Thursday, May 31, 2012

Sprouts

The radishes are up! (and have been for a few days now).




There are also some beans starting, and one lonely corn sprout. 

Things are growing!

Monday, May 28, 2012

Buzzing

In a few short weeks, summer will be here.  These late days of spring are still fresh, but warm, hinting at what summer will bring.

The sky and the garden and the fields are full of activity that buzzes.

The garden and side yard are both absolutely popping with bees.  There are too many to count.  The air full of their lazy drone.











Dragon flies completely fill my view as I stand at the kitchen sink looking out the window.  Their wings like burnished gold in the late afternoon sun.


And this is what summer is all about really - activity, buzz. 

Get busy.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

The Chipmunk

Thursday afternoon, a chipmunk got into the house.  He holed up in the bottom corner cupboard in the kitchen, hiding under the lazy susan and scolding the cat whenever she came near.  I could see him and smell him, but not actually get to him to grab him.  I poked him with a stick, tried to lure him with peanut butter - nothing was working.

I gave up trying to get him that way, closed the cupboard and waiting for Rick to get home to set the live trap.  Within an hour of baiting the live trap and putting in the cupboard with the door closed, the chipmunk was caught and was promptly escorted outside.

Chipmunk drama over.  And, my entire corner cabinet was disassembled and disinfected.  Excellent.

Fast forward to Friday afternoon.  The baby was sleeping, and I was enjoying a spare moment reading on the couch.  Who comes trotting into the living room like he owns the place?  That's right.  The chipmunk.  I could tell it was the same one due to a particular dark marking on it's left side.

Okay, fine, you little rascal, I thought.  Let's get you back out of here.  I opened up the sliding kitchen door, and put a plate loaded with peanut butter in front of it.  Sure enough, he fell for it, and I shooed him out.

Crisis averted.

Back to the couch and back to my book.

Not two minutes later the damn thing was BACK IN THE HOUSE.

How is this happening?  No doors or windows were open and we had no holes in any screen (to my knowledge).  It was bewildering, but his persistence was admirable.  Being a smart chipmunk, he headed straight back to where the peanut butter plate had been.  I shooed him out...again.  It was at this point that I considered not giving him anymore peanut butter.

I shut the front door, because that seemed to be the direction he was coming from and closed all the sliding doors.

Back to the couch, back to my book.

All of a sudden, there's scratching behind me.  HE'S CLIMBING THE SCREEN.  Then running along the window sills, desperate to get back in.  What is happening?!  I felt like I was the star of a bad horror movie.  He was like a zombie chipmunk, and he wanted peanut butter brains.

It turns out the screen on the front door has come away from the frame a bit.  That's how he was getting in.  By closing the door - I locked him out.  The peanut butter well is dried up.

So, until the screen is repaired, we keep the front door shut.

This morning as I was in the washroom, I saw him out in the front garden, watching me, waiting for me to let down my guard.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

The Garden

The garden is (almost) planted!

I am so very lucky to have had my grandparents come out again yesterday to help me plant the rest.  I am being taught by the best.

In the garden we have - carrots, parsnips, radishes, onions, beans, artichoke, dill, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, sweet peppers, corn, cucumbers, melon and of course, peas.  I have one spot left to put in some tomato plants.

Perhaps it's ambitious, but I have the space, so why not?



Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Still Here

We've been busy outside and in.

The days of exploring are over for now, with the onset of bug season.  The mosquitoes are fierce today.

I will have garden stories coming up soon.

Hope you had a fantastic long weekend!

Friday, May 18, 2012

Learning

With the help of my wonderful grandparents, I now have carrots and parsnips planted.  I also have more knowledge about HOW to go about planting a large garden.  I know now how I've wronged the poor peas.  Live and learn.





The soil is primarily clay, which is challenging to work with.  Hopefully as the years go on, the soil will slowly improve, with the addition of additives such as peat moss and compost.  The garden lay barren all last season, so it's not prime ground for planting right now. 

I am looking forward to more planting next week.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

From the Weather Book

May 11
- blinding bright morning
- hummingbird!




May 12
- gorgeous warm morning
- rain in the afternoon







May 13
- beautiful day
- Happy Monther's Day!







May 14
- gorgeous!





May 15
- warm, sunny, perfect
- moving hostas

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

A Million and One



Newly transplanted hostas
There is so much to do outside! 

I have no idea how to do it all! 

Bugs! 

Baby!

Right now I am working on transplanting hostas from the side to the front.  The side garden will then become my herb garden.  I managed to move exactly two plants today while the boy napped.  I have a lot of work ahead of me.

I think I need to...breathe.

It will all get done, I'm sure.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Underway

This year spring seems so long.  I think it's because we've been without snow since February.  Everything seemed to take so long to start growing, but really, it's been a normal progression.  We are in the full swing of things now, though.

Every tree has leafed out - alders first and birch being the last.  Everything else in between. Every tree in the forest now has fresh green baby leaves.  Forget-me-nots and violets are blooming, and the hostas are up - in my experience they are some of the last to emerge from the cold soil.

The blackflies are here, but they're really not bad at all (fingers crossed they stay that way), and there have been a few mosquitoes around.

This is really my favourite time of year.  Everything is fresh and new.  All the leaves are still perfect, no insects have started eating them. 

I hope wherever you are, you are enjoying these beautiful May days.




Saturday, May 12, 2012

Thoughts on a Rainy Spring Afternoon



Spring.

Spring makes me remember.  Everything.

Childhood, teenage years, loves lost and begun.  It makes me feel sorrow for what's past and joy for what's beginning.

It's the smells, I think.  Smell is the sense most closely associated with memory.  Spring awakens memories that you thought were put away.

Spring is the year's morning.  The blank page.  The time when nothing is set in stone and things have just begun.  Anything is possible and the possibilities are endless.

Spring.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Spring Mornings

If you follow me on facebook, you have seen most of these photos already, but I think it's neat to see them all together.  These were all taken on different days throughout the months of April and the beginning of May.

















Wednesday, May 9, 2012

From the Weather Book

May 2
- warm, sunny
- rain and thunder in the evening



May 3
- damp, calm morning
- thunderstorms in the afternoon and early evening






May 5
 - trilliums blooming
- "super" moon



May 6
- lovely, sunny day


May 8
- light, misty rain in the morning
- warm, humid
- violets blooming