More firsts

First peony bloom of the year:

My first attempt at growing potatoes:

They finally bloomed!

My mom gave me some irises a few years ago, and I placed them in a small planter next to the back of my house. It gets some sun, but not a lot. The plants grow and become green every year, but never bloom. Until now! I'm so excited to see these beautiful blooms.

Taking time to enjoy spring

We had a big parade in or town yesterday. The weather was perfect---mid 70's, windy, and we lucked out with a wonderful shady spot to sit. J, our nephew, was content part of the time to sit on my husband's shoulders. It was a great day!

Seedlings

The seedlings are up, and I'll be thinning them soon. I've got squash, zucchini, 2 types of cucumbers, and a bean to plant. I used the most environmentally friendly planting system I could find at the store (more on that later). Next year I will use the cardboard from toilet paper as my pots.

Refrigerator pitchers

So we're making our own soymilk now, and I think we've finally perfected the recipe. Yesterday the husband proclaimed the latest batch "the best soymilk he's ever tasted."

When the milk is freshly made it is HOT! So that meant we didn't need to be pouring it into plastic pitchers. I decided it was the time to invest in some glass refrigerator pitchers that I bought here: http://tinyurl.com/cjbhrv.

They are perfect for our needs. I might be buying a second set in the future.

Birdhouses

My dad grew gourds last year, let them dry over the winter, did a bit of drilling and cutting, and now he has lots of birdhouse gourds. I took four, and we hope they are occupied soon. Now we just need some bat houses.....

Tunies

The last few days have been all about enjoying spring and getting outside when we can. One day we had to travel to a bike shop to get the husband's bike seen about. He is an avid bicyclist and is ready to get out and take long rides after the winter.

The second veggie bed is now planted (save for the carrot seed which is going in today), and so are 2 bags of iris bulbs my mom dug up and shared with me. I love sharing flowers and other plants with family and friends!

Today I'm enjoying having the clothes out on the line, swinging in the wind, and planted 3 hanging baskets for my front porch. In the past I've always bought those plastic pots that are already planted. What in the world was I thinking? It's ugly plastic and I always wound up throwing them away. This year I bought reusable woven pots and planted some beautiful petunias in them. My Granny had a green thumb, especially with petunias, so anytime I look at that particular flower, I always remember Granny and her "tunies."

Finished

The raised beds are finally constructed and ready to go. Actually, one is already filled with broccoli, cauliflower, and lettuce. So of course we had a hard freeze last night. Tomorrow I'll be planting the other bed with onions, a few potatoes left over from my previous planting, kale, and carrots.

Raised beds are constructed!
Mower arrived!
Ditto weed trimmer!
Bed near driveway is weeded and few cool weather plants in the ground!

More to come.....