Almost a Month between Postings

I have set a new record(low) for posting.  Not by choice. I have had non-stop company for two weeks and one weekend and then more MIL issues plus another bout requiring a trip to the rheumatologist.

I will attempt a  little bit of a catchup,  mostly for my records.

Weather has been very cool and extremely windy.  I did my second mowing (a week or so ago).  I finally planted tomato and pepper seeds and they are coming up.  I used a heating pad on the bottom to speed things up.  I am about a week behind with them.

I gave up planting and finally just heeled in my order from Stark Bros.  I did get 6 each of kale and broccoli planted.

All the peaches have bloomed and now are just have some sporadic blossoms here and there.  Maybe there will be a peach or two not claimed by frosts.

Apricot and plums dropped petals several days ago.

Seckel pear and Moonglow have bloomed, some still on tree despite 30 mph winds.  Kieffer blooms a week earlier and all petals have dropped on it.

The apples are beginning to bloom. (both those in the ground and those still in large pots)

All Clematis are pruned and growing well.

These are two dark purple that I finally had the nerve to cut back to l8 inches.  They have responded well.  I hope I will have lots of blooms.

and this is Jackmanii Superba on a makeshift trellis (that may become a permanent one.)

From Drop Box

I still haven't been able  to trim the beds  but did  cut the dead tops from the agastache bed.

I now have both the golden and the green and think I will leave some green this year.


We had the front shrub border next to the road cut to the ground a couple of years ago and I was worried that I would never see my lilacs again, they are back.  This is the common syringa vulgaris.  I will have to thin it relentlessly but at least this one near the house side is in a good place.

and this is the Persian Lilac,



The old Ash Tree Bed which should now be called the kerria bed is beginning,



There are some clumps of late daffodils blooming.  These all came from a 50-bulb order from White Flower Farm and I love the mix,


Blackberries are leafing out and I see some beginnings of buds.

I am noticing the trees more this year.  The oaks are the latest to bud, the Pin Oak is before the white or red oak and the swamp oak.  The Birch is somewhere in between.  The Amur Maple is fully in leaf.  The red locust is just now showing signs of life.  The Red Maple is start to leaf and has lots of seeds as always.

All  for now.

Lots of Chores Done

I had a super good morning after a very crummy night.  Still having sleep problems but I survive!

Today was a beautiful sunny and warm day.  It wasn't windy at all when I went out at 8 AM.  First on the list was to skim  the previous  milking.  I ended up with 2 full cups to go with the two cups in the fridge.

Next on the list was dormant oil spraying.  With our many drizzly days and high winds this was the first time I saw a 3-day window to get this job done.  I couldn't do the peaches and plums because they were in full bloom but I did the apples and pears and one prune plum which blooms late.  A first for me!  I hooked up the garden cart that had the sprayer in it and loaded the battery and hooked it up and it was a go the first time!  Usually I have to charge the battery but it held over the winter months.  I mixed the oil and began in the garden first where I have two pears trees that are just showing buds, no color at all, and there is one apple with nothing showing.  Then off to the orchard where I discovered an iffy tree had died over winter.  I sprayed a peach that is a late bloomer, a prune plum and another apple.  Two plums Superior and Shiro were in full bloom.

I have more fruit trees to plant:  A yellow delicious, an Arkansas Black, a Red Haven peach, a North Star Cherry and a Wilson  Delicious Apricot.  My old apricot tree is about half dead and we were worried the cherry tree was fading.

I decided the entire orchard needed  mowing so I disconnected the garden cart, lowered the blade and mowed .  I headed back to the garden and mowed around it.  I discovered a few short asparagus tips that I will keep my eye on.  Several have died out but I have two nice clumps left.

Was going to mow the front yard but was very low on gas so decided to quit for the day.  Max will have to fill the mower for me.  I can't handle those 5-gallon cans.  I need to check  we may have gasoline in the tanks out back that just have hoses that I can fill with.

I came in and made butter.  I got 11.4 oz. from l quart of heavy cream.  I am getting quite a supply in the freezer.  Max said the calf is starting to take more milk so we may have to start separating them  the night before we milk.  But as it is, we are getting more than we need.

Miscellaneous pictures:

This is the seedling peach outside the kitchen.  It had a few large peaches last year.


This is a new flat-cupped daffodil that was in a mixed bag from White Flower Farm:



I wanted to take more of the different daffodils but the wind got up extremely powerful this afternoon and it was impossible to hold the  bloom and photograph.  I hope the wind doesn't bring rain!

Storm Season is Here

We are in the midst of storm  season.  Yesterday it got up to 80° and today we are under a Severe Storm Warming.  This could mean any type of bad weather, including heavy rains hail and tornadoes........or nothing at all.  I am always nervous when these warning are  issued.....been there; done that!  We still have metal roofing wrapped around some trees due to a tornado that took our our pole barn.

We had a lovely Easter here.  Our daughter and family came home and we had MIL  out for a roast beef dinner.  I know that isn't traditional food for Easter but we just picked up our beef and were anxious to sample it.  We all enjoyed it.
Monday was spent on errands but yesterday I finally got back  outside.

I finished cleaning the old Ash Tree bed.  That was mostly hoeing out  henbit and dead nettle.  This morning  I mowed the whole yard (except for one place where we need to pick up Elm tree limbs first!) I went back  after mowing and  cleaned up the limbs and mowed those spots.  So, for the first time the whole yard is mowed.

I moved the tomato plants outside in a shaded spot and will move them to the hay and shower door cold  frame today.  We are under a severe storm warning and I don't want to loose them at this point.

The  peppers finally came up.  I was beginning to wonder.  The sweet potato I put in water way too late is finally sending out sprouts.  I may get a few plants after all.  I won't set out sweet potatoes until mid May so I have time.

The redbuds are blooming and my Isabella lilac is blooming.  I won't have as many lilacs this year because we cut down the front shrub border and also the ones next to the well house.

 

 The new Robinson Crabapple is blooming this year. 

Some of the fruit trees are blooming.  I hope to get pictures before they drop the blooms.  Peach, pear, and apple just showing color.  The seedling peaches bloomed first and have already dropped the blooms after a heavy frost.

 Puppies

We have been turning the puppies loose daily for an hour or a day!  They followed DH to the field this morning but came back and then roamed for about two hours.




Here they are coming to me from the top of the cellar....sometimes they come; sometimes they don't.