Busy busy as a bee...

 I had so much to do this weekend.  Even though it wasn't warm by any means, but gardening had to begin.  Even if I had to wear long johns.  I did take time to enjoy the daffodils and primroses.  How could you not be inspired by their vivid colors?

My wonderful husband got me a hummingbird fountain that was solar powered.  I know it looks crooked in the picture, but I assure you it isn't.  He is very sweet, and we kept our eyes open all weekend for a hummingbird, but they aren't here yet.

My raspberries finally came in the mail.  I was super excited and glad to get them in the ground.  I know you are all thinking it looks like I planted them in the shade.  The thing is my neighbor had an amazing raspberry patch and it was in gravel, no water, and on the north side of his house.  I'm hoping for the same results.  Half the patch is some of his raspberries he gave me and the bottom row is some I planted 2 years ago.  All are doing well, so now with these additions the patch is done.

The orchard was filled with dandelions and that means dandelion wine.  I don't know why, but time spent picking dandelions or berries is very soothing for me.  I loved sitting in the sun, smelling the black current blooms, choosing the biggest dandelions, and listening to the bees at my feet. Heaven on earth.

My greenhouse is doing good.  I have to put collars around everything to keep the voles from munching them.  They did get my lettuce.

This is my herb container.  Filled with rosemary, sage, and parsley.  Some of my favorite herbs.  

My Pak choi, banana pepper, and giant pumpkin are all doing well.

Despite the cold winds, I was able to plant my outside bed with corn, beans, broccoli, cucumbers, squash, and pumpkins.  I have to put collars around the squash and pumpkins.  With all the wind it took quite a bit to anchor them down.

I got the bears out to do their annual fishing.  I love the sound of the fountain.  Sitting on the porch with a cup of morning coffee the world sounds grand.

I made my mom's amazing rhubarb crisp recipe. I forgot to take a picture of all the rhubarb I harvested and there is more to be picked and chopped. 

Dakota Rhubarb Crunch

4 c. dry Rhubarb
1 c. Sugar
2 T. Cornstarch
1 c. Water
1 t. Vanilla

Topping
2 c. Flour
1 1/2 c. Oatmeal
2 c. Brown Sugar
1 c. Melted Butter
2 T. Cinnamon

Put dried rhubarb in 9x13 glass cake pan. In a small sauce pan combine sugar, corn starch, water, and vanilla. Cook until thick and clear stirring constantly. Pour over rhubarb and cover with topping. Bake at 350º for 1 hour.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes to make and probably 1 hour of baking

That wasn't the only good food.  My husband brined and smoked one of the turkey breasts from the turkeys we hunted and harvested.  Delicious.  He cut them into chunks and made kabobs with peppers, onion, and tomatoes.  I never liked wild turkey until he started brining and smoking them.  Now it is one of my favorite meals.

I am thankful to all veterans, especially those that laid down their lives for our country.  If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be enjoying such a peaceful life.  If there is one thing I have learned, it is that freedom isn't free.  I hope you all had as fruitful a Memorial Day weekend as we did.

Out and about...

It has been a busy two weeks.  My niece held a graduation party last Friday.  They had a band and good food.  It was a great time. It is always a good thing when family can get together in celebration.  She enjoyed her quilt, but as the norm, I didn't get a picture of her opening it. 

After that we drove on to Minnesota to see my husband's family.  We had a good visit.  My mother-in-law told me that Darlene had turned 80, so we had to go see if the barn was painted in celebration. 

I can't wait to check in 10 years and see how they make it into a 90. 

I did some goat wrangling with my niece, Maya.  I found that it is much easier than trying to deal with cows when calving.  My years of goat tying as a kid came in handy.  I really dislike goats but have to admit those little buggers were pretty cute.

My husband and I went for a little walk.  I was joking that I would find some morel mushrooms.  Turns out I wasn't joking.  I found four monsters.  If you have never had a morel mushroom, I promise they are amazing.

We got home just as the daffodils and tulips were blooming.

My bees are looking good.  Luckily, they have plenty of apple trees, a flourishing crabapple, and several currents to keep them fed.

The wildflowers are blooming like crazy just down the road.  I love walking that way as every weekend the blooms are different.

My sister got me a soil test kit for Christmas.  I tried it on my outdoor vegetable beds.  It seems I am deficient in Nitrogen.  It also shows the beds could use some more potash.  We will see if it makes a difference.

Every year this rose-breasted grossbeak wanders through for a few days.

The sapsuckers are doing their yearly mating dances and rat-a-tat-tats.  

The grossbeaks are settling in and the Western tanagers are also found their way to my feeders this weekend.  I had a mountain blue bird fly through yesterday, but I'm sure he was on his way to somewhere with bigger meadows.

Wow.  A lot happens in a couple of weeks.  What spring birds do you have flying through?

Will Wonders Never Cease...

 Unbelievably, it is done...

Nor only that, I  still had time to plant the greenhouse. 

I can't say enough how happy I  am to get it done in time.  Amazing the difference when things go right.

Did you have any big accomplishments this weekend?

No time to talk....

 No time to chat.  I took my machine in for maintenance and bought new thread. Things are going smoothly. There is hope.

Wish me luck, unbelievably, I am very close to having it quilted.

Hope you had as productive weekend as I did.

It isn't going to happen...

 Meet our new alarm system.  Somebody drives by, they gobble.  We open the door, they gobble. We close the door, they gobble. Somebody walks by, they gobble.  

This picture is deceiving.  It looks nice and warm, but I promise you it is not.  The wind has been wicked cold.

We are not greening up as fast as I would like.  As you can see our alarm system is hard at work.

Back in the early 2000's, I had Black Current Honeywine from the Prairie Berry in Hill City.  It is a small winery that uses wild fruit to make their wines.  I was hooked.  It was amazing.  In 2010, I bought a small winemaking kit with dreams of creating wild fruit wines.  I planted an orchard and pick the wild berries that are plentiful on our property.  I have made 186 batches of wine, but I have never had enough black currents to make a batch of the wine that started this journey.  Today was a banner day, because after months of racking, I finally bottled my first batch of black current wine.  I am happy to say it was everything I had hoped for.

Unfortunately, not everything is coming up roses.  I have never missed a deadline in my life.  From 4-H projects as a kid, work related deadlines, to my quilting goals.  I am afraid my latest quilt is going to be the dealbreaker.  Everything was going well, up until the quilting part. Quilting is my favorite part of the whole process.  Until this quilt.  Nothing has gone right.  I have read every quilting article and watched every video that exists.  The thread keeps shredding, a possible bur, but I can't find where that might be. It could be the thread as other threads don't have tension issues, but the thread I'm using fights every effort to align the tension.  Today I did a whole row thinking I had figured out the problems, my thread wasn't shredding, all was well.  Then I looked at the back.  Hours of work for nothing.  It had started fine, but somewhere it decided to go funky.  

She graduates on May 10th and there is no way it will be done in time.  I am devastated.  I will figure something out, but not in time.   

I hope things are going well in your neck of the woods.  Have you ever missed an important deadline?  

Spring is sprung?

I heard the frogs this weekend.  That means spring is around the corner.  The snow is almost off the lawn.  I planted Pak choi, lettuce, spinach, and peas in the greenhouse.  There is a smattering of crocuses blooming throughout the gardens.  My tomato, pepper, and eggplant seedlings want to be planted, but I'm giving them one more week.  The greenhouse is prepped and ready to be planted.  I moved some birdfeeders to the front as I am able to sit on the porch in the mornings with my coffee. 

The turkeys are ridiculous.  I spent all morning watching the tom's attempts to woo the hens.  Overall, the hens could care less. One tom hasn't left our yard all day.  He just struts and struts.  He must be exhausted. Sorry to show you my foot, but I just wanted you to see that my nail polish made it to see spring.  Every fall, on what I think will be the nicest last day, I paint my toenails bright orange.

My goal is to have it last until a fresh coat in the spring.  It was down to one little tiny dab on the top of the big toe, but it made it.  A fresh coat of polish it is.  

My husband and I spent Saturday exploring our property.  We found one antler shed and plenty of green.  It was good to get out, stretch our legs, and find spring.

The Pasque is our state flower.  I was very surprised to find a few of them blooming at the back of our property.  I have yet to see them anywhere else.  They really stood out with their lavender against a sea of brown pine needles.  

I love moss. Pictures cannot encompass how soft and vivid the little patches were.  Soon the whole forest will be green and they will blend in, but for now they were little flags of hope. 

I am still working on the graduation quilt.  Time is ticking.  

Have you planted anything?  Can you hear frogs yet? Do you have any snow in your future?