Playing with Dirt

The weather has been nothing but wet.  This weekend I planted

my chard and two rows of potatoes - Katadin and Russets.

I probably could have done more but the black flies were beyond belief.

Bill spread a pile of gravel in the driveway on Sunday.  Now the

dips and holes are gone.  Notice how nice the field looks in

the background.  With all of the rain we can't do anything

but walk down there right now.  Hoping for some dryer weather.

There's Nothing Like Homemade.

Cheese - Farmhouse cheddar.  It's not a true cheddar because

the process is a little easier and doesn't age as long.

I cut it open on Saturday because the suspense was

killing me.

It was a very creamy textured cheese with a little tang to it

reminiscent of goat cheese but not quite as strong a flavor.

I would make it again.  I did expect it to be a drier cheese

than it was.



 Yes, and it's sugar season.  The weather hasn't been so

cooperative and we got off to a rocky start but have made

some really good syrup this year.

Bill at his usual job.

 Ahhhh, I can just smell that maple deliciousness (is that a word?)

I love the way the rig takes on a life of it's own when you're

boiling.  It seems to huff and puff.

Just smell the aroma - now for a nice cup of warm syrup.

The Groundhog Was Wrong

I pulled out my latest shipment of seeds and dreamed of spring

to a backdrop of feet of snow.

I can't see the garden from the window I normally watch it grow.

The living room is much darker this week.

This is why. I'm looking toward the kitchen window. Now this

happens every year to some extent, some years are worse than

others.

This just looks rediculous to me. The little black things are

tiki lights - just waiting for summer.


It's also a good thing that all of the wood we need for
this winter is already in the shed.

Bill had made an effort to keep up with it all with the tractor,

each week pushing back the banks to make room for more.

Yet, with all of the snow we continue to have here in Rowe I

have to say that I almost enjoy it. It's beautiful, clean and white

right now. I love the sound it makes under your feet.

But since it's been four weeks since the groundhog pronounced 6 more

weeks of winter, he was either wrong, lied or is much, much

farther south.

Snow, Snow and More Snow

Spent this past weekend moving snow. But this post is really

about Sophie and her love for the stuff.

She loves jumping in the air to catch snowball. At times she quite

athletic.

Buddy goes out with her but only feigns interest. If you throw

snow at him he'll duck.

Not Sophie, she's always ready.

Even when you don't think she can see.

But she really comes into her own when the snow shovel comes

out as you can see.

Then she becomes an acrobat.

Birds, Beans and Autumn Leaves

There are times when I wish I could share the whole experience

of being in Rowe in the fall (or any season).

I arrived earlier than usual on Friday and was sitting in

the library reading when I heard owls outside.

We have many barred owls around the house but usually

you hear one close by talking to one in the distance.

This time there were at least four of them in trees along the

driveway hooting to one another almost in unison, like people

when they talk over each other. This went on for about

15 minutes. Loud and amazing.

Combine that with the cool, crisp air and the smell of fallen

leaves and honestly there is nothing better.

This is the last bean to be harvested from the garden. They are

Scarlet Runners - I plant them for the flowers - like the name, the

flowers are bright red and the hummingbirds LOVE them. The beans

are fun as well. They are very large and colorful. I remember

being totally shocked the first year I grew them by their size. I've

been growing them for years now on various contraptions to hold

them up. Last year I made a trellis the length of the row, this year

it was a teepee. By happy chance a sunflower grew near the area

of the beans and one of the bean plants climbed up the flower as

it grew. I'm thinking next year I'll plant the beans and the sunflowers

together and see what happens. The birds will be very excited I'm sure.

We had a slight frost Saturday night - I had brought everything in

during the day so there was no damage. The sunflowers are

now drying but I think I may just feed them to the birds

one head at a time - they like them sooo much and the seeds

bring in birds that I don't usually see. I love the birds.

This begins the season I love the most leading into the one

I probably like the least. Guess you have to take the good

with the bad. :0)

Birds in my Garden

This year I planted some sunflowers (the giant ones) and

I had quite a few volunteers from last year. They were

a smaller, earlier variety.

Saturday morning I had quite a few new visitors.

I think the Phoebe was just waiting her turn, although she
spends a lot of time on the back of these chairs.

I also had quite a flock of goldfinches on the sunflowers.

The birds are the main reason for planting them. They attract

a whole different group of birds in the fall.

Fall is HERE

The tomatoes are coming in fast and furious now.

The days are cooler and canning has begun in earnest.

But there is always time for pie.

Apple Pie.

I made 2 in a week, one with cheddar in the crust.

Yum!