AHHH, SPRING!!

Daffodils grow wild under the pine trees in the grove

Mike and I made another Sunday trip to the farm. This time we turned the water on and rinsed the antifreeze out of the plumbing. We anticipated no problems, and we had none. It simply wasn’t cold enough this winter to cause plumbing woes. Nevertheless, we are always guardedly cautious because – you know, Murphy’s Law.

I ran machines – a rinse/spin for the washing machine and a couple of wash cycles for the dishwasher. It felt great to finally get that load of dishes washed and put away! We also turned on the fridge and I cleaned it.

Due to recent rain storms, we have standing water in the fields. The pond is now overflowing onto the path and into the spillway. I guess it’s a good thing that we at least begin the growing season with water. A hot summer is in the forecast.

We saw no ducks, geese, or quail at the pond – only redwing blackbirds.

After 20+ years in the ground, our mailbox fell over and has to have a new post. Mike spent the afternoon working on it. It’s place at the corner is now saturated with water, so I’m not sure how this will work out.

Meanwhile, I raked the yard and picked up tree debris – just not fast enough. And there was even more yard debris since our last visit due to the windstorms. At least the trees are still standing.

Daffodils and violets by the front steps

I loved seeing the daffodils in bloom – and the violets. The Crown Imperial are coming up. The cherry tree looks good. I’m guardedly cautious about the apple trees. Two rhubarb plants are making a comeback, and the strawberry bed survived the winter.

Mike suggests I grow lots of vegetables this year. Would that I could! If you only read the pictures here, you know that my main raised bed is dilapidated. We have discussed a quick repair.  Gardening wouldn’t be quite the challenge if we didn’t have to fence everything.

The other thing is that the vegetables themselves are a challenge.  I think it’s the heat and lack of rain as much as my lack of gardening skill. KW