One more quick post before Jason and I unplug for two days! We both took a little time this past week taking pictures of the many things blooming around our property. The beauty of the little plot of land on which we live is almost too much to take in right now, but we'll deal with the challenge! I'm loving getting out to help with harvesting, weeding and mulching. I'm finding that one of things that is helping me get a lot of garden work done is water - Alida loves to play in it! So I can turn the hydrant on a slow trickle and she stays occupied watering things. The other day, the 3+ inches of rain meant that she didn't need any cistern water for her play, she had a mini swimming pool in the fire ring to entertain her.
This past week I got to be involved in another first that I forgot to mention in the last post - we are shoveling out compost from our composting chicken coop for the first time. So amazing - thanks to our chickens we have an abundance of compost for the first time ever. And thanks to my ingenious husband the process of getting the compost out and sifted was very simple. Of course he designed the composting coop with a ramp for the chickens that was made with wire that could also serve as a sifter for compost and that fits nicely over a wheelbarrow. So we just open the ramp onto a wheelbarrow, let the chickens out to run, scoop shovels full of compost onto the ramp and sift it, leaving the sticks, stones and large pieces fall off the edge, making a mulch area in front of the compost coop. Jason's design abilities are incredible!
One of the gifts of this past week was a number of really special times together as a family. On Mother's Day we hiked to the lake with my parents, sister and sister-in-law. It was a gorgeous day, perfect picnic weather! Later the same day, my family gave me the best gift possible - we enjoyed a full three hours or so outside together as a family working in our gardens (with
everyone happy the
whole time). And it must not have been a Mother's Day fluke as we have enjoyed a few additional such times in the days following. It's been really fun, especially to see Kali's growing interest and ability to maintain focus on her garden plot. The ducks and her chicken enjoyed her work as she shared the rye with the ducks and grubs with Buttercup.
Okay, here's a smattering of pictures in no particular order. My screen time is just about up!
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| Makes my mouth water! |
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| One of the many beautiful flowers blooming in Nora's garden! |
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| Spinach, lettuce, mustard greens and peas in the background. |
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| Newly planted three sisters field - flour corn planted under each crate. |
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| Onion field |
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| Comfrey and poppies blooming in Nora's garden - being enjoyed by a carpenter bee. |
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| Columbine blooming in Nora's garden |
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| Black oak with garlic field in the background. |
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| We are counting on not running out of garlic in May next year! I'm eager for garlic scapes within the month! |
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| Popcorn field - I must admit that it took me a few minutes to get my bearings on this one as I have yet to make it to that corner of our property to see this particular planting! |
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| Kali in her garden. |
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| Magenta lambsquarter |
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| One morning's picking of spinach, asparagus and a minuscule fraction of the tea available. |
Bearded Iris
wild poppy
Unknown wild iris (probably the dispersive exotic "Yellow Flag")
Spiderwort
Columbine
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| These beds will soon be the spot of much activity - tomatoes, peppers, sweet potatoes, etc... will find their homes there soon! |
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