Orioles!

 I know, I know. I’m late with my weekly blog post. I have been crazy busy, which is not how I envisioned my retirement. It is my own fault. I forget that “No” is a complete sentence. I like to do some volunteering so I don’t sit at home festering in isolation. The trouble is that one “Yes” often splinters into subcommittees and associated groups, and before you know it, you have a week where you have a meeting every single night! I am seriously too old for that.

During the day, I’m trying to get the gardening done. We are finally (fingers crossed) headed for warmer weather. I planted the rest of the cucumbers but took the extra step of covering them with row cover, since I have no more extras.

Cukes under row cover

Having plenty of tomatoes, I planted six and left them uncovered. If they freeze, I can replace them. So far, so good.

Six tomatoes in the high tunnel

Our potatoes kept better than usual over the winter. The Red Norland sprouted all over and got to shriveled to eat, but the Burbank Russets and Kennebecs are still considered food. I didn’t bother with buying any seed potatoes this year. Terry used the rototiller to make furrows. I put the potatoes in and raked the soil back over. I should have removed the sprouts from the Norland as they just dried up anyway. I always hope they will turn green and start growing. I can’t remember the outcome of the experiment from one year to the next. Those who cannot remember history are doomed to repeat it.

Potatoes ready to be covered (left to right, Burbank Russet, Kennebec, Red Norland

I am also doing experiments on germinating native plants this year, with variable success. Cup plant is germinating well; Joe Pyeweed, not so much.

Native seeds sprouting, or not

An enterprising robin has found a prime nesting spot in the lichen-covered fiberglass greenhouse, which we now use entirely for storage. The next is on top of a push broom. The object behind it is an expensive and completely useless poultry net. It is too long and heavy to actually catch any chickens. Now that we have it, however, we can’t figure out what to do with it. It doesn’t seem like the kind of thing one should take to Goodwill.

Robin nest on top of a broom in the lichen house

The nest has three lovely blue eggs. I wish there were chickens that laid such blue eggs. Forget Round-Up Ready Soybeans—someone should be working on GMO chickens that lay eggs the color of robin eggs. It can’t be more than a couple of genes, can it?

Very blue robin's eggs

There are advantages and disadvantages to nesting in the lichen house. On the plus side, it is warm and sheltered from the wind. On the minus side, it’s going to get really hot in there when the sun beats down in the afternoon, and the bipeds are in and out of there multiple times a day getting tools and other stuff. The disturbances cause the robin to sound the warning chirps and fly out the back window.

Robin making her escape

The minus on the biped side is that everything in the lichen house will be covered in bird poo by the time the babies fledge. Did you know the species name of robin is Turdus migratorius?

After several days’ absence, I made it back to the creek again. The mayapples have opened up.

Mayapples

They long-awaited bluebells are blooming. As with so many things, I wish Hilda were here to see them. Blue was her favorite color.

Virginia bluebells

The jack-in-the-pulpit is up but looking worse for wear, presumably from frost.

Deformed jack-in-the-pulpit, maybe from Jack Frost

Better late than never, the asparagus is finally poking out of the soil. We each had 5 spears for supper last night. It was amazing, so sweet and delicious. I started weeding it yesterday. I try to do it once at the beginning of each season, but I didn’t do it last year. I wish now that I had, but the should-haves don’t count.

Long-awaited asparagus

The Baltimore orioles are back! It is so fun to see streaks of bright orange and black flying by.

Welcome back, Mr. Oriole!

The females are here as well. I think the bird on the post as well as the one on the railing are female orioles.

And Mrs. Orioles

We have been seeing the turkeys often. The usual group has seven individuals.

Our usual flock of seven turkeys--I think 3 hens and 4 toms

An enlarged view of that last picture shows that the tom by the fifth oak is displaying for a hen who is not very interested in him. He looks ridiculous strutting around like that. I can imagine the hen giving him an eye-roll.

"Hey, baby! Hey, baby!"

Eventually, he gave it up and wandered off with his buddy. The two turkeys in front are toms, witnessed by their “beards”, which is what the tuft of feathers sticking out of their chests are called. No idea why. The turkey in the back seems beardless, and therefore a female. She is as uninterested as ever.

Off to more romantic locales

I have no idea if I will have time to post or not next week. I have much to do before the chicks arrive the week of May 15. Once the outside work gets rolling, I feel like I won’t catch my breath before October!