~Back To Normal~

Just when you're not looking, things seem to roll right back to normal, well, as normal as our busy weekends usually go.    There is always something breaking down or needing repair or replacing.  So it goes up here, where we have, long ago, learned to fend for ourselves and become very self sufficient...

 unless we want to pay a small fortune from our shallow pockets.
This weekend was no different.  The car got hoisted up so a new strut could be replaced.  The car is finally ' sounding ' like it's going to ' maybe ' make it another 100 thousand miles.  Hmmm.

 While I crawled on top of the neighbor's rock pile to pick out some ' new,' yes, new rocks, Bill popped out the old cedar logs that once edged a flower bed by the kitchen door.  Pretty sad looking, they were.  
Now, back to those ' new ' rocks.  Dad always said that ' new ' rock was always better than the ' old ' ones.  Huh?  What he explained was that the rocks that were ' fresh picked,' like off a freshly plowed field that had lay under the ground, were far better to use for any stone work, whether to  build a fireplace, ( of which he built a beauty for the farm ), or to edge a flowerbed, like we are doing.   Be picky, he'd say, cause you are the one who will be enjoying them the most.  
Oh, the ' new ' ones are best ' because ' they have not yet been exposed to the elements, especially the sun, which can, over time, make them brittle.  The colors are not as brilliant either.  The 'old' rock usually has moss or just ugly black and white marks all over them.  Note:  Take a picture and show my blogging pals.
There are exceptions, like the beautiful smooth rocks of Lake Superior that have eons of years of wave effect beauty to them...
Note:  Show them! ... someday!  
But, what ' we '  have are field stone...some can be gorgeous, but this project got stuck with some pretty ugly ducks...we use what we have...we are resourceful, all will be ok in the end.

 So, after an afternoon hour of picking out a few rocks, stones, what ever you want to call them, uglies, we managed to re-purpose the field stones into a ' free,' ( I love free ), border for a broken down edge of rotted cedar poles.  It will work for now, tho  I already see I am going to be making some changes.  I know, never satisfied, but, like Dad said, we are the one's that will be seeing them every day.    ( I think I'm getting sick of rocks. )  
SO MUCH HARD WORK~~~:(

 Time for a fruit break before the ' next ' project.  Apple, Please;)

 I thought I'd see what my better half was up to, and    HEY,
                              Where's the boat trailer?

 Apparently, he thought he would paint the trailer and fix the tires while he was getting the boat ready for the opener of fishing season coming up in a couple weekends....so he and Andy rigged up a hoist for the boat....well, what else is he going to do when the nearest water is WAYYYYYYY to far and no place to dock...we do not live on water.....yet!

 While he's playing with his big toys, I transplanted a few more of my perennials from here to there and there to here.  I am anxious to see this lil' fella.  It's called Blue Mouse Ears Hosta., tiny like an ear of a mouse, but blue in color.  Rarely have I seen it as it went un-noticed and forgotten under the low branches of the Quince Tree.  Bring on the spring garden rains...you know, the all day long, gentle, warm rains.  Nothing over-rated and flooding.

 What is this huge May Beetle, alias, June Bug, doing?  Is he injured or just resting...

 Is he dead? or alive?   He sure is a curious-looking  fella and 

 so very large.  Average size for them is 1.1 inches~~~He's Big!

 He must have hit the house and landed on the step.  Later in the day he lay dead, so I scooped him up and saved him for my GrandLove.  I do believe he has to make an Insect Board for school next fall, and Mr. June Bug  will make an awesome specimen.  Do you remember doing those boards?  It was one of the school projects that got me interested in identifying every living thing in sight, including plant life.

 Speaking of plants, Look who decided to grow out of the stump.  I think he's either shy or a loner.   I have given up on his family.  There are many generations invading this corner, in hopes it doesn't go any further....one can hope.  I'm still not certain as to the name of this bugger.  Anyone know for sure?  I've heard Snow on the Mt., Snow of Summer, just not sure.  Click on the picture for a closer look.  They are just coming but will mature three times the size shown and develop tiny white flowers.
Note to self:  Research!

One of the days this past weekend, I looked up just in time to snap this gorgeous sunset.   Here's wishing you as bright a week.


                                    BlessYourHeart

Frozen Grapes, YaDa,YaDa

We were fortunate to get a bit more snow, for it offered a hidden gift of more moisture for our gardens, forests and streams.
Yesterday, we woke to snow, thus frozen grapes., Grape Hyacinth, that is., and

snow-covered Daffodils, that will survive.  In fact, by this morning, they were standing tall, as if they did not know it had snowed.  After all, it is only April in Wisconsin. 

The Sumac I had rescued from a blackberry gnarled shore sat on the deck awaiting a place to be transplanted.  It too, was snowbound, only to thaw and perk right up again.

 I'm sorry little fella, but the picnic has been cancelled.  I will leave you and your Junco family some seeds to help keep you warm until the snow and rain stops.

 "Oh dear, she spotted me, even tho I crossed the woods road quickly.  I'll pose., but just for a minute."

 I am in awe at the extend of growth and survival of all of the succulents and semps planted last summer.  Most all of them have at least doubled, tripled, quadrupled.

 The Creeping Thyme is tiny-leaved, smells like mint and does not mind at all that I walk on it, in fact, it's delighted.

 I cannot recall the names of each without looking them up, but I do remember this beauty being the Red Lion.  The center Rosette was the only one when first planted last July.  I love all the babies she has had.  Five of them have already been shared before I took this photo.  I do love this wonderful Hen and Chicks, named for the baby-growth each spring.

 Click on each of these for a much closer view, keeping in mind that each of the varieties was the size of one rosette less than just a year ago.  I do love the ease of caring for these.  Plant and enjoy.  That's my kind of gardening. 

Of course, you will love these so much that you will want to divide and expand the second year, like I'm working on.  Oh the joy of it all. 

 I heard a thump on my window this afternoon, and there sat a male Purple Finch, a bit stunned from a bump on the head when he hit my patio door.  He sat on the mat about half an hour, then  took flight safely to the treetop.  I'm just glad he survived.

 While outside after the morning rains, the wonderful garden rains, I decided to fill a hypertufa with a few succulents that were traveling where they shouldn't.  By late June, this dish will be full of reds and greens of tiny plants.  

Though the day started out raining and very wet, by afternoon, the sun was shining, the plants were easy to transplant for the loose soil, and the sun was showing off as she set in the western sky.    We are predicted to get a couple of more days of rain.  That's OK.  If it lets up a bit each day, I will transplant more of my perennials that think they should be lawn.  They are too pretty to mow over, so they will be moved, besides, Bill said he would help me put plants in the ground.  I can't pass up that offer.    

Speaking of planting, our contact from the WA. state seed company called today to inform us that he will be sending a crew of equipment our way in a few weeks, if we were still interesting in his offer.  Of course, we are, so let the fun begin.

Have a wonderful 2nd half of the week and

BlessYourHeart

Whi-te Not

The white of May Flowers

White Cheeks of the Sandhill Crane

White Birch Bark

Whitest of White of the Bloodroot Flower

Dried White of the Fungus on dead fallen oak

the white of the ends of the Quills of the Porcupine

the very damaging porcupine killing yet another tree of our forest!

White teeth smiling through a hole in a concrete cellar  roof

The most true white of the Bridal Wreath of June in April

White hope of Strawberries Sweetest of Sweet, Soon~

Jellied False Corral so White

Mica Rock sparkling like glaze

Whitest of white trees, the White Birch we cherish 

The cleanest scent of the White Roses of my garden

A White Admiral to bring hope of a Warm,
Colorful Summer

Thanks for taking time out of your busy day to stop by and listen to a few random thoughts.
Have a wonderful week.  and

BlessYourHeart

Dead End

So, off we go again, getting off track of the original plan.
We do like to get off track.
We passed plenty of navigable, fish ready waters, trout, I'd say, will be waiting for someone to wet a line once season opens.

 We traveled a rather rough road to get to where we did not yet know where we were headed.

 We drooled over the large passes of wild leek beds around every corner.

 Virgin timbers of pine, oak and American Hornbeam were scattered throughout the hills and hollows...

 some towering a 70-80 ft. salute to the heavens above.

 We counted a half dozen old foundations that lay barren for generations upon generations.  But wait, what is this?  What is this place underground?

Of course, we entered to see more, hoping there were no bats, bear, or bugs.

What is it?  What could this 7x9 ft. room, with 7 ft. height have been used for over 100 yrs. ago? 

 The entire structure is concrete, including the ornately striated and convex ceiling.

 There is even a stovepipe, or is it a vent of sort?

 Ok, call me crazy as a loon, but I'm going out on a limb here with my let-loose imagination and guessing that this tiny, underground space was not a playhouse., but a dandy place to hide your moonshine.  Ha!  Wait, there's more! 

 Take a look at this old car!  Now, look closer below the window.  Yes, those are bullet holes.  Now look where it's parked....

 It's still parked in it's ' once upon a time ' garage.

Under that log is a solid concrete wall., thus , underground garage.  A perfect get-away for the get-away car from the prohibition days., wouldn't you agree.   I do wonder if any of those bad boys passed through this neck of the woods?

Perfect location too...next to a flowing water source for making all of that illegal liquor.  Sounds feasible to me.

 We even found the remnants of a porcelain battery cover.  Upon close inspection, you can see the positive and negative marks on the cover.

 I guess it's time to put my wonderings to bed next to this bed of Leeks.  They will sure make fine creamy soup when they are ready...not quite today.

All kidding aside, it was time to back our way out of this ' dead end ' situation and road. 

Have a great weekend.

Find yourself a dead end road and see where it takes your imagination.

BlessYourHeart