A Glimpse Of The Garden

In The Beginning

We still have just a few seeds left to plant. Once we get out second 'teepee' set up, some peas will be planted at the bottom. Also, I have more arugula and I think I have some more beans. There is still a corner of the garden that these can fill so we can get as much as we can come harvest time.

I also have more mulching to do with cardboard and leaves. G is supposed to pick up some more big sheets of cardboard on the way home tonight, which makes my cutting and laying job much easier than when I'm just using bits and pieces of cardboard.

Things are sprouting already and I promised you some before shots, so here they are.

An overview.  See where all the leaves are? There is cardboard under those leaves, all in an effort to keep the weeds down. It will eventually at the end of the season, compost into the garden. For now, leaves and cardboard are my best friends.  Now look closer.......see the green coming up among the leaves? That's my rows of veg seeds starting to pop.  Once they get a bit bigger, it will be more obvious, like the row next to the cardboard.  I had to leave a couple of rows undone, just to be sure I didn't place the cardboard over the seeds. Now that the rows have for the most part sprouted, I'm ready to lay more cardboard down, and top it with leaves.

I love going out in the morning to take account of what's happening in the garden.

Guess what? If you pull a radish seedling out of the ground and eat it, lo and behold it tastes just like radish. When I quizzed G in a blind taste test, he got it right away just like I knew he would.

Heart shaped early sprouts.

Sweet, yes?

Ah, the powerhouse.

Kale!

Another beautiful leafy green, swiss chard. I think this is rainbow so when it grows up, it will be a beautiful, bright and colorful.

Behold the wonder of planting a seed and watching it sprout. So cool.

 

I do love my beans.

You know the funny thing is, I really didn't have a taste for many vegetables as a kid.....salad, corn, potatoes, tomatoes............but I kept trying. Now, I'm don't think there is a veg I don't love.

Now these might be G's favorites, Dublin man that he is. 

They came up from last year! Sometimes that happens. I think we have four or five potato plants that came back from last year's crop.  Can you tell it's a mound? As potatoes grow you're supposed to keep mounding the dirt up around them, and then they grow more potatoes under that ground you mound.

This teepee is ready for pea tendrils to climb all the way up to the top. We have the branches ready to go for the second, just need to put them up and string them together.

I think the first peas may sprout today. Fingers crossed. The cukes which I planted in the middle of the teepee already have. We'll have to wait and see if that was the best planned spot.

Beyond the vegetable garden, flowers are blooming too.

How gorgeous are peonies? The layers and layers of petals. Swoon.

My rugosa rose looks better than ever. Even G noticed yesterday, and this bee this morning having a feast.

My rose by the door, which I have dubbed Audrey Jr. after the little shop of horrors because if visitors aren't careful they can be eaten up by it, is starting to bloom before I've even pruned. I'm so behind. I've got to give it a spray today with some soapy water. I see some little caterpillars munching and I will be having none of that. Happens every year but the soapy water usually does the trick. Works for aphids too.

That's what is happening at The Bates Estate this Monday, what's happening in your world?


In World Cup news, I was thinking of my blogging/etsy friends Marieken and her mom Wilma on Friday, as I watched the rematch of Spain V. Netherlands. In the last World Cup, Spain beat the Netherlands in the final. Friday, Netherlands stomped on Spain 5-1. I could picture Marieken and Wilma decked out in their team and country's famous bright orange, leaping with joy each time a goal was scored. It was quite a match. Sorry Spain, better luck in the next game. There were other great matches over the weekend as well, a good start to the month long competition. USA plays it's first game this evening against Ghana, always a tough competitor for us. I think we're well prepared though, under our manager Jurgen Klinsmann, a former German player who was quite a powerhouse and part of the West German team who won the World Cup in 1990. We've got a great roster of players, including my man and our captain Clint Dempsey and the rest of the guys. A well rounded team.
 

  AP photo by Jack Dempsey

I believe that we can win.

I will of course, be watching this evening. Will you?

Ciao for now,

Take A Walk With Us: For The Birds

Both Small & Big

Ah, Spring. It finally feels a bit like there is a new season in the air. The birds are flitting about, chirp-chipping, and have been quite busy in general.

This includes the bluebirds, which make me happy.  Partly because of their pretty color and sweet disposition, and partly because they were quite scarce here for years. Luckily, they have made a comeback and they love our neighborhood. Some of that has to do with the field at Sunset Meadows. Blue birds like open space. What this means for us, since our place faces Sunset Meadows, is the bluebirds are quite comfortable in our yard.

This fellow planted himself in one of our lilac bushes so he could spend time preening. G spotted him first and said, 'That bluebird is huge!". Which made me think that it was going to be a pregnant female, but it was a roundy little guy making sure he looked his best.

What? You think I could look a bit more handsome?

Fine. I can take a hint.

Don't worry, I won't forget behind the ears.

Well, will you look at me.....I said, look at me!

Yesterday, when the hound I took a walk over the field, as we got back to the house, I could hear a Pileated Woodpecker.  The Pileated Woodpecker is North America's largest woodpecker and is about the size of a Crow.  These birds can take care of an old dead tree like it's nobody's business.

As I got going at my desk, I could hear the Pileated had come closer. It sounded like it was right out the side door, behind my desk. I got up to have a look and lo and behold, he was there. And he brought a friend! This has to be one of the coolest bird pictures I've gotten yet. What are the odds of capturing dueling Pielateds?

They were quite busy working the tree.

Up and down.

And all around.

Until they'd had their fair share.

In other nature news, some signs of Spring are starting to pop up.

Snowdrops!

And moss.

Generally speaking though, everything still pretty much looks like this.

We'll get there inch by inch.

Sunset Meadows

It's been awhile since I posed a Sunset Meadows shot, and quite frankly that's because it's been too damn cold to stand out there like a fool taking sunset shots.

Last night however, I was out raking in the yard (yes! raking in the yard! hip hip hooray) and was treated to this beautiful spectacle.

How perfectly wonderful, yes?


Is Spring showing it's head where you are? Are the birds very chatty? Flowers popping up? I know some of you are ahead of us on that front and probably have a bit more spring color, but at least I have something to look forward too!

Have a great day, one and all. I'll be sure to do the same.

Ciao for now,

Take A Walk With Us: The Calm Before The Storm

Taking In The Sun

This morning there were gray skies to the east, but when I turned to the west.........blue skies trying their hardest to take over.  The succeeded. So, knowing the forecast calls for snow starting overnight and about 8-10 inches to come (we'll see when it's said and done), the Lucan and I took to the field.

The flowers have long since been dead, but I still find them quite beautiful.
I love seeing how they're built so to speak.

There is always something, be it a leaf or a berry or a hanging branch, that hangs on for dear life.

Nothing like a bit of fresh air and nature to clear your head and ready you for the day.

Have you had a chance to get out where you are, or is the weather making it difficult?  I am loving the sun today and may have to steal away later for another quick walk.

Ciao for now,

Take A Walk With Us: For The Birds

I Need A Bigger Lens

Yesterday I told G I needed to get out of the house, away from my little home office and studio where I spend most of my time. Day in and day out.  If I don't make a conscious effort to get out, most often I don't. It's just that simple. 

So it was time for a Sunday drive.  Gar had a spot in mind, but wasn't telling me (though I suspected what he had up his sleeve).  We headed east 10 minutes to my hometown of Hampton. Driving past the marsh I couldn't get over how high the tide was. Must have been the super moon. I'm sure some of the streets at the beach were completely flooded.  The neighborhoods that jut out onto the marsh were encircled by water and ice. Once we hit the beach we headed south, just over the Massachusetts border to Salisbury to the State Park. When we got there, it was obvious that what G was bringing me to see, already had the attention of many others. There were tons of people, lined up up with cameras and binoculars of all shapes and sizes. I hopped out of the truck as soon as we spotted the first one.

A beautiful snowy owl, perched and posing not bothered at all by all the hoopla and shutters clicking.
We've had an influx this year in our area with many sightings along the coast. 

Oh, I just wish I could have gotten closer, but as I said, the tide was so high the marshes were completely flooded with water and ice flows.

The owl finally bored of all us and took off and made a u-turn and flew further into the park and perched atop a tree.  Turned and looked right at me. I think G and I were the first ones to get to the owl at this spot. 

Oh how I wish this one clearer,because it turned and looked right at me. But the bird wasn't long for this spot. He headed back to entrance of the park pronto while G and I headed further in.

After all, the seagulls were starting to get an inferiority complex with all the attention being given to the owls.

We headed back to the owls, and there was at least two if not three.  People kept hopping in their cars and following them from spot to spot.

Why? Because they are so damn cool looking and as I said, they are a rare occurrence.  They usually make themselves at home in the arctic, but the last few years has seen increasing numbers and this year the northeast is one of  the jackpot areas.  This bird's wingspan was amazing when it took off. 

In case you couldn't tell, it was raining, hence the water drops on my lens.

I had to include this one so you could see its head turned all the way around.

You couldn't believe the size of some of the camera lenses people had. I was coveting them in a big way. Of course, I'd probably have to remortgage the house to be able to afford some that I saw, but I am now really wanting a greater zoom.  A girl's got to dream, right?

We headed back towards my hometown to stop into my parents for a visit, but before we got there I asked G to stop by another one of our favorite spots along the marsh.  As soon as we got there, G said 'what's that in the tree?'. I said, "I don't know but it looks big enough to be an eagle."  I took a shot and zoomed in and sure enough.........Bald Eagle.  And there was nobody else there to see it, but us.

Again, a bigger zoom lens would have been a wonderful thing in this instance since the eagle was even further the snowy owl had been.

The eagle just sat there the entire time we were there.

You get an idea of how big a bird the Bald Eagle is when you look at that picture, because you can still see it on the branch.  As I was downloading and editing my photos this morning, I thought I saw something in one of the trees to the left of the Eagle.

Sure enough, a second Eagle. This is when I really started saying, "I am so getting a bigger zoom lens!"

Yeah, I know. It's hard to see, but trust me......it is another Bald Eagle.

The Bald Eagle, though seen here more often than the Snowy Owl, is still a pretty rare sighting.  They've been making a comeback over the last few years and that is a wonderful thing to see. I'd love it if they were a more common sight. If you've never seen one, truly an impressive bird.  One flew over our campsite once, and I knew immediately, simply by the shadow it cast, that it was a Bald Eagle. Huge birds.

Now, the snowy owl was big enough at about 2 feet high with a 4.7 foot wingspan. The Bald Eagle, however, grows to about 3.5 feet high and has a wingspan that can reach up to 6.5 - 8 feet across!
Their resurgence is not only exciting because it is a magnificent bird and our national bird, but because it was on the verge of extinction in the 1970s.  What an absolute tragedy that would have been.

So, once again, after standing take more photos in the rain for a quite awhile, my hands were frozen and I got back in the truck.  As Garrett turned around, I spotted this drifting down from the sky.

 

An early Valentine's Day wish from me to you.

How was your weekend? Ours was great.  Low key. Enjoyed watching the Super Bowl at the neighbors last night. Wow. Did Denver miss their wake up call or what? That's not to dismiss Seattle, because they played a fantastic game.

That's it from this end. Have a great day!

Ciao for now,