Things to Remember...In February!

First peony!

 Frogs!

 Happy faces!

 Not so happy faces!

Things Are Happening!

Yesterday and today was plant the garden day. The potatoes and peas are in. The rest of the garden has been tuned over ready for the carrots etc. Note to self : Find a small rototiller for next year! 

 The six apple trees are all blooming. It's hard to see in the photo because of the background (rhubarb patch). There must be a gadzillion flowers on the trees. Now if we don't get another frost like last year and the year before, and the year before that, maybe, just maybe, we will get more than 12 apples!

 The apple blossoms sure don't last long!

 The Saskatoon berry trees are also blooming. They seem to be very hardy and frost resistant. Great snacking berries when working around the garden.

Anyway, I've been reading a lot of posts, but not commenting much as it's been quite hectic, kind of typical for spring around here.

Caution! Automatic Equipment at work!

Lawnmowers

 Lawnmowers plus automatic re-locator

 Tree delouser

 Automatic planter

Happy Greenhouse Day!

 After a day of cleaning up from last years mess crop, it was ready to start the planting. A wheelbarrow full of composted horse manure (3 years in the works) mixed one to one with Triple Mix and it was ready to start. Elaine picked up the plants a couple of days ago and I had a pack of Stevia seeds from way back that I want to try. Man, are those seeds expensive! $4 gets you 11 seeds! If they grow as advertised, one of the plants will be coming in the house in the fall.



















Obviously, we got our stock from the best nursery in Alberta, McLeod Valley Greenhouses! To grow a tomato plant this size would mean starting about March and using a tremendous amount of heating dollars. There are other things we can start and have produce.


















It does feel good to be playing in the dirt again! I need to bank this thought, as next on the list is hand digging all the garden beds.

This morning we woke up to a frost heavy enough to put an ice skim on the horse trough! Fortunately, the greenhouse kept enough heat in to prevent any damage. It was +1C (34F) inside.

Wordless Wednesday (almost)

 I never knew that Tamarack trees (European Larch) flowered. This was the one we planted over Boom's resting place. It looks like it made the winter and is doing well.

Signs of Spring

The poplar leaves are starting to come out. My noisy wood pecker is back. He can be very annoying when he sounds off on a fence post about 06:00 am.

 The fields are starting to show more green, and the horses are spending more time looking for something big enough to bite off.

 Best of all, the rhubarb is leafing out!

 One more shot of Mrs. Woody.

Spring is finally starting to happen. Pretty soon I will be able to sit back and watch the grass grow!

Things We Take for Granted

Pussy Willows are often seen, but rarely does anyone take a really good look at the complexity of each and every bloom. It's just like life, a lot is going on, but is never noticed.

When you get in really close, things become more obvious.

When we get as close as possible, details that are normally hidden, or unnoticed, jump right out at you.

Often events such as this are so fleeting that they are easily missed. In this busy life, are things going by so fast that we are missing the details? Or failing to smell the roses, so to speak? Or giving thanks to the Creator for His miracles?

Bits and Pieces

 On the south side of the house, the snow is going fast and Boots enjoys the brown grass and sun.

 Alpine is full and sleepy, too sleepy to mind a hitch hiker. In the winter, I often see the magpies burrowing into the hair to keep their feet warm.

 On the north side, our garden is still under a foot of snow. Only 5 more weeks 'till planting season!

The apple, plum and crabapple orchard is looking pretty laid back.

I think I will be like Boots and spend more time on the south side!

Quiet Monday!

We know winter is close when the Monk's Hood starts flowering. Although pretty to look at, we have been told that all parts are deadly poison. We have 5 plants on the north side and they are very hardy. All 5 have survived several night in the -5C range. I guess the season/ location is not good because in 8 years they have never set seed. Maybe that's a good thing!

Hummingbird Moth

 This is a moth that can do anything that a hummingbird can do, hence the name. 1/1000 of a second shutter speed just barely stops the wings.

I found him dining on our white lilac bush. He  is somewhat like the bumble bee, with a large body and like the bumble bee, should theoretically not be able to fly. Tell that to the moth!

Hemaris

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hemaris
Hemaris diffinis Lake Junaluska, North Carolina
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta

Hemaris is a Holarctic genus of sphinx moths, consisting of about 17 species living in the Holarctic^[1], four of which fly in North and South America, three fly in Europe.^[2] Their main host plants are herbs and shrubs of the Dipsacaceae (Teasel) and Caprifoliaceae (Honeysuckle) families. Moths in the Hemaris genus are collectively called Clearwing Moths or Hummingbird Moths in the US, and Bee Hawk-Moths inBritain.

Eggs are small, spherical, and pale glossy green in color.

[edit]Form

The larvae are small, cylindrical, and granulose. The granules often have small bristles. While most larvae are green and brown, many color forms exist. All have a distinctive pale dorso-lateral longitudinal stripe from head to horn.

Pupae are enclosed in a loosely spun cocoon, and are glossy in most species. There is a prominent tubercle, or hook, alongside each eye. The cremaster is large, and flattened.

The imagos, or adults, are small, diurnal moths that resemble bumblebees in shape. They are often mistaken for hummingbirds, which is why their common name is hummingbird 

moths. 

The forewings have hyalineareas or are fully scaled. The species with hyaline areas are initially with covered scales, but these are shed during their first flight. The antennae are strongly clubbed in both sexes, with a small recurved hook at the end. The abdomen ends in a large fan-tail of setae which resembles a lobster tail.

The genitalia of the male are asymmetrical, having the uncus divided and the two lobes subequal, heavily sclerotized with a rounded apex. The ostium bursae of the female is angled to the left.

[edit]

So, now you know!

Work Day

The ground is finally dry enough to get around to some serious gardening. We loaded the trailer, hauled the black dirt and composted manure from the field pile to the garden.

Everybody got involved

And I mean everybody!

However, some chose to nap in the cool dirt!

The Last of The Year

While walking this afternoon, I saw this guy just flowering his head off. All the other Icelandic poppies were gone for the year. Why was this one left? To point out God's beauty? To create a moment of colour in a very drab garden? To point out how frail, yet how enduring life is? Remind me to ask, when I meet Him.

Fall is Here!

Two nights of frost, then 3 days of beautiful trees then 2 days of rain and high wind equals next years compost!

Most of the leaves on the trees on our property (at least close to the house) are now on the ground ready to be raked up and hauled. Last year, it took 30 wheelbarrows full to get rid of them. This year with the quad trailer, thanks to my son, I figure on 5 loads. Much easier on the old back!

One more day of raking and hauling and it will be done!

After a morning of that, I decided to trim another horse. I did Tucker yesterday and she was pretty good about it. Boom is the best! He just stood there while I cut and nipped and rasped. No problem. Unfortunately, the vet figures on only 2 to 3 years left in the old boy. We figure that he is pretty close to 30 years of age.

Tomorrow, I will do Biz. She can be good, or not so good, depending on the day. I figure on giving her a good breakfast and catching her while she is mellowed out.
The chickens and turkeys are demanding about 2 hours a day to keep them in feed and water. Since the weather warmed up, the turkeys (9 of them) are going through about 7 gallons of water a day, plus 4 pails of feed. The chickens are doing a little less, but not much. We keep looking for eggs from the Gold Laced Wyandottes, but nothing yet at 24 weeks. Meanwhile they are bulking and are eating machines.

One of these days, I will get caught up and be able to slip away for a little hunting! There is a nice whitetail buck that is hanging around, but anything on the acreage is considered a pet. I prefer to get out of town where the concept of "fair chase" is in effect.

Some Good, Some Not So Good

Ah, it is the time of year that the Taber corn starts appearing at the roadside stands. To be called Taber corn, it must be grown and is licensed within a certain small radius of Taber, Alberta. I am a corn on the cob fanatic. I have eaten fresh corn from Southern Ontario, Northwestern Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta. None has the flavour and texture of corn grown around Taber.

Elaine has been away for the better part of the week and I have been living on chicken or pizza plus 3 cobs per day! LIFE IS GOOD!






Here is a picture of our entire apple crop from 5 trees. Slightly bruised from the hailstorm and not enough to really do anything with. Maybe next year....

The horses are going to love them as treats.

I am getting webbed feet from the amount of rain, and the potatoe and carrot harvest is on hold until things dry up. Three days of rain and more in the forecast.

Fortunately, we have few neighbours so they don't get to laugh when I am going up and down the road with Brooklynn on the leash doing dog training. Did I mention it has poured rain for three days?

Fall is in the Air!

We are starting to get  down pretty close to frost at night now, so the garden produce is coming in. The zucchini is now chopped up and in the freezer waiting for the opportunity to become zucchini bread this winter.  The peas supplied enough  for 30 meals for two. The beets and potatoes are still in the ground waiting to be processed this week, along with the carrots.


We got enough red peppers this year to make two batches of red pepper jam! It is gooood!


Tomorrow is dry-the apple-day. Hopefully the dehydrator will do a decent job of it. This is also a first for us.
They should make a tasty snack for the deer hunts.


I like fall, as there is so much to do! Also, when the temp gets down to +4C ( or 38F), there are no mosquitos, black flies, or no-see-ums.

Once again the Lord has been good to us, returning about a 100 fold yield!