It's Been Way More Than a Month!

I sat down today to put something new on the blog to see how long it has been since I last posted!  Whoa!  I had put a lot of emphasis on actually living life this summer, and to be honest, I am so busy living it, I have not been here very often! Not for way over a month it appears!!! I have lots to share, in all sorts of different areas!  However, for the moment I will pull a few things at random, and hopefully everyone will enjoy!

This year my sunflowers are all over 7ft tall! They have kept a great bee population around to keep everything pollenated, and productive!

Sad state of affairs, but this is all of the knitting that I have done this summer!  This owl was for Ky's birthday, and it blended in on the shelf so well, I forgot it was there, and she received it a couple of days late!  

Blueberry season is here!  Hot, humid, hazy, and lots of berries this year!  This picture is of a random field, and is looking pretty good!  I did see some fields that were blue carpets, but I found myself without a camera, and a lot of farm equipment to navigate.

Went to the Gentlemen of the Road Concert this year.  Mumford and Sons, and seven of their favorite bands. Heard music from 2pm till nearly 10pm!  Awesome day!  It was held in Portland, ME, on the Eastern Prom overlooking the harbor! 

Kylie enjoying her grandmother's birthday clams!  She ate a pound by herself!

Had fresh peas from the garden all July long!  This was pretty exciting as most people's peas rotted in the ground this spring, due to it being extra wet, and had to replant.  Second plantings had a difficult time in the heat!  So, we thankful for this blessing!

Ky cooked dinner for me and herself, all by herself for the first time!

Little birthday present for me!  It is still waiting for me to pick it up, and create!  I am waiting until it is a bit cooler!  Don't need sweat mixed in with the lovely smell of wool!

My sister loves sushi, so Ky tried sushi!  She loved it! :)  Thanks for the exposure to new things Auntie!

Bunnies have become big and fluffy, and even had their first hair cuts!!! I am not yet a "good hair cutter," so I am saving them from embarrassment by not showing the after pics! I promise to work on my technique!

Yup, I am a rooster! Started crowing last week!  This picture is from about 3 weeks ago, and the girls and boy are bigger yet! Going to go have to snap some new pictures! He still needs a name!

Well, it seems that 12 chicken were not enough!  I got three more!  These are Barred Rocks, they are the chickens that I wanted in the first place, and could not get. I found them at the local feed store when going in for rabbit food!  They are bigger now too, and my older girls accepted them into the flock with ease! Need names too!

Much fun, much action, family and friends = serious napping!

That's what I have for today!

Love and Blessings everyone!

Getting a Bit Greener

"Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help.  Gardening is an instrument of grace." ~ May Sarton

The garden was finally put in completely a couple of weeks ago, I have been anxiously awaiting green to start appearing in nice little rows where only soil once was.  And things are sprouting, and growing in good fashion!

Peas were planted early!

Looks like I may actually be able to eat some on the 4th of July!

Sunflower in progress, reseeded from last year.

Zucchini! 

Pumpkins!

Pole Beans, going to have to put polls in quickly!

I should have learned from last years lettuce debacle that when given a seed packet to my daughter, it will end up in a "line" and all seeds will be used immediately, I hope that there are many of you out there that will help with our radish issue this year!

The weather continues to go between, hot and humid, leading to thunderstorms, cooling off and continuing to rain, then building up to hot and humid again.  I see a lot of growth happening quickly, and a lot of weeding in my future!

"A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in rows." ~ Doug Larson

"A good garden may have some weeds." ~ Thomas Fuller

Summa Is Heah!

Oh my goodness folks, summer has come in with a bang!  It has been in the 60's for the last 4-5 days, and today it hit 95 degrees in the blueberry barrens! I was going to take photos today of garden growth, development of chicks, and let the bunnies run around in the grass.  At nine this morning it was 80 degrees and plans were changed!

Fresh water has been given to all of the animals throughout the day, bunnies stretched out and laid as still as possible, chicks still peeped and ran around (played in the waterers all day,) and dogs laid in front of the air conditioner and fans, and only showed life when nature called.

Pole beans and pumpkins jumped out of their slumber and shot up about and inch, peas are steadily growing at a couple of inches a day!

I would like to think that I would be able do follow through with my plans tomorrow, but the same hot and wicked humid weatha is forecasted for tomorrow as well.  I am just waiting for one rocking thunder and lightening show to happen!

So, all I can do is report on yesterdays activities, here you go:

Here are a couple of pics of bunnies out of there regular cages (which were being cleaned,) and awaiting their turns to be groomed!

We have decided on the name Leo Petit for the white bunny!  After my grandfather, he makes me laugh, can be a little pushy with his brother to get his own way, and loves a good meal!  Leo Petit, and Felix are growing boys, and when they are out of food, they through the feeder around and thump! Hay is gone in the wink of an eye as well!

This is Felix's coat up close, it is tri-colored!!! We will see if the first color is just baby fur and a one time only deal or if it continues to change.  As you can see from about Felix's ears are gray.  I have also seen bunnies that have different colors alternate between gray and taupe as well, I wonder if he may be one of them!

Shanti loved getting out of her cage, and running about on the grass.  She hopped around for a good 10-15 minutes before slowing down, then started to climb the sides to see if she could get out!

Shanti settles right down when she is held close, and even allowed me to pick a couple of mats out of her coat, behind her ears, with very little fuss!  She is so excited to see me come to her cage everyday, get out, and get hugs and pets!  She does not like having to go back in the cage!  So, I come get her as often as I can!

Here, in the direct sunlight, you can see how Shanti's coat is getting lighter, and that white is coming in underneath, this is going to make one beautiful, light, gray fiber!

Well folks stay cool! Hope to be able to document some more very soon!

I will end with a quote that struck my fancy today:

"As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over again the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives." ~Henry David Thoreau

Spring Blooms Have Finally Arrived!!!

Waiting for spring this year has been a lesson in patience!  A few weeks ago I went four hours south to visit my mother and sister for Mother's Day, and to run a 5K for Mother's Day.  Things were in full bloom there and I marveled in abundance of flowers.  I got home to trees just staring to bud, and nary a bloom in sight! Ohhh, I did not want to wait any longer.  However, as much as I wish,  Mother Nature does not do my bidding.  Wait, I shall...

I do not know what this tree is, but around here they are every where, and it was the among the first to bloom.

Below is the crab apple tree that Kylie gave her father two years ago for his birthday!  This was its year for loads of blooms!!!

Kylie had chosen a pink blooming crab apple for her daddy, because she is a girl!  And besides it was the one she liked!

Lilacs everywhere!  With there deep, heady scent that filled the backyard, and house when the windows were open.  Just delightful!  And reminds me of my childhood, I was very pleased the spring after we had bought the house and found that these were on the property!

Logan has been following me around while I was taking these pictures.  Not very impressed with me when the door was closed before he could follow me inside...sorry!

Blooms from the old massive crab apple tree that has been here since 1948, when the house was built.  This was not its year to be heavy in bloom, and they were not that visible when the tree's picture was taken in its entirety. This tree is massive, and we have even had to trim it of massive limbs to keep it from splitting the main trunks.  It had not been maintained for decades when be bought the house.  To trim it properly would be a massive undertaking!

My hosta from Kylie for Mother's day several years ago.  This had grown from a 6-8 leaved plan to this!  It has a matching partner, and they live underneath the white crab apple tree.

Now that all of my blooms are popping and springing up from their winter slumber, its time to get the garden going!  But that will be another day's post...

Mystic Merlin!

This is a plant that I purchased the second year we were living at our current home. Shawn liked the name, I loved the color, and Kylie was amazed that she could be covered in flowers, for it grew well over her hight at the time, and she could sit in the plant and be surrounded by blooms like a fairy! :) It reseeded itself for several years, and then nothing. The local greenhouse said that they remembered carrying at one point, but have not ever had it in stock again. Some how a dormant seed decided to grow right next to the landing of our stairs going into the house, it even has two shades of purple in it (I think I actually did by two different colors now that I think about it.) What a blessing!



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??? What is going on?!

I asked Kylie to plant the lettuce seeds in the ground, just a few up an eight foot row, that way we will have several plantings. When she was done she gave me the packet back, and I put it away for later. Checked the garden at the beginning of this week, and oh boy...I checked the packet to what was left...empty! :0 The rabbits are going to enjoy some lettuce with us this year! And Kylie will learn about thinning and transplanting! Oh yeah, carrots were planted using the the same Kylie method...oh my...


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Zucchini!!!

It's tiny! However, this is the first year in several, that the zucchini's have produced anything for me! Usually just a lot of false blossoms!

Pickling cucumbers are plentiful all ready, I took a pic thinking it was going to be the first one of them as well, but then I stopped counting after 25. I guess I will have to live up to my promise an make pickles for the first time. What kind??? How to make them??? Help!!! I got some learning to do here!


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Grammie's Blooms

A closer look at Kylie's Grammie's flowers! The Peony opened up beautifully, but my favorite is the foxglove, the color is starting to grow on me!





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Natural Blooms

I do not have to so all the work that makes things beautiful, and the bees happy around here! We are blessed with many gifts from nature!!!





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Blooms and Blossoms

Shawn's flowering crab apple made it through its first winter on the hill. A rainy spring made for maximum blossoms!

A geranium from a cutting my mother-in-law gave me last year as well!

Both of these things motivated me to get the garden going!




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It all started with...

this one little plant!



Yesterday, Ky picked it up at the local greenhouse while picking out geraniums for her Grammie! Lovely little lemon balm, she sniffed it all the way home, and continues to touch and smell every time she passes it.

This morning:
8:00 am this morning Ky's Grammie calls to let us know that the Ruggle's House is having their annual plant sale (support a local historical house, why yes indeed!)

9:00 am Ky purchased many finds, Mommy starts to worry about where to put all of these things, and she better get a move on in the flower beds.

9:30 am Ky proud owner of lemon scented geraniums, pussy willows, pansies, basil, parsley, sage, astilbe, and some nice leafy plant with pink flowers (I confess I know what it is, but I cannot spell it!)
Off to show off purchases to Grammie!

10:00 am to Lynn's Greenhouse! Need veggie plants, did not start my own this year, new kittens and puppy in the house...need any further explanation? Kylie also found many an annual she just could not part with!



So, if you need us...we'll be in the garden!

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