fuzzy "rocks"

After weeks of detouring around the nest in the drive, we were rewarded with killdeer hatchlings. Round, fuzzy balls that match the rocks in the road so well that it is difficult to focus
the camera on the correct spot. The parents tried to lure us down the road away from the young--and one parent eventually hovered protectively over them. They are nestled closely together and not moving about--I will try to get more photos when they begin to walk. We have tried not to attract attention to them because I have seen crows flying over this week with young birds that they have stolen from nests.

The garden is coming along nicely after some rain the last two days, and we picked blueberries for the first time this morning. Squash will be on the menu tonight--we picked some very young tender ones for two days now--the tomatoes are still a long way from ripening.

planting in the rain

A big surprise--rain! We had attempted to turn the rock hard soil in the garden yesterday hoping that we could plant a few peppers, squash and eggplant, so we were happy and not daunted when it began to rain lightly early this morning softening the ground a bit and adding some moisture. We rushed out to finish rototilling, and I began to dig holes for the peppers. By the time we finished we were soaking wet---but all the plants were in the ground.

Last evening I had planted the tomatoes in bales--a technique we have used with success to avoid a wilt virus that we have not been able to eradicate from our garden and which wipes out the plants about the time they are loaded with ripening fruit.

Retreating indoors we watched the rain fall softly while we sipped tea by the dining room window and were delighted to see the arrival of indigo buntings to our yard!--

what an electric blue!--so far they have been too shy for me to capture a photo--but I am still trying.

no freeze

The big "Easter Snap" came, and I am thankful that it wasn't as cold as predicted--37 with sleet all night, but no hard freeze in the 20's. It has been reported that many fruit blooms and newly sprouted crops were lost throughout the south and east, but we were spared major damage. It is a good thing because the continuing drought is affecting the growing things enough already.

On my walk this morning, I heard great crested flycatchers and yellow throated vireos, but not much else in the way of returning birdlife. Some of the singing kinglets and chipping sparrows are still here.

Killdeer are missing from the landscape. They would nest in our rocky driveway, and I could always hear them at the ponds or in pastures--a result of the droughty spring?

During the cold windy weather last weekend we had an increase of hummers at the feeders, and an unexpected surprise was a group of orchard orioles that came to eat honeysuckle blooms. I was able to get a few photos, but they were in constant motion.

Today, after walking 5 laps, I began to bring the plants back out from the greenhouse and from under the tarps, put some tomato plants in bales, and planted various perennials I had bought for butterflies and hummingbirds. We also rototilled the vegetable garden, and in a few minutes I am going to place a few pepper plants in the garden--more things for me to water!

rose garden

About 8 years ago I became interested in old garden or antique roses. It became an obsession as new interests sometimes do with me. My quest for information began on the internet as I haunted a forum on old roses--and then it spread to books which I carried around with me. Eventually I acquired a few and placed them in a new bed on the north side of the house. It was fun collecting each one and learning its history. The rose bed snaked across the yard and I added various perennials and shrubs. What I didn't anticipate was the amount of work needed to keep it all going. I was still teaching at the time, and weeding, fertilizing, pruning, etc became an overwhelming chore. It was about then that climate change was becoming evident, and I realized we were in drought mode most of the time. I spent the spring, summer and even part of winter running hoses to keep the bushes alive.

When they bloomed they were stunning! And most of them were fragrant. I couldn't believe how wonderful it was to have them in the garden. The deer loved them, too. After about three years they began to pass through the yard and eat the tender leaves and buds until they had pruned them to sticks.

I tried various deterrents--nothing worked--so I had to admit defeat and retreated to a smaller rose garden in a more protected area. They still bloom beautifully and smell heavenly, but every time I see a photo of the big garden I grieve for that large expanse of color.