Sunday

Once again, I work around the weather patterns. It's dry and even partly sunny (for a handful of minutes) in the early morning. And so I am outside then, weeding my beds for two hours before Ed even stirs.

The soil is muddy. Of course it is. So much rain! Still, we've really worked hard at breaking down the clay, so that most plants don't sit in a water logged environment. For the most part, the garden is doing just fine!

Of course, the showstoppers right now continue to be the crabs and the lilac. Just a few days more of it and so you have to put up with my preoccupation with their magnificence right now!

We marvel at how enormous this complex configuration of crab apples is. Do you see the writer's shed to the right? Or the sheep shed to the left? They give you some perspective as to size.






But I rarely look at this great big wondrous tree in its entirety. Instead, I love it for the little tunnel of petals it creates along the walkway. This is where the magic happens!






Further down the pathway, the other trees take over. It's one brilliant walk right now!






The largest crab apple is very fragrant, but of course, it has competition from the now blooming lilacs!

This old purple bush hits the corner of the porch from both sides. To the west...






And at the front (to the north)...





This north side is where in the summer, the lilies reign, but right now, what stands out are the blooming yellow iris. Oh, and the nearby peony bush is almost ready for its stellar moment in the sun. 

Alright, time for breakfast. On the porch. Ed's on his way (right there, behind the wheelbarrow, in the yellow t-shirt).






Stop Sign is hanging around more and more. It's not a good sign. We both doubt that we'll ever see little Tulip again.






We go through a period of steady rain. That's fine -- I need to clean the farmhouse. And when I'm done with that, the rains have moved on.

I tell Ed that there is a wee problem outside that I would like to solve. It has to do with the aesthetics of the entryway. It's a mostly shady space and there is a spot of dirt just by the doorway. We've put wood chips down and over the years, I've planted small ferns and other shade loving plants there. It hasn't worked: the cheepers often descend, especially during hot summer days. The soil and chips here are almost always cool and moist. They dig up anything you'd try to grow there.

We try a different approach. Ed has removed many rocks of varying sizes from around the farmette lands. He heaps them in a pile by the sheep shed and we search through them now for interesting ones that may be used here.





There, that's better! (The plant is a pace holder. We need something that will thrive even in shade.)

And now I have to stop thinking about the outside and concentrate on the inside. The young family is coming over for dinner and, too, my daughter's terrific college friends, women whom I have known and liked for a long long time, have flown in for a visit. They'll be with us for dinner tonight.

Time to up the predinner snacks! Add some prosciutto to the cheeses, olives and peppers and bring out the ingredients for Negroni aperitifs!






Well now, look who came along with the crowd! Hi Sparrow!






And Snowdrop, showing off her new necklace and bracelet.






Dinner....






The wonderful kids once more...










And now I am collapsing for the night. Ed is long out, the post is almost written. The night is quiet. The scents, coming in through the open windows,  are hefty and enchanting. It is the weekend of the full flower moon.