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Thursday, June 25, 2020

CHANGING LANDSCAPE


Wednesday (June 24), we left the old truck at an upholstery place on the highway to have the driver’s seat reupholstered. From there we drove on to the farm, arriving by 9:30. The temp in the shade was 72, but it warmed right up, as we expect in the summer. It is overcast, though, due to the “weak system” passing through.

In town, this “experienced” north Idaho gal finally took the heavy electric blanket off the bed with the hope that she wasn’t acting too hastily. The forecast is for another week of cool weather.

It’s amazing what happened here at the farm in the four days we were gone. The spinach bolted; the peas grew taller, the rhubarb matured, and the canola is beginning to bloom in earnest.

In conversation the other night, brother Chuck questioned at what stage the canola blooms, and so, here’s how it looks today. It blooms while it’s still young – the stalks are 2-3 feet now – and then it grows to seven feet or so. It IS rather spectacular when it’s in bloom but does not provide the effects we see as the amber waves of grain reflect the sun. We will miss that this year.

I pulled the spinach from the raised beds and cooked it. I guess it was about four cups – not much considering the effort and the space it took up in the garden. It does taste good when it’s garden-grown, but that's about all I can say. The strawberries – very few – are exceptionally small, and I don’t know what to do about it. I’m really not a gardener.

I refilled the hummingbird feeders, but as usual, they are slow to resume activity. I went out to pick up pine cones before Mike mowed, and I startled a robin off her nest in the crook of the maple tree next to the woodshed. While she was gone, I crept up with my phone and took this picture of her eggs.This morning I was successful in getting one of her on the nest.

Mike moved the boat at the pond and discovered a smallish rattler. They do like to hang out under a boat. He encouraged it to move off, and it went into the pond. He also startled one of the young bucks, apparently resting at the pond. The deer are brazen and have nibbled at my rose bushes. KW



4 comments:

  1. Yay nature! What great photos!

    I don't think success is a measure of the "gardener" title. If you like growing things, I say you're a gardener. I like gardening, but I wouldn't want to admit my failure rate. Sometimes it just takes time to figure out what a particular plant likes.

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  2. Mama Robin is still sitting on her nest.

    Well, I do think there are many variables in gardening. Water and fertilizer are important, but sometimes the weather just isn't right.

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  3. Yay for the "experienced" Idaho gal. :-) Love that proud mama bird all fluffed out over her eggs.

    We were tossing back our heavy bedspread, but with this cooler weather, we're pulling it up again and snuggling under. At least there's no lightning tonight!

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  4. The mama robin still sits on her eggs. We were just discussing that this cooler weather must be hard on her. She leaves the nest periodically to take care of her needs, and while she's gone, the eggs undoubtedly cool.

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