our snake charmer

It's getting progressively darker when I take Pepita out in the mornings.  Everything is SOAKED in dew. I love seeing it in all the spiderwebs.

Dark, wet mornings aren't so bad, because I see a beautiful sunrise every day.

And on our morning walks...more signs of fall!!

Some cool caterpillars...

banded tussock caterpillar

white hickory tussock caterpillar

This isn't a fungus...it's a caterpillar!  A butternut woolly sawfly caterpillar, to be exact.

He reminded me of those beech blight aphids that dance when you shake their branch...which we also saw on the trail.

pre-dance mode

I like seeing how things change from day to day.  This is one day's growth for these oyster lynx mushrooms!

Another luna moth, or what's left of him.  They're so big and protein-packed that they are a real treat for a wide range of predators.

Look at the beautiful "eyes" on his wings!

Meanwhile, at home, a recent rain brought a big green frog (that's his official name:  Lithobates clamitans or green frog)!

Look at those eyes!

Also at home, Frances is becoming the perfect lazy cat.  

napping behind my desktop computer

napping on my hand while I try to type

napping on top of a box that I needed to access

begging for attention while I'm trying to work...on the dining room table, where he is not allowed to be

He's still helping a lot with Pepita...

...and keeping an eye on things with Barnacle...when he's awake.

He supervises when I'm training Pepita.  Here's she's showing off her skills with "snake dance."  Her legs are too stubby to properly train "down," so I used a stuffed snake tucked under my leg to lure her to the ground.  Snakes crawl on their stomachs, too, so "snake dance" became the natural name for this trick.

Yes, that's Frances on my lap, helping again!  :)  

Something's always happening around here.  Have a great week! 

a girl with her squirrel

Another busy week!  But not in the yard.  I'm still in my "okay, I'm done." phase.  I'm just enjoying what's growing naturally.

Besides the baby birds I saw last week, we've also got a couple of fawns!

Wild animals outside, and wild animals inside.

Pepita is growing so quickly!

She's still learning her manners with the cats.

They are treating her red leash as their own personal chew toy, and she's not quite sure how she feels about it!

She still gets excited and runs after them sometimes, although thankfully there's no barking, growling, or nipping.  I think she just wants to play...or to herd them.  She is an Australian Shepherd, after all!

Calliope is keeping out of it.

We're keeping out of it...the heat, that is!  It's cobbler and air conditioning season.

Just two more months 'til fall...right?

Have a great week! 

speed seeds

A busy spring week!  Daffodils are blooming everywhere and I love my first spring bouquets.

I realized, belatedly, that it was mid-March and I still hasn't gotten my winter sowing started.  Many winter-sown seeds require a good freeze to help loosen the seed coat, and our weather has been so contradictory.  A few 70 degree days will get things really popping in a greenhouse, so I needed to time my sowing for a chilly stretch.  After several too-warm days, I lucked into a really cold week - 20s overnight, 40s during the day.  Perfect!  I've worked for hours in the barn to get these greenhouses out.

Each mini greenhouse holds at least 4 varieties of seed.  There's quite a bit here!  I've been really hampered by my shoulder tendonitis - I can barely lift my arm - so Todd has had to drill air/water holes in the containers and heft water jugs and soil for me, which he has done cheerfully.  He also found another bag of seeds in the barn, so I'm going to be really busy this year!  

Besides the winter sowing outside, I've got seed tests going on inside.  I've got at least 50 of tiny baggies of old seed.  I don't want to waste time/supplies by planting it if it isn't any good, so I put a few samples of each questionable seed in a damp paper towel, which I inserted into a plastic baggie and arranged on a heat mat. In about a week, I'll check and see if any seeds are sprouting.  If so, they'll be planted.  Bum seeds will be tossed - finally!  I'm especially curious about the zinnias.  How did I end up with over twenty varieties?!?

Barnabas loves to sit on the sorting table while I work.  I have to watch him - he's very interested in everything gardening-related.  Last year, we had to run him to the vet after he ate some sweet pea seedlings!  He was fine, and his vet experience didn't deter him a bit.  He's always looking to sneak a nibble!   

Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day.  I love holidays and our traditions, so as usual I made our slice-and-bake rainbow sugar cookies.  This year, though, I gave myself a little challenge.  Did we really need 30 cookies sitting around the house?  Probably not.  I reduced the recipe to 1/4 of the original, which made a tidy 5 cookies.

Perfect...and delicious!

I also made Irish soda bread and a cabbage, sausage, pepper, and potato dish.  Hooray for holidays!!

Otherwise, we've been taking our short walks and longer hikes...somewhat less pleasant when the temperatures dip into the thirties!  Noting new growth...

American Elm

Ornamental Pear

...and enjoying the fresh air.  The kittens, too, are enjoying having the windows open when weather permits, and when not, at least taking advantage of the sunbeams.

Awwww...they love each other!

A very comfortable nap

Looking forward to slightly warmer days ahead.

Have a great week!