The rain came to an end and though the skies are still cloudy, the wind is tough, working hard to give us those blue skies again. The air outside is crisp. I roll up my sleeves (figuratively, as it is quite cool outside) and start in on the garden.
Oh, yes, of course. I haven't forgotten. There is breakfast first -- in the sun room, because it's a bright day (despite the absence of sunshine) and I have hope.
Too, Ed and I had cleaned the farmhouse thoroughly and with muscle, so that it is at its Sunday best. Clean and ready for the week ahead.
And now the garden. The first thing on my agenda is to really move in on the spent flowers. The goal is to create a winter scape.
In every climate this has its own meaning. Here, in Wisconsin, your garden wont have much (any?) green in it. Our winters are bitter cold. Most every flowering plant shrivels and turns brown. And the majority of these I cut down to the ground. But I leave quite a number behind to give texture to the landscape.
In the past, I used to imagine how it would look under a cover of snow, but our snowfalls have been miserly the last few years, so now I just imagine how it will look as I sit at the kitchen table and gaze toward the barn.
I'm sure I'll keep trimming for a while, but today I had the satisfaction of knowing that if I did nothing more, it would be okay.
(Still no frost in sight, so I can admire the annuals in the flower pots. Some have had it, but others are going strong!)
It feels grand to be working hard again. Improving the land is high on my list of good ways to spend a weekend. Today I surely did my bit to make this a happy place for plants (and chickens, who are getting their "salad" for the day straight out of the alyssum pot).
In the evening, the young family is here for supper.
(Can we play??)
Predinner munchies: olives, roasted beets, cheese...
We won't be eating dinner on the porch anymore, but that's okay: the kitchen table is the center of my world at the farmhouse. Perfect for a Sunday meal.
Snowdrop would agree.
Tomorrow: sunshine! I'm excited.
Oh, yes, of course. I haven't forgotten. There is breakfast first -- in the sun room, because it's a bright day (despite the absence of sunshine) and I have hope.
Too, Ed and I had cleaned the farmhouse thoroughly and with muscle, so that it is at its Sunday best. Clean and ready for the week ahead.
And now the garden. The first thing on my agenda is to really move in on the spent flowers. The goal is to create a winter scape.
In every climate this has its own meaning. Here, in Wisconsin, your garden wont have much (any?) green in it. Our winters are bitter cold. Most every flowering plant shrivels and turns brown. And the majority of these I cut down to the ground. But I leave quite a number behind to give texture to the landscape.
In the past, I used to imagine how it would look under a cover of snow, but our snowfalls have been miserly the last few years, so now I just imagine how it will look as I sit at the kitchen table and gaze toward the barn.
I'm sure I'll keep trimming for a while, but today I had the satisfaction of knowing that if I did nothing more, it would be okay.
(Still no frost in sight, so I can admire the annuals in the flower pots. Some have had it, but others are going strong!)
It feels grand to be working hard again. Improving the land is high on my list of good ways to spend a weekend. Today I surely did my bit to make this a happy place for plants (and chickens, who are getting their "salad" for the day straight out of the alyssum pot).
In the evening, the young family is here for supper.
(Can we play??)
Predinner munchies: olives, roasted beets, cheese...
We won't be eating dinner on the porch anymore, but that's okay: the kitchen table is the center of my world at the farmhouse. Perfect for a Sunday meal.
Snowdrop would agree.
Tomorrow: sunshine! I'm excited.
