Wednesday, April 21, 2021

Bird-a-liciousness

 In answer to last week’s cliffhanger, I made rhubarb crisp, or crispy as it is known in Costa Rica. Crisp is certainly the path of least resistance. Easier than cake and WAY easier than pie.

Rhubarb crispy

We have a large fairy ring in front of the house. The name allegedly comes from an ancient believe that these circles marked where the fairies danced. That is a lovely image, but in reality, it’s from fungus. This particular fungus releases nitrogen and/or holds water, either of which would cause the grass to be greener on this well drained-slope. The fungus starts in one place and grows in all directions, dying back in the middle where the resources are depleted. If we are really lucky, we may see the fruiting bodies (a.k.a. toadstools, which never actually serve as chairs for warty amphibians—that’s another folktale) in a big ring on the lawn.

A fairy ring

The male goldfinches are nearly all gold these days, having overcome that embarrassing spring molt. I’ve also seen goldfinch couples hanging around the feeder. Nesting can’t be far away, although today feels more like fall than spring. It got down to 28° last night, and while today started out sunny, the sky is now gray, and we even had a very brief snow shower.

Goldfinch on the weathervane

We have only had blue jays around the property for a few years. I didn’t miss them, as they are generally noisy and aggressive toward our other birdie friends. Still, some consider them beautiful. I assume those people don’t know them very well.

Blue jay

I see a cute little chipping sparrow most days. He’s such a nervous little guy that it’s hard to get a photo. This is the best I’ve gotten so far.

The chipping sparrow wears a rust-colored bike helmet

The most exciting bird of the week was a solitary white throated sparrow. I have never seen white throated sparrows on more than one day each spring and consider myself fortunate if I see them during their brief stay. This is the first time I’ve been observant enough to notice the yellow eyebrows. It’s a beautiful little bird that almost always serenades us during our trip to the Boundary Waters every summer.

Best-focused picture

Most adorable picture

I had to cover everything in the high tunnel because I can’t quite trust it to not freeze during cold weather. In the house, my cucumber, watermelon, tomato, and pepper seeds are sprouting. I need to get them out in better light soon, but I have to wait until it’s warmer. They get so spindly when they don’t have enough light. Artificial light just isn’t the same.

Seedlings

The forecast for next week has temperatures into the 80’s. The poor trees won’t know what to do!

 

Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Verdure

 

As Terry says every year at this time, “The first spring rain paints the whole world green.” He’s such a romantic! I took this picture during our rainy weekend, and even though the weather was dreary, the new grass and budding trees lifted my spirits. Green is a soothing color, and the natural green of plant life is the best!

Green grass on a rainy day

I noticed this year that the house finch males turn a bit redder for the breeding season. Not sure why this took me so long.

Mr. and Mrs. House Finch. Note Mr.'s extra-red forehead.

It did not take the ground squirrels long to discover the sunflower seeds under the bird feeder. They’re so cute with their cheek pouches stuffed full. There are not a lot of them so far, but I have seen two at once. More are undoubtedly on the way.

Sunflower cheeks

We had a parade of turkeys in the field on Thursday. I think there were 7 hens and 3 toms. I don’t know how they ever make more turkeys. Every time I see them the hens are totally uninterested in the strut and bluster of the toms.

A parade of turkeys, 7 females and 3 toms (larger, in the middle of the pack)

A tom and two wingmen seemed to have two hens interested. The toms seem to be saying, “Hey baby! Look at me! Am I not majestic?”

Guys! Guys!  They're looking at me!

But soon the hens’ interest waned….

Over here! Look back over here!

And disappeared. The whole thing reminds me of a Junior High dance. The boys hunt in packs, and the girls laugh in their faces.

Shoot. We lost them

I read up on mâche and learned that I should harvest it by cutting at ground level. I cut all the mâche and a few of the larger lettuces from the raised bed in the high tunnel. I also cut the larger leaves from the spinach. It filled a pink tray and will provide salads for awhile.

First high tunnel harvest for 2021

With space cleared in the bed, I transplanted my lettuce seedlings.

Transplanted lettuce seedlings

I also planted some herbs in the herb bed. One pot of parsley was really 4 plants. Had I know, I would have gotten only one pot instead of three. We won’t be short parsley. I cut out half the chives to make room. I don’t use chive much. Why do I grow it? It’s so aggressive.

Newly planted sage, parsley, and rosemary next to the overwintered chive, thyme, and oregano

The rhubarb will soon be ready. Every year I am amazed at how quickly it grows. Pie, crisp, or coffee cake? Decisions, decisions. I'll have to consult with Terry.


We moved the hens to summer pasture last night. When Terry opened the coop this morning, several of the girls flew over the ramp rather than walking down. I left the food in the coop today so they would get used to going in and out. They all spent time in the orchard last year. I wonder how much they remember.

Free to roam!

In any case, once out, they were just as happy as can be. They start un-mulching the apple trees immediately. We like to think that they are finding and eating apple pests. There is anecdotal evidence that the apples have fewer bugs since we’ve been running the chickens in the orchard. Hard to say if there is a cause/effect relationship there, though. It is irrefutable that the chickens love having more space to run around. Maybe now the Wyandottes’ feathers will grow back.

Scratching and pecking in the mulch beneath the apple trees

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

Nice weather

 Seems like summer these last two days with temperatures in the high 70’s. I took a walk to the creek to see what was going on. The creek is low. We were supposed to have rain this afternoon, but it went around us. We are still hoping to get some tonight. Every time we see an updated forecast, the chance of rain goes down, though. It has been very dry, which means that Terry is griping about having to water his trees, and I have to listen to it.

Not much water in the creek

Most of my transplants are not sprouting yet. The ramps are up. They are not spreading the way I hoped they would. Perhaps I’ll plant more one of these days.

Ramps by the creek

The scilla, on the other hand, are propagating. Each one I planted last spring has several new plants around it. I know it’s not native, but my plan is to replace the garlic mustard with something that at least has a prettier flower.

Scilla

The peas in the high tunnel are leafing out. Terry has turned on the outside hoses, so watering the high tunnel is a breeze. Also, I don’t have to haul water to the coop from the kitchen.

Pea sprouts

One morning, four deer walked across the field in the dawnzerlee light. I think it was Beverly Cleary’s character, Ramona the Pest, who thought that was how the national anthem began and wondered if it was some kind of lamp. Cleary died last week at 104. I loved her books and also that we shared our first name.

Deer at sunrise

The ground squirrels have ended their hibernation. I shouldn’t speak for all of them. I’ve only seen one at a time, and I do not have the kind of intimate relationship with them that would enable me to tell one from another.

13-striped ground squirrel taking in the view

What are YOU looking at?

The Asian ladybugs are out in force. There’s one crawling all over my laptop even as I type this. Terry keeps vacuuming them off the walls and floor, but there’s always more. He says they will figure out soon that there is more food outside, and then they will leave us alone. I say, “Ha ha, good one.” I am of the opinion that they will pester us until the soybeans are up, and that will not be any time soon.