LUNCH AT HERITAGE FARMERS MARKET

Most Saturdays we run over to the local farmer's market for a delicious home made lunch special.  Look at what they served!  Can you smell the fresh strawberries?  They even serverd real whipped cream on top.

One of my favorite rooms in the market is the bathroom.  I visit it every time I go.  I mean I go in there every time I visit.  I mean it is cute!
See Doug's long johns hanging on the hook? 

 

These folks are in the bathroom every week.  It is a communal room.
But they don't bother anyone.

 

Chickens are so colorful.

 

                             They add color to a dark corner or coop.

This is the take out window.  But it is so fun sitting with the locals that I don't usually take my food. I eat my food with gusto.  I wonder if the oxen yoke comes down on you if you forget to pay for your food.

Why would you go to a chain restaurant when you can get the best food this side of the Rocky Mountains right here on Route 9.

These two boys agree.....

........and that's no bull.

Head 'em up and move 'em out.

 

 

 

14 DAYS LATE

 

TODAY WE MOWED!

 

As I have mentioned, April 15th is when we mow the yard for the first time,

 unless we have 5+ inches of rain like we had this month.

  Today, we fired up both riding mowers and started cutting.

Dennis is waving at you, please wave back!

 

 

The grass was 25 feet tall.  Ok, maybe not, but it was very tall and now it is very short.

 

 

 

These little twigs are Linden trees. 

 A gentleman at work gave them out to everyone on Arbor Day.

Every year he passes out trees.  Isn't that an awesome idea?

 

He had them wrapped in a wet paper towel and cellophane.

 

Once again, it is almost dark when I get around to planting. 

But I had enough daylight to stick the shovel in the ground, twist it a little, and nestle Mr. and Mrs. Linden into their honeymoon home. 

                                                   Mr. Linden your roots are showing!

 

 

 

No hanky panky Mr. and Mrs. Linden.  Sleep tight.

I pronounce you husband and wife.

 

 

 

LIGHT DUTY WORK

This morning was dedicated to taking the Dalmatians, Jessie and Jamie, to the veterinarian for their heartworm test.

We stopped at the bank on the way home.  The teller, a friend of ours, sent dog biscuits through the tube for the dogs.  I wish they would send me a treat through the tube.  I guess I'm not cute and furry and loveable.  My only spots are age spots.

I had many things I wanted to accomplish today.  Light duty work, but necessary.
Here is the list:
    
               Prune the butterfly bushes
               Cut the Russian sage to the ground
               Move the wooden trellis to a better spot
               Make a trip to the compost pile
               Pull some weeds
               Wash the bird feeders

This can be summed up as prune, cut, move, trip, pull, wash.
Or the shorter version is PCMMPW. 
How about: trip, flip, fall, curse, hop, cry.
It is amazing what goes through a gardener's mind sometimes.

I put on a jacket and headed outside.  Of course it begins to rain.  All morning it had been clear and nice.  I kept moving.  It was a light rain.  Surprisingly, I got it all done.  I was getting chilled and my feet were wet, but I was headed to the shower anyway so I would warm up fast.

The bird feeders are filled and rehung.  They look so much better.  I hope the birds are happy.
I took the  Droll Yankee feeder completely apart to clean it.  I love their products.  Sturdy, functional, long lasting and easy to clean.  I highly recommend them. 


Now it is time for two Tylenol and a little rest in my own nest. 
Chirp chirp.

BURNING THE FIELDS



Burning the grass off the farmland.
 

Since time began, or at least since I began, I can remember farmers burning their fields in the spring.  In March, 1969, my grandfather started quite a fire north of the school.

I was in freshman study hall and looked out the school window.  Grandpa's field was on fire and blowing east toward the highway.  I then heard fire sirens and saw a lot of pick-up trucks driving north toward the farm.  The wind had picked up and the fire was spreading fast.  Luckily, the Buda, Illinois volunteer fire department got it under control.

As I remember, this was how farmers helped to clear off brush, scrub growth, and kill weed seeds in the crop fields.


                       

 

Once a field is burned it takes weeks for the grass to grow back and fill in the bare spots.  If you have laundry on the clothes line or your windows open during the burn,  the smell permeates everything.  Who hangs laundry outside and who opens windows these days?  I do, but most people do not. 

If you are inclined to burn a brush pile, please make an attempt to make sure there are no baby animals living in there.  Spread the pile apart and burn it in sections, make loud noises and chase them out.  Do anything you can think of to save the critters.  Thank you.

INDIGO BUNTING

Finally, he came to visit.  The past eight years I have occasionally seen a brilliant blue bird down the road, near the creek and overgrown brush.  I have wished and sprinkled holy water hoping this little birdie would suddenly appear in our garden. 

Low and behold, abracadabra, walla!  Sunday he stopped in for lunch.  I was in the house and saw a blue spot in the yard.  Of course I grabbed the camera and after many many pictures through the glass I was able to get one clear picture. 

See the tiny speck of blue on the gound? That's him. The males are bright blue and the females are brown. 

This showman flitters and flirts so fast.  His wings were always in motion as he hopped on the fence, over to the tree, down to the seeds on the ground, and off again.  I have some great blurry shots of him!

The next day he came back again.  Indigo Bunting migrate to Florida and Africa during our winter.  They navigate at night by the stars.  Isn't that fascinating.  His little brain is no bigger than a pin head and he travels that far.  I never go anywhere. I suppose it is possible my brain might be close to the same size..................sadly.

Google Picture

 

 

(maybe his name should be "Google"?) 

 

 

 

5 Inches of Rain Overnight

At 5:00 p.m. we had 1.5 inches of rain, and it rained all night Wednesday and all day Thursday, totaling 5 inches in 24 hours at Rustynail.

 

Today, in central Illinois, schools were closed due to flooding.  Roads are washed out in places.  Basements are flooded.  In Roanoke, Illinois families were rescued from their homes by boat.
In Washburn, Illinois they rescued people by having them climb down a backhoe.  This is from rainwater flooding, not the river.  My friend plugged her basement drain on the farm with a tennis ball to prevent water from coming in.  It worked!

Did I mention I have a broken elbow?  Not that kind, this kind.  The downspout elbow gave way from the water pressure.

 

 

 

 

Yes, you did see a 1968 wringer washing machine in the yard and it works!

I salvaged it from my neighbor's pile.  I plan to paint it pink and put ice and soft drinks in it for our next party.  You are all invited. 

 

Even Daisy Mae took higher ground on the fridge.

                       The pond is filled to the brim.  I think the limb is trying to crawl to safety.

 

                   I am so glad Brandi and Jeff gave me this garden boots for Christmas!  Stylish.

                                 Please comment if you have a wet basement, no electricity, or even a 1960's washing machine in  your yard.

 

Bazinga......................

 

 

 

 

WHERE DID ALL THIS RAIN COME FROM?

Last week our rain guage indicated we had two inches on Thursday.
My friend had water damage in her basement from the heavy downpour.
We were driving across town in water up to our van doors that evening.  Streets were flooded all over town.

Since then we had one more inch.  At this moment we are under a thunderstorm warning and it is pouring again.

What upsets me most is it totally screwed up my annual lawn mowing day April 15th.  I have looked forward to this since October 15th, my annual last day of lawn mowing for the season.  I just can't function now.

When will I mow?  When will the ground dry?  When will my eyes dry out?
How can I face my neighbors with long grass?  Should I get out the For Sale sign and let them borrow it?

Do birds like all this rain?  Where is the sun?  Does the sun like rain?  I'm sure my pond is about to overflow by now and so am I.  Rain is coming out of my ears.  I need a rainbow.

April 18, 2013 continued:
I had a strobe light show in my house all night long.  Lightening going off like flash cameras.  At 7 a.m. we had another 2.5 inches at home.
Schools are closed locally due to flooding and roads washing away.  This is serious.  What will this do to the farmers trying to plant in May?  I thank the rain gods for not poking holes in my basement walls last night.  So far, it is dry down there. 


Love,
Noah

DRIVING AROUND TOWN TODAY

On rare occasions I do cook.  This is what I fixed my honey for breakfast.  Eggs and raisin bread from the farmer's market, fried potatoes, coffee from Leaves-n-Beans.  The water is from our well.  The table cloth is from Door County, and I am from Sheffield, and Dennis is from Oglsby, and that's enough.........I get carried away.

Dennis wanted to go for a ride and show me a couple of  trees that are almost in full bloom so I grabbed the camera and we took off.

Here is a pretty one.  "Star Magnolia"

 

 

Ah, lovely forsythia.

This magnificent oak tree is at the Pekin Insurance Lodge.  Look at those limbs!

 

Another purdy pink tree.  Saucer Magnolia.

 

Of course we stopped at Starbucks on the way home.

 

Soon it was dark.  I looked out the front window and saw something looking back at me.

It was moving, had two eyes, and was gobbling up the bird seed crumbs.

It was a green eyed, masked, crumb grabber!

 

Dig it.

 

 

 

MANDARIN LIGHTS

Today we hopped in the van and headed to Hornbaker Gardens in Princeton, IL.  They opened for the season this week and it is a ritual for us to visit them as soon as they open.  We grabbed some goodies at Panera Bread and drove the country roads north.  There was very little traffic, the sky was clear, and we had a chance to talk and relax together.  

Hornbaker's has so many wonderful and unique garden items and the staff is so friendly.  I wish I could invite them all to lunch, and Christmas dinner, and my birthday party, and name our next puppy after one of them.  They are awesome people.

So, I bought a ceramic mushroom, a stand for my blue gazing ball, and a glorious azalea named Mandarin Lights.  This is "Mandy".

She is about to be tapped on the shovel handle to loosen her.

Hold on Mandy, this tickles.

 

Take a deep breath Mandy!

Now tuck your toes and bend your knees Mandy.  I am covering you with dirt.

Is that enough dirt?  Will you be warm under all this dirt?

And this little cage is only temporary Mandy.  Once you get stronger I will remove it, promise. Now here is some straw mulch to keep your soil moist. 

 

 It is almost dark Mandy!

See the sun setting in the west.  Sleep well Mandy.  And GROW!

 

 

 

This root ball is the azalea we planted last year.  The drought killed it.

But I refuse to believe it is totally dead so I am moving it.  Doctor please, is there a chance she has  a breath of life left?  I'm not giving up on her.  She will be in intensive  care for awhile. 

 

 

TIDY UP

I am having a hard time making myself get outside and "do" something.  The first few nice days of spring are very spiritual.  I walk around the hills and just soak up the sun then I might sit for awhile and swing.  The past few days were like this and finally today I said, "Thank you for this land and the opportunity to enjoy it.  Amen" and began to tidy up.

I gave a few plants a hair cut, chopped off the grasses and dried mums, and raked a few dead leaves from the butterfly garden. 

My head is spinning with ideas of what to plant in our blue pottery.  In fact, I am going to take pictures of all the pots and take them with me to Hornbaker Gardens.  They have a fantastic staff who can guide me in designing the flower pots.

This July our pond will be one of those on the local Prairie Land Koi and Pond Society tour.
Soon I have to make a list of what needs to be done in preparation for this event. 

April 15th is my annual Lawn Mowing Day.  Every single year since 1971 I have mowed the lawn for the first time on this day.  Ok, a few times it rained, and once I overslept until May, and another time I mowed early.  I better make sure the mower runs!


Ba da bing, ba da boom.
Dig it!

KNOCK KNOCK

Anybody home yet?  Hello!

Waiting for spring is just killing me.  Every night I look for signs of spring.

Today the Forsythia bush started to sprout some leaves.  Maybe 5 twigs had leaves but it's better than none.

 

Ah, this little Daffodil is saying hello, "Here I am, I made it."

                                                                 
                                                             We made it too!

This is what I am really excited about, our Star Magnolis is beginning to pop.  This tree is very special.  It was a gift from my best friends Patty and Annette to celebrate my brother's memory.

I cherish it.

Oh, our Prince of Orange Poppy is going to make it.

This will be it's first year in our garden.  Welcome.

Other than steaming the carpet, doing dishes, washing bedding, cleaning the bathroom and vacuuming, it was a pretty quiet day waiting for the plants to wake up.