And here she is, gorgeous as ever.  Everything else is sorta gray, but the peach trees are blooming.  I love seeing this!!!  It means we might have peaches this year.  Lots of ifs involved:  temperatures not too cold, bees to pollinate the blossoms,  and as bad as I hate to say this: no snow.  

 

We'll know by April if there will be peaches.  Then we just have to keep the deer and squirrels away from them.  

 

There's quite a bit of work involved, but, there's nothing as sweet as picking real peaches from my own trees.

 

I hope you are enjoying the early signs of spring.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!!

 

I'm just guessing, but I think this is another Indian Trail Tree, right here in our neighborhood!!

 

I wrote a nice article on Indian Trail Trees back on October 31, 2017.  No sense repeating myself;  just go to the archives and look for that date.  You can read some interesting info on these special trees.  There's even a link to a website about them.  Please go read it;  it's fascinating.

 

Then on November 2, 2017 we saw another one in Meeks Park, and I wrote about it too.  Great picture of that one.

 

Well, on my walk yesterday, I saw another one!!!  It's on Beaconhill, just past the Quinns' house.  It made me wonder:

Were these trees the guide for laying out the roads in Five Forks?  They seem to be located at some of the major turns in the roads.  Another question that came to mind:  Do hunters and mountain people still practice this, as a way to know where they are in the woods?  Got any ideas about Indian Trail Trees?  

 

I love discovering these trees.  Can't wait to find the next one.

 

HAPPY MARCH!!!

 

The other day we were in Blairsville, and saw this magnificent Japanese flowering quince in bloom.  It's just past the new courthouse, on the hospital road.  I just HAD to take her picture, to share with you.

 

People often prune quince bushes badly, making them look like bowling balls.  AAK!!!  This bush is about 8 feet tall, and 6 feet wide.  It is beautiful!!!  The branches are free, and it's blooming its head off.

 

Japanese flowering quince is Chaenomeles japonica. It is a deciduous shrub, and has monster thorns.  It also produces yellow apple-like fruits, which are edible.  But since they are so astringent, they don't taste good.  People do use them for making jams and jellies (involving LOTS of sugar.)  

 

Japanese flowering quince isn't grown for its edible fruits,  but for these beautiful early spring blooms.

 

I hope you see more signs of spring in your hikes and travels.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've been thinking about chickweed lately.  It's that time of year.  

Chickweed is showing up everywhere these days, and I want you to know about it.  

Most people think of chickweed as a WEED. Well, in your yard it probably is a weed (unwanted in your yard.).

But I want you to think of it in a new way.

 

1.  It's edible

2.  It's everywhere

3.  It's free food!!!!

 

Before you eat anything, you must first identify it.  We trust our grocers to identify safe food for us, but when we are gathering food in the wild, we must positively identify it before eating it.  

 

Here's an excellent video on chickweed.  How to identify it, how to use it, and how to feel good about gathering your own salad fixins. 

 

Go to https://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/blogs/edible-weeds-rival-kale-nutrition-urban-food-desert-study 

 

You will see chickweed in a whole new light.  We collected some from the yard, and had it in our salad for lunch.  With positive identification, I'm not afraid to forage in our yard.  

 

If you are interested, there are lots more wild foods to gather.  Stay tuned.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!!

 

We can hear the creek from our house!!!  We can also hear the frogs' chorus.  Sweet!!!

 

I took this photo live, so you may be able to long hold on it and see it move.  Not sure, but it's worth a try.  

 

Haven't been able to get out much this week, but hate to complain about the weather.  Thank goodness for indoor projects.  We have enough to keep us busy for a very long time.  Years!!!!

 

Seeing a lot of moss on the hillsides, and in the garden.  I guess it's not hurting anything, and the green is pretty.

 

Hope you are hanging in there waiting for spring.

 

 

HAPPY WINTER!!!

 

Saturday night the sunset was so pretty, I took another picture.  Then I saw these houses on the ridge.

 

Patty said it looks like they forgot to turn off the lights before they left.  Hahaha!!!!

 

I'm certain they didn't forget, but it sure looks that way!  

 

We NEVER get tired of our sunset pix.

 

 

HAPPY FEBRUARY!!!!

 

 

Yoohoo!!!!   Daffodils getting ready to bloom in my garden!!!!  

 

The bright yellow trumpets make me happy, but so do these buds.  I know they will bloom soon, well, March.  Whenever they bloom, I'm happy to see them!!!

 

Did you know that daffodils are in the same family as onions and garlic and Easter lilies?  It's true!  Liliaceae is the family name, and the family contains onions, garlic, lilies, and trillium.  Or is the plural Trillia?  Whatever.  Daffodils are also in the Lily family.  What great relatives.  I love them all.

 

If you turn left when you leave the neighborhood, on your way to Blairsville, then right onto Moccasin Church Road, you'll see Daffodil Hill on the left.  I love that there are so many of them all on that little hill.

 

I hope you have daffodils in your garden, or at least in your travels.  

 

 

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!

 

 

Today is Groundhog Day.  It has been celebrated in the US and Canada since 1887.  Legend has it that if the groundhog sees his shadow, he'll freak out and rush back into his burrow and spring won't come for 6 more weeks.  Actually, spring comes in 6 weeks anyway, but it's interesting to contemplate the arrival of spring like weather.  

 

I don't know about you, but we've been anticipating spring ever since winter started!  Sorry...All the seasons are good!  Without a certain number of cold days, we'd have no daffodils. OK, I'll take winter, just on that premise.  

 

Back to the groundhogs.  They are also called woodchucks, whistle pigs, and various other names.  We have lots of groundhogs  in our neighborhood.  I wish we didn't.  They burrow under decks, under houses, and wreak havoc in the garden.  But they're here, so we just deal with them.  

 

Ask Mark Mobley about his experience with the groundhogs and his ingenious solution.  I'd tell you, but I'd mess it all up.  I think it involves ammonia and a tennis ball.  Just in case they get under YOUR house, call Mark.

 

Let's hope that Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow this morning.  Then we can look forward to spring like weather. I'm ready to start planting seeds.

 

 

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!!!

 

 

 

Al took this picture on Wednesday when he was driving in.  The haybale snowman looks SO good with snow on the ground.  He looks in his element.

 

Too bad the other snowmen got put away with the Christmas decorations.  They would look good too.

 

Honestly, that's why I decorate with snowmen, they can be left up til Spring!!!!  Wait til you see what we have planned for the haybale for spring!!!!!   But not yet, winter isn't over.

 

 

HAPPY WINTER!!!!!

 

You heard correctly:  Jon feeds the deer in our front yard.  They stand out there and wait for him to bring the corn. They step off into the woods just a bit until he starts to leave, then they're on it!!!!!  They don't even wait for him to get all the way away.  Who trained whom?  Just sayin....

 

Back to the point of this blog:   Deer will eat just about anything.  No garden is safe.  I've seen lists of plants they don't like as much, but without enough of their preferred food, deer will eat anything!

 

You can see the Rutgers University list of plants rated for deer resistance at https://njaes.rutgers.edu/deer-resistant-plants/

 

We buy dried corn to feed them, hoping they will leave the Forsythia bushes alone.  We plant things that we know they don't like so much, like Rosemary and Sage and Marigolds.  But when they are hungry enough, they'll eat the Leyland Cypress trees and Junipers!!!

 

Mark had a good point about feeding the deer.  Spread out the corn, so that it isn't in a pile. If it sits too long and gets wet, it can mold and kill them.  Turkeys can die from moldy corn too, so let's not do THAT!!!!!!

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!!