Hello Again ...

It's been a while, hasn't it. This is a busy season and there seems to be more to do than I can fit in any given day or days. This week I finished getting most of the herbs and veggie plants in except for a few things that I'll tuck in here and there as the summer progresses. For instance today I picked up a few more eggplants to replace the spinach which is now bolting and will no longer grow as the heat increases. Spinach will be replanted in the fall once cool days and nights are upon us.

Since the first of May we've had an astounding 6 1/4 inches of rain and local meteorologists say that though we still have a 3 inch deficit for the year, we are no longer considered to be in drought conditions and that the ground water levels are doing well. It's also been amazingly cool and though we may have a day or two near 90 degrees at the beginning of the week, it will cool down again into the 70s as the week progresses. I shall not complain about that or the abundance of moisture we've had this month. I hope we'll continue to have enough rain through the summer to keep the gardens as lush and productive as they are right now.

I'm no longer putting out hummingbird feeders. I found it difficult to keep up with changing the syrup every day or so and having cats I no longer want to tempt fate. Since I only put seed feeders out in the middle of the winter, our bird loss, I'm very happy to say, has really diminished. But still we have lots of humming birds about. They love these trumpet vines and I've also found them feeding on bronze fennel and basil when they are in bloom.

I'm trying to figure out if I will keep this blog going. I haven't been posting much and I find I really just want to be outside in the garden at this time of year. Still there are many things I'd like to write about and a blog seems to be a great way to keep the words flowing ... if I'd only do it. I'll let you know what I decide.

Still In The Garden ...

Oh yes, I'm still here. Still have very dirty fingernails and a tired body at the end of the day. We've had an amazing wet season with 2 3/4 " of rain between May 1st and yesterday. More is on the way as the big storms from the Midwest head our way overnight and into tomorrow. The garden is greener and lusher than I've seen it since we moved here in 2001 and for the first time I can see how all the work is paying off. I can really see the vision that I've had and it just keeps getting better.

The above photo is of a blue columbine that was here when we moved in. It moves about the garden freely, showing up in new places every year and I love it. I have never seen this variety in any of the nurseries or garden shops so don't really know what its name is.

The garden theme this year is certainly about medicine and edibles. Though I do and will tuck in something that catches my eye that is not medicinal or edible, I'm really interested in mainly putting in veggies and herbs.

I spent last weekend in North Carolina visiting with the grandlings. They were both on stage in their school's production of Fiddler On The Roof, which just blew me away. Every student in grades K thru 8th grade in this school of some 75 kids were on stage. I was in tears at the end as they sang, To Life, which shall forever be my anthem. I have spent far too many hours worrying about the future of our planet and our children and will now put my energy into celebrating the lives we do have and find ways to make them better. Here was a stage filled with children singing to their parents and grandparents about how to keep going even if the circumstances aren't always the best. Who says we can't learn from these little ones??
Sorry I didn't get pictures but it is etched in my mind and imagination for good!!

While there I was surprised to find that the Western North Carolina Herb Festival was on in Asheville and on Sunday morning I spent an hour or so wandering through the aisles of herbs, medicinals, seeds and plain ole interesting people. I got opinions about vermiculture, learned about keyhole gardens and yes, brought more plants home to put in the garden ... Angelica, meadowsweet, Clary Sage and Lobelia among them.

Hope you are enjoying the spring as much as I am!!