as is the strawberry patch. There are a lot of blossoms, some beginning to turn into berries. We should have strawberries in a week or two. YUM!
The salvia is blossoming,
as is the thyme,
and the chives. Did you know chive blossoms are edible? Learn more here.
The peach trees have many small peaches. too many for this young tree to support. I read that the fruit should be thinned, leaving only one peach every 6 to 8 inches. This will be done soon.
I spent some time over the last two days pruning some of our forsythia and lilac bushes. When we planted the peach trees we put them on the berm where the lilacs and forsythia are. We wanted them on higher ground since the last few years had been extremely wet and we didn’t want them to drown.
I pruned down the lilacs and forsythia that are near the peach trees so the trees will have enough air flow and sunlight.
With hot weather in the forecast early this week we will need to get the pump in the pond so that we are ready to water to gardens if we don’t get enough rain. My husband claims it is my turn to put the pump in the pond so I’ll be sure to take some pictures so I can show you how we use pond water to irrigate our crops.
I think it was our first fall at the farm when I planted a bunch of tulip bulbs in the area that has since become our prayer garden. I remember arriving at the farm one morning the following spring and being delighted that several of the tulips were blossoming. They were so pretty. Later that day when we returned for our afternoon walk all of the pretty blossoms were missing and all that remained were the stems and the leaves. I wanted to cry. Thus began our love-hate relationship with deer.
Our First Tulips
After fencing the farm two years ago and then fencing in the prayer garden last year, we thought it might just be safe to plant tulips. We planted 4.
The first one to open was red. I thought this fitting since the red tulip is a symbol for Parkinsons Disease awareness and April is Parkinsons Awareness month.
The yellow one opened one day later.
And a second red one opened today. I expect the last one will open tomorrow. It looks like it will be another red one.
White hyacinth with mini daffodils.
Peach Tree
We planted a peach tree last year and it was doing well this spring
Peach Tree
so, we decided to plant a second one. Both are blossoming. It would be nice to pick a few peaches in August.
Forsythia
Lots of Daffodils
Sweet Cherry Tree
We planted three sweet cherry trees last year.
Sweet Cherry Tree
The above two have nice blossoms. I would be thrilled to pick a handful of sweet cherries this year.
A honeybee enjoying the dandelions. We lost our bees over the winter and decided not to start a new hive this year so it’s nice to know there are still bees in the area.
A wildflower that popped up and I am still trying to identify. If you know what it is, please tell me in the comments section.
My husband found the killdeer sitting on her nest. There are four eggs in the nest. She is very camouflaged. Can you see her? (Look in the foreground.) He marked the area with the yellow flag so we remember to stay away from it.
Thanks for visiting! What’s blossoming in your area?
Hello and welcome! Spring has been very gradual in getting here this year. It seems like we go two steps forward then one step back. No quick warm up this year. I suppose the slow warm up is good in some ways – it means that trees and plants are slow to bud thus reducing the chances of fruit trees being hit by late season frost/freeze. We have had some rain as well but so far nothing extreme. There have been a few outdoors chores that I have been able to get done, but while I’m waiting for gardening and grass cutting season to arrive, I have had spring cleaning (indoors) and some other projects to keep me busy.
Making Soap
A few weeks ago, my sister told me that her husband wanted to go back to using natural soap. She asked if I would make them a batch. Of course I was happy to do it. When I asked what kind of soap she wanted, she asked for “the shaving soap” or aloe soap which makes a really nice soap for shaving. So, on April 1st I made a double batch of aloe soap. I want some to keep for us.
The above picture is the soap in the molds after several hours. The outer edges are hardening but the center is still a thick liquid. It was in the mold for about 30 hours before it was hard enough to remove. It will be a couple more weeks before this soap is ready to use but I am looking forward to it. I haven’t made this soap in a few years.
Below is my recipe for any soap makers who might be reading.
Aloe Soap Recipe
This recipe is a large batch – 32 bars of soap. It could be halved or quartered to make smaller a batch.
40 oz. Coconut Oil
70 oz. Sunflower Oil
8 oz. Olive Oil
16.95 oz. Lye (NaOH)
45 oz. Water
about 1/4 cup – Aloe Juice (Scrape out inside of aloe leaves and blend in small blender) added at trace.
When I realized we only had one jar of strawberry jar left in the pantry I decided it was time make some more since strawberry is both my favorite and my husband’s favorite. Fortunately, I still had three packages of strawberries in the freezer.
We should now have more than enough jam to last until this year’s strawberries are ready. My husband has worked hard on the strawberry patch, so we are hoping and praying for a great crop this year.
Crocheting
In a previous post I mentioned that I was making an afghan to donate to the humane society for a raffle.
I completed that project. It’s difficult to see in the photo but the puppy paws print run through the burgundy stripes as well.
I then began a new project.
This is a cat pattern that I have not made before. Can you see the cats? I began making this using some partial skeins of yarn that I have. I really just wanted to learn the pattern. I’m not sure yet if it will be a small blanket or a pillow.
A Few Spring Pics
At last, the daffodils are blooming.
Forsythia just beginning to bloom.
I finally got a picture of a killdeer. Rarely have I seen one stand still long enough to get a photo. This one was unusual because it was all alone. Usually there are a pair in the area. I did a little research and learned that migratory killdeer will generally mate for a season and males usually return to the same area each year. They may mate with the same female as the previous year. Non-migratory killdeer may mate for life. So, I wonder, since I didn’t see it’s mate in the area, if it is yet to find a mate for this season.
Our hens like to roost in the lower branches of the spruce trees. I thought it was a picture worth sharing. 🙂
Looking Ahead
The weather is supposed to be warmer this week, and my husband plans to get potatoes planted. As for me I wouldn’t be surprised to find myself cutting grass for the first time this year.
Thanks for visiting. I hope you have a wonderful week.
April is Parkinson’s Disease Awareness month so I will start by sharing this link to the Parkinson’s Foundation website that has a wealth of information and resources regarding Parkinson’s disease.
I am so blessed that 5 1/2 years post diagnosis my PD has not progressed. In fact, many of the symptoms I was experiencing when I was initially diagnosed have gone away. I am not on any medications, but I do take some supplements that help with the conditions that I still experience – mostly muscle cramps and head and neck tremors.
I’m not going to go into detail about everything I’ve tried and what I’ve found that helps, but if anyone would like more details leave me a comment and I’ll be happy to share.
Staying Healthy
In January I began my 60th trip around the sun. In pondering what I wanted to accomplish this year I decided my goal was ‘to be the best Me that I could be’. In order to do that I thought maintaining my health is probably one of the most important things that I can do. In order to maintain my health, however, there were some areas that I needed to change – first and foremost diet and exercise.
I wanted to make changes that would last a lifetime so in December I started forming new diet and exercise habits.
My diet changes look like this – I started cutting calories by cutting out sweetener in my coffee. Then I looked at how much I was eating. It seems I’ve spent a lifetime eating until I was full, and it occurred to me that I only need to eat until I am satisfied not until I am full. I started cutting down on portions. For example, for breakfast I will eat one egg, one piece of toast (instead of two), two pieces of bacon (instead of three), and 1/2 glass of orange juice (instead of a full glass). Similar cuts are made with lunches and dinners.
We have also begun eating a lot of tossed salads and fresh fruit. I still eat desserts but again I only eat enough to satisfy my sweet tooth. I find that usually about 5 bites is good.
I have also developed an exercise routine. Not only will exercise help me lose weight, build muscle and increase my metabolism, it is one of the things that is most recommended as far as treatments for Parkinson’s disease. I began in December by riding my recumbent bike a minimum of 20 minutes three times a week. I continued this through January, then in February I upped my game. I began riding almost every day and increased my time most days to 30 minutes. I might miss a day now and then but somedays I will ride extra minutes.
I am happy to say that since February 1st I have lost 15 pounds and just as happy that I I seem to have less muscle stiffness and cramping.
Eclipse
During the eclipse that was visible in parts of the US on April 8th my husband and I decided to go to the farm and experience it. We didn’t have eclipse glasses so we couldn’t actually watch the moon cross in front of the sun, but we wanted to see how dark it would get and how the chickens and wildlife (birds) reacted. We were not in the path of totality, but I think our area was reported to be 96-98%. The sky was mostly clear with only some thin wispy clouds.
Full coverage (98%) was supposed to be at 3:15 P.M. (Ignore the time and date on the photo. My camera is messed up and won’t let me into the menu to change the settings.) It didn’t get very dark out. It was like a cloudy day, yet it had an eerie feel to it. The birds continued to do what they were doing, and by the time the rooster began calling his hens, thinking night was coming, it was getting light again.
I stood under the barn porch and without looking I aimed my camera toward the sun to take some pictures. After I had taken several my husband told me that doing that could have ruined my camera because I was supposed to have some kind of filter on it. Oops! My camera doesn’t seem to be any worse off than it already was and below is a photo of what my camera saw at 3:15 on April 8th.
Spring Has Sprung
One of my favorite parts of spring is when our forsythias are in full bloom as they are right now.
A stunning display.
So brilliant and uplifting.
Daffodils are also in full bloom adding to the beauty of the season.
Some of the other things I loved about last week were seeing the first dragonflies of the year and hearing the mating songs of the toads. For more on toad mating see this post from last year.
Finishing Touches
After redoing the floor and the cabinets in our bathroom last month I still wasn’t satisfied. I thought the mirror frame needed updating. Since it was made out of a plastic or resin I wasn’t sure how well paint would adhere to it, so I took a different approach.
At the fabric store I found ribbon that was the perfect color and width. I used clear craft glue to attach the ribbon to the mirror frame.
Once I had the ribbon on the overlapping corners looked sloppy, so I needed to dress them up. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for when I went to the dollar store, but when I saw these butterflies, I knew that was it. They would complement both the ribbon and the flowered wallpaper.
We love the results.
Crochet
I finished the baby afghan I was making.
I also made this heart shaped stuffed octopus. The octopus is my own design. I am calling them octo-loves.
In Memory of Peanut
It was a sad day when our Dear Friend Peanut went to wait at the rainbow bridge.
“Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
“When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
“All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
“They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
“You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
“Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together….”
Peanut was a friend to all creatures great and small.
He couldn’t resist a comfortable lap to sit in.
To quote our granddaughter, Addie “Peanut is the best cat in the whole wide world.”
My husband honored Peanut with a special resting place for his remains.
He is dearly missed.
Thanks for visiting. What are you loving about spring?
When we pulled in the driveway at the farm this afternoon the first thing I noticed was the forsythia in full bloom.
The brilliant yellow flowers are noticeable from a great distance.
I always find them stunning – too beautiful not to share.
Jailbreak
The next thing I noticed was some of the chicks wandering around outside their pen. My husband had warned me that some of them had gotten out, so rather than spend a lot of time trying to catch them and put them back in he decided to open up the pen and let them all roam.
They have all stayed close to the coop throughout the day.
And seem to be having a great time exploring.
The chicks have not yet learned to get into the coop at night, but my husband used a trick we learned several years ago to round them up tonight. He placed a small (battery powered) light just inside the coop. As it got dark outside the chicks all migrated toward the light and went into the coop. He can use this method until the chicks figure out how to find their way in on their own.
Toads
As I stepped out of the van, I immediately heard the loud, high pitched, trill of the frogs, or was it toads? I remembered this sound from several years back when we witnessed hundreds of toads mating in our pond.
I eventually made my way to the pond and as I walked around the edge I was surprised to see only one toad sitting in the water near the edge.
The mating call continued on and off and as I returned to the pond edge a while later I noticed more toads had arrived.
I am not sure how long this mating ritual will continue or how many more toads might show up,
but I am certain that in a few days we will see nests of toad eggs along the edges of the pond.
Don't Eat It! Soap and Skin Care 