Spring is in full bloom. The plums are finishing up, the lilacs are on the cusp and many others are in their full spring regalia. If you ask me now, Spring is my favorite time of year. Hope is in the air and the bugs are not!
Cherry Blossoms
Nectarine Blossoms
Apple Blossoms Poised to Open
Apple Blossom
Apple Blossoms
Month: April 2006
April 25, 2006 – Got Milk?
Here’s the output from Blaze and Paullina (still with three kids nursing between them). We’re just milking once a day now. It’s time to put milk away for soap and making yogurt!
April 24, 2006 – Boys and Their Toys!
Today was a day long in coming – the arrival of a scoop tractor to high hopes! Isn’t it a beauty? It’s a 1967 John Deere 2510 with a nearly new Westendorf loader, a category 2 three point hitch, and wide front end. I’d been looking at tractors for a while and finally found this one. The arrival of a tractor ranks in importance somewhere between a new car and new house.
The next three pictures are a story of three photographers. The picture above was taken by Emma.
Mark took this picture.
Here’s Martin’s picture! As a young boy, he made sure to get all tractor and cut the people off the top!
I’m excited about the tractor for a number of reasons, not the least of which is my back. Lots less lifting and moving of heavy things with the back. Able to move a big bale when the time comes. Many folks made the tractor possible – “financing” by Grandma Jo, pre-sale inspection by Linda’s Uncle Wayne, and finally driving the beast home by Two Friends Farm. Curiously, the tractor was for sale about 16 miles away alongside Hwy 330. As we were driving it home, Claire was coming home from Des Moines with her TAG teacher, Grandma Jo and her partner for History Day competition at the State Historical Center in Des Moines and they passed us and waved wildly!
Also got five new apple trees grafted from the old near-dead tree in our yard onto new rootstocks courtesy of Two Friends farm. I just put them in the garden for this year to get established. It’s a very early apple – mid-July and makes great sauce and is in the right season to make raspberry-applesauce.
April 23, 2006 – American Gothic – High Hopes Style
Emma and Martin pose their version of American Gothic. The load of straw they are standing in was thrown from the 2nd story of the barn into the truck by just Martin and Emma. We found out after the fact that Emma invited Martin to jump from the 2nd story door into the truck filled with hay. They are now clear that is not a good idea! With this load of straw, now all the new berries are tucked in.
Got a little more planting finished today – about four varieties of zinnias, some beans and cosmos – along with a little more lettuce and radishes. The peach trees are showing a few blossoms and cherries are just beginning.
April 22, 2006 – Mystery
Today we had some friends over and one the games this group of kids play is “mystery.” They dress up and we have to guess who is who. Quite frankly, Martin is usually fairly easy to guess. Here he is in one of the get-ups today.
There was a wonderful moment when Linda and I took a break from planting the north garden – there was Martin, Emma, two dogs and a blanket under the white pines, reading and looking at books. Today we got the peas, some turnips, the rest of the blackberries in.