Hello friends,

 

     Despite my negligence and absence, I'm glad I still have some faithful friends that still visit! Thank you Jorge and Beth Marie.  Our spring hasn't been particularly nice. I always have such hope for a warm and joyous spring and in some ways it always disappoints! I watched  the Master's Golf event and marveled at all the azaleas and wonderful flowering bushes and whispered......our time is coming. And when it comes, it's fleeting maybe a day here or there and nothing really sustained. Today will be mostly in the 50's, windy and rainy and if you can believe, I have the wood stove going just to knock out the dampness.  Anyway.......

 

the lilac has been blooming and has been fragrant and lovely.  I'm not sure what they will be like tomorrow after the rain but will pick a few bouquets if still in bloom. I did get my trees planted and my privacy fence erected. It always takes more time than one thinks but that isn't new.  And after it was in place, then it needed to be painted white in keeping with the little garden house. My brother Paul has offered to tend to our gardening needs.....primarily the vegetable garden and I am pleased about that. I especially like the herbs; the chives are up, the parsley has reappeared from last year, the dill is reappearing and the basil plants have been hardened and are on their own. I need to talk to him about the thyme and rosemary. I bought him a Mantis - one of those small tillers that is wonderful for weeding and digging up the soil. He loves it and it helps keep things loamy and somewhat weed free. Some of you might remember that I replanted all my irises last fall.  They were just getting too thick so decided to give them more ground.  Well after replanting, I had several bushel baskets extra that I needed to make new beds for. I was temporarily planting them with the rose bushes,and daffodils, anyplace where is could get a fork in. So now I'll have to rethink new spaces for the fall.

 

     I came upon a poet and writer that I really hadn't spent a lot of time acquainting myself with - Donald Hall. It wasn't my knowledge of him that drew me to him but the titles of two of his books; "Unpacking the Boxes," and "The Painted Bed."  "The Painted Bed" is about the last years of his wife, the writer Jane Kenyon who dies at 47 of leukemia. Then I decided to had to buy "The Seasons at Eagle Pond," his purchase of his grandparents old homestead in rural New Hampshire  and his book, "Writing Well." One of the beautiful things about reading is that one reader always leads you to another. Now I'm intrigued with Jane Kenyon.

 

      So now we walk with spring and soon we'll be talking summer.  Until........Bittersweet on the Hill.

 

Hello blogging friends,

 

Happy Easter to all my friends. I'm afraid to say that it is still cool and the woodstove is still cranking away in the background.  I took a walk outside this morning and the daffodils are in full bloom. The snow drops have finished and the rest of the world is waiting for some sun and warmth.  I did splurge and buy two dogwoods and a maple and before they get planted, decided on installing a privacy fence to cut the wind from the open fields across the street. The winter kill from the winds can takeanything down so decided I'd try and protect them in some way.  So we'll see. The roses and irises did manage to survive but I must confess I bought a dozen bales of straw and just stacked them up here and there to prevent as much wind kill as possible.

 

I treated myself to some glazed orchid pots, lots of potting media, and 5 new orchids. I didn't intend to buy some additional plants just the potting soil and a few new pots but it just happened!  I've decided to move some of the orchids into cooler spaces so hopefully they'll feel happier.  I did have some very lovely orchid blooms this winter and several for the first time.  So i want to start them on a nourishment and feeding program in ample time for next year.

 

Anyway, I hope your spring holiday was a good one and wish you much sunshine and warmth.  Peace......Bittersweet

 

About a year ago, the farmer across the street died and his sister sold the fields and acreage to the veterinarian down the street. In addition to his clinic, he has a large horse farm and has picked up hundreds and hundreds of acres. He now owns land on three sides of my 15 acres. I have a stream that is the border on the back side but I own about 15 feet of land on the other side of the stream. We've had some bad winter ice storms and a lot of trees were split, splintered and damaged this year. Add to the fact that the farmers haven't taken care of the land ever since the dairy bailout, the land has become somewhat overgrown with shrubs and small trees. So Gerry has worked on clearing and cutting these past two years and now he's working behind the stream. At the moment he has a bulldozer and excavator working back there and I keep saying to my brother......we better get a survey done because I think Gerry thinks the stream is the property line. Now I know Jerry's intention is to fence the land for horses and that is quite picturesque since he has barns of horses and does a lot of breeding of horses. He has the heavy equipment going and all I can think of is I better find out where the property line is staked out. I'd hate to see the fences go up and have him find out he's just done acres of fencing and it's not on his property! Which means......I now have to survey my land. Another thousand or two blown to the wind.   I thought country life was easy.

 

I am thoroughly finished with winter. This morning we had the threat of sleet and wet precipitation but fortunately it was short lived and the temperatures are rising. It is still cool and marginal but hopefully we'll see some change in the next two weeks. I can hardly wait. I'm waiting to see how my roses and irises fared, how well my back patio held up and of course with loosing the 60 foot maple what the added sunlight does to the northeast side of the house and garage. Over the years I've had to contend with so much shade that the absence of the tree which was a huge umbrella ----will now change the growing conditions. It will be interesting to see what I will put in.

 

Anyway, I'm still listening to a cacophony of chain saws and machinery in the back pasture.....so we'll see.   

Bittersweet

 

I feel like Punxsutawney Phil! I've been hibernating but can't tell you exactly why.  Maybe it just comes with the territory - not sure how or why I can explain it but it happened. Anyway.....

The winter has been hard and long. We have about 6 or 8 inches of ugly snow on the ground - typical February. We've had several ice storms, several days of no heat/light/water, cold and nasty winds etc. They said that this winter would have more precipitation than usual and they were right.  It wasn't all snow and included lots of ice and freezing rain.

I'm thankful for the seed and flower catalogues! I'm already planning this years trees and shrubs and have added two filberts, two dogwoods maybe a magnolia and in the fall, two wisteria. The sad part is that it probably will take a few years before I see some blooms or nuts but you have to start somewhere. Right now I'm thinking about the roses and the new iris beds I planted last year. Which reminds me, I do have to order a maple tree to replace the sixty foot maple that came down in one of the ice storms. It was my favorite tree on the property when I purchased this home in 1981. It had so much symmetry and provided summer shade that kept the house cool. Keep in mind that old farm houses don't have air conditioning; they were reliant on the maple trees that surrounded the house. So the tree that provided most of the morning shade is now a three foot stump and a memory. It is amazing how empty the view looks without the maple tree; and it will very much change the plant life and what grows on that side of the house and garage.

I've been doing something different at breakfast! I'm a light breakfast eater - coffee and toast for the most part. My childhood was filled with all those good things; French toast, waffles, oatmeal etc.  Well.....my memories got the best of me at least for Sundays so I started making French toast and waffles. I have to admit I loved them both especially the Fr. toast with lots of real maple syrup. It was an absolute treat especially with fresh hot coffee.  I took it a step further when I made some fresh bread from scratch. The ingredients are really quite simple; flour, yeasts, eggs and milk. I think what made it especially good was the bread stone and the tray of water for steam under the pizza/bread stone. I was just amazed by the end product especially the crust. It was one of these tried and true recipes from "Mother Earth" magazine.

Well, I say hello to all of you. I'm looking forward to spring; the birds, the greening of the trees and the sunshine and warmth.  Have a wonderful week and peace to all.    Bittersweet

 

Hello my friends,

 

     It is the Saturday before Christmas and I'm basking in the post-storm quiet that comes after a 10 inch snow storm. Last weekend we suffered the effects of the ice storm and found ourselves without power for several days.  All I can say is thank God for the wood-stove and my mother's old Down comforters. We managed with lots of soup and whatever else was in the pantry. We did loose a 60-70 foot maple tree that thankfully fell away from the house, missed the garage as well as the blue spruce my Mom and I planted 15 years ago.  If anything had happened to that blue spruce, that would have saddened me deeply.  But I had the tree cut up and all the branches chipped into mulch for next summer. All that's left is to find a new tree for the mourning doves!!!!

 

    We're expecting another ten inches of snow Sunday into Monday and a snow/ice mix for Christmas Eve. I guess we can say we're going to have a white Christmas.

 

     I'm expecting 8 for Christmas Eve dinner and we've decided to forgo the gift exchange. We're going to share in an Angus prime ribs dinner and just enjoy the festivities around our dinner. People are experiencing too much pain with the difficulties of putting food on the table let alone paying their mortgages etc. To splurge on gifts that no one wants and ends up being exchanged or recycled just didn't seem appropriate this year.  So we'll enjoy dinner and the beauty and joy that comes with sharing it with family and friends.

 

     So t all who have shared thoughts, words, feelings and love - I wish you all a Merry Christmas, a good holiday and many blessings in the coming year.  Peace........Bittersweet

 

Today is one of those rare mornings - truly restful and peaceful.  When I woke up I looked out toward the sky and there was a gray and heaviness that cast a darker shading on the world. I started to raise my adjustable bed to a sitting position and then I saw what always excites me.....snow.  The flakes were gently falling, no wind, and falling like the softness of dusting sugar. So swirling, just that straight line of falling flakes. It wasn't a heavy snow perhaps 2 or three inches but enough to snuggling on to all the tree branches and dust the fields with a white coat. Then it was up to be greeted with hot coffee. 

 

I then watched Sunday Morning, with Charles Osborne, one of my favorite TV programs. They always have a wonderful offering of segments and this morning was no different.  Today's highlights were Odetta, a new singing trio - The Priests, Presidential animals, ( my favorite being Washington's screaming donkeys,) the first performance of The Nut Cracker in the 50's by an unknown dance studio in NJ still performing today etc.  Always a delight.

 

This was followed by my youngest brother making me ham and eggs with buttered toast not necessarily a common occurrence, a fresh pot of coffee and then offering to water my orchids.  How is that for gracious living! But then again, I will be making tomato sauce to go with the eggplant parmesan for dinnr.  And while I embark on that activity, I will be watching the NY Giants play the Eagles and hopefully with this win, win the division title and have home field advantage.  Not something that frequently happens.

 

So a very good Sunday.  I feel blessed.  I live very much........from want or fear and wish I could say that for most of the world.  Blessings from the snowy hillside.  Bittersweet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We've had two nights of frost warnings; close but no hard frost as yet. When I see the grass and fields covered with that chilling silver cover, I always think of that fourteen century word - hoarfrost. I will have to check if the remaining roses got nabbed last night but after this weekend, I'm sure there will be little to retrieve from outside.

 

Our leaves are changing and the colors are starting to come into there full bloom and hue. As I scan the hillside I just marvel at the scenery and wonder why fall is not my favorite season. It dawned on me that it really is a sensory thing; the joy of the warmth of the suns rays in summer and then a visual delight in autumn. Winter is an aural experience. There is a silence that really can't be replicated; I am still overwhelmed by the silence that comes when the snow is falling on a cold crisp night. And spring is purely olfactory; the smell of the earth warming and thawing, the greening that comes from the trees and the running of streams that comes with the snow melt. I'm not sure why all this came to mind but there was the realization that the seasons were really a sensory experience - one as different as the next and each with their own beauty.

 

The orchids are in and the first of them is blooming. I was particularly thrilled when my largest vanda started to bud. I've had the three vandas for about three years and I was told that their light requirements was quite demanding so don't expect much. So I'm really quite pleased when to my surprise there was a bud head on my largest vanda. I put all the orchids outside from May to late September and I'm afraid they got beat up a little. Although a little dog- eared, I think they are healthier.

 

I have to laugh about my iris bed.  I think I mentioned that I had the whole bed dug up and I really thought that I could put most of them back into the same bed. My new ones are planted in a different place and figured maybe I could steal some space from my daffodils and daylilies. After replanting in the original bed, I had about two bushel baskets worth left over. I made two smaller beds in with the daffodils and still had another bushel to plant.  So now I encroached upon the roses. What started out as a simple project got extended in time and space. So for the moment they are in the ground and I can always reorganize next year.  I have to remember that I've been adding over the past ten years or so and finally they were chocking themselves out.  I'm sure they'll be a lot happier next year even though there were lots of very young rhizomes that might take another year or so to mature.

 

Suki.... I'm smiling as I read your comment!  I enjoyed the garden this year immensely. We're still enjoying carrots, winter squash, lettuce and if you can believe......water mellon. We had about 15 water mellons  that came in mid-August. I have one in the refrigerator and three more still in the garden.  And how can I forget the peppers; every color imaginable, hot and sweet and even a black one! My one regret is that we didn't plant more tomatoes.  For some reason they weren't as bountiful as I had expected.  The real trick is to stagger the planting.  With somethings it was feast or famine.

 

Anyway my blogging friends, enjoy the autumn weather and find peace in your days.  Fondly, Bittersweet

 

Wednesday the 17th of September - I can't believe it.  We're still 90 percent green but some of the trees are showing just a tinge of color.  This week is slated to be sunny and clear but we're toying with 60 and 70 degree highs.  I'll have to take advantage of the few really nice days that come our way because what is left isn't very much! Pull out the flannel shirts!

 

Actually I'm planning to bring in my orchids, if not tonight then certainly tomorrow.  Preferably tonight since tomorrow will be only in the sixties.  I must admit I lost several orchids to the hot sun early on which was a bit disappointing.  I thought I had them protected enough but obviously not. It didn't take long for them to shrivel up. So what is left should be hardy but I'd really like to keep them out for another two weeks.  Some of them need the cooler temps to trigger blooming before they come in. I've decided not to buy new orchids until I have the indoor conditions under more control. They really shouldn't be in a very warm kitchen like they are but I really don't have many other choices. The library probably would work but it really is one of those rooms I consider "sacred" and is rarely used. I can't imagine spilling water on an oriental rug!!!

 

My little garden house is almost finished. I call it a garden house but it really is one room; 16 feet by 10 feet. It started out as a possible summer reading room, then a quasi green-house and now I've settled on a summer sleeping room or I should say a spare bedroom. I just have a few things to do; finish some molding, (we ran short by a board,) paint the concrete floor a light blue gray, put up the fan and then haul out a carpet that I brought back from the southwest and hang a few pictures. I had hoped to get this all done by the memorial day weekend but so it goes. 

 

While I didn't get everything done, I did get my patio behind the garage done and really just have my iris bed to contend with. I probably will dig everything up, refurbish the soil and then replant all the irises. If I have any misgivings, it probably is not getting the shutters repainted and back up on the house. Some projects are easy, some are fun, but this one seems so overwhelming - especially on a big house. I still have a shot at it but just don't know if I really want to tackle it. I do have a young man who is interested in doing the job so perhaps if I get energized......maybe it will get done.

 

Our garden was a success. Unfortunately, we couldn't eat everything and so many of the cantaloupe just rotted. We have a few watermelons left, plenty of winter squash, new lettuce is emerging and perhaps a few meals of peppers and swiss chard. Potatoes and carrots will stay safe a few more weeks but the rest has passed. The roses after a very slow start turned out to be quite nice. I think they mail them in a dormant state and they remained dormant for about 3 weeks so really didn't start growing until July. The roses that did finally come were quite lovely and hopefully next year we'll get a full growing season.

 

So my friends.....do enjoy September.  It is my birth month - I'm a Virgo and I'm looking forward to the next two weeks.  Peace from Bittersweet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is hard to believe that today is the 23rd of July.  The past week has been very rainy with lots of thunder and lightening and much the same forecast for the next few days.  Actually I never complain when it comes to rain in the summer. It could just as easily be hot and dry with the gardens and crops withering on the vines.

 

Yesterday I had some of "our" corn and must say it was delicious!  Yes I am bragging a bit but there was that degree of satisfaction that it was from our garden.  We picked a few about a week ago to see if it was mature enough and it needed this week of rain and humidity. Actually the kernels were really not mature enough to eat but yesterdays was perfect.  So I think this weekend just might be a corn-fest!

 

At the moment I'm reading several of Mary Oliver's books of poetry and one that is entitled "Our World".  It is a book that combines her partner's photography and Mary Oliver's commentary and a few poems.  It is a tribute to her life partner and the poetry is beautiful. It includes a lot on their life while living on Cap Cod in the 60's and their struggles trying to make it as two artists. A very beautiful book.  And I must admit I love Mary Oliver's poetry; it combines her spirituality and her love of nature.  She has a beautiful line the essence of which she learned from Molly;  "attention without feeling is only a report."  And how true that is.

 

Anyway my friends, a good day to all of you.   Bittersweet

I didn't go to the fireworks this year although I did watch the specials in WDC and Boston.  I tried to read a bit while watching but that wasn't very successful!  The patriotic marches got the best of me!

 

My project priorities have shifted somewhat and I'm not sure how that shift came about.  Anyway, I'm working on a patio behind the garage that seems to be getting bigger and bigger. I am enjoying the space primarily because it permits me to see and enjoy more of the back fields and valley. I can sit back there and watch the deer wander and chomp on the vegetation.  Last night there were five in the garden which wasn't appreciated.  But the garden is well established and can handle a little cannibalization. One of them was a very young buck whose antlers were just budding  - about 2 to 3 inches. Another was a big buck and three does. What was even funnier was the little garden snake that maneuvered across the block while I was sitting there. Even though it knew I was a specie that he wasn't familiar with, he was determined to make it across and pass me by.  And he did but I watch his every move until he was out-of-sight. It was interesting - he'd  move toward me, stop and raise his head about 4 or 5 inches, flick his red tongue and then move closer. I think he knew he was in control!

 

So why does this little valley so important to me?  First, it is a wonderful habitat for birds and behind the thicket, is a stream that meanders along. Even though the patio is two or three hundred yards from the stream, the patio sits 30 or 40 feet above the lower field.  It is a wonderful place to just close your eyes and focus on listening to the stream while the birds chirp and the wind blows through.  It's my form of meditation. The back is isolated; no homes in view, no distractions and an unobstructed view of life in this habitat.

 

The garden is beginning to provide us with some vegetables; swiss chard, spinach, lettuce, zucchini and variety of herbs.  A beginning.  I'm really looking forward to the tomatoes and beets.

 

The humidity is high and tomorrow we will hit the 90's with oppressive humidity.  That means "quiet" time under the trees and time for reading.  My best to my blog buddies.    Bittersweet

 

     Just when I think nothing could surpass the lilac fragrance, the peonies opened up. There fragrance was breath-taking. I'd walk into the back garden and the scent transported you into another world. Heaven couldn't be sweater. I'd go to the back and just linger just to let my body take it all in. I'm not sure what the annuals will produce but nothing will surpass the joys of spring.  I do have the day lilies coming and they will bloom through the summer but spring was glorious.

 

     The garden has been coming slowly; the cooler and rainy weather didn't help the farmers out.  In fact, last week we had hail the size of golf balls that destroyed much of the strawberry, cherry and apple crops.  It hit sporatically. One farm lost all it's crop and several miles away, the crops were safe. There was no rythm or reason as to how or where the hail hit, but some of the crop farmers lost millions. But we're enjoying the lettuce especially the red and bibb and even though the strawberries generally don't yield much the first year, we are reaping some this year.

 

      I'm working on the back of the garage; I'm sure I mentioned that I pored a concrete floor that I use as a wood shed.  It is about 16 feet by about 8 or 9 feet.  I decided to expand the floor with concrete slabs which are 16 by 16 inches. The back opens out to a view of the fields that run by the stream.  As we were working on the back patio, we were able to watch some deer feeding the folliage by the stream. As we were working on removing some of the grasses, and realligning the stone dust, we came upon some toads which actually delighted me.  Toads are one of the things that we are seeing less and less of and our abuse of the land and environment are endangering more and more species of wild life that is slowly disappearing.

 

     Well I'm enjoying my summer reading.   I probably should be doing more weeding than reading but there is something very attractive about reading while the temperatures are warm and inviting.

 

     A thank you to those who have been visiting.  I always enjoy your hellos.   Peace.......Bittersweet on the hill.

 

 

The other day we were watching Sydney spitting out something, then playing with it, picking it up in her mouth and dropping it again.  As background, every spring we have a migration of several snapping turtles  that walk from the wet lands across the street down to the stream that is four or five hundred feet behind the house. Sydney had one cornered in the corner of the carport several weeks back which we managed to redirect and get it on its way.  Well David (youngest brother,) went to investigate what was keeping Sydney so busy and found that she was trying to ingest this two inch snapping turtle. Believe it or not, this little thing was able to expand her jaws about a quarter to a third of an inch and had very lethal claws enough that she could scratch you with. I watch David handle it and must say he was very careful where he held it so as not to have it take a nap at him. Now understand that Sydney eats everything.  I mean everything.  The list goes on and on. So anytime we see or think Sydney has something in her mouth we check it out.  Well this little turtle must have been snipping and scratching the inside of her mouth every time she tried to get it into her mouth. We ended up walking this little creature down to the pond by the stream, hopefully giving it a chance to grow up.  I'm not a lover of snapping turtles since they can be exceptionally vicious once they get their jaws snapped on you. We have toyed with one or two with a rack handle and once they latch on, they won't let go. And while not necessarily a fact that I voice with pride, it is the state reptile!  Yes, the snapping turtle is the Empire State's reptile!

 

After today, we should have a spell of some very hot and hazy weather. Five or six days close to 90 or above 90 degrees. While not a dry heat, I'll take it.

 

My irises are quite lovely.  Everyday I go out to check what magnificent bloom has opened up. I have several hundred in a rock enclosed circle and will probably have to thin them out this Fall. I get so excited when I check the beards, the ruffles, the blended colors of the standards and the falls, the duo-tones and just the unbelievable apricot, rose, peach colors and of course the old standards that I remember from years ago. The depth of colors - the maroons, blues, purples are also something to stare at.  Anyway, quite lovely.  Blessings to each of you.   Bittersweet on-the-hill.

 

P.S.  Being a New Yorker, I'm a tad saddened by Hillary Clinton's loss for the nomination. A hard fought for battle but Obama had that little extra charisma and a better delivery for his message.  Either way, a historic moment for this country.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I must admit, May has been a disappointing month. It was cold and windy with very few days being days you'd really like to enjoy being in the sun and warmth. I think it's really the wind that takes warmth from the air. And today we are expecting the heavy rains and thunderstorms from the mid-west. Of course my irises are about to open and this weather will create havoc. I was outside yesterday for awhile and I just marvel at the colors of some of the irises. I'm not going to cut any irises but I will cut some Korean lilac before the rain comes although I am tempted now to cut an iris or two since there are so many of them out there.  I was assessing the blue irises and it is amazing what they can do with the standards, falls and beards. Some are all blue, some have deeper blue/purple ruffles, some are white and blue, some have deeper falls etc. I can only say, they are just plain handsome.

 

As for the garden, things just don't want to pop! I suppose if you are cold and being dosed with water every two - three days, you wouldn't want to pop either. Many of the seeds I started inside are/were slow in coming so if I get a few peppers and eggplants to transplant, I will be lucky. Some years are like that but this wasn't the year for veggies not to thrive!  I was so looking forward to a good garden.

 

The roses finally came - about a week to ten days ago but still haven't awoke from their dormant state.  Some of the leaves are just about to come, I don't expect to see roses until early July. But sun and water they will have plenty of. Part of my order from Jackson & Perkins just arrived. I was really looking forward to my yellow lilac but lo and behold.....what was to be yellow was "sky blue."  I also ordered two climbing glory - two red climbers for the arbor and received only one. So the second climber had to be reordered and I'm awaiting that one to arrive.

 

Allot of my projects are in "stall mode."  What I had anticipated to be done by Memorial Day weekend will probably take most of the summer.  But that is the way it goes with projects on the old homestead. New emergencies pop up so things get put aside.  

 

My guests didn't come!  When I requested a little more specificity, the response was.......well you know we are free spirits. How do you respond to that ......except not to be at their beck and call.

 

Little Sydney is fine.  14 months old and still has a mind of her own. All I can say is thank God for the power fence. It probably saved her life a dozen times over. Her enclosure is probably a good two acres and she is a sight when she races along the perimeter after the cycles and trucks . This behavior is so ingrained that nothing would change that.

 

Well my friends.....do have a good day and if on vacation.....do enjoy every minute.      Bittersweet

 

 

 

     Today is starting out as a cool relaxing day.  The weather hasn't become particularly warm as yet but perhaps early afternoon I'll enjoy a little warmth before the clouds set in.  71 as our high.  Most of the garden is finally in. We did pick up some tomato plants from one of our neighbors. Dan loves to start a broad spectrum of plants including some exotic and heritage varieties. We also stopped at the plant and bake sale at our local library and picked up some herb plants and of course brownies etc. As I say, you can never have enough herbs.

 

     My rose arbor came so perhaps we can get that up, if not today then certainly this week.  I treated myself to 7 rose bushes, two climbers and 5 tea roses. I haven't done well with roses so we'll see. Our winters are very cold so hopefully I can protect them with straw and burlap.

 

     My concrete floor didn't get poured as a result of other demands on the mason. I was promised again perhaps Monday or Tuesday.  So we'll see.

 

     A friend from the southwest announced she's making an unexpected stop sometime around the 20th of this month. But she doesn't know exactly when. One of the few things I don't like is uncertainty. I tried to tell her as graciously as possible that we need to pin this down. The line went like this:  we're driving cross-country and might make a trip to Niagara Falls and would like to stop by and visit. Fine, but how about a day?????  Not sure I want to be on "hold" for sometime around the 20th!

 

     After I get my morning together, I want to call one of my nieces and wish her Happy Birthday. She lives on Martha's Vinyard and doesn't get a lot of opportunity to get off island especially in the summer. She has done some renovating on her house so I'm sure she'll be happy to talk about the second bathroom that they just finished.

 

     To all the mothers in the world, even if it is just mother's of ideas and projects, have a wonderful day.    Bittersweet

 

 

Hello friends,

 

We've had an incredible stretch of weather. Two weeks of glorious sunshine and warmth but now experiencing some cooler and cloudy weather.  47 degrees at the moment. Not pleasant enough to be outside.  The UPS man dropped off a package and when he entered my kitchen with the woodstove going, he said.....gosh, how nice in here. He dropped off my strawberry plants.  The beds were made last week so we'll get them in within the week.  I'm just hoping we'll get some berries this year.

 

Well the garden is well on its way with a few more things to plant.  I started the peppers and eggplant indoors so hope they will break through the soil in the next few days. You never know!  Sometimes the seeds germinate and if too much water, they rot. Always a balancing act.

 

My chicken coup is ready for it's concrete pour.  You'd think that would be easy but not many want to come for a building that is 8 feet by 12 feet. Someone has promised to do the pour so we'll see.

 

The last two orchids that were in spike are ready to bloom. I have one red dendrobium and one white paph ready to bloom. Over-all, I am pleased with my orchids efforts although two are struggling. I can hardly wait to get them outdoors.  They always enjoy the summer with the occasional rain.

 

Miss Sydney is well.  I think she thought she might get a nice morsel of UPS driver or at least a tire. But we were one step ahead of her. I think Sydney dreams truck drivers or fast moving tires.

 

Anyway, all is well. Take care.   Bittersweet 

It is a pleasure to finally here that the temps are within "normal" range. A wet, soppy spring, days of wet snow and now some sunshine.  54 degrees but a normal 54 degrees. The next few days will be flirting with the low to mid fifties with welcomed indeed. The ground is saturated but I think we can start raking on Wednesday and Thursday. Raking and trimming is the agenda for this week. I have someone helping me cut the wild roses and brush so at least a start.  Eldest broker offered - maybe I should say twisted his arm a bit, to rototill the garden so hopefully I can start planting some of my lettuce and spinach.

 

The Dog Guard fence people have finally put the wiring into the ground. So all I have to do is start reducing the yellow flags.  Every couple of days and I can pull about a third until there are only a few at strategics places. As I'm writing this I'm thinking of the things I need to do; i.e., put my order in for 5 yards of good garden soil, 3 yards of mulch, and look for another arbor. Perkins and Jackson called to say my arbor is out of stock so I'll need to look elsewhere. Can handle that.

 

I picked up two interesting books; "China Shakes The World," by James Kynge and "About Alice," by Calvin Trillin. Calvin is a writer for "The New Yorker," and "About Alice" are his memories of his wife Alice.  I think I'm having a love affair with writers for "The New Yorker" - at least it seems like that. 

 

Just thought of something else; I have to call the carpenter.   Have a good one.  Bittersweet welcoming spring with outstretched arms.

 

I've got so many projects in mind for this spring and early summer that I may be forced to write down what I'm hoping to do.  It might also be a way for me to keep track of what I need to be doing at any moment - much like a time line.  So what's my first project......how about getting a floor pour in my chicken coop!  Ok.....I hear it now, who has a chicken coop and why?  Well let me tell you about my chicken coop.  It sits on the sunnyside of the lilacs. From the road you can't see it.  You have to walk to the barn and then you pass it on the left.  Anyway, this little out building has been around for years. Could be forty or fifty years maybe older.  It is about 12 feet long, 6 or 7 feet wide and maybe 6 feet high. A tall person has to stoop when walking around.  Anyway, there are two windows on the south side and two on the east side. The building has a tin roof, which we paint with that silver gray metal roofing paint and it has the same red barn siding as the barn. I ordered two windows as replacement windows, barn shash I think they call it and will cut off an inch on the top and bottom to make them fit. The width of 24 inches is fine. The coop is painted red and has a door to get in. And a dirt floor. Good for chickens but not for storing things. Every year I say what a great place to store my gardening tools; dry and safe. I bought a Mantis - a light weight cultivator a few weeks ago and am about to buy a garden cart and a few more rain barrels. So pouring a concrete floor for the things you use primarily to prepare a garden and during the gardening season is my first to do this year. So where are all my gardening things at the moment?

 

About 12 years ago I built a garden house.  It's dimensions are about 15 feet by 12 feet, fully insulated, with electricity and heat. The only thing missing is the sheet rock. It now housing everything from fishing rods, golf clubs, an air compressor, outdoor furniture and God knows what else.  This year I'm reclaiming my space and putting a summer room/bedroom out there. Last year I invested in a lovely awning that opens out to a lovely brick patio, and in leaders/gutter/drains to collect my rain water. I also had a well dug at about the same time I had the garden house built so that I'd have all the water I needed for my garden. To water as frequently as I wanted would have put a drain on the house well, so really  - out of necessity, had the second well dug. I think you can tell I am ripping..........

 

When I first moved into the house in 1981, seems so very long ago, one of my brothers took all the shutters off the house with the intention of scraping and painting them. It is now 2008 and those shutters are sitting in what used to be an old woodshed on the back of the garage.  Actually that woodshed was my very first project. We replaced the roof and I poured a concrete floor and made it into a sitting room so we could watch the stream. I have subsequently rebuilt the frame of the overhang and the floor is as good as ever. I just might reclaim that area as well! 

 

Anyway, I have hired a carpenter to look at my shutters to see if they can be refurbished. The advantage to using the old shutters is that they have the hardware on them. To buy new hardware is as costly as buying new cedar shutters. So......come h___ or high water, the shutters will be up this summer.

 

So the first three of several projects. I may have to slide the new fence wall and arbor in there somewhere before the roses come.  Now you know what is ahead.

 

Bittersweet