Spring Time!

Spring has taken it's sweet time getting here. Last year, Spring had sprung in March/April. It's mid-may and now everything is finally blooming. We finally got a few sunny days and 60-70 degree temperatures so we got to planting our garden!

I was pretty happy to find out that we had a few perennials--which means I didn't have to buy them again this year and it could go to something else fun to plant. Here, the sage came back to life:


The Greek Oregano also snuck back to life:


Three types of mint came back with a vengence:


Unfortunately, due to poor planning, I put these mint right next to the house thinking it would be pretty and easy for me to harvest. What I didn't consider was the fact that the bug guy sprays pesticides around the perimeter of the house basically rendering the mint poisonous. It supposed to be non-toxic pesticides but non-toxic for who? Obviously not for bugs. So, I went and got more mint this year for culinary purposes. I put them in pots so they don't take over the yard.


Here's my herb garden.

I added a lime thyme (bottom right), a lemon thyme (above the lime thyme), Genovese basil, and at the very top a jalapeno plant. We're in for a wild thyme. *hee hee*

Our A-frame is back out ready to take on six different heirloom tomatoes and one tomatillo plant. I can't remember all the names of the tomatoes but I know I got Cherokee Purple (my fave!), Amish Paste, and Lemon Boy. I wonder if I got Green Zebra again (another fave!). I got tomatoes that had high yields and produce more complex flavors for sauce.


Here's our mini compost pile from last fall. Notice all those green patches?

Those are sprouting lettuce! We let the lettuce go to seed last fall and when we pulled it out, I guess it decided to replant itself there.


Finally, we've got some purple potatoes (no, not Okinawan Sweet Potatoes--I wish!)


Finally, we've got some wild violets

and what I like to call hydrangeas with a sweet perfume (these are really Lilacs and are my new favorite flower).


I don't know what the white flower is but it smells sweet and almost reminiscent of Jasmine. I just made myself a mother's day bouquet.


I've got to find a tracker and see if my garden will yield a ton of food. I also planted lettuce, beets, bush cucumber and some squash (I don't remember what kind of seeds I saved so it'll be a surprise--I'm hoping for butternut). I can't wait to start harvesting!

Just when you thought it was over...

This winter has been really warm. Few snow days and lots of days in the 30s and 40s. We even got a few 60-70 degree days in there. It was lovely. I even took a picture of the first green sprouts I saw. It made me excited to think that Spring was here!


But then out of nowhere, we got the biggest snowfall of the season when we least expected it. All the forecasts warned of flooding and heavy rains. Instead, we got some crazy snow--about 8-10 inches at least. The snow was heavy and sticky and made everything look like it was covered in cotton and icing. I should have played hooky to make a few snowmen!



Note how high the snow is on the left side of the picture. Before this snowfall, everything was brown without a speck of snow or ice in sight. Also note that Secret Agent Man is super awesome and scrapes, digs, shovels, and snow blows all the snow off my truck, out of our driveway, clears the backroads for us and our neighbor, along with the sidewalks in front of ours and our neighbor's house.


I don't know if Taylor is stalking Radar or squirrels.


Radar gets so tired trying to make his way through the snow...but he's so pretty!


I hope this is the last of winter but everyone tells me not to get my hopes up until June.

Sugar*mama

Blasted Rabbit and First Harvest!

Finally, summer is upon us and the volatile spring weather has gone. So we got to planting our vegetable garden!

Without fail, within 24 hours of planting our vegetables, this happened:


Blasted rabbit. I spotted a wild rabbit or two when we first moved in but thought nothing of it when we planted our garden--except that we shouldn't plant strawberries since it'll be a waste of time since the rabbits or the birds would get to the fruit before we could.

So, to solve our rabbit problem we had to cage in our vegetables.


It worked so well, that within three weeks, we got our first harvest! Mostly lettuce and arugala. When I would try to grow this in California, it would bolt in a blink of an eye and become really bitter. These are quite tender and sweet.


Dressed with a light vinegrette, it makes for a lovely lunch.


Here's to a bountiful harvest this season!
Sugar*mama

Spring Pictures!

Just wanted to share some of the spring growth in these parts...let me tell you, it was a welcome sight to see!


Daffodils are now my favorite flower, it's the first to greet Spring! It was my mom's favorite flower and now I see why. It's just so bright and sunny and happy.


Here's a tulip growing. I can't wait to see what this one looks like. These are my sister's favorite flowers.

All these young buds:






Here are some fabulous wild daffodils in the alley way along with a flowering bush:


Even weeds are a happy sight!


I love the gold colors and how green the lawns are again.


Apparently so does Taylor.

Actually, she's loving all the new birds in the neighborhood. She tries her best to catch them but she's a little too clumsy.

By the time I finished taking all the pictures, the second daffodil bloomed.


Daffodils and tulips aren't the only things growing around here (hee hee).

Finally, here's my two broken footed boys. I don't know how Radar managed to hurt his left foot just like Secret Agent Man but it is somewhat funny to see the two of them limping around.


Happy Spring!
Sugar*mama

Happy Easter!

Just hopping by to wish you all....

Question...

Can anyone tell me if this is poison ivy?
Because there's a bunch of it under my pear tree and I'm itching to touch it--just to see if it really is... Yes, I just might have self-control issues.



See? Leaves of three..but is it really poison ivy?

Just wondering...
Sugar*mama