Cabin Crafted

Tag: Flowers

  • Mow day

    Last night after dinner out and before it got dark, I pushed the mower two swipes around the house and in the corner that I can’t reach with the tractor in preparation for mowing this morning.  The first mowing of the season, I got as close as I could and just did a patch around the house large enough to get to the cars, the chicken coop and garden without walking through knee high grass and I didn’t premow the close strips, so that grass was thick and tall last night, stalling out the mower constantly.

    This morning after a trip to the Farmers’ Market for meat and spring greens and turnips, I cranked up the tractor and mowed the area we consider yard in the middle of our 30 acres.  That includes around the garden, the orchard, an area that is too small to hay above the orchard, around the well head and the front, side, and back areas that are regularly mowed.  With last week’s rain, it didn’t look like it had already been mowed once.  The areas around the chicken fence and close around the orchard trees has to be done with the lawn mower or weed whacker and I started on them with the mower and ran out of gas.  Not wanting to go out again, I quit for the day, just before Jim arrived back home from his motorcycle ride.

    As soon as I came in to get the watering can to water the newly planted porch and deck pots, I spotted a hummingbird who had already found the red geraniums that I planted yesterday.  Have you ever tried to take a picture of a hummingbird?  You will just have to take my word for it.

    It is looking more like spring everyday.  The trees all have a haze of small green leaves, the dogwoods are blooming and beautiful.

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    Only another week or two and we should be clear of late frost and more of the garden will be planted.

    Life is an adventure on our mountain farm.

  • May Day – ooops, almost

    The past two days have been beautiful after the heavy rains of the prior days.  Jim has gone off on his Harley for short rides that turned into long rides, but he is enjoying it and getting more comfortable on the big bike.

    Me, I just enjoy the farm and the beautiful weather.  It was still wet outside yesterday to do any playing in the dirt, but today, since the garden is still pretty soggy, I worked on the porch and deck pots.  This winter was hard on the shrubs in front of the house and we lost everything except for the Barberry.  It looks lonely amongst the dead Nandinas and the other shrub, I can never remember, that we should never have been sold for our climate.  I have to decide whether to move the Barberry or replace the other shrubs.  The front bed is under an overhang and has to be watered, it is also on the north side of the house so it receives no direct sunlight.  The shade plants that I am most familiar with all are deer magnets, so I don’t want to replace the shrubs with them.  Before the shrubs were put in, I had a perennial bed of English Daisies, grape Iris, and a few daylilies.  After the regrading was finished a couple of  years ago, I moved them to the east side of the garage and put in the shrub bed.  I should have left well enough alone.  I think I will just put several half barrels along the front rail and plant annual flowers in them for spring and summer color.

    Today was just flower pots.

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    A quick trip to Lowes to fill up the back of the CRV with plants.

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    Petunias and trailing petunias in the front.

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    Geraniums with Verbena on the south deck, they match the cushions and umbrella and the hummingbirds love them.  I still have a large pot that goes between the garage doors that needs something tall and spiky and a hanging pot for the shepherds crook.  Last summer I never had to water, but also could never eat outside.  I would rather have to water and be able to enjoy dinners on the deck this summer.

    Now to go run the chicks out of the coop for some sunshine.

    Life is an adventure on our mountain farm.