Homestead Happenings

Buttercup in her loungewear

Welcome to Homestead Happenings,

where we share what's been going on 

here on our Piedmont homestead.

The girls are enjoying the warm up

and spending ample hours under the shade of the trees

taking their frequent siestas together. 

The young girls (they'll be a year old next week!),

are cranking out eggs like nobody's business!

These eggs are an absolute masterpiece,

each and every one different and beautiful.

Even Henrietta, who is our only remaining hen

from the original flock,

started laying again.

The blue eggs are hers.

I guess she's never heard of "hen-o-pause".

We know spring is upon us

when the infamous Bradford pear trees

start to put on their display.

While glorious to look at,

these trees are notorious for splitting

and causing property damage.

Builders continue to plant them nonetheless.

The first strawberry flowers were spied this week.

This bed needs to be topped off with soil,

and I am hoping to add some new starts,

as strawberries must be refreshed every few years.

Hoping we get some of these sweet delights

before the squirrels steal us blind!

The asparagus started popping up this week as well.

You can see Henrietta there, patrolling the grounds.

After sampling a stalk or two,

I found it to be less tasty than last year's crop.

I'm thinking that perhaps I neglected to fertilize.

It's still early, so we'll see how it goes.

The daffs are in full vigor in the pollinator bed.

They share space with johnny jump-ups,

nigella and tulips (which haven't shown up yet).

I like the color combination of yellows and purples,

so this should turn out to be quite a colorful display.

Buttercup makes  her way past the phlox,

which has begun to fill in one of  the front flower beds.

The chooks have taken up scratching in these beds

when they are free roaming.

It may be necessary to put up some short border fencing.

front flower bed coming to life!

The parsley sailed right through the winter,

with absolutely no problem.

This is an herb that is used often,

so it gets pruned, chopped and placed in the freezer.

One of many beds of garlic are putting on some size.

The harvest isn't until June,

but it's something I look forward to every year.

I'm a bit behind in my winter sowing.

A handful of these have crops germinating,

but the majority have yet to be sown.

That's something I'll make time for this weekend.

This year the focus is on greens and Seminole pumpkin.

A few odds and ends just for fun like leek, turnips and zucchini will also be planted.

These onions are germinating in a friend's greenhouse.

It was irresistible to take a shot of these amazing seedlings,

and how the seed heads cling to the tops of the stalks.

Just another example of the miracle of nature.

sedum

Do you see the blessing in these dishes?

It means that we have been given the gift of

clean, homemade food to enjoy.

So much for which to be thankful.

"Houston, we have a problem."

Well, it's a little closer to home than that.

We have a vole problem.

Over the last two years, more vole holes

were noticed around the yard.

Fortunately, we do have a few neighborhood cats

that venture over into our yard.

I guess they haven't been able to keep up with them.

They are inside the chook runs, 

even though the chooks chase after them and catch them.

I'm not sure they eat them,

but I have seen the girls running with them in their mouths 

to all corners of the yard.

So C decided to install these vibrating stakes.

Time will tell if they deter the little buggers.

And this character, oh my, does he put on a show.

He is enamored with the flowerpot sitting on the deck.

He digs in the soil and uses it as a dust bath.

He looks as if he's having a spa day.

These squirrels are pesky critters,

but I can't help but be amused by their antics.

May your Spring be filled with 

family, flowers and good memories.