A BIG WOW!

Once in a while nature surprises us with the most amazing GOOD things! All day long, the wind blew like fury. Gusts of 67 mph tossed our young trees and tender peonies, causing us such anguish as we watched. Ugh! That is hard to see! So we quit watching after awhile, turned on a little movie, and shortly we noticed a most amazing color of light streaming into the house from the west. We stepped out the front door and here was this...RAINBOW. WOW!

A splendid day!

Easter Sunday was a wonderful day at Little Bird Farm! First order of "business" - hunting Easter eggs! Fred and his buddies, our grand nephews, Miles and Gavin, were adorable!! Then, lunch! Thanks to everyone for pitching in and bringing such delicious contributions! (Aaron - you are quite the baker! Who knew??) There were 13 of us; lots of love & laughter. We sure missed those of you who were elsewhere, and it was a joy to talk and FaceTime with you. What a sweet, colorful, sunny, splendid Spring Day - truly a day of rejuvenation & rebirth!

Firing up the orchard

It has been an interesting week! With the "Blood Moon" Monday night came a freeze warning, and....a freeze here in the valley. Before heading off to bed we prepared two fires in the orchard - one in our Weber grill and one in our fire pit. We covered, with Agribon, bed sheets, and clothespins, as many tender flowers and fruits as we could manage. It looked downright haunted out there! Captain set up a work light to heat the plum trees and Mr. Heater (a propane heater) to warm the cherry trees. The result? Everything seems A-OK! The only apparent loss was the new growth on roses and dahlias. I can't figure why the dahlias were peaking up yet anyway! Too early, guys! We could still see a freeze within the next couple of weeks; that is the pragmatist in me speaking. But maybe - we are in the clear! Oh, yes. The upside? As we wandered out in the darkness at 1am, 2:30am, and 4am to stoke the fires, we watched the splendid "Blood Moon" appear - the lunar eclipse. That was a treat!

The Payoff

All of our labors are now paying off in a sweet and colorful way. In spite of the famous spring winds, the flowers are having their moments in the sun! It really is a beautiful spring. (You just have to hang on to your hat!) UP are snap peas, sweet peas, leeks and onions. Oh, and the garlic is doing well too. Next - we turn our attention to the Herb Garden. It sits in a chilly spot and is a little slower coming around. And about the fruit trees? Well, the sweet cherry got nipped last week, but looks like about 25% or so of the blooms are new since then. We should get some, anyway. The pie cherries and plums seem ok. Our Garden Dog LOVES being in the gardens! (He especially loves the steer manure.) Garden on!

SPRING!

Spring is official! (I am wondering if we lost our peach blossoms to a freeze last night. It rather looks like it.) Temperatures will be in the 70s today, after a very cold night. I hope Spring will arrive in New England and the Midwest soon! I can't even imagine the winter folks are having there! Happy Spring! Especially to gardeners and nature lovers everywhere! And yes, those ARE Japanese Cherry Blossoms! Time for Hanami - cherry blossom viewing, right here at Little Bird Farm. But look quickly - they are a fleeting pleasure!