Genghis Khan's Garden

Indiana has sometimes been accused of having a rather unpredictable spring - that we can go from extreme cold temperatures to pretty warm ones, without the pleasant middle ground that makes spring so nice.  That may be the case sometimes, but not this year.  We've had a delightful long, cool spring, and looking ahead at highs in the high 60s next week, I see that it's not over yet!  This cool, wet weather is great for bringing out the wildflowers, like these Virginia Bluebells...

...and flowering trees, like redbuds.

The road to the farm is lined with them!

Work is slowly moving on at the house.  Just taking down the close, dark curtains that were in the living room opens it up and makes it look bigger and brighter.

After a week of work, the living room is painted, and so are the kitchen baseboards.  Meanwhile, I've been feeling like a kid in a candy store as I peruse and order wallpaper samples right and left.  Wallpaper, where have you been all my life? 

I've had to do a little yard work too.  I joked to Todd that we inherited Genghis Khan's garden, because it's chock-full of invaders.  Vinca, violets, but by far the worst is mint.  They all spread by underground runners and are near impossible to eradicate.  Mint, in particular, has long, deep, woody runners that mightily resist persistent tugs.

I dug up several large clumps...

...and planted them in a large wooden planter by the side of the house.  The planter will contain those nefarious roots, and I'll still get to use the mint.  Win win! 

Some good news in the front beds:  the massive bleeding heart in the center has re-seeded!  It's surrounded by 'babies' and I will dig them up in about a week and transplant them to other locations.  With the columbine and spring bulbs, it will look amazing in a couple of years!

I know there's a wealth of insect and animal life at the farm, but I just haven't had time to do much exploring.  I did see a really interesting moth on the back screen door.

No one is quite sure why the abdomen curls up, but some think that the curl is for mating purposes, or perhaps part of its camouflage.  I've seen several other interesting moths and hopefully I'll have time to get some photos later.

Lots of these around too!

I'm absolutely loving the front yard tree.  It looks totally different, depending on where you're standing.  So beautiful!

It's nice to make progress at the property, but it's REALLY nice to come home to a comfy couch and our sweet kittens. 

Have a great week!

How much wood would a wood duck chuck...?

Strange to think that, in early March, we're "late" into the flower season, but the camellias are rapidly browning and falling off the bushes.  We still have our jessamines...

A few of our azalea bushes have started blazing...

And oh, the redbuds!

The warmer weather has really brought out the birds.  For the first time in two years, I spotted a wood duck!

Beautiful bluebirds everywhere.  Here's a male and female pair (the male is the more brightly colored):

Robins have come in hordes to eat the berries from our bushes.

It's not just birds that are more active in the spring...here is our darling Clotilde, who loves to nap on our deck...

...or drowse in the back garden.

Tabitha is ever watchful for this intruder...

...well, most of the time.

In other news, I finished my grey gingham quilt...and I love it!!

It measures around 52" x 74" - too small for a bed, but larger than your average throw and perfect for snuggling under...I mean, if you live somewhere where winters are cold! :)  I decided on a very simple way to quilt it - to "stitch in the ditch," or directly over the seam where the blocks are sewn together, and then 1/4" out from that seam.  I had an abysmal time stitching in the ditch.  I was using cream-colored thread, so any swerve showed prominently against the grey fabric (belatedly, I've discovered that my work station is 4" too high for ergonomical correctness, which complicates finishing a quilt, and that I also need a side table to rest the fabric on so its weight doesn't drag against the needle and cause wonky stitches).  I was so disgusted with my quilting that I almost  - almost! - scrapped the whole project.  But adding the 1/4" line drew the eye away from mistakes, and washing it seemed to help too, and now I LOVE it.  I'm halfway through another quickie throw project, so my pile of homemade quilts is rapidly growing!

Incidentally, I would probably never scrap a quilt.  My big practice quilt is currently (and permanently!) a cat bed for Bosewichte.  It's on top of a cabinet by my desk where I store my construction paper, and he can generally be found there, enjoying the quilt more than I ever could.

Fancy baking for March is next week, but I did make a little funfetti cookie cake for a neighbor...

...and I discovered an AMAZING chocolate muffin recipe.  I'd wanted to make some healthy muffins for Todd, but wound up falling for them myself, despite the fact that they contain no butter and NO processed sugar.  Well, unless you count the chocolate chips!

They're around 175 calories each and very generously sized!  I made these with bananas, and even though I'm not a banana fan, I thought they were absolutely delicious...large, fluffy, moist, sweet, and flavorful.  There's a hint of banana flavor, so next time I'm going to substitute pumpkin puree.  Here is the recipe if you're interested!  I highly recommend it, and baking with raw honey in general.  I've had great success with it.

Enjoy your week!

Wild Kingdom

The warm weather has really brought out the animals! 

Little anoles are everywhere, warming themselves in the sun.

The pond is full of turtles and ducks again.  Geese come in at dusk and add to the cacophony of sound!

This red-tailed hawk is having a quick drink at the pond's edge.

We hear frogs and toads all the time now.  This southern toad hopped right by my feet the other night when Todd and I were playing Scrabble by the water.  Don't his eyes look like beautiful amber rings?

Birds are absolutely everywhere, but I was delighted to catch one of my favorites in a gardenia bush this morning...the towhee!

And then the usual suspects...

 The unusually warm weather has really caused rapid plant budding.  This tree went from this...

...to this...

...in just a few days!  Buds, buds everywhere.

The weather has pushed our azaleas into a bit of a premature bloom.  The front bushes are absolutely frothy with flowers.  The others are starting to bud and will all be going soon.

The camellias are still going strong.  Which means, of course:  more bouquets.

Todd mowed down the leaves in the back yard.  It's dirt now, but soon the ivy will take over and we'll have green again.

Nights are balmy now.  Bring on the board games!

Have a great week!