Saturday, April 24, 2010

My veggie garden



Here are shots of my garden. We have lettuce, lavender, tomatoes and basil. And the rhubarb just stays green all year long. The strawberries are under the cage. The deer came and cleaned me out of my red berries last night; not even a single hoof print. So I have caged up the berries until they can grow back.

Rose Bed


My English Roses came in via David Austin Roses. I rushed to make the rose bed and thought I was done. Then I realized I needed to prevent the soil and mulch from washing down the hill in the rain storm. So I spent 4 hours collecting local rocks from my land. The Ozark land is full of rocks and are very easy to find. Just moving the rocks takes time, uphill and down hill. I got a workout. Time to drink some cold iced tea and rest.

Baby Ducks


At our local farm supply they had baby ducks. I just had to pick one up and pet it so soft. They were all warm under the heat lamp. Maybe next year we will try baby duck raising. This year it is baby chicks for us.

A Fungus Among Us




Today after the rains ended, I noticed these strange orange "ornaments" hanging from my cedar tree. They look like some kind of orange octopus and are 2-3 inches in diameter. They hang from the end of the limbs and some is on the branches. Wondering what they might be?

Friday, April 23, 2010

To Treadle Lightly



My latest sewing machine adventure is trying to fix a friends broken Minnesota Model A treadle. It seems some kids were playing with it and broke the treadle. We were able to find a welder in town who works in bronze. He said he will join the broken cast iron and make it whole again. Then we need to find a wood worker to make a new shaft. The old original one just came apart from dry rot and use. I need to find a single metal wheel to replace the missing one, but it was too large, back to hunting. We did find the original needles for this treadle and they still make the treadle leathers, too. I will update as we get this old treadle up and running again. It takes a small town to fix a treadle.

What Spring is all about



Spring is about renewed life. Tree are growing new leaves and the baby lambs born. My husband A. and I got to see newborn lambs at a greenhouse in Cabool, MO called Country Petals. The owner raised lambs for meat and wool, weaves fibers and runs a greenhouse during the growing seasons. We got to touch and smell fresh lambs wool, smelled like wax crayons and grass. And we were happy to learn these lambs get to keep their long tails.

The Tire Swing



Here is my friend and neighbor Nancy trying out the Co-Op tire swing. These are made from recycled tires and reused as swings and horses. But the tire horse were sold out. These are a lot of fun and last for years. And they have a rubber guard around the tree branch to protect the tree from all the swinging.

Almost Heaven




Spring is here in the Ozarks and April is almost heaven. Except heaven does not have ticks. The trees are clothed in green hues and the flowers all the colors want. My drive home is all a ceiling of green leafed trees down a tan gravel road. Birds are making nests in the multitude of bird houses made for them by caring citizens. April is the best time to see the Ozarks!

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Star Quilts


I have been teaching quilting at our local Community Center here in Summersville. Here is an example of one of our beginner projects in the works. We don't have a design wall so we use a pool table instead to lay out the quilt blocks.

Ozark April Clouds




Turtle Day





Here on our property we have turtles. This past morning they were on the move and very active. One red box turtle and one brown tortoise were running away from our ponds. We took photos of their under sides to ID them later if we come across them again.

Baby Filly




Our neighbor is raising some foals born from his mares this spring. The other morning we came by to see the latest. I have never seen a foal in real life before. It was so magical seeing a real live baby filly and its protective mother in the field.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Rose's Day out





Rose is our female Rex bunny. Since we do not have a fenced in yard we take her on leash walks in our yard. She loves eating the tall green Fescue grasses that grow on our rolling hills.