May 31, 2011

Walking in the Lupine fields...

The Lilacs are already starting to die off...but the Lupine are popping up everywhere! This weekend starts the three week Lupine Festival in Sugar Hill and Franconia.

This evening I decided to take a walk in the Lupine fields.
I don't know how to describe the smell of a Lupine field...it is not overpowering but very distinct.
The birds were singing and bees were buzzing by and then I heard a hummingbird and got a glimpse of him before he took off like a shot.




I walked around where a foundation of an old house overlooks the mountains and a field of Lupine. It almost has the feel of an old castle.


The mountains looked beautiful as the sun began to set.


I walked through another field of Lupine...


...and asters...


...and slugs...


...and soft ferns growing along stone walls.

May 30, 2011

Memorial Day Weekend...

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service.

Traditional observance of Memorial day has diminished over the years. Some people use the day for honoring any and all dead, and not just those fallen in service to our country.

Many feel that when Congress made the day into a three-day weekend in 1971, it made it easier for people to be further distracted from the spirit and meaning of the day. Memorial Day became a long weekend increasingly devoted to family get-togethers, shopping, fireworks, and trips to the beach or the mountains.




North Country New Englanders can get unexpected cold spells that will injure some crops. For all but cold weather crops, it is traditional to plant seeds and transplant seedlings between May 25th and May 30th.


We found a wonderful farm stand and bought some huge tomato plants. They also had raw Gurnsey milk for sale.


Memorial Day weekend also coincides with the three day Lilac Festival in Lisbon, NH.


Festivities included a pancake breakfast, art show, amusement rides, food and craft vendors, popular local groups providing music, a Pie Baking Contest, parades, and fireworks.


A new event this year was the “Lisbon Lilac Idol” contest on Sunday afternoon just before the Fire Apparatus/EMS parade.



...and I was lucky to spend some time with old friends and new over the weekend including a picnic with traditional bonfire over in Twin Mountain.


So we do tend to pack alot of activity into the holiday weekend. This year I am mindful that a national moment of remembrance takes place at 3 p.m. local time.

The 'National Moment of Rememberance' resolution was passed in Dec 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans "To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence.

The Moment of Remembrance is a step in the right direction to returning the meaning back to the day and for the nation to remember, reflect, and honor those who have given their all in service to their country.

May 28, 2011

Something really unexpected...

I got up early this morning and decided to grab a cup of coffee and get some potting soil from the garden center. When I returned to my car in the parking lot I noticed I had a portion of snake (yes, I said a snake) sticking out of my hub cap. I was at a loss for what to do. I went home and put on my gardening gloves and attempted to pull the rest of the snake out. I got about 6" out and then it broke again...it was awful.
I couldn't believe this snake could get into my hub cap as the space was nearly as thin as a dime.
I was feeling a little traumatized so I went down to the Tire Warehouse and asked the guys to help me get the rest of the snake out. I guess no one had ever come in to ask them to get a snake out of a tire before and a small group had gathered to see what was under the hub cap. I didn't realize how easy it was to pop off the hub cap or I could have done it myself. Sadly, I believe it was the garter snake that I had seen all week in the garden.


I needed to focus on something more positive and decided to check the nest on the porch...

The baby robins are feathering out.

When you wish upon a a dandelion and blow all the spores away,
close your eyes, make a wish, and may it come true some day

May 27, 2011

ssssssssSnake!

I finally got a picture of the snake, sunning itself at the edge of the flower bed.

We had a terrific electrical storm last night with driving rain. All the Apple Blossoms are now on the ground.



The baby robins are eating constantly.


The peas are starting to climb...


Red lily beetles have been ruining the Tiger Lilies for a few years now. I pick them off and mix them in plain yogurt and feed them to the chickens...


The smell of Lilac is permeating the air...but by the kitchen all you can smell is Lily of the Valley...

...and blogger is experiencing some issues...I can't respond to any comments on my blog posts, so please don't think I am ignoring or unfriendly...it is an identified problem and hopefully will be fixed soon.
Have a great day!
Ruta

May 26, 2011

Lilacs!

Lilacs are a symbol of the emotions of early love.

The color lilac used to be associated with mourning. Black was worn or used to symbolize a recent death in some European and North American cultures. But after a year of mourning, key mourners, such as the widow, could switch to lilac for clothing, the border on stationary, etc. This is mostly an older use, such as in the late 1800s.
Like other variations of purple, lilac is also associated with spirituality.
Syringa vulgaris (Lilac) is the state flower of New Hampshire, because it "is symbolic of that hardy character of the men and women of the Granite State" .

May is lilac here in New England,
May is a thrush singing “Sun up!” on a tip-top ash tree,  
May is white clouds behind pine-trees  
Puffed out and marching upon a blue sky.  
May is a green as no other,
May is much sun through small leaves,  
May is soft earth,
And apple-blossoms,
And windows open to a South Wind.  
May is full light wind of lilac
From Canada to Narragansett Bay.

Lilacs,
False blue,
White,
Purple,
Color of lilac.
Heart-leaves of lilac all over New England,  
Roots of lilac under all the soil of New England,  
Lilac in me because I am New England,
Because my roots are in it,
Because my leaves are of it,
Because my flowers are for it,  
Because it is my country
-excerpts from "Lilacs" by Amy Lowell

May 21, 2011

Today in the Garden...

It doesn't know whether to rain or shine today.
I started off by heading to Meadowstone Farm to see if they had some fresh greens...



It will be a little while before I eat my own spinach, kale, and lettuce...


I decided to introduce Lucy to the chicks...


At first they were wary of each other...


Then Ruby found a worm and Lucy tried to steal it away...


I hadn't even noticed that the bleeding hearts were in bloom...


I started weeding the flower beds and then I surprised our garden snake...and it surprised me! No picture...it slithered away so quickly, but it sure got much bigger this year!



The air is perfumed by the scent of lilacs...


...soon they will be in full bloom.

The Lily of the Valley are just opening up...another one of my favorite scents...


A carpet of violets is growing along the edge of the driveway, spilling out of the flower beds...


...and the hosta is unfurling..


...and that's how my garden grows.

May 20, 2011

I would still plant my apple tree...

Will the world end tomorrow? Everybody seems to be buzzing about it. Tomorrow could be as good a day as any, I suppose.

However if anybody is trying to establish the how and the when of the end of the world...I wouldn't be too sure. Down through history, all the people who have tried to establish the exact date of the end of the world have the same thing in common: they have all been wrong.

Here in Sugar Hill, NH the Millerites, followers of William Miller were sure that October 22nd 1844 would be the day of glory. A comet that appeared that year did much to add to the anticipation. On that day some people climbed trees and ridgepoles (to be closer to heaven) while several others waited in the cemetary in the rain to await the messenger of God.  The day passed without incident.

So, what will happen tomorrow? I guess we will find out tomorrow.
We might go through it again on December 21st 2012 when the Mayan Calendar ends.

Martin Luther, the 16th Century reformer, was asked what he would do if the world ended tomorrow. He is quoted with the response:
"Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree."


What am I going  to do tomorrow? In the wake of the end of the world, I am going to follow up on my earth day pledge to plant a tree.

How the week went...

New chicks in the house, apple blossoms, black flies, baby birds, and a forecast for rain and more rain but we did enjoy some breaks with sunshine...got to mow the lawn, work in the garden, and let the chicks out to explore.


Charlotte, Ruby, and Pecky Sue

Two baby robins...newly hatched

Apple Blossoms
Osprey nest (I saw two chicks inside)
...and the lilacs are about to blossom.