If you loved watching the bluebird nest, you might enjoy this new angelcam on the titmouse nest.

 

They are very different, and fun to see inside the nest.  When can we ever do that?

 

Go to  Yorktown titmouse nest and see into another world.

 

LOVE THE BIRDS!!!

 

Sandy Bradley sent me this picture today.  It is one of her grandbuddies shucking black beans that they grew in her garden.  Her message said....if you know how to pick em, you NEED TO KNOW how to shuck them beans.

 

Thank you, Sandy for training the next generation:  how to grow and harvest REAL food.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Karen finally found something that the deer won't eat!!!   YAY! for you!!!!!

 

Bearded Iris are beautiful perennials named after the Greek Goddess of the Rainbow.

 

The best time to plant iris is early spring, to give them a chance to establish their roots before blooming.  Late autumn planting doesn't offer this, and they don't grow as well.  Be careful not to bury the rhizome; it could prevent the plant from blooming.  Iris also doesn't like mulch;  I guess the roots want to "breathe."

 

When they become overcrowded they don't bloom as well, so they need to be divided.  It is usually done after blooming, by lifting out the entire clump, and cutting it into individual plants.  Each rhizome will have a fan of leaves. 

 

This is the time to replant, or share with your friends and neighbors.  Everybody loves Iris.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

I hope you are still checking on the bluebird nest in Yorktown.  There are two babies, and they actually look like birds now!  They are adorable!!!!!  And they are getting very active.

 

Here, I'll make it easy for you....  Just click on the link.  Better hurry!  They will fledge soon, really soon.

 

 https://wildbirds-1.click2stream.com/   GO THERE NOW!!!!!

 

 

LOVE THE BIRDS!!!

 

Ever wonder why.... Barns are painted red?  click here.

 

Very interesting!!!!  I love The Farmer's Almanac.

 

Rhododendron calendulaceum, better known as Flame Azalea.  They have brilliant yellow to orange flowers.  I've seen several different colors.  All beautiful!!

 

They are native to our Appalachian mountains, and range from New York to Alabama.   They grow in deciduous forests and on the edges of the forest.  

 

Flame Azaleas are blooming all over our neighborhood right now, so be sure to notice them in your travels.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

In this area, clematis is a perennial vine.  There are many varieties, some native, others cultivated hybrids.  All beautiful vines.  We've had this clematis for over ten years!!  And she blooms like this every spring!

 

There are too many rules about growing clematis to remember them all, but the best one is this:

 

In general, clematis likes its feet in the shade and its head in the sun. 

 

So we planted ours under the deck, and let it climb the 4 x 4 posts up through the top deck railing.  I use garden string for it to latch onto, and guide it a little as it goes up.  You can see that I extend the string up the sunburst railings.  It doesn't grow that high every year, but when it gets big enough, it fans out.  

 

You know how grapevines have tendrils?  Well, clematis uses a tendril-like stem on its leaves that twists around the support.  In this case, the garden string.  Of course, it has a mind of its own, reaching for the sunlight, so I try to guide it the way I want it to go.  Sometimes it's very tidy, and some years it's all over the place.  

 

But it's always beautiful!!!

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

How cute is he!?!   Doing an excellent job of guarding the garden.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

The tulip poplars are leafing out!!  See how the leaves look like tulips?  Pretty soon they will be blooming.  I'll post a picture when that happens.  The flowers look like tulips too!  

 

I've seen several Tiger swallowtail butterflies lately.  They lay their eggs on the tulip poplar;  they use it as a host plant for their caterpillars to feed on before they make their chrysalids.  

 

We should have lots of butterflies judging by the number of tulip poplars!!!!  I love them both!!!!

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

These days your health records are almost all online. Not all of them are automated well but they are available by law. Some health organizations provide the records online and others will still mail you some form of the data if you ask for it. The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC in HHS) recently came out with a nice guide to walk through the steps on how to get access to or get a copy of your records.

 

Its one thing to get the records, often so you can share your whole history with a new doctor, but quite another task to understand what you are looking at. The guide helps with that as well. For example, how do you interpret a lab result or a diagnostic code (better known as the ICD-10 code) if an interpretation or acceptable range does not come with the information. 

 

Go read through the guide here: https://www.healthit.gov/how-to-get-your-health-record/

Walk through the progressive tabs for all the information "Intro" > "Get it" > "Check it" > "Use it".....

 

....and if you ever want to know what a LOINC code is ask me. You wil be the hit of the porch party knowing this :)