Monday, April 13, 2015

And so begins another week...

... of April bliss: showers overnight freshen the fields and nourish all growing things. And as if to please the soul, the sun comes out by mid morning.

We eat breakfast in the kitchen. Just because. Sometimes the easiest venue is the most attractive.


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More work in the yard: rain makes weeds grow and this will be a constant now -- the pulling of the occasional dandelion, the creeping charlie, the quack grass. The farmette is full of everything and I'm not even going to discuss right now the fields in the back that support a combination of prairie grasses, flowers and weeds. If I don't mow these (and it is beastly difficult to mow them, as there are ruts, rocks and mole hills, jamming the tractor repeatedly), then the weeds dominate. Honestly, just this week, we considered renting some goats to clear the area, but decided that putting up an electric fence to keep them contained would be more work (and money) than running a tractor several times each season.

For now, I tend to the main flower fields. As do the cheepers.


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Ed looks on. I so love it when he looks on.


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As we work, Oreo has many times-outs for bad behavior, while the hens happily follow my spade and pick out any worms I unearth with the turning of the soil.


Another work load is coming up on us very quickly -- the vegetable planting is just weeks away. We survey the veggie patch out back, beyond the grand willow...


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... and note that this patch too has to be weeded. And the grapes have to be clipped and trained. And the young fruit trees need care.


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(Ed inspects the tension in the wire supporting the grapes)



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(the farmette land: the baby orchard, the veggie patch, Ed)


None of this is bothersome. The required work comes without pressure. Success is measured not by the fruits or vegetables harvested, but by the amount of satisfaction derived from the effort.


I spend the afternoon with Snowdrop.


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(so many polka dots!)


We do out usual funny stuff...


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(a timed release selfie)




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("what else can I grab?")




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(that Monalisa smile...)


We none of us have time on our hands, but still, we cannot resist a walk around the lake. Snowdrop, her mom, me, loving every bit of the warmth...


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No matter what her mood before (or after), Snowdrop has never once not enjoyed a walk in the stroller. She is my granddaughter, she loves the outdoors, right?!


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Evening. I'm at the farmette, scrambling cheeper eggs and stir-frying brussel sprouts and mushrooms. I catch the light outside and I think -- how incredible that this is just the beginning of the stellar season!

6 comments:

  1. The stellar season? Was that on purpose? I mean, one of your last pics was of a magnolia stellata, wasn't it? Magnolias are so pretty.

    What kind of grapes have you planted, Nina? My uncle use to grow concords, plus a red and green variety that I don't know. (I was maybe 9 when I noticed the grapes at his house.)

    You certainly are having some stellar days!

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  2. A work colleague's chickens are ingesting a lot of lettuce. Spring has arrived. Tulips are dancing in the morning sunlight, daisies are still at infancy and beautiful. A few sprouts and buds. 60s. Enjoy your walks with your daughter and Snowdrop.

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  3. My favorite today is the timer selfie. It puts little S in perspective , and you can see what a li'l sack of sugar she is!

    Where might I find a hat like that? Our little girlie doesn't like to wear one, but she's going to need one (might as well be super cute!) She always has fussed whenever they put on a cute hat that someone made. Which was funny, because she likes to have her head held when being comforted. That is grandma's magic trick, that and my cushioned front ;)

    I thought perhaps the tactic should be the same as for the GrandDog who doesn't want to wear a harness: put it on him and GO! Soon he is too interested in being outside to remember he's wearing it.

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  4. Oh, I just stopped by again, so relaxing to look out at my skies and scroll past your skies, just came home and am having the *tiniest* glass of white wine... :)

    I noticed your daughter's bracelet and I greatly desire it. What's with me today? The baby's hat, the mama's bracelet....? I'm not typically very acquisitive. There must be something else I'm trying to not think about. Wait, there is...

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    Replies
    1. Hat is from St Ives, but I saw some real gems on Amazon! Bracelet - that's a cover for a fitbit, I believe. There.
      Now, what's really on your mind? Spring dreams? (I'm off to have a glass of white with a touch of cassis. perfect aperitif, no?)

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  5. Hell, I don't even know what a Fitbit is :) so we'll leave it at that. Thanks for sharing the hat tip!

    What's always on my mind - and therefore I need to front load my mind with good thoughts and pleasing observations - is my mom, who I think is about to enter a more difficult time of her life. She is coming home from rehab and is going to need more adjustments around her house (grab bars and such). We are going up for a couple days to settle her in and be there at night for her sense of security and hopefully make a kind of homecoming party out of it. I'm just worried about the future I can't yet see, and I realize there's no sense in that!

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