The garden is

 

                Going crazy.  Everything is producing  and I am getting started on putting stuff up in the freezer.  Especially the beans, they seem to be on over drive.   But I am not really complaining.  Now  just to get the watering system straightened out.   We have not had a lot of rain, so watering is very important,because of the heat that we are having. 

                I have been getting ready for the next show,  and just about have everything done, except cutting the eggs into the design for the class that I am teaching.  I hope to get that done by the end of the week.  and then pack everything up.   I have 4 eggs entered into competition, and I just hope that they pass.

 the girls eating scratch and  Henny Penny sitting on the nest.  I have two Buffs.

Looks like I found a little hitchhiker on this rose.  The rose is only about 1 inch wide,  so that tells you how small he is.

         Well,  that's all the news from the south,  
                              Happy" farming" to all the farm girl sisters out there.
       See you next week. down on the farm.

 

Everything blooming

                                            Magnolia tree in bloom

     Everywhere I look the flowers are blooming.   Magnolias, roses, ginger lilies.  you name it.   I sometimes wish that the blooming season was a bit longer.  but then it would be spring all the time.
   So far the garden has given us squash, beans , peas and snow peas.  The potatoes are growing like crazy, and I even have volunteers in the compost pile.    We had to move part of the garden to make way for the garage on the new house and since everything is in raised beds,  we just put some plywood underneath them and also some fence poles and just lifted them up with the big tractor and moved them.   Everything so far has survived the move.

                 This is some beautiful bougainvillea that belongs to my friend Yvonne.   I was down at her house working on getting ready for the next show.    Here are a few more photos for the show in Penn. that we attended.

                                Well,  that's all the news from the south,  
                              Happy" farming" to all the farm girl sisters out there.
                               See you next week. down on the farm.

While I was gone.

                 While I was gone,  the roses and other plants in my garden burst forth into bloom.   I love seeing all the color, and really wish it would stay forever.  But sadly it does not.
             I have been busy getting ready for the next show in June. and trying to get some competition eggs ready.  I still have 2 to try to finish and that is taking all my time.  I also have the bead blog hop coming up this weekend and I need to make sure that everything is finished there.   I don't think I will get it all done,  but the first project will get done.

            While I was gone,  I saw these cars at the hotel where I was staying.  I love seeing old cars and these certainly fit the bill.

            There is a green one on the other side of the gray one.  All nicely turned out  but this one was the most colorful.

             Here is one of the cute eggs from the show that I attended.  This lady have a very creative spirit, and was 93 years young.  She had a wonderful out look on life.  I really enjoyed talking to her.


                               Well,  that's all the news from the south,  
                              Happy" farming" to all the farm girl sisters out there.
                               See you next week. down on the farm.
 

Getting ready for the summer

                                                      Amaryllis flower in bloom

                         Well,  this weather has been a bit crazy.  First it is hot,  then cold,  then hot again.  It is wonder that no one has really gotten sick from it.   But I am tired of not knowing how to dress, and then with the sun beating down on the studio,  I already have the air conditioner on and the fan  trying to stay cool in the afternoon.
                        I know that I can take clothes off when it gets hot,  but it is really better to keep the long pants on and the big boots for walking around the farm.  You never know when you are going to find a snake or something else lurking in the grass.

                       I finally finished the queen sized patriotic quilt that I have been working on for so long.  The top photo shows the panel in the middle of the quilt and then the bottom photo shows the whole quilt.  I am proud that I got it done.   It definitely took a while and  I really wanted to have it done.
                     I have a few more that I want to get done,  but I need to work on a few other projects for a while.  Then I can get back to quilting.     I have an egg show coming up in another week, so that keeps me busy right now as well.

         More and more flowers are beginning to bloom and I am enjoying taking photos of them.

                               Well,  that's all the news from the south,  
                              Happy" farming" to all the farm girl sisters out there.
                               See you next week. down on the farm.

Turkeys everywhere

                                            Two of the bigger toms around the farm

                      Everywhere I looked this week,  I have seen these two big toms strutting their stuff and cackling like crazy.  I think that they are trying to round up the last of the hens.  They are so funny to watch as they display all those feathers.

                  I have been out hunting the turkeys once, and saw  quite a few of the jakes, (young males) as well as two wiley coyotes.   So hunting has shifted to getting those two gone first.    Even if we don't get a turkey now,  the season open up again in fall and we can get several of the younger males then.

                  More flowers are starting to bloom and I have seen several big butterflies in the yard.   I hope that I can get some pictures of them this week.  I know that we have several different flights of Eastern Swallowtail,  Black Swallowtail and Sulfurs during the year.   I hope this year we see some hummingbirds as well.

                   A nice view of the lane going toward the back of the farm.  It was a very sunny day and not all the trees had their  new leaves yet.  Usually it is quite dark because of the tree cover.

                              Well,  that's all the news from the south,  
                              Happy" farming" to all the farm girl sisters out there.
                               See you next week. down on the farm.

Rainy week

                                             Myers Lemon tree in bloom

                      All the citrus trees are blooming and the farm down the road a piece keeps bee hives,  so I have seen lots of bees in the trees.   I love the smell of the trees blooming,  but sometimes it came be a bit overpowering  :)     I have gotten everything in the garden planted and have also planted some nice humming bird vines, and clematis on the old  hay rake in the front yard.  I also put in two gooseberry plants and hope to have gooseberries in a few years.

                    Yesterday I saw a great horned owl sitting in the woods.  and of course that was the one day that I did not have the big camera with me,  so no photos   Arrgh.    He was so majestic flying thru the pines .   I am so glad that I got to see him.

                    The azaleas are still blooming.  and the plant that is usually pink had this group of white flowers right in the middle of the plant.   Very strange.

                    I am working on getting another quilt made and also doing some competition art as well.   That is keeping me super busy.  but I would not have it any other way.

                     Found this cute little lizard out side the barn today.   The lizards have been quite busy  eating up the bugs so I don't really complain when I find one or three in the barn working                  

                               Well,  that's all the news from the south,  
                              Happy" farming" to all the farm girl sisters out there.
                               See you next week. down on the farm.

Easter Week

                                                      Dogwoods in Bloom      

                     It is the week of Easter, and the dogwood trees have burst forth this week with all of their beautiful flowers.    I managed to get some great photos of the ones in the neighbors yard.    Complete with a few bees.   The honey bees have been very busy as well, because the  citrus trees are also in bloom and all I can think of is orange blossom honey .  I have tons of blooms on the Meyers lemon tree and the orange tree right outside the studio barn.

                 I have been busy re potting some plants,  mainly a rather overgrown Sheffellera   which I spent several hour on trying to separate the roots enough to make it into two plants .   I now have tow overgrown plants in huge pots.  But now hopefully they will continue living, since the roots were bound up so bad.  Most of the seedlings are up and I am now waiting for the second set of leaves to appear so that I can get them planted in the garden.

                

                        I managed to take this wonderful close up of the inside of a Japanese Magnolia flower this week as well.   I think that they are so pretty with their delicate pink/purple flowers .   They are a sign of spring for me.

                                                  Spider Lily blooming this week                               
                              

                              Well,  that's all the news from the south,  
                              Happy" farming" to all the farm girl sisters out there.
                               See you next week. down on the farm.