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More than 25 years ago we bought a house in the country. Having grown up as city kids with limited gardening knowledge, we were dismayed to find that with the house came several hundred raspberry bushes at the back of the property. We’d always eaten strawberries, but not raspberries and at first thought them too tart. We quickly came to love the taste of the red caps and black caps and happily shared them with family, friends and customers for almost 10 years.
When we relocated, a handful of the plants came with us. More than 15 years later we are still enjoying our berries and we look forward to having plenty of them for our own use starting just before the 4th of July and continuing for a month or longer, sometimes with a repeat crop early fall.
Right on time the berries started to ripen earlier this week… today I made a berry fields iced green tea and for lunch fresh lettuce from the garden, sprinkled with berries and cheese crumbles with a drizzle of raspberry vinaigrette. Yum!
Interestingly, after we moved to our current home we discovered that a neighbor’s very large mulberry tree drops mulberries into our yard. For years I’ve just swept up what the birds don’t eat, happy that the mulberries start to ripen at the same time as my berries and thus the birds leave ours alone.. Last year the birds pretty much picked that tree clean and I had little to sweep up… This year what a mess… Hmm… maybe I’ll have to find some way to use the berries, use them instead of tossing them…. so far haven’t found anything made from them that I like…
One of the photos shows the raspberries starting to ripen… Another shows my salad….another shows the mulberry tree to the right of my garden sthop/studio. Another shows the mulberry covered garden path to my potting storage area… not pretty at all. Too bad I can’t get them to fall in containers I put out… Hmmmmm….
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- under the mulberry tree 2
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- fallen mulberries 1
May was a busy month for us, but somehow we managed to get most of our garden work done by the end of the month. Now we mainly have to keep things watered, weeded and occasionally divide plants and transplant or give away our extras.
Shown are some of the things thriving in the garden..
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While sitting at the table in the new garden shop/shed/whatever, I looked up to see what at first appeared to be a blizzard. With unusually warm temps, in the 80’s, snow wasn’t possible.
Knowing what it was, I went out to be closer to the cherry trees so I could experience the showers of blossoms with every gust of wind. Some friends and family will sometimes comment that I see things as a child would see them. When the cherry trees are in bloom, is one of those times when I feel like a child who is seeing this for the first time. I am in awe of the beauty, will sit or stand under them to gaze up at the blossoms and love to experience the blossom showers. I noticed neighbors will also stop to enjoy the trees. In fact some have told me that they look for to the trees blooming each spring and if they happen to be walking or driving by when they are raining blossoms, they will stop and experience the showers.
Photos taken yesterday…
The first is of the small Weeping Cherry tree. It is still relatively young and so not yet very big nor dense, but it has the most beautiful pink blossoms. I’ll be picking, pressing, and drying some of the blooms today.
Under the Yoshino Cherry trees. These are the types of trees you see in D.C. The blossoms are a little paler than those of the weeping cherry, but just as pretty and the trees themselves are beautiful with that layered branch way of growing. I’ll be cutting some small branches and taking them to a friend in the infirmary. Last year she came over often to sit on the bench near the trees to enjoy them. If she can’t come to enjoy the blossoms, I can take the blossoms to her and maybe make her day a little brighter.
And speaking of children… last week granddaughter Jess was trying on hats from our collection of vintage hats, to see which one she wanted to wear to Hat Day at school. Grandson Connor had been dropped off very early as his daddy was having hip replacement surgery. Connor was upset at not being able to find a boy hat to wear, something other than everyday hats. I remembered I’d pulled out a chullo hat from a trip to Bolivia so that I could copy some of the stitch designs and use them in a chullo hat I’ll be starting soon. Connor tried it, and it was perfect!
Looking at that smile you can easilly see why it is that children can smile that way. There is a lot of passion in everything they do… they way they experience a shower of blossoms, they way they smile. We can learn a lot from children.
I mentioned Connor’s daddy having surgery. Our son-in-law could use prayers and healing thoughts as he recovers from this surgery and faces the next one. Hip replacements at his age are not common, but we are hoping that once healed he will be able to do all the things he has not been able to do for quite some time, important things like teaching a son about camping and the great outdoors.
I also mentioned the garden house… if you’d like to see photos of it so far visit my studio blog, link in the sidebar.
My simple woman’s update is posted on a separate page… you can find it in the link above..
and a teaser….
While I have posted very few things on my studio blog lately, it is mainly because I’ve had little time for photos and descriptions. And with Christmas and Rock Day so close I still don’t have a lot of time for getting photo colors just right… I may just wait till after Rock Day to work on it…
I did take a quick photo this morning of just a few of my many batches of silk top available, some dyed using natural dyes this summer. Here are 4 different batches of silk top that can be used for spinning, blending or other silk work. One of the solid colors was done with a walnut dye, it is absolutely yummy! The sage green ( color is off in the photo) was done with my purple and black daylilies. The other two were done with commercial dyes. Using my plants for the natural colors was a lot of fun…
Simply Divine Silk Top
I saw this on another blog and thought that someone read my mind. The things we love were so similar that I could have just posted what she wrote without changing a thing, but I didn’t.
7 Things I love:
* My family… 2 legged and 4 legged… who know me well … and love me … quirks and all. Particularly my husband who has put up with me since we were children. And the grandchildren who let me see things through a child’s eyes.
*My home… where friends and family gather comfortably. No matter where it is, big or small, it is unique and much more than just a home.
* Quiet time in the morning with a cup of coffee or tea, watching the sunrise, reading or strolling through the garden while the dew is still on the flowers… with Him who loves me most.
* Curling up in a comfortable chair … with a good book … no where I need to be.
* A winter day with big fat snowflakes slowly falling gently …. snowman making weather …
* Being creative …. trying something new… a recipe … a new craft … new flowers in the garden … and sharing with others.
* Living simply … doing more with less … finding the little treasures in life.
Seasons End
Harvesting the last of the produce from the garden is one of the normal signs of transition from Summer to Autumn.
I was able to keep harvesting till just a week ago, covering plants at night until daytime temps were too low to be of much benefit.
This summer’s food and herb garden did not hold much, just a few plants given to me by friends that had little space for extra plants. I’d cleared that space of all plants last fall and so now all that remains is Sage & Chocolate Mint. There are plans to fill that space up again next year, having been able to remove an invasive weed we battled with last year.
The end of growing season, marks the beginning family season, when we spend more time with each other and not rushing around working on outdoor projects, going on trips, enjoying outdoor activities in the community.
This year we have a new Season of another kind. My husband retired last week. He is much younger than most people when they retire, but he is ready to move on, do the things he has not had time for, no more work travel, staying at hotels, lugging a heavy briefcase and laptop everywhere.
He is looking forward to having time to do what he likes to do best, work with his hands, pull out the shopsmith that has been tucked away for years, set it up and put some miles on it. His first project is a large shed that I can use as a potting shed but also as a summer studio facing the garden. I currently use most of the garage with the sheltered patio as my summer studio, once the new building is done that space will be his to use
Another milestone here is not really a personal one, but important to me for many reasons. This Saturday the guild will celebrate it’s first anniversary. We ended the year with 40 members and have been very busy meeting new people, learning new things, participating in demos and other events.. It has been a lot of fun, but also a lot of work.
In order to free up time (my studio work has suffered a bit and so has my writing) make things a little easier and more efficient for everyone, I’ve asked a fellow guild member to take over the discussion/business part of the meeting. I will help, but will have more time to set up workshops, work on the newsletter and guild blog. Saturday I will be doing what I like doing most, teaching the members how to weave using wheat to make small ornaments or favors.
Not only have I neglected updating this blog, I’ve also neglected the guild blog and my studio blog. There just wasn’t much time for sitting down to work on updates. I’m working on them now!
Some of the photos posted here were taken with my phone camera as my camera is a bit too large to carry with me at times… those photos are blurry….sorry! Maybe I should ask for a small digital camera for my birthday… hmmm?
May Day signals the start of serious garden work for me. I like to devote as much time as possible to the garden in May so that I can have all the heaviest work before the heat and humidity of summer arrives. Sounds like a plan, right? Unfortunately, spring did not cooperate. Like weather everywhere, we had unseasonable weather, too cold one day, too hot another, too much rain… etc.. A lot of things that normally get done in May did not get done and I’m a bit behind, enough that a veggie garden will not be started, I’m devoting my time to perennial or self seeding plants.
Guild Meeting happened on May 3rd – because the fellowship hall at the church was being used, we met in one of the smaller rooms upstairs. The room was fine for the number of guild members that showed up, but not many of us considered the fact that we’d have to carry things upstairs…. Better planning if this happens again. Easier to carry drop spindles and knitting up stairs, than spinning wheels, looms and library inventory..
Mother’s Day went well. For the first time in 4 years I got to spend a good part of the day with a special grandson, what more could I ask for?
Bringing in the Sheep happened on May 23rd at the monastery. I’d planned to help, but arrived just as the last of the sheep were going into the barn. I blame my tardiness on the new perennial garden, Chamberlain Acres, that is way to close to my home. I’d stopped to look at what they had and lost track of time. I can see this place is going to be a problem for me, I have a hard time resisting perennials, particularly from a local business. Anyway, last year it took longer to bring in all the sheep so I really thought I’d be there in time to help get the stragglers in. I was teased about my good timing when I arrived.. Oops!
Shearing day at Mt Saviour Monastery
is held on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. This year it was on May 24th. I went to watch for a while and to see if they needed help with skirting, came home with a Scottish Blackface fleece and another fleece that is either a Greyface or BFL fleece. The Scottish Blackface fleece will be used to make a hooked rug. No plans for the other fleece yet…. And no photos of this year’s shearing, I forgot to take my camera. I did take photos last year , there is a link to that post on the Monastery Wool project page
Mom’s Birthday, May 25th is when I plant special things like Dahlias, in her memory. No Dahlias this year, but I did add a few new things. And as if on cue, the dragonflies have returned, zipping around the garden as I work, constantly reminding me of Mom working alongside me in the garden.
Memorial Day – It felt odd to have this on the 26th when the 31st was actually the next weekend. I normally go to the ceremony that is held at Woodlawn National Cemetery after the parade. This year I stayed home and was surprised to find out that a ceremony and gun salute is also done at the cemetery down the street. How have I missed knowing that?
A Wedding was the perfect way to end the month. On May 31, a special niece was married. The wedding was at St Paul’s Cathedral in Buffalo. The old cathedral is beautiful and large, a perfect place to have a wedding. My niece Tanya had a maid of honor but no bridesmaids, choosing instead to have several teenage boys, including her 3 sons, as part of the wedding party. At the start of the ceremony, each boy presented her with a flower which she used to form her bouquet. As usual there were many smiles and also a few tears, particularly when hugging some of the elderly family members we haven’t see in a long time. My aunt cried when she saw Dad, which got her daughter going, which got my brother-and-sister in law going and they all got me going… Sigh… And as the bride and groom, Tanya and Dennis, walked down the isle after the ceremony, Tanya reached over and pulled Dad out of the pew and had him walk out with them.
Although it felt like summer last week, I knew record low temps were predicted this week. And so I groaned as I noticed what looked like snow flurries. But then as I turned and looked at the window on the other side of the room, I didn’t see any. Walking closer to the first window I realized it was not snow at all but a blizzard of petals from my cherry trees. The street, neighbors lawns, side yard, driveway and more were covered with soft pink petals, so many that I could have filled a bucket. Every time the breeze picked up, more blossoms would fall from the trees to add to those being swirled around…. Very pretty! I’ll take cherry blossoms snow over regular snow anyday!
I wonder, is there any use for these petals? It would be very easy to collect some and maybe dry them… hmmm
Yesterday we woke to find everything covered in snow making it look like Christmas rather than fall, just days before Thanksgiving.
As can be seen in some of the photos, many of the trees and shrubs were still covered with leaves. The very wet and heavy snow on the leaves brought some limbs (not ours) to the breaking point, while the limbs on some trees were bent so low that it seemed you could touch them while walking or driving near them. I drove through one such street in the morning and it was a bit scary driving under trees and power limbs so low. By the time I returned home around noon, most of the snow has fallen from the trees and melting. It was very pretty while it lasted.
From my front porch, I love the contrast of fall colors and the snow.
Close up… Those are the same shrubs seen in the photo of Krystal as a pup. They were practically stick when we planted them and they have really gotten quite large over the years, always give us great color in fall.
From the porch looking the other way… If you look closely you can see the headlights of a car belonging to an emergency crew working on power or cable lines down the street. As I was taking the photo I could hear cracking and popping, the sound of tree limbs giving way under the weight of snow. After I took the photo I noticed that all the trees looked out of proportion, narrow because of the drooping branches..
The River Birch has dropped most of its leaves, but the pink/grey peeling bark makes it a nice tree for winter interest. Covered in snow, it blended in with all the other trees. It is amazing to see how far the younger limbs on this tree can bend.
Today… all the snow is gone and it is rainy… yuck!
Our unusual weather continues, cold one day, hot another.. we’ve yet to have a hard frost. I noticed a few confused plants such as tiny bleeding hearts that think it is spring. We are already today in the 70’s….
A common chore here in fall is the digging up of dahlia tubers. In past years I’ve had many, but an early frost in a previous year caught me off guard and I lost most of them. I only have a few now and so it takes little time to dig them up.
This morning I checked some of them to see how they were doing and noticed the bees. It had gotten cold last night and the sun hadn’t cut through the fog to warm things up yet, so the bees weren’t moving at all. Looking closer I could see more bees between the petals, all tucked away. I’m going to wait a little bit longer to dig up the tubers.
Not much fall color yet.. some trees are dropping their leaves without first changing color… hmmmmmmm!
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