Hollyhocks

Tulip

My posts seem to be getting few and far between lately.  I realized that I often have photos I'd love to show off, but not much to say.  So, you might be seeing more posts in the future -- but fewer words.  :)  Hope everyone is having a splendid Spring so far!

April Showers

It has been a beautiful dreary morning at our little house nestled in the pines.  Here is a photo tour of our yard this morning:

Spring is here!

The last few weeks we've had absolutely amazing weather!  Spring came early -- last week we had temps in the mid 80s.  It was the perfect ending to a terrifically mild winter!

The chickens were very restless and needed to get out of the coop.  I put up a movable fence to give them access to grass, bugs, and dirt.  It isn't going to keep any raccoons out, but I lock up the coop at dark to prevent any catastrophes.  Netting over the top should keep hawks out -- I hope.  

Their first day out, all of the ladies dug into the dirt and rolled and flapped around in it.  Nothing like a good dirt bath to ring in the warm weather.  

The girls are all doing very well.  Olivia was sick for a couple of weeks -- she seemed lethargic and wobbly.  She didn't eat much either so I thought she was going to die.  Happily she survived.  :)
I also thought a few plants I purchased last year had died, but they also survived.  Below is a cold hardy kiwi that I thought had died last summer.  Tah dah!  It's back!

The rhubarb and asparagus are growing well and I will harvest some of it this year for the first time.

Now that all the trees are flowering, the weather is going back to normal.  It is dropping below the freezing point at night which is going to cause a problem for our fruit crops.  I'm trying to protect my pear tree by covering it with a garbage bag tonight.
The best thing about this weather is that I get out of work much earlier now.  This is the first summer in 6 years that I will be able to work in the garden in the afternoon and evening.  How exciting is that?!?

Going Dutch

I got these tulips the other day and had to photograph them before they faded.  They are live tulips (not cut flowers) and they were on clearance at the grocery store.  I knew they only had about two days left to look pretty, but it didn't bother me -- I have other plans for them.  I am going to plant the bulbs this Spring and enjoy them next year when they grow again.  These flowers were less expensive than buying the bulbs alone.
My Dutch (frugal) heritage is showing -- not only was it a great buy, but the flowers are from the Netherlands as well.  I am 3/4 Dutch and come from an area that is packed full of Dutch people.  Ever heard of Holland, Michigan?  Holland is just down the road from Grand Rapids.  They have a tulip-time festival every Spring.  So many gorgeous flowers!
Anyway, I definitely crave Spring right now.  We've been pretty lucky with a mild winter, but I'm ready to get my hands dirty in the garden again.  I'm dreaming up my plans for this year's garden right now -- what I want to grow, what did and didn't work last year, etc.  What do you plan to grow this year?  Leave a comment if you are a gardener as I'd love to know your plans.

Creative Juices

It amazes me what a few vacation days can do for my spirit.  I feel bursting at the seams with creativity right now but I'm not sure where to direct this creative energy.  It all started with a visit from my mother. We both needed some down time -- some girl time -- some anything-but-the-same-old-thing time.  On Wednesday our first stop was to a book store.  I found a publication called "Artful Blogging" which is giving me some inspiration (the photographs in it are lovely).  Mom got "Where Women Create" which showcases artists' studios.
We then went shopping in Frankenmuth.  We visited Those Nature People -- a wonderful smelling shop full of lotions, soap, oils, teas and spices, etc.  I found an oil blend to help me deal with my daily headaches that I get at work.  I also found more inspiration to get back into blending essential oils and making bath products.  It is something that I used to do, but have neglected for a long time.  Perhaps it is time to revive some of my forgotten interests and see where they take me.
We went to my mother's favorite shop -- Rapunzel's.  They have lovely home decor items, jewelry from local artisans, clothing and hats, and yarns/patterns for knitting and crochet.  She found a blouse and earrings for herself and I found a funky, eclectic purse which she ended up getting for me for my birthday (thanks again Mom).  I debated for a long time about whether I wanted it or not.  The purse is bright and has a variety of fabrics and textures.  It has some spirals, peace signs and some ॐ symbols (Om).  The purse resonates with me, but still I hesitated.  Mom said I needed to express my creative side more and I realized she is correct.  I have been becoming dull -- I need to liven things up in my world and get out of this rut that I am in.  Due to the nature of the internet (open to everyone and permanently out there) I cannot really go into my dreams and schemes that I am thinking in my head.  Let's just say that I am working toward de-rutting myself.
On Thursday, Mom and I enjoyed good conversation over coffee and a muffin at the Harvest Coffeehouse and Beanery.  More ideas swirled in my head.  Finally we went to Healthy Habitz -- my local health food store.  It turns out that they are opening a new space for a wellness center.  I am considering returning to doing some Reflexology on the side and that space is available to be rented for sessions.  Just one more idea to toss around for a while.
Eventually Mom had to go back home.  I still had a couple of days left of vacation and a husband willing to take me anywhere I wanted for my birthday.  Friday we went out to lunch together but I could find little energy for much else.  I think my body was trying to catch up for a lack of sleep from the long hours I've been pulling lately.  It was nice to take a day to just relax -- I even took a nap in the middle of the day.  I pulled some old photographs out and scanned them and posted some of them on facebook for friends to look through.  Yesterday, I worked outside.  I planted two blueberries, one raspberry, one blackberry, six sand cherry, two elderberry and one mulberry tree.  My knee is a bit sore from all that shoveling, but I'm feeling accomplished.  Charlie made a platform for the chicken coop to keep the chickens elevated above the wet floor (I think I mentioned that we regretted not having done this in the first place).
Today we are going to go out and enjoy the lovely weather after I finish this post.  First, I felt like using a bit of my rediscovered creativity to produce some art.  The photograph above was an image I made of some wildflowers and foliage I found in our yard.  I cut the flowers and arranged them in a small vase -- and I was pretty proud of how the arrangement turned out.  I used to arrange flowers in a previous job, another art that I would like to delve into again.  Anyway, I added some texture to the photo and de-saturated the color a bit.  I'm pretty happy with the result.  I am open to any and all critique of the photos.  I have been considering printing some of my images and matting them to sell.  Please let me know what you think.

Thank you for listening to my ramblings today as I strive to store up some of the "juices" that are flowing through my blood right now (to save for days of drought to come).

Exhaustion

I am so exhausted lately.  I feel so badly about not posting anything lately.  This winter I struggled to find things to blog about, and now I have so much to talk about that I don't know where to start.  I've been working the same long hours lately (57 a week average) but now I also have gardening to do in my spare time and chickens to look after too.  I'm not complaining -- those are things that give me joy -- its just that I don't have much down time to write about what is going on.
This photo is of some white bleeding heart flowers in the morning, covered in mist.  The plants in my shade garden came up nicely this year.  I'm still filling it in with more plants as I go, but it is a nice start.
I've been busy planting things and pulling weeds.  I'll be posting photos soon of the garden.
We are also trying to finish building a chicken tractor tomorrow.  We got a good start on it last weekend, and it is not optional to not finish it.  The chicks are now pullets and need to get out of that brooder box before they murder each other.
On top of work and the garden and chickens, I still have the house cleaning, bills, laundry, cooking (what cooking?  who has time for real food?) to do.  I'm about out of energy reserves and need a break.  Luckily, I have next Friday the 17th off as a vacation day.  It will be my 6th year married to the love of my life.  We don't have big plans, probably just dinner and a movie -- but a date night would be relaxing and recharging to me.  The week after that, I have Wednesday thru Friday off along with the weekend.  YES!  A five day weekend!!!  It is my Birthday treat to myself.  I am going to be 35 (gasp!  Where does time go?).  Maybe that is why I am so tired lately -- I am getting old.

Perennials

I have some gorgeous iris that came up this Spring.  It is interesting to see what is already planted around our new house.  I'm steadily trying to plant my own perennials as well.  I've got a lot to blog about but have been short on time lately.  Hopefully I can catch up this weekend.

Spring is here

Rain, flowers, and animals are pairing up.  It is definitely Spring time in Michigan!

Calla lillies

My friend Cristin came over yesterday to check out the house and hang out with Charlie and I.  She was so thoughtful -- she brought a house warming gift for us.  It is a potted Calla lily and I just love it!
Thank you Cristin!

Weekend update

I had a very nice time this past weekend -- but the whole thing flew by so quickly!  I had to work on Saturday, but after work I drove to Grand Rapids to visit my family and friends.  After visiting with my parents and brother a bit in the evening,  I went to see my good friends Rich, Jen, and Amy.  It was so refreshing to be able to just sit around and talk with some like-minded individuals.  We must do it more often.

Sunday morning we (Mom, Dad, and my brother - Rob) went to a Bagel shop and had a bagel and coffee together.  Then we hung out back at their house a while until Grandma came over.  We had lunch together and sat around the table a long time talking.  Charlie was sad he missed it.  He was stuck working all weekend.

In the afternoon I hung out with my friend Dawn (and her pal Steven).  We had a good time and laughed a lot.  She made a housewarming gift for Charlie and me -- some hand towels and dish cloths.  I love homemade stuff!

I know it has taken me a while to post this - seeing it is Wednesday already.  Work has been taking a lot of my time and energy lately.  Today and tomorrow I only have to work 8 hours.  We were given the option to take a couple hours off, so I took it.  I've just been feeling run down lately and right now I'm fighting a sore throat and the starts of a cold.  Hopefully it doesn't progress into anything bad.

P.S. Dad was the one who said I should take the photo of the orchid shown above with the blue glass as a background.  I think it turned out pretty cool.

color/black and white

Thought I'd share a couple of photos -- two that are very colorful, and one more along the black and white theme.  First, a close up of a sunflower.  Second, the field of gladiolas (gorgeous!).  Third, the baby kitty must feel at home with the two little statues.  They make a cute grouping.

Mom's flower garden

As I mentioned on my previous post, I spent some time with my family this week.  I wanted to show a few photos of my mom's flowers.  Her garden is beautiful!  See that little bee on the Black Eyed Susan?  It's legs are covered in pollen -- nature sure is interesting.

Growth

The farm is green and vibrant lately.

Corn...

Hollyhocks...
Peas...
Eggplant...
Tomato...
Lettuce...
Onions and garlic...
Chickens that love my overgrown lettuce...
Ahhh, fast internet.  It sure does make blogging easier.  

My current favorite photo

The things that aren't dead yet

So, things have been dying off in my garden like never before.  I don't have any special skills in gardening -- I have a few books on the subject that I pick up every once in a while, but that's about it.  I guess I'm lucky to have anything growing at all.  But this year it has been very cold here.  We went for a long time without any rain either.  I am managing to stay ahead of the weeds this year though -- so I am getting better.  I have a couple of things that ARE growing fairly well.  My onions are going crazy again this year!  My peas are looking good too, and lettuce is thriving too.

There are some nice flowers growing in the front yard too so I had to show you a photo I liked.

On the topic of things that are still alive... my love for my husband (and vice versa).  Today is our 4 year wedding anniversary.  He is out on the road working tonight but we do have a long weekend planned.  I'm hoping the weather cooperates for us.  I'm taking Monday and Tuesday off of work (as a birthday present to myself).  I know I don't talk about Charlie on this blog very often -- but it is not because he isn't special to me.  Up until a few months ago I felt the need to be very private about certain details of my life (it would take way too long to explain why, and if you are close to me you probably already know what I am talking about).  Anyway, I wanted to mention him specifically today and declare it "out loud" -- Charlie is the love of my life and I am very lucky to have him as my husband.   I love you, honey!

I love Saturdays

Today has been a good day so far.  I spent some time this morning cleaning up our apartment a bit.  I went to the grocery store and the farmer's market.  Then I spent the rest of my day in the garden.

I am determined not to let the weeds get the best of me this year.  Once I let them take hold they are difficult to manage all year.  If I had my own garden I would probably mulch, but since we are renting I just do what I can with a hoe.  I have grand plans for my garden when I actually have a plot that I can call my own.  I can't wait to compost!  I want to put in some more permanent plants like asparagus, rhubarb, berries, etc.  Anyway, I am done planting the garden and now I'm doing a rain dance...

Outside one of the out-buildings we have around here.  Aunt Mary's rose trees are gorgeous right now.

This week I did a mini-fast and am working on changing my eating patterns.  I found myself craving too much junk food and not enough healthy food.  When I quit eating entirely for a couple of days and just focus on drinking water/cleansing I find that healthy foods are more appealing.  Any food is appealing at that point really, so I just make sure I have the good stuff around.  You have never tasted a peach until after you haven't eaten for a couple of days!

Working in the garden is good for me too.  I've gained a lot of weight since Charlie and I got married... mostly due to my job (hey, I have to blame something other than myself, ya know?).  I sit down at a desk tied to a phone/computer for 10 hours a day, 5-6 days a week.  It is a fairly stressful job too (customer service for a gas/electric utility company in Michigan) and I tend to eat comfort foods at the end of the day.  I am working on the food part of the equation and am hoping that the long days sitting down will come to an end soon.  We have been working 50-60 hours a week for the last year.  I've heard rumors that shorter shifts are coming.  I feel like we are the only ones in Michigan who have more work than we can handle (and am not complaining about the paychecks either).

It is getting late and I need to get ready for a wedding reception.  Charlie is on his way home from work right now and we will probably be pretty busy for the rest of the weekend.  This posting has been kind of scattered, but what I meant to say is that I love Saturdays -- at least the ones that I'm not at work.