be done for Christmas...maybe I'll have it done in time for her birthday at the end of this month; with winter sure to stretch through March, at least they will still see a little use.

Deb

thinking Spring

Yesterday was gloomy and rainy, but an early Spring is

in the air ~ the birds are chirping,

the geese are flying in formation overhead,

and I've heard a robin has been sighted.

In the gardens, the many bulbs we planted out

last November--tulips, allium, daffodils and narcissus--are

now pushing up through the ground.

Realizing that hanging laundry out on the line

may be not too far off,

I got started on some clothespin bags

for me and for the shop...my bag is getting a bit

well-worn and faded and I think I'll treat

myself to something new.

 

With gardening season looming and a freezer

still loaded with a lot of grated zucchini

from last summer, the muffins for the week are

zucchini with dried cherries...

...a long time favorite, and if you are

interested in the recipe, you can find it way back

here from 2006.

~Deb

May flowers

 

Spring is here and we are spending as much time as possible outdoors--there is sooo much weeding to be done, seeds to plant, and outdoor furniture to paint.  The tulip and daffodils we've put in the last two falls are putting on an amazing display...in the flower beds, up the lane, alongside the barn, around the pasture fence, and next to the henhouse.  Soon the allium and lilacs will be in bloom.

Each day we have geese in the cornfield next door, living happily off the leftovers of last year's harvest.  Bluebirds are nesting in one of the birdhouses on the pasture fence posts and barn swallows in the other.

The rhubarb is ready to pick, and I am hoping to make Clarice's recipe for Rhubarb cakes later today.

I found some good books at the library this week but haven't had much time to spend with them, so they are waiting patiently for a rainy day.  I also have a new craft to learn--needle punch!  My oxford punch needle came this week and I did a little practicing--it's easier than I thought it would be, but I still need to practice my technique--I think my stitches are a bit too dense and crowded, but that just makes the cloud look a bit puffy, right?   :)  This is going to be perfect for using up bits of leftover wool!

 

getting ready

After planting a lot of spring bulbs this weekend:

• allium
• tulips ~ red & yellow
• daffodils
• narcissus

I grabbed a basket and gathered some pine boughs,

and took some clippings for my Advent candle arrangement.

As in past years, I used this old bread tin,

some floral oasis to hold the candles,

and tucked the pine in around them.

Every night we light the candle(s)at dinner

time ~ a tradition I have come to love.

~

For some wonderful Advent and Christmas craft and activity

ideas for children,

check out this link.



Deb

on my walk...

Most days I head out around two o'clock to give the horses their lunch, feed the chickens & cats, and check for eggs. If the weather's not bad I love to take a walk up the lanes and trails.
We have not had the most colorful fall foliage this year due to the drought.
Remember Pia...well Pia is now Pete, not the girl we were told she/he was. Our vet set us straight when she came out to give shots, and this is not the first time this has happened...

The hens...well they have not laid an egg in weeks/months. I am not sure what their excuse is, but I really, really hope they get back to work soon...
The wood pile is growing slowly. Yesterday we had our first fire in the woodstove...
Today is much warmer, so after my walk I planted some Gladiator allium. Every couple of years Brecks sends me a $25 coupon with no minimum purchase required. I love it (!) and pick out something that I wouldn't normally spend the money on, like these beauties...
Only, I had no idea which end was up when planting the gigantic bulbs ~ I hope they are smarter than me and can find their way UP next summer!

this week...

We had two warm, sunny days here this week -- 60 degrees

in December?? -- so any inside work was put on hold to get outdoors and

soak up some sunshine.

I planted garlic in one of the raised beds...this is the first time trying

to grow it, so I can't wait to see how it does.

We eat lots of garlic and having our own would be really nice.

I planted more bags of allium, tulips, and narcissus...some

in the flower beds and some scattered in groups

all the way up the edge of the lane and around the

pasture fence line.

I gathered cuttings from our pines for decorating and wreath making.

I think it's time to replace the two pumpkins on the front porch urns

and the wreath of fall leaves on the front door

with something Christmassy...

Hope your weekend is good!!

Deb

in the garden...

The Gladiator allium that I ordered last year from Breck's are up.

The pansies are doing well with the cooler rainy weather we've been having lately...

The irises are blooming ahead of the poppies this year ~ usually they do so together, but the poppies are late this year...
A white bleeding heart surrounded by some hostas... And, the chicks arrived yesterday from Murray McMurray Hatchery...
...araucanas, silver laced wyandottes, partridge & buff rocks, and jumbo cornish x rocks.
New chicks in the spring always make me happy!

looking back at May...

 

 

 

 

 

The more hectic the days become or the more challenges and changes come our way, the more I appreciate the predictable rhythm of the seasons.

 

 

 

In the May garden, here, that always means lilacs, violets, bleeding hearts...

 

...flowering crab apple trees...

 

grape hyacinths, and allium...

 

There's lots going on here this last month as we've readied our little farm and house for sale and helped our daughter move into her first apartment.

 

We're officially empty nesters now, and it's left us feeling, well, quite...empty.  With both kids on their own and no more horses or donkey to fill the barn, we've decided to start our own down-sizing journey.  Deciding to sell our home after 20+ years of accumulating  a-lot-of-stuff means a lot of sorting and purging and packing...in addition to all the gardening and planting still going on.

 

Keeping busy is good...not much time to dwell on the empty nest. 

 

Deb

garden notes

"A garden is a lovesome thing!"

-Thomas Edward Brown

It's been a busy past week in the garden, with the end of May our planting time here.  Mike surprised me by building 11 more raised beds on his week off!  Not much of a restful vacation, but in the long run it should help simplify life so much--all part of our downsizing-empty-nesters plan.  What I have planted so far:

1. tomatoes--4 types
2. peppers--sweet bells, jalepenos, bananas
3. broccoli
4. collards
5. cucumbers
6. zucchini
7. green beans
8. eggplant
9. potatoes
10. romaine
11. onions

Mixed in are chamomile, sage, marigolds, nasturtiums, and the Envy zinnias.  I'm making an attempt at companion planting {chart here} ... we'll see how that goes.  Supports and trellis' will need to be placed.  Still to go in are the corn, melons, gourds, squash and pumpkins over by the chicken yard, where there will be room for lots of sprawling out...and sunflowers, of course! 
The strawberries are ripening and the raspberry & blackberry bushes are getting off to a good start.  The allium planted in November did not disappoint and the clematis is in its glory...

I'll be back between planting and weeding to let you know how the homemade moisturizer turned out,

Deb