Last Snow

With the odd early spring and today a late snow, the trees and bushes around my house are not happy.  The lilacs are almost on the ground and I think the ornamental cherry tree between the house and creek has cracked in half.

Bird Sanctuary

We've seen a lot of birds around our property; a pair of cardinals, bluejays, chickadees, titmice, wrens, crows, ducks, downy woodpeckers, doves, and a junco or two.  And a wild turkey... alone and in the middle of the city.

Shade Gardens

I'm starting to buy bulbs and roots for plants that might do well underneath the pine trees.  I bought a bunch of Lillies of the Valley because they seem to be able to grown anywhere.  I keep checking the shade garden I started last year but nothing seems to be coming up yet.

The Yucky Stuff

Post-winter cleanup.  I forgot again how much I dislike this. 

For some reason, although we've had a mild winter, we've had more dead bodies than last year.  I took care of a squished mouse a couple of weeks ago.  I detailed the Husband to take care of the half eaten squirrel near the swingset.

Paperbags, soggy receipts, mushy mounds of tissues.    Damp cardboard, squirrel dropping.  Forgotten toys, sopping wet gloves.  What the hell is that in the creek?

At least we don't have a dog (yet).  Rotten dog poop is the worst.

Spring Sprouts

It was a beautiful day yesterday so I took the time to rake out the flower beds and check the bulbs I planted last Fall.

The crocuses in the front yard are sprouting up and one is in full bloom already.  The daffodils are all about a half an inch high and this week they should grow fast.  I can't wait to see what my gardens look like in bloom!

I have to remember to plant the dahlias and begonias later in the spring.

Home and Garden Shop

I'm going to my first home and garden show as a home owner!

Summer Plans

I'm getting back on top of things and I'm going to try to make a weekly post.

I ordered a bunch of seeds yesterday for the vegetable and herb gardens.    I updated my garden book and folder so we're ready to go!  Last fall Dave made the garden twice as big so we can grow more stuff.  Last year there just wasn't enough to do with it later in the season.

Here are the projects I hope to get done this year:

Scrape all of the American flags off of the exterior doors.

Strip and paint the walls in the entryway.  I'm thinking a cream or light blue for the upper half of the walls and a slate gray for the lower half.  I'm planning on just painting the current lower paneling.

Install a new light in the dining room.  That may involve running new wire through the ceiling.  That may be a bit involved and I'll probably hire a cousin to do it.

Replace or repair the siding corners on the house.

Fill the squirrel hole in the garage rafters.