Purple Robe Locust

Our purple robe locust has been in full bloom about 2 weeks. We planted it 3 or 4 years ago and it is already a magnificent tree.

Saturday on the Farm

It was a fun day. Amy and the kids came for a visit and Amy took me to lunch to celebrate Mothers Day. Grandpa played his favorite sport - grandparenting and stayed with the kids. It was an amazingly cold day. They did a bit of golf cart riding but not much - just too cold.

Later this afternoon, we had Seth while George & Anna and the other kids went to a Tin Cups baseball game (in the cold AND rain). We don't seem to ever have just Seth and he was such fun to be around. We did a good bit of playing on the back porch. Now that we have the windows in, it's a wonderful garden and playroom. I start all my seedlings out there and it looks a good bit like a greenhouse at the moment with pots and seeds and trays scattered everywhere.

Grandpa took Seth out to cover the eggplants and green beans with flower pots to protect them from the frost we're expecting tonight. We covered our strawberries with a tarp, hoping to save them. Grandpa loves to teach the grandkids when they spend time here, so he showed Seth the grapevines and explained how they are growing up the wires.

Spring Yard

Everything is in bloom, including my allergies but it's beautiful and still no regrets about moving to the country. I'm doing a little more raised bed gardening this year. I built another 5 beds - all just 1 level high this time, smaller more on the order of the 4x4 square foot gardening type. I have 3 of the 5 beds planted already and we've had spinach for about 2 months that wintered over in one of the larger raised beds at the back of the house that we covered with a heavy window over the winter. It's produced a nice crop and we could probably eat it twice a day and not run out for a month.

About 2 weeks ago we had mallards in the yard. We think they tried to nest in bushes in front of the garage. We found broken eggs on our front steps one day and think some animal (Harry blames the neighbor cat) got to the nest. We haven't seen the mallards since then.

Levi came out one Saturday to help Grandpa in the yard and Natalie went another Saturday to get dirt with him and delivered it to Sister Swing. Both kids are real workers. He was surprised that Natalie shoveled dirt like a trooper. We always knew Levi was a born worker - has always loved it and always wants to help. Last Saturday he and Levi divided and moved some hostas. So it is work time on the farm - always with lots more to do.