Well folks it's the middle of May and they are calling for frost warnings. I kid you not. Last Monday it was 90 degrees then it rained all the last of the week. Saturday was cold, overcast and windy. Now they are calling for frost. The weather is driving me crazy. I guess I should be thankful that it isn't snowing anymore but to quote my teenage daughter...........R-E-A-L-L-Y !!!
To update you on the happenings here in Hickery Holler we now have rabbit babies. Can you see their little heads in the fur. Much too young to handle but so adorable. They are snuggled down in that straw and fur keeping warm and we have wrapped the cage in plastic to help hold in the heat and keep them warm. 
We had 3 hens to go broody and the first hen has hatched her clutch. She hatched out 9 chicks but in the middle of the week something got in the hen house and got 5 of her chicks. And that was even with the door closed. The only thing that we can think of that might have gotten in was a snake. I think it was that great big black snake that I saw out there last week while mowing. He was huge. So O Wise One has built a wire cage that we now put over her and the chicks every night when they go to bed. The wire on the cage is too small for even a snake and we hope that protects them until they get bigger. We also have set 17 turkey eggs in the incubator and 28 guinea eggs. Hopefully Fonzie, the new tom turkey has done his job and we will have baby Bourbon Red Turkeys in a month or so. O Wise One will raise the turkeys for meat and we will sell the guineas at the local livestock auction. 
The cool weather crops in Garden #1 are doing very well. The peas, lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, onions, potatoes, spinach and mustard are loving the cooler weather. ( Glad somebody is ) We continue to enjoy salads almost every night. 
Garden # 2 and # 3 are disked and ready to be tilled and planted with warm season crops. Until the weather becomes more stable we will hold off on that planting. We would rather those crops be a few weeks later than have to replant and waste seeds and plants. Especially with frost in the forecasted future and several instances of hail warnings last week. The weather just needs to become a little more stable if possible. 
I continue to care for the trays and trays of tomato, pepper, basil and various flower and herb plants that are hardened off and just waiting for warm weather to go into those gardens. 
The Columbine are blooming and I saw my first hummingbird on Thursday. I wonder if this cold weather will drive them away? I hope not as I love those little birds buzzing around my beds...... 
The Iris are also starting to open their blooms. 
And the first of the Roses is this pink tricolor....
And the perennial Salvia is just starting to bloom with a smell almost like sage.
I lost quite a bit of the pinks this year. With the deep snow cover the voles seemed to move in and burrow beneath it eating the roots. When the snow melted the plants died. I am going to try and root some to replace the plants that died. It normally does so well along the rock edges and stays green well into winter.
On this Sunday morning we give thanks for all that we have. Even with the erratic weather we are still thankful for our blessings. We continue to pray for so many around the world including the recent tornado victims and those in the south facing these floods. We give thanks for our health and family. And we thank you all for stopping by our little corner and wish you a safe and happy upcoming week. As for us we will be busy going to a play that Baby O's high school drama department is staging at the town library and museum and attending the awards ceremony at the school for Baby O and granddaughter Gracie on Friday. Then school is over for another year.
Blessings from The Holler
The Canned Quilter
You seem to be about where we are on gardening although Bev did get the big garden off to a start this week after Hubby plowed for the second time this spring.
ReplyDeleteRaising rabbits was one of our childhood money makers along with red worms under the rabbit hutches. A truck would come by and buy our babies. The worms were counted into a can and sold by the road side. I thought that was much better than a lemonaide stand.
We got ahead of ourselves and planted out tomatoes and peppers last week. This morning, the heaters are on (we rent, heat included so it must be very cold), the wind is howling and we have rain.
ReplyDeleteIts going to get better! Sometime soon, its going to get better! LOL!
The ground looks good and ready for those seedlings ...the Seedlings look good and healthy..I noticed the containers look like wrapped up newspaper! Are they? How did you do it and why . Thanks
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed my visit with you and the grande tour of Hickory Holler:)) Such beautiful flowers!
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