Strawberry Countdown

My coastal North Carolina friends and family are already enjoying red, ripe strawberries. It's true, I saw it on Facebook. And I salivated.

We're still waiting for the first hints of rosiness to appear here in our little patch. We have strawberries in all stages-- except ripe.

Just leaves
 


Dainty flower
 


Fruiting flower
 


Greenies!
 


I can hardly wait...
 

First Iris

 

Sunday Hikes

We've been living here in this beautiful area for almost two years now. There's always something to do around the house and certainly on the farm, but we're also surrounded by wonderful outdoor opportunities beyond our little hilltop that we want to take advantage of more often.

I have been inspired by Renee at FIMBY (Fun In My Backyard) (and also at AdventureinProgress) and her family's plan to set aside one day a week to spend as a family, observing a sort of sabbath and exploring the outdoors beyond their own backyard. Check out this post for both inspiration and practical tips to make it happen.

So three weeks ago we set out on our first Sunday afternoon outdoor adventure. And two weeks ago we did another. And yesterday, yet another! I think we're catching on. Right now, what is working for us is to set aside Sunday afternoons for this. The hardest part for me is to not think about all the things that need to be done here at home- a house to be cleaned, clothes to be washed, things to be planted, weeded, etc., but I'm getting the hang of that part, too.

I waited to see if this new plan really had a chance of "sticking" before I blogged about it, so now I have three to to report on. Here are some photos from our first outing- at Douthat State Park. Soon to follow are the other two- and maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to make a habit of keeping up with our weekly outings (boating is high on the kids' list once it warms up a bit more!) and a weekly post about it...

 



 

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Just so you know it isn't just my mind that gets lost around here...

Time for Tea

Spring is uber-busy here on the farm, but never too busy for tea! And it helps when the friends who come for tea (or coffee!) happen to love planting trees and weeding the garden... especially when they bring rhubarb pie...

 

Ssssspring Visitor

It's that time of year! And we're now adding variety to our snake sightings. Meet our friendly neighborhood Eastern Garter snake.

 

 

Play ball!

Among other things going on here this spring:

 

Piling Up

Lots has been going on around here and I have have all sorts of photos to show and stories to tell, I just haven't been willing to give up sleep to pull it all together in a coherent form.

Soon to come- seed starting, trash & treasures, crazy chickens and lots of outdoor fun... yay for the coming of spring!

Sorry, Houseplants

Please note that the title is not "Sorry Houseplants" but "Sorry, Houseplants"-- I don't need them to get any more of a complex. You see, they're getting booted from the lovely, sunny front window. It's time for seed starting, folks. So here, a quick visual ode to the houseplants, before they get moved to random corners of the house to make room for their food-producing cousins.

 

I think I'll make room for the oxalis to stay. Its pot is small and it is a family heirloom of sorts, handed down through many hands before a sample was mine. And it does have that shamrock-y shape that demands it stays at least through March.

 

But there is this dilemma- a brave little volunteer melon of some sort has sprouted in one of the peace lilies, no doubt a result of my children's seed spitting contests last summer when this pot was next to the front stoop.

 

I'll see what I can do for the little fella. Frankly, I think his chances are pretty slim, but because I tend to pull for underdogs, and he really has battled the odds, maybe I could transplant him to a pot that can fit in the windowsill. It seems at least a little effort on my part is in order so he can get a spot in the sunlight...

 

Happy March, Y'all!

Flashback Friday: March 2006

I thought this video was appropriate given the sibling rivalry theme of yesterday. This is in our kitchen when we lived in Memphis.




In case you can't make out the audio, Emma is shouting, "No Evans" and, surprise, Evan is shouting, "No Emmas".

Ironically, the inspiration was a peace march we had attended a couple days before.