Busy, Crazy Spring

It has been another busy, crazy week at Untah’s Farm.  One day the trees look like sticks on the hill side.  The next they are in full foliage. Shades of green can be seen for miles. My tulips are standing tall and proud with  crowns 

Several tulips among dandelions.

 of orange and yellow.  The peonies and lilacs will follow with burgundy and pale purple flowers casually bobbing in the breeze.  The hollyhock leaves are as big as dessert plates and the lambs ear with it’s velvet leaves are creeping across the garden floor.   The birds are colorful too.  Several cardinals and blue jays have made our prairie their playground.  They have steady competition from the red winged black birds and robins. Rick and I had three unusual sightings this past week.  We saw a male and female wood duck swimming in our pond, a couple of orioles enjoying the orange slices we set out and an indigo bunting in the thicket behind the house.

2 flats of flowers...better then a bouquet!

I had the most wonderful Mother’s Day.  I woke up to wet slobbery kisses.  No, not from Rick, but rather Tobey…all 120 pounds of affection.  Caliber came trotting in the bedroom a few minutes later, tail wagging. I think they knew how nice the weather was going to be.  I went out onto the front porch and found two flats of the most beautiful assortment of flowers for my garden.  I received a beautiful card and phone call from my oldest daughter and a De Soto softball wind breaker from my younger daughter.  I also talked with some of my favorite Moms, including my own. Seafood for dinner…what could be better?

The chicks are growing steadily and I moved them out to the coop.  We hooked up the heat lamp and gave them a bigger waterer and food trough.  They eat an unbelievable amount of food per day!  They are starting to lose their soft yellow down and their first little feathers are starting to come in.  The chicks are separated from the hens by a chicken wire wall.  The ladies have been very curious about all the commotion on the other side of the coop.

Most of the garden has been turned.  I planted twelve ever-bearing strawberry plants and transplanted 10 of my June bearing in a new area of the garden.  I hope to thin the old strawberries and clean up the patch.   Jack-O-Lantern and pie pumpkins have been planted as well as eggplant, celery and red onion bulbs.  I found several bunches of onions I missed last year.  I dug them up, separated the bulbs and added them to the onion patch.  The greens haven’t wilted  so I think they took.  Cucumbers, peppers, acorn squash, summer squash and tomatoes still need to be planted. We are expecting a few cool nights next week so I will wait to be sure the soil is warm.

Basil, rosemary, sage and oregano

I have been moving the herbs out into the shade during the day.  It has been very windy and very hot.  Some of the plants have not tolerated the transition very well. The basil is flourishing, the oregano and sage are okay, cilantro is green but not strong and the lavender is lost.  I will need to supplement my seedlings with some store bought plants.

IdaBean Dolls, filled with real beans!

The Gays Mills Farmers Market begins next week on Wednesday, May 18.  I will be there with some plants and cloth napkins made from reclaimed fabric.  As the season progresses I will have fresh and dry herbs to sell.  I am also going to be carrying IdaBean dolls by Jack Scraps.  These dolls are a modern version of the dolls girls made and played with as they traveled across this very land many years ago.  They are meant to be decorative but I believe they would be safe for an older child as they have buttons and are filled with real dry beans.  For more information about the Gays Mills Farmers Market check out http://www.gaysmillsfarmersmarket.com/.  The market hours are from 3:30pm until 6pm.

I hope you stop by and say “hello”.