Let me explain...no, there is too much...

...let me sum up.
(Princess Bride quotes are always apropos)

So much has been going on...here's a quick catch up.

The garden is doing great this year.  We've managed to stay caught up with weeds (you're never really ahead) and the tomatoes are probably the best we've ever had.

So some of this -- 

Japanese eggplants, green beans, purple carrots, yellow squash, cucumbers, tomatoes and yard-long beans

Turned into this--

Squash casserole, cucumber salad, rice & tomatoes, and sautéed green beans.

And then suddenly the tomatoes all seemed to ripen at the same time.  

Tomatoes, eggplants, green bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots, & beans

Which I was very happy to turn into lunch!

Ah yeah!

We had both bush and pole beans, so when the bush beans started ailing I ruthlessly yanked them out.  Pole beans are so much easier to harvest!

New additions: jalapenos and cucamelons (aka Mexican gherkins, aka mouse melon)

Yard-long beans really live up to their name, too! 

Chopped to size

It hasn't all been gardening and cooking though; I also had to deal with the leftovers from last year's garden.  I let the gourds dry in the barn over the winter, then drilled holes and cleaned them out.  We're hoping to attract some bug eating purple martins. 

These got spaced out along the fence after the photo. 

Meanwhile, we've got plenty of other birds, namely barn swallows and bluebirds.  

These bluebirds chicks have already grown up and now are raising a family of their own.

Almost ready to leave the nest

Yes, the swallows returned to our front porch, rebuilding their nest in the same spot as last year.  They are pretty skittish around people, especially for birds that choose to build on human habitation!  They're out of the nest now too, but they come back frequently to check in.

We stopped by our favorite nurseries (a few times), and then had to get all of these in the ground or in pots.

Which my other bug eaters really appreciate!

This guy (an Eastern Pondhawk) was actually eating a bug when he landed next to me.
  (thanks to Science Twitter for the ID)

We had to entertain some unexpected visitors stopping by, too.

Lulu was happy to host! 
Despite appearances that quail was A-OK and proved it by leading us all on a merry chase.

Once we finally caught her she was released in the woods.  Where Lulu promptly tracked her down and retrieved her by following Craig's backtrail.  The second release was more successful.

It isn't all work around here, we find some time to relax, too.  Although fishing is a not exactly relaxing when Lulu helps.

She was completely oblivious to how close she came to getting hooked!

Finally time to relax!

Spring is Sprung

Spring has been a long, drawn-out affair this year with lingering cool weather.  That wasn't so great in March but is very welcome going into May.  We're spending every spare moment outside, working on gardens and landscaping before the infernal (seemingly eternal) heat of summer sets in.

We're also enjoying spring veggies out of the garden.  The radishes have done well, but the peas haven't produced yet and may not make it before they succumb to the heat.

Easter Egg radishes

Landscaping the island was one of our goals this year, and we're just about done with that, but then we added in land scraping.  The top of the hill is a nice vantage point but it is steep and rough, not easy to get up there.  So we figured what the heck, let's see if we can't even it out.  Craig put the box blade on the tractor and (slowly, gingerly) backed the tractor up the hill to scrape the top off evenly.

Photo bonus: Lulu on point, probably at a frog.

The front of the hill has a mostly easy slope, until you get near the top.  The other side is a fairly steep drop off, which looks even higher when you are perched on top of something with wheels!  There was only one area that had enough room to get the tractor up.

You think he's nervous...I was downhill!

As he went down the hill he smoothed out the slope.  The downed tree in the picture below fell weeks ago, but we won't be able to remove it unless/until the water levels drop in the pond.

Or maybe Craig used the tree as an emergency brake?  I'll never tell.

Eventually we'll put a bench atop the hill for enjoying the view.

View from the top of the hill

We also recently put in a small garden patch, using an old gate and tools we found in the barns, and featuring the lovely purple martin house that Craig's Mom got for us.  Of course we didn't manage to attract purple martins yet, but we do have a family of bluebirds that don't mind high-rise living.

We started with just a few flowers...

...and are slowly filling it in with more.

But while we wait on the new flower garden to fill in, the garden we started last year on the side of the house has really put on a show.  Full of coreopsis, larkspur, dianthus, and more.

The watering can wind chimes (thanks Aunt Wanda!) are very apropos!

Grandma's snowball tree put on quite the display, too.

Of course, as we get busier outside we slow down on blog posts, but we're hoping to get started on the vine arbor soon.  Stay tuned!

Adventures in Spejunking

Exploring a cave is called spelunking, so I think exploring a barn on the hunt for cool old junk should be called spejunking. I'm sure the staff at the Oxford dictionary will agree.

Cool old junk like this 80's vintage can

Officially, Robert and I were cleaning out the little barn Saturday afternoon, but we had to take time to examine all the neat things we found. By the way, I say "little barn" to distinguish between the other outbuildings on the farm: the big barn, the goat barn, and the shelter. There's a lot of spejunking in my future.

The before shot

We had previously cleared out just enough space near the front of the barn so we could store some of our stuff in it, but there was still years of accumulated detritus in the back. Our plan is to turn the enclosed part of this barn into Craig's workshop.  Since he has promised to build me a farmhouse table I have a vested interest in getting the space ready for him soon!

The other before shot. There is no after shot...yet.

This barn was where my Granddaddy stored hay and feed, and then it became storage for everything else. There was about 4-6 inches of old hay, dirt, and corn cobs on the floor; under all the old furniture, tools, empty feed sacks, lumber, and who-knows-what-else.

Oh sure, it starts out happy, but we all know what you wind up with.
There's plenty of that in the outer part of the barn.

I'm actually happy about the old feedsacks and hay, because they made an excellent start to the new compost pile (soon to be joined by the horse manure).  It was a substantial start, too: Robert and I made multiple trips with our extra-large wheelbarrow, and we only shoveled out about a quarter of the barn.  We ran out of energy before we ran out of barn.

One of the cool finds was this old propane heater, that we think may have come from my grandparent's old house in Wildwood, Florida.  I think it is really neat piece and would love to repurpose it...suggestions welcome!

Ready for a new life

We also found this old horse collar and a plow.  I don't know for sure, but I suspect it belonged to my great-grandfather.  I had to just stop for a few minutes when I realized he had probably used these tools while farming the very land I'm tending now.  

One size fits all?

Back when men were men and horses were horses.

I have a lot of little moments like that on the farm, where I just have to stop for a minute and take it all in. I'm so fortunate to have this family heritage and I frequently find myself just looking around in awe at all we've been blessed with.   Even if it is a lot of work!