Love Is All Around

That time of year again when its calm, cool and early spring. Before any activity of wildlife in the fields , birds esp. I like to burn off the rough looking stuff so the field will green up pretty for spring. And can see all the birds looking for worms and bugs. Each day it will grow greener.

Heres a pic of the burning, it did get rather big, fire creates its own weather and can whip up the wind. Our neighbor came over with his tractor and made some nice fire breaks. The ground is so soggy so once the tall stuff burned off it pretty much went out by itself.

Its so peaceful out at this time, just the sound of the crackling fire.

With the temps dropping you tend to get a little closer to the fire to get warm, ahhhhh this is a little to close

Now we got field on fire on one side and just look whats showing on the west side, a beautiful sun setting over the hill, our field sits in a small valley so we get the tips of the sunsets from this area of the homestead, but oh how pretty, looks like the sun is burning fields too

Heres the field burnt off, the rest is woods on three sides w/ a big garden and our home overlooking the field.

After I took this picture I picked up that wicker chair that blew over, Oh well, not all is picture perfect : )

Heres a picture of a section I will use that old carpet (from my other post)and work another wildflower garden in here. I want to attract hummingbirds and butterflies as well as bees and other pollinators to the gardens. Plus have a nice bouquet of wildflowers all season long for the tables.

Well I was sure glad our neighbor came over to lend a hand on my burnings. He also help drag out a dead colt out of our creek. DH found the small horse yesterday when he went walking on our trails. Poor little thing, not sure what happen, didn't look tangled or anything and not even attacted from animals that we could see. We have cougar here but I would think it would have eaten the horse.

So DH goes to our nighbors to find out whos horse it is, sure enough its our neighbor south east of us. DH had to go over twice to see if they were going to get their dead horse out of our creek. We have nothing big enough to get the horse out. So we waited and waited, and no show. So our other neighbor with his big tractor came to the recuse. He wanted to know where we want to put the horse. I said take it over to the owers, so DH and he took it over and dropped it off next to their driveway.

I like to be and like to have nice neighbors but I sure think if you have animals you should take care of them while they are living and when they die. I didn't think we should have to bury their horse. Now thinkin about how this neighbor didn't even come over and help get his horse out of our creek and knowing we don't have the means to get it out. I think the poor little horse was running away from that hayseed. I think the man was just thinking of letting his horse just rot in our creek.

I sure would not have left it there if I had to pull it apart to get it out of the water. Our grandkids along with us walk those paths and I sure would not want them to see dead animals in a creek. And the sight of a dead baby horse in the water is very sad to see.

I have not met this neighbor yet but when I do I will say my piece. And to top it off, the horse has been missing for two weeks. You would think the man would have came by to ask if we seen a colt running around or keep a look out. I would have been looking all this time. Shame on that neighbor :(

Oh well thank God for the beautiful sunsets, that we can get upset and that we can calm down.

Garden stuff:

More winter sowing yesterday and more seeds planted indoors under grow lights.

Busy week coming up, oh oh oh, I seen this beautiful bird, first ever. It was purple and red , pretty, I grabbed my camera to take pic, it was just right here, right here mind you, just a glass between us, and before I could get a shot, off he went :( looking through the bird book I think its a Purple Finch. But not absolute for sure. I do hope he/she comes back : )

All have a great week, tc

Many Blessings

linda

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I love spotting those Robins in the yard , Spring is here. Oh we might get another snow, and its still cold in the mornings , but seeing the Robins searching for the worm and pulling and tugging it out of the ground is a sure rot'in toot'in signs of spring.

Top pic is some forced Forsythia's branches I snipped of the bushes that are over at the folks homestead, planted many years from my grandmothers plant. Thats another sign of spring are the bushes budding and ready for the show. Last year was beautiful then the dreadful hard freeze came and stayed for a few days , wipping out fruit trees and damage to much.

Been busy like everyone with planting in the garden and starting seeds, its full blast here on out. No time to look at seed catalogs, it time to do the real thing.

I have crossed over to the flower world, not just reg flwoers everyone grows, but flowers that I never heard of and learning the Latin names.

I'm looking at having butterfly and Hummingbird gardens. Flowers everywhere.

Through Co-ops and other gardeners I have recieved hundreds of new seeds. Co-op plants will be here closer to the end of month in perfect time for planting. New types of plants for me. I have been clearing out the woods close to the side of the house for the plants that need shade. Putting in a bigger fish and lily pond with water fall.

Last week picked up goat and horse manure for veggie garden,its nice and decomposed so will work well into the garden beds. Lots of new herbs and heirloom seeds this year.

Heirloom tomatoes are up in the flats and under grow lights, again new for me this year as well. Trying the grow lights instead of dinning room window. It will be a test to see which is the better way to go.

Now I know why we had a flood of 4" of water in our house last year and take out carpet. This was one reason.

Coal, a pee and poop reason,its so much easier to clean up on tile then on carpet. She like to go outside and inside :/. She is growing and full of energy, she is so much fun and smart to. The vet thought she was all lab and was surprise that she is not. I hope she has the traits of a Lab, they are a really nice type dog.

And heres is the other reason for the flood:

Naw I'm not carpeting the outside, lol. I'm killing the weeds in this area that is always bare in some spots and everyone wants ot back up on this area which helps in keeping it bare and rough looking. So problem will be solved with a pretting wildflower area, perfect of the butterflies and hummers. Some decorative rocks and fun things will be fun walking through into the woods. The area gets lots of sun so should be great to start a large patch of wildflowers. I got this box of wildflower seeds that contains 80,000 seeds "WOW" and will cover an area 2,000 sq ft. If every flower takes and then they have seeds, OMGoodness. I will have many seedsto share : ).

This is a recycle that I like. Old carpet from our home and used to get rid of weeds. I will be using this carpet in different spots for wildflowers only. Not in the veggie garden, cardboard will be used for that purpose in the veggie garden. I want my veggies to be as organic as can be and a carpet is not organic. It won't take but about a week or so to kill out weeds and grass and then I can start to plant wildflower seeds. Then with some of the carpet ,it will be used under the liner of the fish pond for protection of rocks. So this flood of work out good in the long run.

With the snow and rains our wild woods ponds are full and the frogs are chripping away. Its a ruugh looking pond but I just love it. The cookout camp over looks the pond and just a nice place for a gathering or sit a spell and just be in peace.

Won't be long when everything will be all green again : )

Winter Sowing:

Oh boy is this fun and I have things sprouting in milk jugs and other containes. I have over 132 containers of different flowers, each one with lots of plants in them. I will be a plantin fool soon : )

I have a load of containers down by the garden but started to put some up on the deck, now some would think this looks down right ulgy and I would have agreed with ya a few weeks ago , but now I see it in a differet light, Winter Sowing. More room to grow your plants, seeds coming up in their own time. Letting nature waking up those tiny seeds when its ready. I love going out brushing off the snow and peaking in the jugs and seeing tiny sprouts coming up. I'm sold on this way of gardening. Now take a look , is this ulgy or not, its in the eye of the beholder, and I see plants : ) and I see Spring all over : )

Happy Holidays coming up, we got St Pat. and Easter this month. And Spring to and Day light savings time to boot. Also and the main one, our youngest Gson turn a whole year old yesterday "Happy Birthday" , we will celebrate when other DD gets home and will have a party in the woods with a cookout.

Theres 150 lbs of potato seeds to plant come St Patricks Day, rain sleet or snow. So times getting close. I'm even gravin cornbeef and cabbage w a big helping of cornbread, oozing with butter, yum.

Well I think thats about it, just running around like a chicken with me head off!!!!! And oh yes, one more thing, the old gals started layin again. The eggs are on the long side, but their a layin. New chick will be ordered this month , can't wait for those : )

All have a great weekend and be chatting soon

Blessings

linda