Sunflowers

What may be the first of many sunflowers appeared today along the fenceline where the bird feeders live. Hmmm. Lots of sunflower seeds for the cardinals may translate into lots of sunflowers too. What a fun and colorful surprise.

Coming Attractions

One of my favorite parts of farm life is picking wild blackberries along the fencelines through most of July. Just noticed that the tiny blackberries are starting to appear. Very exciting.

Small green tomatoes are starting to appear as well. There are at least five varieties planted this year (Big Boy, Champion VNFT, Patio, Cherry, and Mr. Stripey), so there will be no shortage of tomatoes this summer. I can hardly wait. Will start looking for my Tomato Pie recipe soon.

Hay

Summer heat has arrived and it has been over 100 degrees the past few days. Yuck. I am happy to have lots of projects indoors in the AC. Did sneak out this evening to let the dogs run in the field for awhile --- and then allowed them to flop around in the baby pool afterwards, which they love. The field next to mine was being mowed completely yesterday and today was being baled for hay. Really fun to watch the super BIG equipment at work --- although I'm sure the operator was very warm by the time he got done.

Ladybugs

One of my favorite parts of life in the country is finding splashes of color amidst all the green --- and usually when I least expect it. The ladybugs always surprise me with their rich deep red color and perfect polka dots. This little gal was quite the acrobat too. I had vertigo just watching her climb.

Turtles

Eastern Box Turtle

..Eastern Slider

The farm appears to also be great place for turtles. I often see the Eastern Sliders basking on logs in the pond --- and after all of the recent rain, there appear to be even more of them. It may be that the pond is just bigger these days and so are the turtles, so they are easier to see. The Eastern Box Turtle at the top was "galloping" across my field toward the woods (moving at a very rapid turtle pace), but froze like a supermodel when I arrived with my camera. I love all the polka dots on his legs.

Flowers

In a burst of enthusiasm, I finished planting flowers in all of my containers yesterday. Most of the pots were here last summer --- and lots of the foundation plants (ivy, vinca, pansies, Dusty Miller, etc) were still going strong even after the winter months. Some were not doing well though and the pots needed attention badly. Weeded, dead-headed, trimmed and filled in with new flowers as needed. Everything looks colorful and healthy for now --- and my fingers are crossed that they stay that way. The bees were out in great numbers, so they are certainly going to do their part to keep everything blooming.

Very Happy Vegetables

Romaine

Arugula

Basil

Herbs

Parsley

Thyme

Lettuce and Spinach

Wow. What a difference a few weeks makes. As you can see, my lettuce has gone crazy --- and tomatoes and herbs look very happy too. Lost two small basil plants (probably due to lots of rain), but everything else looks great. I think there are a lot of salads in my future. :-)

Vegetables

The Earthboxes are back. This year I have planted even more vegetables than last year --- and have great plans to enjoy lots of fresh lettuce and spinach soon. The tomatoes will take a bit longer, but they did SO well last year that I am willing to wait. Planted everything on two recent weekends and (alas) did so in very cold and rainy conditions. The little plants all looked a bit forlorn after the transplant process, so I am hoping for some warmer/sunnier weather soon to help them perk back up. Stay tuned for updates.

Here is what I planted:

• Spinach
• Romaine lettuce
• Head lettuce
• Boston lettuce
• Arugula
• Basil --- two varieties
• Tomatoes --- four varieties
• Kentucky Mint
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Sage
• Chives
• Italian oregano

Earthboxes are nifty containers that allow the plants to use just as much water as they need. I love them and had GREAT success using them last year. They are available from amazon.com and elsewhere --- but you can check the www.earthbox.com web site for more information.

Rabbits

To say that there are rabbits at my farm would be an understatement indeed. There are zillions of them --- and they are visible every morning and evening, munching away on grass and other delicacies in all of the fields. In the spirit of the holidays, I left a large pile of carrots for them before Christmas --- and ALL of those carrots were still there when I returned after New Year's Day. Very odd. Either rabbits don't eat carrots as happily as Bugs Bunny would have had us believe --- or my particular rabbits are very finicky. In any case, they seem to be thriving on something around here --- and love to torment my dogs by eating grass just 20 feet beyond the apartment yard fence. It is apparent from the last photograph just why they are called "cotton tails". .

P.S. Interestingly, I have only seen one squirrel in the four years I have been here. I'm guessing maybe all the bunnies scared them off.

Sarah's Bird Report

I have become a bit obsessed with all of the birds at my feeder and decided they merited a blog of their own. This should make it easier for me to add new varieties as I see and identify them --- and to add better photographs as I take them. Enjoy.

http://sarahsbirdreport.blogspot.com/

Apple Tree

Before Cleanup
(note brambles twisted high into the top of the tree)

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After Cleanup

.Two Weeks Later --- In Full Bloom

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Two weeks back, I decided to make an attempt to clean up the fruit trees on the farm before spring really got rolling --- and well before the arrival of leaves, buds, blooms, and fruit. As anyone who knows me can tell you, apples (yuck) are not my thing, but I was hopeful that I could make the tree look healthier at least. I do love how it looks when all the branches are colorful --- and I think I have friends who will take and enjoy most of the apples. Tray (who works on the farm most Saturdays) did the lion's share of the work, removing a full pickup truck bed's worth of brush and bramble from around the base and up into the middle of the tree. Thank you Tray! I have pounded in a few tree fertilizer stakes as well, so with any luck this tree will be better in 2008 than ever before. So far, it looks like that will indeed be the case. There is also a pear tree nearby, so I am optimistic that there will be an abundance of fruit this year. And I do like pears. :-) Fingers crossed.

Bird Watching

Bluejay

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Mourning Dove

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Common Grackle

. Female Cardinal

..Male Cardinal

. Red-Bellied Woodpecker

. American Robin

.European Starling

.Eastern Bluebird

Spring has arrived and the birds are visiting my bird feeders in record numbers. I continue to be amazed at the variety of birds that come --- and only wish I had more time to photograph. For now I will enjoy their vivid colors and remarkable range of sounds. There is one who sounds exactly like "sweet sweet sweet" (over and over and over), which I gather is the sound of a Yellow Warbler. I have yet to see one at my feeder though. Stay tuned. I will add new birds as I meet them.