I won't bury the lede; after getting teased by cooler temps and gray skies, yesterday we got RAIN! Not inches or even an inch, mind you, but measurable, and that is significant this very dry, dry spring. Which means this morning after chores I just couldn't resist pulling up bucketsful of weeds and grass from the driveway, island, and iris bed. I had to stop to check email to find out when a fleece customer is coming, and, well, once I sat down.... My elbow is saying "Take two aspirin and call me in the morning;" my brain is saying "Strike NOW while the soil is soft . . . even though you know you can't do more than make a dent in the rampant growth." If only I could find the "On" switch for the able-bodied 19-year-old who didn't have to go to work today . . . or yesterday . . . or Friday. 🙄😒😖😩😡
The bumblebees have been enjoying the 'bunny ears' lavender along our front walkway. I tried taking photos of them Sunday morning with limited success; they certainly set the tone for the day.
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| tomatillo! |
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| future Boysenberry |
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| Marionberries |
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| future raspberries |
Our good neighbors to the east offered us some seed onions and sprouting spuds, so I picked those up and tucked them in our now full little garden space. You can keep your deer candy roses; I like to take time to smell admire the future food! The starts are all looking good; there are blossoms on the caneberries; and strawberries are on the near horizon. Yesterday's rain should turbo-charge everything, even though I watered on Sunday.
I had called our local hay guy Friday, and he had just gotten 400 bales stacked in his barn, ready for us to pick up whenever. Since our big trailer was full of firewood, Brian took the pickup to get a couple loads which he and I stacked in the barn. (Rick wasn't idle; by the end of the day, he had singlehandedly unloaded and split the whole trailer load!) The hay looks great and the horses approved; after getting the sweepings of the new hay, they didn't want to eat last year's! (There are only a few bales of 2020 first cutting left; the rest of what's in the first photo is 2020 third cutting for the sheep.)
Of course, the horses are also getting some pasture time almost daily. In the upper pasture "the corn grass is as high as an elephant's eye":
Although Lance seems to prefer the corner with the iris:
It has been a good year for iris, especially at the end of the bed from which I pulled a boatload of grass a couple years ago. Motivation to clean out the other 2/3rds, for sure!
And other 'pretties:'
Look who's a quick learner!
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| all the lambs end up doing this |
This is the next time I went into the fold and sat down after our 'breakthrough.' In spite of the greedy group of adults crowding me, Little Miss Berlin persisted in getting to my hand for some rubs, and not just on her head. You can see her blissing out on a brisket scritch; she liked it just about everywhere! Yep, I think I have a friend for life. 😊
Well, I think I've recovered enough to go out and pull more weeds and grass.
Tata for now from . . .
7 comments:
Aww, her eyes were closed. She really enjoyed it. Babies are trusting. All animal babies pretty much. She is going to be beautiful as a fully grown female.
Your flowers are Devine! Miss Berlin is certainly photogenic! Good for you on teaching her the benefits of the human touch. Just curious,...what kind of grass do you grow for the horses, in the pasture? Have a great, rest of your week!
Here's an idea that might inspire your would-be-weeder helper: FIRE! I have discovered a Harbor Freight flame thrower that kills weeds while still allowing me to play with fire. Cheap, hooks to a propane bottle, and ROARS as it blasts out weeds in the sidewalks and driveways, etc. Probably not the best for spot weeding in the flowers though. Very satisfying for the inner boy child in us all.... Whatever works! Cheers
Yep, those closed eyes are a sure sign of bliss, Elaine!
wyomingheart, I'm going to have to do another post because I realized I hadn't downloaded all the flower photos from my iPhone! Our pasture grass is just a mix, cool-season I think, with a lot of undesirable grasses making inroads. The upper pasture is by far the best.
Tim, that is a GREAT idea for the driveway weeds!!! I think we have a flame-thrower that Rick uses to start our burn pile in early spring. I'll let you know if getting to play with fire is sufficient motivator. 😉
I really enjoyed reading your whole entry - as always!
We got some rain, too - a half inch once, then 3/4" the next time! In between, there was some that wasn't worth measuring. But it was so nice! I'm glad you got some too! It's great how the rain does more for things than the sprinklers and other man-made methods!
It's good to see the honey bees and bumble bees at work, isn't it?
Does Stella get to go out to the pasture? I don't recall you mentioning that she does.
Oh, that sweet little Berlin - I'm so happy for you (and her) that she realizes how enjoyable the scritching and rubbings are!! She's so beautiful!
You take it easy and don't over-do!
Jeanne
Oh yes, Jeanne, Stella gets MORE pasture time than the boys, she just doesn't get turned out WITH them. Ollie would try to breed her if she's in heat (silly gelding) and Lance has tried to hurt her.
Love the bunny ears lavender :-)
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