Happy Autumn

Just came in from tilling. I'm making a new Iris bed in front of the house. I received 122 + Iris in the mail today from my Daves Garden Co-op. I didn't think I would get them this soon, so I have been tilling like crazy.

It has been raining so the new ground was not to bad to work with. I need to add more dirt to the low spots tomorrow and start planting.

Tis morning started out with a walk on the trails, then the rain came. It was such a light rain soft on the cheeks so I did not hurry. These last few days have been just wonderful weather wise. I'm thinking of moving my fall decorating up soon.

In The Kitchen:

Canning all those cherry tomatoes in to tomato sauce.

Oh how they grow good but so many. Just got the right thing for em. A food mill. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half , let em cook to soften up the skins and toss in the food mill. Grind away

I'm thinkin my own version of V8 , yum

Back jars have whole tomatoes which I left the seeds in, I don't really mind the seeds. But I have seen some pretty jars at the fair that the tomatoes did not have a seed one, blue ribbon stuff I tell ya.

So more canning and freezing up thegarden harvest. I might make some pear honey this weekend, yummy

Butterfly & Bee Garden:

This I planted from seed and a new plant on the homestead. Seed givin to me from DG member.

Honey Bee Blue, Agastache. I also have some white but it has not bloom yet.

Summer heat has kept me from doing a lot of weeding so with the rains and cooler weather , its cleanup time in the gardens.

Brown bagging:

Yep sis and I are still bringing our lunches when we go into town, this is where we stopped and had lunch earlier this week. Its so peaceful and the ducks and geese swim along. The sounds of a motorboat in the distance. It makes for a lovely place to eat a meal.

Morning Dew:

Lots of heavy dews that helps from watering and lots of foggy morning to this season.

A couple of pictures I took, thought they were cool, first one is dew on the thinnest little weeds, almost hair like , so delicate with a tint of color

This picture is a dew drop on a rusted cattle fence. Why this? Well it reminds me of one of the stories my Dad would tell sis and I when we were little girls. He said that there was another world in a drop of water, one so tiny we could not see with our eyes. Little tiny beings all in a world of their own. I know it sounds scifi but back then he had us with our eyes open and looking at the smallest things with awe.

Heres a morning dew poem you might enjoy.

Morning Dew
by Robert Frost

How does it get there?
It just appears from nowhere
The morning dew comes down
And the sun starts to shine.

It's so thin and hardly moist
Like the air of a mountain
The morning dew comes down
And morning's officially begun.

It hardly ever comes
At the exact same time
The morning dew comes down
And clouds peak through the sky.

It never lasts long
Like the good things in life
The morning dew comes down
Meaning another gorgeous day.



All take good care
Many Blessings
linda

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Saying goes if you count the fogs in August , thats how many snows you will have in the winter. Alright : ), I have counted 2 so far in 24 hours and one due tis early morn.

I love foggy mornings on the homestead. Love walking the trails early before the sun burns its way through and the fog is gone. I like how the fog settles in the valley and how it floats across the ponds.

This mornings walk on the trail was a delight , along with Coal are almost grownup pup, jumping and running along side. Signs of tall grasses flatten by the deer that take rest but no sight of deer this morning. But I know they are there , watching me and Coal.

But signs of wild grapes, some ready for pickin. This will be a tomorrow morning's gathering for the makings of wild grape jelly, hope the birds leave me some.

The top picture is one of the mammoth sunflowers blooming, these are forming a nice maze in the garden. The fog is slowly fading away.

This sunflower is not quite open, kind of saying "Can I just sleep a little longer"

Oh, gotta go shut up the Hen Den, b back soon. Get ya some tea or coffee cuz I got some flowers to show you : )

Those chicks are growing so and they are so good at going inside the coop at night. Its a hot muggy night and the fog is starting. : ) another snow!

Flowers:

Every farm garden needs Marigolds and Zinnias, two of the easiest flowers to grow I think. Picture of some green Zinnias, bought seeds this spring and they are just as pretty as the picture on the seed pack. I hope the seeds from these will be true to color.

Oh the Gladiolus, these are soooo pretty. Planted these Glads this spring. They were a gift from one of my co-ops host. A couple of plants didn't do well in the transport to the co-ops home so she gave me some glad bulbs to make up the lost. Oh I love these kinds of losses. There was a blue one that I didn't get a pic of. More are blooming so there will be more surprises to see soon.

Can you tell me what this flower is? I think I have it down wrong. The seed pac said wheatstraw, but I'm not to sure about that. Its sure does well growing in the hot sun tho.

Knitting:

Boy I threw up my hands on knitting two socks on a circular needles tonight. It was a mess. Let me explain.

Ok I love to knit socks with the double pointed needles, all 4 of them, no problem. My problem, if your a knitter you know already, that second sock that ya gotta do unless you want to go hoppin on one foot to show off your knitting. This is a bugger to get that #2 sock started and finished.

Untill this came along,

This new to me in the last couple of years is knitting two socks at one time with just two needles. Oh that sounds wonderful. The fam doesn't have to wear a knitted and store bought sock now

So a couple of days ago I find a book, 2-at-a-time Socks, by Melissa Morgan-Oakes

Thumbing through, it looked easy, easy as pie. So today I picked up a 40" circular needle and excited to get back home from a work day in town. Get down and knit up some kid socks, oh I was going to have a pr. of socks made before morning

Well that just didn't happen, I couldn't even get past the first round. The two yarns were tangled, the cable was wraped around my arms cutting off circulation , I was steaming up hotter then outside, I tossed it on the table and did a grrrrrrrr. I lost my cool.

I went back to my easy to do dishcloths and cooled down a bit. Oh why can't my knitting friends live close. I know what your thinking and saying, give it another try, its awkward at first and you'll get the hang of it, give it another try tomorrow. We'll see. I just looked at it again and what a mess. But I will 

I get so inspired by your alls knitting and other craft projects, keep em coming and sharing. If it was not for you all I would not pick up a project that I messed up and try again, a big thank you.

So untill tomorrow, I'll be knitting on more dishcloths, oh these are a hoot to make up, fast and EASY : ).

Thanks for dropping by, Have a great weekend.

Blessings
linda

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Ahhhhh I can't complain now cuz we are getting a soft much needed rain. But yesterday was a toasty one and sitting in the shade with a tall glass of ice tea was about the only thing I wanted to do. For just a little bit tho. Kids were coming over and I was making BBQ brisket.

But first let me share of our Farmers Market find. We are going for peaches and come home with that and a couple of wooden Adirondack chairs. Just what I have been wanting sense my last ones of many years ago just rotten away. Even to rotten for garden art.

Oh are these comphy. I love the arms on this type of furniture, great place to put your drinks and bowl of munchies on. I had a little time to sit a spell and read my new copy of Mary Janes Farm. Great ideas and inspiration , this is my second copy and I like!!!!!

One of my chairs I was able to pay for from a tip from one of my clients so I was very happy to see these for sale at the market. I told the older gentleman that I would be back in two weeks to buy two more. I like to have a pair by the hammock. But I'm thinkin I might go this coming weekend and pick them up. He also makes little kid Adirondack chairs, they are so cute. I can see me reading to the gkiddies while everyone is sitting in their chairs. A blanket on the ground will be easier on our budget tho, lol. Unless I get more tips : ).

They had a base paint on them so I painted with a top coat to protect the wood. Both chairs and I got painted good : (

The trip to the Farmers Market was enjoyed as DH and I took the old truck on the old country roads to get to town. Fields and valley's are dotted with many big bales of hay. Our field has not been cut yet, we are kinda on the last of the list. Sense we don't have any live stock to eat hay we just have them take the hay for cutting. The best we seen from a good years cut was 11 big bales. Drop in the bucket compared to the larger fields. It average about 8 bales.

Thoughts of a cow and growing our own beef keeps popping up every year to eat that grass, but theres much to do to have that happen, fencing,shelter, buying the calves etc.

BBQ:
No matter how hot the summer gets, BBQ always taste good. Brisket, rolls, veggie Kabobs with fresh pineapple chunks on the grill. Corn on the cob, tater salad, fresh greenbeans and tomatoes from the garden. Oh and grandma's vinegar cucumbers , yumm. She made the best and I even have a glass bowl like hers. Grandma always had a big bowl of vinegar cucumbers the whole summer long out on the kitchen table. My Mom said my V cucumbers tasted like grandma's ,

Later in evening we all went down to the garden to pick some goodies for DD to take home. They all love picking, but seem to never have them around when it comes to picking greenbeans, oh is that a back breaking ordeal. I should use a bucket to sit on.

The kids spotted the manmouth sunflower plants, they have not bloomed yet but they are tall and perfect for a maze. The little guys started a hide and seek and we ran and ran to find each other. I didn't have my camera but they had so much fun and I laughed hard, or maybe I was out of breath , it was a hoot.

Then I seen our little grandson barefooted. Oh I worried, bee's, sharp things like cut stubs and such, but he seem to not bother.

It reminded me of this poem, while not down there in the garden, but today as I'm sitting here typing by the open door and the rain coming down. Hope you enjoy as I did.

The Barefoot Boy by John Greenleaf Whittier (1807–1892)

Blessings on thee, little man,
Barefoot boy, with cheek of tan!
With thy turned-up pantaloons,
And thy merry whistled tunes;
With thy red lip, redder still
Kissed by strawberries on the hill;
With the sunshine on thy face,
Through thy torn brim’s jaunty grace;
From my heart I give thee joy,—
I was once a barefoot boy!
Prince thou art,—the grown-up man
Only is republican.
Let the million-dollared ride!
Barefoot, trudging at his side,
Thou hast more than he can buy
In the reach of ear and eye,—
Outward sunshine, inward joy:
Blessings on thee, barefoot boy!

Oh for boyhood’s painless play,
Sleep that wakes in laughing day,
Health that mocks the doctor’s rules,
Knowledge never learned of schools,
Of the wild bee’s morning chase,
Of the wild-flower’s time and place,
Flight of fowl and habitude
Of the tenants of the wood;
How the tortoise bears his shell,
How the woodchuck digs his cell,
And the ground-mole sinks his well;
How the robin feeds her young,
How the oriole’s nest is hung;
Where the whitest lilies blow,
Where the freshest berries grow,
Where the ground-nut trails its vine,
Where the wood-grape’s clusters shine;
Of the black wasp’s cunning way,
Mason of his walls of clay,
And the architectural plans
Of gray hornet artisans!
For, eschewing books and tasks,
Nature answers all he asks;
Hand in hand with her he walks,
Face to face with her he talks,
Part and parcel of her joy,—
Blessings on the barefoot boy!

Oh for boyhood’s time of June,
Crowding years in one brief moon,
When all things I heard or saw,
Me, their master, waited for.
I was rich in flowers and trees,
Humming-birds and honey-bees;
For my sport the squirrel played,
Plied the snouted mole his spade;
For my taste the blackberry cone
Purpled over hedge and stone;
Laughed the brook for my delight
Through the day and through the night,
Whispering at the garden wall,
Talked with me from fall to fall;
Mine the sand-rimmed pickerel pond,
Mine the walnut slopes beyond,
Mine, on bending orchard trees,
Apples of Hesperides!
Still as my horizon grew,
Larger grew my riches too;
All the world I saw or knew
Seemed a complex Chinese toy,
Fashioned for a barefoot boy!

Oh for festal dainties spread,
Like my bowl of milk and bread;
Pewter spoon and bowl of wood,
On the door-stone, gray and rude!
O’er me, like a regal tent,
Cloudy-ribbed, the sunset bent,
Purple-curtained, fringed with gold,
Looped in many a wind-swung fold;
While for music came the play
Of the pied frogs’ orchestra;
And, to light the noisy choir,
Lit the fly his lamp of fire.
I was monarch: pomp and joy
Waited on the barefoot boy!

Cheerily, then, my little man,
Live and laugh, as boyhood can!
Though the flinty slopes be hard,
Stubble-speared the new-mown sward,
Every morn shall lead thee through
Fresh baptisms of the dew;
Every evening from thy feet
Shall the cool wind kiss the heat:
All too soon these feet must hide
In the prison cells of pride,
Lose the freedom of the sod,
Like a colt’s for work be shod,
Made to tread the mills of toil,
Up and down in ceaseless moil:
Happy if their track be found
Never on forbidden ground;
Happy if they sink not in
Quick and treacherous sands of sin.
Ah! that thou couldst know thy joy,
Ere it passes, barefoot boy!

Knitting:

I've been working on dishcloths late in the evenings, oh they whip up fast. Heres a new one that is very fast. Now I should not show cuz I got mistakes but couldn't wait, lol. This is a round dishcloth and so very easy, I really should not have had mistakes. But even the simple things in life you should be mindful of cuz details show up to. But I like things chip and dent and found on the curb and dumpster dive and all that kind of stuff. Stop!!! Theres no excuse when it comes to knitting. It called frog, rip, rip, rip it out. so my next one will be perfect, I hope : )

Thanks for dropping by and have a great week filled with
Many Blessings
linda

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The grandkids brought their butterfly nets over to catch some of granny's butterflies :(. I have been working on a butterfly garden to look at not catch the winged beauties. So I steered them to the many little blue butterflies in the field to catch. At their dismay they could not catch any. Tiring of that they wanted to go pick tomatoes. So off they went to the grape tomato patch, picked and ate , and picked some more.

Now wanting some salt we needed to take their harvest up to the house, and with no buckets in the garden the girls started filling up their butterfly nets, it was so cute. They held hands as they went down the garden path talking about getting some salt and eating the tomatoes out on the porch.

Gdaughter is showing baby brother how its done, just the right amount of salt will do . Nothing like a nice juicy mater on a hot summer day.

Notice the warped steps, nails coming out and needs a paint job. Oh the projects on the homestead. Some people pay big bucks for the "Distressed Look" around here it comes free : ).

Chickens:

Oh the chicks are growing and a couple are crowing, well tryin anyways. Its funny to hear them give it  a shot.
Weekend was spent fixing up the outside pen so they can go out and get some fresh air, eat grass, catch a bug or two.

Theres now 103 Plymouth Barred Rock. I lost two the other day and I think one of the older hens laid into them. They are bigger now and learning to leave the old gals alone.

I sit out in the morning with a cup of coffee and watch them come out the Hen Den doorway. They look around first before they step out to make sure its safe. I keep a fan going on 24/7 in the coop, the days get mighty toasty. They started roosting very young. This helps with the amount of chicks and floor space. Opening up the outside pen for them has really helped too. I hope to get eggs this year and culling out the roos this fall will bring the size down quite a bit.

Flowers:

The Hibiscus are blooming good again this year. They are not the really big ones, like the Dinner Plates but still a good size. I have no names for these.

This is something that I do from now on, make sure when I plant I have the name and botanical name for each plant and keep records. A really must if one saves seeds.

I showed some other pictures of my Caladiums, this is a grouping of them and I am just awed by there growth.

Plans for many more of these bulbs. Critters seem to leave them alone.

Harvest:

Greenbeans, this is my second batch with more to pick. I still need to get my fall beans planted and I best get snappin at it. You know the days , months are flyin by and we will be in a frost before we know it. Ahhhhh frost, sounds good on these hot muggy days.

Homestead thoughts:

Busy week again , thoughts of canning, stocking up for the winter months. That being firewood too. I don't think we should hoard food items and other things, this tends to put a stress in the markets if we all rush out and buy ,buy, buy. But buy a little at a time when you can. The more you can grow and raise yourself also frees up food and such to others that can't or just plain don't like to do it. Supporting the Farmers Market and buying local is the call of today.

The "what if's" can come any old time and with the real truth is that its tight out there for many, stocking up seems the best plan so far. Knowing where your food comes from is such a good feeling that your feeding your family the best foods you can.

This has been used before by many, Plan for the worst and pray for the best.

Out here in the country you just can't get up and go to the store when you have a cravin for something. Having things on hand sure beats running and using up gas. The cravins over by the time you get and go and come back. To pooped to eat.

So these things I'm going to be working on in the next few weeks. Nature gives us signs of weather conditions. The trees are full of nuts and fruits, this could be a sign of a strong cold winter. The gardens harvest too. Canning, freezing, dehydrating foods, fermenting, making your own yeast. Gosh just making a lot of things on your own. Cutting back on things that you really don't need. Oh have I cut back on colas big time. Its Ice tea these days and I like it so much better. Pepsi really makes me thirstier. So cutting back on that not only saves on money, but health too. All that sugar. But I still like my sweet tea : )

Then you get things, I'm talkin bargin things. Stuff that comes to ya out of the blue. Maybe your at the right place at the right time, maybe you check the paper for coupons, maybe the garage sale down the street has something for a song and a dance that you have been wanting for a time and now its yours. Those kind of finds that makes your mouth fall south.

Having just the exact amount of money for something that you need , or the money is there when you need it.

I like to call these such things Blessings, coming from a higher being of Love, whom I call God. Miracles , oh ya, little, big doesn't matter, they are all around us and for all of us.

A little story:

When we were kids,sis and I, K and first grade. We had deep snow back when we went to school. And this one time Mom carried us to school cuz she did not have enough money for boots for us. I remember this to this day. As she was walking with us in each arm she notice green money under the snow. It was a 5 dollar bill, and right in front of a small clothes store. Sis and I walked out of the store with new boots on.
I don't remember the look on my Moms face b/c I was so happy with my new boots but as a mother and grandmother I know it had to be the happiest type of look.
Right time, right place, maybe, or !!!!!!!!

I think most of us have a story or two tucked away in our hearts.

And on tucks,I gotta go tuck the chicks in for the evening, and go over and have a cup of coffee over at Moms. Sis will be over there and we'll sit outside and talk of old times when we first moved to the sticks and talk of our many fishing trips. Maybe Mom will pop some popcorn for us, she makes the best popcorn. : )

All take good care
and Blessings many
linda

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Like everything you wait 20,30,40+ years and its back in style again. Clothes, furniture, even lawn mowers. Well sorta!!!!!! I pulled this out of my great finds stash. A bit on the rusty side and needs a handle but could cutting grass come back to using one of these again. Oh boy, age does not make this look to exciting, when jumping on a riding lawn mower is so much easier.

My gramps used this type of mower all the time. He would breeze along on his manicured lawn like it was nothing. Course he had those blades sharp as a razor and the wheels well oiled. Mine is going to have a lot of work done before its a breeze to use.

Thoughts of higher gas prices makes one think of plan B,C and D

I'm pullin the push mower out and my bike. Oh but the bike will be much harder to use going to the store when we live in the country. The down hill part ain't bad, its that goin up that gets ya : (.

Good part is its a good work out and you don't have to feed em, just simple maintenance, ahem, unlike the one in the picture which has been heavly negeleted for many years.

That ol mower sure brings back memories tho. Grandpa working on his lawn, burning leaves on the curbside , that smelt sooooo good. He would have his ice tea on the big white porch smokin his cigar or a sweet smelling pipe.

He'd have my sister and I going, "Who is lady bug and who is doodle bug" he would ask. Neither of us wanted to be a doodle bug , that just wouldn't do. Of course sis is doodle bug!!!!!!

I love horehound candy, not a favorite to many. But gramps would leave a couple on his dresser for me. He would walk us up to the small corner grocery store, oh it was small. You know how things look bigger when your a little kid, will this store was little then. Sis and I would always get that button candy on a long strip of paper and red licorice, the really good kind. Our small sack of penny candy that we each had a death grip on was treasured for the weekend stay.

You know things today just don't have the favor of foods in the past. Sis and I are still looking for the red licorice of yesteryears.

Gramps had a basement that was made of stone that he painted white.It had a big boiler , but what we like most was the wooded cases of Seven Up, stacks of them. He was rich in our eyes with that kind of stash. Grandma would pour us a small cold glass of Seven Up for a treat. Gosh that was good and she made the best toast in her old fashion gas stove using wooden matches in a special holder to start the oven with.

They would take us on a Sunday drive in gramps Plymouth, Sis and I would hold on those strips in the back seat, no seat belts then. They took us to a spring that many people visited to fill up jugs of ice cold clean water, even mason jars. Oh was that a treat. Water cress growing around, it was beautiful.

So many memories and it seems the simple things where the best.

Sis and I sure loved our grandparents on both side and each has a special place in our heart forever.

Gramps was a railroad man and lived a good life, he loved to work on his lawn and smoke his pipe. He passed away sitting in his rocker on his big white porch.


Gotta go out and mow, hope I got some gas left.

Take care all
Blessings
linda

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The other day I was feeling like one of those kind of days you don't want to think about anything but feeling good. Ya you can do it, even when the world gets upside down.

In my mind I was going to go out to the garden and gather herbs in a big basket, wearing a long cotton dress with a big floppy hat. Butterflies all around and a big glass of ice tea waiting in the gazebo. Well thats my vision. What really happens when I go to the gardens, I usually just come from the chicken coop where 105 growing chicks think I'm their mommy hen. I'll get a chick that lands on my back while I'm tending to their water and grains, poop on my shoes, and hands : P. wearin my camo shorts and t-shrit and rubber cheap shoes, these are so easy to wash off.

I run my hands on the wet dew grass and then go to the water hole to wash up, then to the garden. Far cry from the dress and floppy hat look. My hair is tied up in a bun and hopes of no one laying an egg on it.
But once i'm in the garden its all nice and smells good. Passing and brushing up against the herbs is a must in the garden. Smells that take me to my grandmothers home years ago. I needed to bring a bouquet of herbs to put on the dining room table, oh the house will smell so good.

Taking deep breath's of all the herbs I gathered , I was in heaven, ahhhhhh. I could not wait tell DH comes in from a hard days work and smell these. Gosh I was thinkin even havin a glass of wine too. Or a nice fancy dinner. You know it was one of those kind of feel good days.

Well Dh came in all grubby from work, I'm grubby from garden work. I say to hubby can you smell that!!!! He leans over and takes a whiff and says " Smells Like Cat Wet" WHAT, my herbs , my beautiful wonderful herbs.

There goes the wine, the fancy dinner, all my good feelings cuz of a difference of smellers. It did not smell like cat wet, I know what that smells like and my herbs did not smell like that.

Some people just don't appreciate the aroma of herbs, but then again yesterday we were cooking hamburgers out on the grill and the grandkiddies were over. We were eating them in my fancy dry rot dream tent (a few blogs back). Everyone was chowin down but I thought they smelt funny, funny kind of bad. All was sayin how good they were and I could hardly eat one. Come to find out the baby was by me and had gone to the bathroom ,ahem #2,

So we do have different sniffers or I must have been down wind. I'll take the herbs any old day kind of smell, cat wet or not.

Heres a picture of my gather herbs bouquet

This pic is Calendula, the flowers will be gather to make salves. I have some wild honeybee's wax that I took from the raw honey for just purpose. Also good in cooking giving a saffron coloring to foods.

I got a lot of different sunflowers growing this season. The big Mammoth's are growing . But my favorites are these Autumn Beauties. Even in July they are blooming and should keep going into the fall. I will be saving seeds from all these.

These next two are a surprise in the garden, so I have no names for them other then "I Like"

And can't have to many Blackeye Susans, they pop up everywhere and I just leave em .

This is the flower that makes me have one of those feel ol timey good, put a dress and floppy hat on and and carry a basket in the gardens. Queen Anns Lace. This one does it to me everytime.

But alas, dreamin aside, I wear my grubbies,clean out the chicken coop, wash up by the water station clothes and all sometimes,drink my ice tea in a mason jar, stroll the trails and gardens and eat maters in the garden. Ahhhh the smell of it all.

I want to thank you for dropping by. Its a busy old time we live in and so much to do. We can't get it all done at once but its sure nice that we can smell the roses, or in my case the herbs as we carry on.

Breathe the good life
Blessings to ya
linda

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Garden:

This is what is takes for those tomatoes to ripen, nice warm summer days. Got a ripe tomato for the 4th of July. That's always the goal around here. This is an early heirloom , Stupice, that I saved the seeds from last year.

Eating it right in the garden, I just wish I had brought my salt shaker. Theres just something good about eating a nice warm juicy tomato picked right off the vine that makes all the garden labors well worth it. And so does a toast and mater sandwich too, ok add some bacon and lettuce, oh thats goooooood. And its makin me hungry.

I can't wait tell these big boys ripe'in up. I do have tomatoes growing called Big Boys. But these are an heirloom , Mortgage Lifters. Story has it a man paid off his mortgage by selling this type of tomato. Wouldn't that be cool in todays world. I'm thinkin payin for gas with maters : ).

Heres another group of heirlooms, Grapes. these are so cute and I know the Gkiddies will be eating them like candy.

Peas, greenbeans, cukes and squash, and other goodies get closer to being harvest as each day is warmed by the sun. So far have not had to water.

Grapes are plumping up and peaches this year, no heavy freeze this early spring to take them out like last years crop.

In the Woods:

Its Blackberry pickin time , get em before the critters do. Oh theres always plenty for man and beast. You know wild blackberry pickin in the woods is really not that easy. Especially in the thick bushes. Theres thorns to contend with, poison ivy at bay and then theres this critter overhead in the wild grape vines.

Oh hes a vibrant green and he didn't make a move for his photo shoot. Nor did I for that matter, other then moving my camera trigger finger.

Flowers:

The weather has been perfect for the flowers as well. Many new ones for me this season, with the seeds given from Daves Garden members, co-ops and just plain going crazy buying seeds. The homestead is changing with color , more butterflies, hummmingbirds and all the other critters that like flowers too.

Many seeds were winter sowed , making many plants that will have maga seeds to save and share with others. I have already started collecting seeds from spent flowers.

This was from a DG member that I wintered sowed. A Morning Glory called Star Of Yelta. It looks like the center glows, It is so pretty.

Heres a tall Phlox called David. I got this from one of my co-ops groups. Oh It smells good.

Rose of Sharon, I have to transplant a few of these from sapplings I seen today while cleaning up around the old flower wagon. A client gave me a start of these many years ago. They are really kicking in with the blooms.

These Daylilies have been established on the homestead and plans for getting some rare heirlooms this fall is happening on another co-op.

We use some in our salads, makes it colorful : )

Heres a couple more

This little one is called Rain Lily,so pretty. A friend gave me a couple to try out, she was new to them to.

I love all these new flowers that are coming up, something new to look at everytime I go for a garden stroll.

Knitting:

I havn't knitted for some time. I might be what you call a fair weather knitter. The ones who knit when its snowing and a cup of hot cocoa is close by and the fireplace is cracklin. Well the storms the other day changed all that. I wanted to do something, but what. Couldn't play on my PC and I didn't really want to learn to much, after all a brain can hold so much, LOL. But still I didn't want to just sit there like an ant on a log. and I really didn't want to clean house : (. So why not knitting.

I looked at the sweaters, hats and gloves and all the cool kinda stuff to knit up but I wanted to do a fast project and something that didn't take much thinkin. So I remember one patern to make washclothes from a homesteading magazine called 

Down To The Roots

Thats what I needed to fill the need to do something. One of tenzi's under appreciated washclothes. I whipped one up in on time and working on another. These are great to wash dishes with. Look I got a big old spool of cotton yarn to make many, LOL Are you on my Christmas list this year , hummmmmmm. : )

Food:

Oh I really like this part, sis is cooking split Cornish Hens on the grill and corn on the cob and other fixins tonight. We are going to wait tell it cools down a bit but I'm sure hurngry now. I'm going to see whats in the garden as far as a salad, maybe toss in some daylilies too.

Thanks for dropping by. I got some other projects to share and if they look good I'll have some pictures too. Hey I'll even post a picture of tonights dinner if it looks good and everyone can wait for the photo shoot.

Take good care, many Blessings
linda

Oh BTW, the butterfly has left the building. You know the one a few blogs back. I was watching it close, make sure a spider didn't have it for lunch. Well he was still in his shell in the morning, come the afternoon gone and no signs of spider feast either. : )

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Hope your having a great holiday weekend.

Out here in the country the firework displays were all around us in the distance last night. The woods echoed and made it sound like the Civil War was going on. Our valley had the smoke of our fireworks laying low and you could imagine soldiers of time past walking out of the fog.

Its quiet now with just a few booms way off a little earlier. The only light is the fireflies that light up the fields. And the sound of the pond critters and animals in the woods. Back to normal, ahhhhhhh.

We had my Mom , sister, BIL, hubby and I to celebrate the 4th. We had a cookout over at Moms and then everyone came over here b/c we have a better view of others shooting big bucks into the air : ). BIL brought a few so we had our own little ooohs and ahhhs.

All the kids had other parties to go to so it was just us oldies out having cowboy coffee and taking it easy. Oh we had a game of washers to play. You toss washers in a box , something like horseshoes but so much easier on the arms after a day or too. Sis and I beat the fellers, LOL. We even beat em in a rematch, lol. Bring it on!!!!!!

Last weekend we had the bigger party with bonfire and fireworks for our Grandson's 3rd birthday. We used the tent and its still standing.

There was badminton,with super size rackets and shuttlecocks. If you could get past the laughing b/c of the size of the equipment to play , it was rather fun. We had a cookout and our new SIL did the cooking,: ), he did a great job.

We had icecream and cake in the tent. Here is the little birthday boy opening his gifts. He got an ant farm. They have to order the ants, hey I offered my ants, take all you want!!!!

Notice his arm. He broke his collarbone the day after Fathers Day playing on his kiddie jungle gym. The day before he was playing in our woods, climbing on rocks, sticks etc., goes home and gets hurt on a kiddie toy. : ( He's healing great.

This is baby brother eating  icecream and cake , yummy and messy!!!!

DH and I have been cutting dead limbs down and piling up for the bonfire, we are planning for this spot for further bonfires, its open and we can really make it huge and safe.

This one did get pretty big, we stayed at a distance. Our thoughts were on the firefighter in Ca. Just thinking how big this little bonfire was compared to the ones they are fighting. Prayers going out to everyone in the line of the fires and firefighters.

This bonfire shot up sparks that we really didn't need any fireworks. The evening was perfect, rain the day before made it safe for such.

I remember when we first moved from the city to the sticks. My Dad, Mom, Sis and I were sitting around our campfire on the 4th of July. Loving the outdoors but yet feeling we were missing some fun not having fireworks. So Dad fixed that. He stirred up the fire to make sparks fly and yelled Happy 4th Of July. We'll never forget that 4th in the woods.

And then this one makes us laugh to this day. When our kids were little , my sis was so into holidays. And the 4th of July had to have fireworks on that day rain or shine. Well it rained so sis and hubby lit fireworks in the rain while we watched from inside the dinning room window.

Gosh this even reminds me of the time when sis and I were in our early teens and Sis wanted a Christmas tree that very day. It was raining hard then to. So Mom and I sat in the car while sis was out in the rain holding up trees that were leaning up against the Hen House store and we would say ya or nay while she got drenched. LOL we still laugh about that. So sis is not a fair weather person. But she still likes to celebrate on the day that the hoildays fall on. Me, I like to celebrate when we can, even if its a week off. Makes the holidays last longer : ).

Oh back to the b-day party!!!!!

When our bonfire was dying we shot off the fireworks.

Oh and the sparklier fun,

The party was such fun, it felt like we had the 4th of July that night, so its been holiday fun for a few days now.

Now the fun part is when you gather all the blown up fireworks and fire em up. There's still some that has a little more ump in em, some snap, crackle and pop. So DH and I sat out tonight to have the last hoopla of fireworks.

I'm so glad we have another day left of the long weekend. It will be in the garden.

Got the first tomato and I ate it right in the garden : ). Also some more garden pic to share. Blackberry picking today in the woods had me up against a snake, a pretty green one. He posed for a picture so I'll be sharing that on my next blog.

Coal our growing pup is a great fur friend, she did not get scared from the noise of the fireworks, just layed on the deck like it was no big deal. Shake a box of dog biscuits , now thats a big deal.

All take good care
Many Blessings
linda

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These days theres a lot of talk about outdoor living, outdoor kitchens , outdoor livingrooms, heck even outdoor bedrooms and we know theres outhouses. So looking through a magazine of a tent that looked so inviting with an old fashion lantern , tea stained linens, flowers on the table , nice white down comforter on an old stressed out bed frame. The tent screen door flipped open from a breeze ( I think the magazine had motion, sure looked like it).

A fresh blueberry muffin and hot tea in a pretty china cup. A soft used ladies straw hat with a flower hanging over a ladder type wooded chair, the stressed look of course. Old suitcases stacked up with a good book on top.

Ahhhh I could live there and be as happy as can be. But why not was the message of the artical, "Do This Yourself"(Well really it was a Bed and Breakfast) but still I wanted to do this myself and sense I'm still on staycation ,I'll go for it : ). So I did it but it wasn't as picture perfect as on the glossy pages.

Heres my version of tent living just in our front yard and little to the left.

1. I had to find the tent first, the screen tent, I wanted air flow, I needed air flow.
2. Found it, but it was buried in much stuff thats been stored for a very long time. A Very Long Time
3. Found some cool stuff that I have been looking for so that was a plus.
4. Putting it up, its a by numbers type of tent and the numbers were gone , yikes . I had to wing it, that was fun----NOT.
5. Good news the zippers still worked but you could poke a hole in it very easy anywhere, dry rot. Duct Tape is awesome !!!!
6. Surprisingly it didn't smell To Bad.
7. It was airy, Holes

So after the screen tent was up and stood more then ten minutes I was on a roll and time to get it to look like my dream outdoor room. So off to go get chairs, table, flowers and white covers.

Dumping all the accessaries at the front I start to zip open, a little stuck at first, humm it worked earlier, oh plz don't break. It didn't but it came undone on the side. That can be duct taped. I get in there and realize its too sunny and hot, so I go and move it over just a couple of feet in the shade of the trees. Set up my table and chairs, Blackeyed Susans in a vase on the table. White cotton covers on the old cushion chairs. The magazine, the one that inspired me, laying on the table for me to compare. So off to get me some ice tea and I was done for the day and ready to relax in my outdoor living room.

Those outdoor living pictures don't show the bugs that come to visit and stay. There was more bugs inside my screen tent then ouside the tent. Maybe they subscribe to the same issue I was reading and like outdoor living too in a scabby chic way. Anyway they were there,so I open the screen door and shooed them out. I even left it open cuz they were getting in anyway , so I just let them buzz by while I read my mag and had my cold ice tea that was now watered down from my time shooing out the bugs. The magazine was a great bug swatter too.

After a while it got breezy and thoughts of getting a cot and spend the night outside. That all changed when we had the gang over for a birthday party. Do you know what dropped ice cream and cake brings in at night time , bugs and more bugs. (I got pictures of our fun B-day party and fireworks that I will be sharing on my next blog).

Then you get this lone mosquito thats mission in life is to make a super loud noise in your ear, and make you smack yourself. You can't get him, nope its not meant to be. You either take it or leave it and with holes in the screen you run to the house where theres the nice cool fan, soft bed and a big window you can look at all the stars to fall alseep by and also look at my dream tent too : (.

Oh the magazine is still an inspiration and I'll be looking for a better screen tent, maybe on sale this fall.

But until then I'll go sit in my patched up tent, try not to run another chair leg through it like I did when rearranging my outdoor living room furniture. Stick something in the very top, theres a basketball size hole in it. Could be the main reason for bugs, no no they came crawling in too.

Drink my ice tea and look at the magazines that makes me at least want to give it a try .

Heres a pic of my outdoor room , gosh I hope a big wind does't come up.

Thanks for stopping by
tc and many Blessings
linda

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Had a nice thunderstorm tis mornin, shut the pc down and had a cup of coffee and just listen and felt the nice cool breeze come in. Day before yesterday was also another rain storm. I like these because it makes pullin weeds so much easier.

Thats what I was working on when DD and kids showed up yesterday, it was still nice and cool so we made up some peanutbutter and jelly sandwishes and ice tea, layed a big old quilt on the ground had a nice little picnic. The little triangle sandwiches were rather tasty until the little one put his foot in them :P, the critters got the rest of them.

Everyone likes to pick those mulberries , so off to the tree and eat, not sure how many bugs we might have ate, but no matter. If it eats a mulberry it probably tastes like a mulberry.

It was getting warmer so they headed home for a nap and I headed in to think about house cleaning, thinkin was as far as I got. But I did work on my fish tank,its been rather dormant for some time so I got the notion to fix it up again and have some gold fish , plus the sound of the water fall is rather peacful here in the art studio.

I called my sis who was in town already to pick me up some cheap gold fish, and she did, two have already hit the dust, they were sucked up in the water fall thingy :(, bummer. But the bigger ones are strong enough to get away from the current. I don't know fish tank fish well, but these look like puffed up gold fish with fan tails. Sis just handed me the bag and said here and didn't tell me the names. Plus a black one that sucks on the glass and gets pretty big, I just wantn't goldfish, but she felt I needed that one. I call him Little Gill.

Gardens:

Stuffs a growin , and I'm ready for the eatin part, tomatoes esp. You know I like fried green tomatoes but I just can't do them until latter in the season, why, I don't know. Maybe I'll change this rule I have or whatever is going on.

This has been the best year for flowers I tell ya, plus all the new ones I have growing are taking off very nicely.

Heres some tall phlox that I got from a co-op that I have babied during the late winter. Waiting for this day to see them bloom has been will worth it. This one is Blue Paradise. But it looks more purple

The David phlox is almost ready to bloom too, its white with a wonderful fragrance.

Heres another one of these awesome beautiful Caladiums, I am just amazed how big they get. This one is called White Queen

And this one has just open in the last day or so, Gingerland, oh I love that name too and it looks like a gingerland.

Here is some cute little wild flower. I don't know the name but it grows in the fields and a small group is growing in my garden, I will just leave it. Its tall w/a very small flower.



Update on the transformation into butterfly. Nothing yet, its still hangin on by the threads. But unfortunatly there was another chrysalise (that cocoon like shell they do there thing in) that had open up to unleash a beautiful blue and black Swallowtail and a dang spider was on top of it havin dinner : (, so I'm keeping my eyes really open on this other fellow.


Heres another critter that I first noticed in my gardens last year, the Hummingbird Moth. This is a delight to see. This one was having dinner on a milkweek flower. This is a host plant to the Monarchs as well.

I'm not really sure if this is a Clearwing Humming Moth but it sure looks like it. It has a lobster shaped tail. These are such a wonder, with wings beating faster then a honeybee and also does it fair share of pollinating and works in the rain too.

The garden is calling me and so is the dishes in the sink, which one will I choose?

No guilt here, I'm grabin my camera and a peanutbutter and  jelly sandwich and outside I shall be. Those dishes can wait, but these cool breezes are much to take in on these many hot summer days.

All take good care , thank you for stopping by.

Blessings
linda

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Oh I go to the store once in a great while but still its pretty much stay at home. I would like to just blame it on the gas but my work partner, my sister underwent surgery on her gallbladder. She's doing great and getting better each day. We don't take vacations in our homebase business so we sorta made this a real vacation, cept I get to garden and she gets to sit around and heal. Sis loves to paint so she is doing what she loves to do and as for me its in the garden and taking care of those chickies.

We'll be going into town soon for our work so vacation time is almost over.

Its getting warm these days, I'll go out and do some yard work or garden work until i'm beat red and then come in for a cool off. I'm taking a break now and having a pepsi, I wish I had ice tea instead but I'll force myself to chug this down : ).

DH and I took down some dangerous tree limbs and put up my swing, it was on another big old tree but the limb looked to bad to let anyone swing on it, so heres my new swingin in the breeze tree swing. I think I'd like to put a bench type swing someday so I can stretch out and read a book on.

The limbs are being piled up for a big bonfire this weekend. Our DGS will be turning three and we'll have a cookout and a big birthday party for him. Maybe a few fireworks too. Poor little guy broke his collarbone last week, just after Father's Day. He played in our woods and then goes home and falls and gets hurt on his kiddie jungle gym, :/. Hes doing great : )

Got some more flowers to share. I picked up a couple of white Echinacea's at Lowe's yesterday, I got the tag right here to give the name, whata ya know it says Ruby Star and a pic of pink echies, now unless this white one changes, I'm guessin they got the wrong tags. I sure hope so cuz I just love white Echinaceas.

Heres a white poppy that bloomed a couple of days ago, I have never seen a white poppy.

This is such a new plant that I'm growing , Caladiums. I have a lot of them growing from bulbs from a co-op. This one is White Christmas, don't you just love the names of flowers and plants.

Another new one for me this year and seeds that I winter sowed are the Nasturtium, Nasty for short, but they are far from being nasty. These beauties brighten up the garden plus you can eat them.

Heres one that looks like a rose unfolding,

They are so bright,

Here I got some growing with leaf lettuce,

I have been keeping my eye on this fellow. I wish I had taken a pic when it was a beautiful caterpillar, it had the makings of a Monarch, but seem pretty small, its about 1 1/4" long. It started to get really hard and its going through the stages to become a beautiful butterfly. I hope to get pictures when it comes out. Stay tune : )

Ahh and my favorite helper in the organic garden, the Lady Bug. Hey look at the back leaf Lady Bug, thats where you need to be and get those bad bugs. They are eating my bean leaves : ( , Oh theres blooms on the bush beans, maybe beans for the 4th of July : ).

I can't believe these Pansies are still going strong, with our warm days they still have a happy face on them, well some of them. These are the ones that came up from last year, which was a surprise too.

Heres another winter sow plant that I really could have just direct sown, these come up well. Cleome,some are called Grandpa's Wiskers, LOL. I can see why!!!!

Another very new one, Poor Mans Weather Glass, these little blue flowers close up when its going to rain. So with the Tree Toads croaking and Poor Mans Weather Glass, I will know if I need my umbrella or not.

What salad would be compleat without the Daylily. I moved a few of these around today, they grow so fast. Now I just tried eating these last year and they are rather good, kinda got a crunch in some parts. The reg ol daylilies are ok to eat but not the Tiger Lilies. Its always best to make sure you know whats good to eat by someone that has tried them before, this goes with mushrooms too. I like to let them go first at the dinner table then wait a week, its safer that way : ).

Wild Blackeye Susan sweeps the valley in spots among the hay fields, I get a few up closer to the house and in the garden which I just leave. The ones in the field will get chopped down and rolled into big bales of hay, but not before I gather them for sunny bouguets,

Heres something new ,well different looking anyways, It's some sort of garlic. I have never seen garlic do this and plus I didn't plant it here in the Blackeye Susans, so I'm thinking its from birds maybe or a hugh gust of wind brought it in. But I like it cuz its different. And as long as everyone here eats garlic we do very well.

Well theres a few pic of stuff growing on the homestead. This seems to be such a differnt year for new plants coming up after so many years of being dormant (poppies), pansies staying around in the summer, funny looking garlic brought in by a bird maybe!!! Earthworms that are as big as baby snakes,and many other sights.

The garden is full of wonders, its complex and yet simple, thank goodness, simple is what I like but learning something everyday is right up there. And after 28 years on the Locust Trail Homestead, theres still more to learn and wonders to see.

All have a great week. I'll be back in the workshop and sneak out to the gardens on breaks. That will be checking on my chicks and maybe put in a plant or two. With my camera at my side!!!!!

60+ more tomatoes put out this weekend with a ton more to go. I'll reach the 300 mark for sure. I plan to put some in containers to grow in the winter time by a sunny window, never tried that , see theres that something new going on here again : )

Blessings to ya
linda

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You know with the high price of gas that means more hometime for me.  I so wanted to do something  yesterday, run down to the lake with dh and just have a drive but the more I thought how much it would cost just to go for an aftenoon drive the more I didn't care about it.  Plus theres so much to do here on the homestead.  So a trip vacation my not be in the near future for a very long time.
  
   So i'm makin my homestead a place that feels like i'm on a vacation.   And the garden is a good place for that.   I think more people are doin the same thing to. The word "Staycation" stay at home for vacation is going to be very popular these days.
  
   So I took a few pictures of things on the homestead, you know those feel good things, they are simple but thats ok, I mean a vacation is suppose to be relaxing, so come on and have a look at what a vacation means to me. 
  
   Less is more but oh those flowers can be right up there.
  
   This is one of the Lilies that my dd got for me , I don't have the name.  We had a good rain so it had a few drops of water. 
   

   
   I'm not sure what flower this is, I have to check with the person who sent cuttings, but it was bloomin' and lookin' good.
   
 
   
   Oh I just love Echinacea's / purple coneflower.  This one is from a wildflower patch I planted many years ago,theres not many growing b/c of some landscaping work that is still undergoing. A big dozer rolling over it and it still grows. I moved it to my new butterfly garden. 
   

   
   Heres another Echie, a green one,  there are so many different Echinaceas.  I'm in a co-op and will be ordering many for next spring to plant. 
   
 
   
   Heres a bird bath I added to the new butterfly garden,  notice the imprints of butterflies.  I have not seen a bird use it nor bird poop, just a drowned bug or two.  I shall be patient after all I am on vacation!!!
   
    
   I forgot what this flower is but it pretty, some kind of comos maybe
   

   
   I'm really getting some good deals on plants through co-ops, heres some Sedium, Brillant.  The plants are growing good, can't wait to see them in bloom.
   

   I have this plant popping up all over, Yarrow, great to dry out for flower arrangments
   
   
   You know that landscaping project I mention, will it spread a lot of my flowers and I thought they were goners, wrong, nature has a way.  This is some Lambs Ear. I have some growing next to the garden and it can't even come close to this, already blooming , tossed around by the bulldozer. I'm going to just leave and work another flower garden in that area and see what comes up : )
   
   
   Queens Anns Lace grows all over, but I have never seen it do this,  it looks like outer space stuff or maybe in the ocean.  There was only a couple of plants that looked like that and the rest look like they always do, Queen Anns Lace is a very pretty plant.  I like having it growing in the gardens.
   
   
   An old chair is a great place for this Star of Yelta.  I don't know this plant and will be excited to see it bloom, should see something this week.
   

   
   We may not want to have tea under the Mulberry tree, its loaded and dropping not to mention the birds and their droppings too :P
   

   I have really got into flowers this year but I'm still going strong with the veggies and herbs, still much more to get out in the garden.
   Lookie here my first seasons tomato.  With 182 tomato plants out and still more to plant, wait I thought I was on vacation, oh will!!!!  Yes the garden is full of play/work that I just love doing and eating out of.
  
  This picture is a Stupice tomato, an early variety.  I saved seeds from last years tomatoes , seeds givin to me from a dear friend that is gone.  Debby's memory lives on in my heart and garden.
  
   
   Heres something that makes me feel like vacation, 105 chicks,  Barred Plymouth Rock.  Lost two, dang it.  The good news is they are out of my workshop and in the Hen Den.  So I feel like vacation. They are just over two weeks old and if gasoline was free I still couldn't go to far from home. They need fresh water and food refilled a couple of times a day and oh changing their bedding to.  One of these days I'll be having fresh brown eggs coming out my ears, so all this vacation time will pay off : )
  
   The pens have gone highrise.  They like their new home, even got a fan on them, spoiled chickies
   

   
   Heres the place I really feel like a vacation, the campsite in our woods, sometimes we pitch a tent , but we had a Fathers Day wiener roast and smores.
   
   
   Well thats a few pic's and simple staycation, and the thing is everyone can do this with their own homes.  Find a special place at your home and make it your vacation.  And the really good part about a home vacation is, your not tired like you would be if you went on an away from home vacation, ya know the ones you say "I need to go back to work to relax"!!!!
  
   Who am I kiddin I still would like to go to the lake :P
  
   Have a great summer coming up, stay safe from the storms.  Prayers and heart goes out for all those in the storms way with much loss.
  
   Hope all the Fathers had a great Day.  And all those that have and had great fathers, it makes this a very special day.
  
 
  
   All take good care, Blessings over flow

   linda  
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   

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How about a walk down the garden trail with me, we haven't been on a walkabout sense the morel hunt.   I promise no snakes on this one, no mud puddles, no poison ivy and hopefully no ticks, but check yourself just in case, we are in the country : ).
      
       Nope this is just going to be some flowers that show up in spring and even some surprises that I planted years ago and  this year they show up.
      
       Come on down this way to the gardens,  notice on the left side of picture is the new butterfly garden that was covered with carpet a few blogs back, I got some plants already started and have been mulching with wood chips, theres much to do on this garden.   The background is the veggie garden and gazebo. 
       
      

       
       Greeting us in the entrance to the garden is a garden angel in amongst Siberian Iris.
       
   

   

       
       On the other side is what looks to be Black Irises ready to bloom.
       
   

   

    
    But when open its a very dark purple, very pretty.
       

    

    
    Heres a huge white Iris that was a surprise this year, I planted this one many moons ago and its now doing it showing.
       
   

   

       
       Down below is the Pansies that came up this year, that was a surprise too!!!
       
  

    

       Heres a picture of beautiful Spiderwort from my Grandmothers garden many years ago. I'm so happy to have got starts from her plants not knowing at the time they would be on my very own homestead.  They will be passed on down to my grandchildren when they have their gardens. And they will know the love of gardening that was in their Great GreatGrandmother. 
       

       
       I was setting on the bench and smelled this wonderful scent, Honeysuckle, ahhhh it smells soo good.   I have it growing on the gazebo.  It grows along our trails in the woods and its so nice to just walk along with your nose in the air, sometimes I think I'm a coonhound walking the woods.  I dug some up for the garden.
       

   

 
       
       Now this is my favorite, Grandmothers Peonies, and it could be from my Greatgrandmothers.   Last year was not a good year for the blooms when we were hit with a hard freeze that lasted several days.  But oh this year is awesome and these old fashion Peonies have a smell that will knock your socks off.  Oh they are great, heres a couple of shots of them.  Taken right after the rain today.  
    

       
       Heres another one of those surprises, Poppies I planted many years ago and this year they are blooming, must be a super good year.  I hope my veggie garden does half this good.
       
   

   

       
       Last picture is a new plant on the homestead.  Bloodroot, I shared a picture of it in the early spring with its leaves wrapped around its stem.  Here it is with its full grown leaf, what a pretty shaped leaf.  I have this growing in the woodland gardens.  It seems to be doing very well.
       
 

     

       
       
       Thats a few of the flowers that are growing, there will be many more flowers from my winter sowing, many co-op plants that I got to get planted and the veggie and herb gardens to share. 
      
       Its been a very busy spring and so much more to do.   Today was planting tomatoes, many heirloom tomatoes and more to plant tomorrow. 
      
       Our Navy Son will be coming home for DD's wedding next week, and 100 chicks will be ready to be picked up on the 2 of June.  I got to get ready for that too. 
      
        With the Grandgirls T-ball on Sat mornings and much to do in the garden and in my workshop, I did sneek in some fishing on Moms pond.   The big fish was not caught but it sure was nice to take a breather and sit on the boat and let the little fish take my worms I dug up. 
      
       Hey thanks for coming along on the garden walk, I enjoyed. I should take you fishin next time : )
      
      
       You know I haven't blog in time, mainly because everytime I get ready to do, something aweful would happens in different parts of the world.  I know thats life and my simple fun stuff just seemed out of form to do so.  My prayers are always for the love ones of those that have suffered and loss of life. You just never know in this Ol World when things happen.  Makes us humble and know that every moment is a counter.  Whether simple or complex, its our moments to have and to make the most of.
      
       Have a safe and fun Memorial Day, this is a special day to remember.
      
       Blessing to you all
       linda
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
      

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   You ever go by your home that you lived in when you were a kid and see the old trees that you played around still standing tall as ever? Everything seemed bigger to when you were kid. Or how about the Lilac's on your grandparents home.

   Homes on both sides are still standing and not much changed other then my grandparents are gone. While looking at their homes memories of yesterday comes back clear as a bell.

   I wish the same of the homes I grew up in , most are gone, wiped out to shopping centers and such. Especially the farm homes that we lived in when I was a kid. Guess the tree house and the big ol barn just didn't cut it when there was millions to be made in the land. Didn't know it at the time we were living on such rich property. We just looked at the corn growing and jumpin in the ponds on a hot day.

    When my one grandmother moved from her city home that I just loved and remember like it was yesterday, she took many plants with her to the new home. It was more in a country like setting with a little branch and her being a flower expert she had that woods filled with flowers. She was happy.

   Moving as we did living in the city to get closer to our work and clients , flowers and planting trees were not on our "To DO" list. Putting in a veggie garden was more important then flowers to my folks, so we would have fresh veggies, but the yards were plain as could be from lack of beautiful flowers.

   Not until we moved to the country w/ my sis and folks that we changed course to growing something that would come up every year, provided color and pleasure not knowing it was going to bring good memories as well. And those memories are still growing over on our homestead. Grandmother gave us cuttings and tree saplings to get started on our new homestead, probably plants that she started from her mother or even grandmother. I wish I had asked.

   One is the Forsythia that I took just small branches from the enormous plants over at Moms from just a small branch many years ago. Passing it on later to my kids when its time for thinning.

   This is about four years old , it tells of spring and many memories

   Now you either like yellow or you don't. But you sure got to like what yellow stands for in the flower world, "joy,friendship,freedom" How it got to be called coward I just don't know. 

   Heres another plant I love from grandma's, Spiderwort, it will have pretty purple flowers this spring. Theres also a wild Spiderwort that is tall and very pretty that can be found along the country road sides. I always look for the hairy type grass looking leaves before I go pulling thinking its just grass.

   Heres another favorite old fashion Peony from grandma's too. They are popping up and I have cleaned around them and put some chicken manure (recommended by a sweet Amish lady). I have three big spots, and they look so beautiful in bloom. And smell good too : )

Theres other plants still over at Moms that I plan to dig shoots from and start over here on our homestead and pass the history of our family on to my grandkiddies.
Yes memories of the past are loved and cherished and warms the heart. There are also those memories that don't and its hard to shake sometimes.

   Remembering the good will out weigh any ol bad memories hands down, and heres the part I like, we have the choice. I like those