I pulled out my latest shipment of seeds and dreamed of spring

to a backdrop of feet of snow.

I can’t see the garden from the window I normally watch it grow.

The living room is much darker this week.

This is why. I’m looking toward the kitchen window. Now this

happens every year to some extent, some years are worse than

others.

This just looks rediculous to me. The little black things are

tiki lights – just waiting for summer.

It’s also a good thing that all of the wood we need for
this winter is already in the shed.

There are times when I wish I could share the whole experience

of being in Rowe in the fall (or any season).

I arrived earlier than usual on Friday and was sitting in

the library reading when I heard owls outside.

We have many barred owls around the house but usually

you hear one close by talking to one in the distance.

This time there were at least four of them in trees along the

driveway hooting to one another almost in unison, like people

when they talk over each other. This went on for about

15 minutes. Loud and amazing.

Combine that with the cool, crisp air and the smell of fallen

leaves and honestly there is nothing better.

This is the last bean to be harvested from the garden. They are

Scarlet Runners – I plant them for the flowers – like the name, the

flowers are bright red and the hummingbirds LOVE them. The beans

are fun as well. They are very large and colorful. I remember

being totally shocked the first year I grew them by their size. I’ve

been growing them for years now on various contraptions to hold

them up. Last year I made a trellis the length of the row, this year

it was a teepee. By happy chance a sunflower grew near the area

of the beans and one of the bean plants climbed up the flower as

it grew. I’m thinking next year I’ll plant the beans and the sunflowers

together and see what happens. The birds will be very excited I’m sure.

We had a slight frost Saturday night – I had brought everything in

during the day so there was no damage. The sunflowers are

now drying but I think I may just feed them to the birds

one head at a time – they like them sooo much and the seeds

bring in birds that I don’t usually see. I love the birds.

This begins the season I love the most leading into the one

I probably like the least. Guess you have to take the good

with the bad. :0)

This year I planted some sunflowers (the giant ones) and

I had quite a few volunteers from last year. They were

a smaller, earlier variety.

Saturday morning I had quite a few new visitors.

I think the Phoebe was just waiting her turn, although she
spends a lot of time on the back of these chairs.

The tomatoes are coming in fast and furious now.

The days are cooler and canning has begun in earnest.

But there is always time for pie.

Apple Pie.

I made 2 in a week, one with cheddar in the crust.

Yum!

The photo is of some of the pinto beans I grew this year. The seed

was open pollinated and probably half of this crop will be used

for next years crop. There is nothing like sorting pounds of

dried beans that you have grown yourself. You know their

history and their promise.

Helped Carolyn and Mike grade their driveway last weekend.

Bill rode the grader while Mike drove the truck. This

piece of machinery looks like a pile of really unsafe junk and

works like a charm. And was fun too.

Not having blogged in a while I figured I’d dive back in

with photos of this years garden.

I planted a potager this year – can never seem to do just

rows. But after weeding this lovely design I’d like something

I can just run the tiller through.

The chard was beautiful, plentiful and very tasty.

No photographs this week. Was abnormally

warm for the 1st of March. The sort of

weather that puts you in a little panic about planting your

garden – so much to do and nothing is ready yet. Then

you realize that if you were planting everything this past

weekend we’d probably have snow next week, so it can wait.

My favorite part of the first warm weather days is sleeping with

my bedroom window open. You never know what sort of wildlife

things you will hear. And I love waking up to the birds in the wee

hours. I awoke about 5:30 on Sunday morning and listened and then

I think I woke up Bill and said “Where are all the birds?”

From childhood on there were sooo many birds making noise in

the morning that you didn’t have to wake up to hear them – they woke you

up. This year there were a few but not the usual cacophony that

I’m used to hearing. I am deeply saddened by the state of my

little piece of earth. I am sad that people don’t have any idea of what

is going away. I’m blessed to have such a quiet retreat in the hills away from

the traffic and people but it appears to be sneaking its way into every

little thing. Sad, sad, sad and I really miss the birds.

I love how the daffodils from compost heaps past

keep on coming up. Look close – they’re everywhere.

Decided to take the last two weekends in April to clear

another area in the back forty.

This pile included part of a huge old apple tree.

Bill pushed it all together. Two days later there was

nothing but ash.

Bill had to use the new splitter this week to split some

of the wood we cut down last week.

It’s sweet.

And I bought a tiller from Florence that I can use. Did the
first pass this past weekend. Told Bill I’m ready to till
the entire yard!

I see a much larger garden this year – for many reasons.