Stomp

This CCFC (cheap crap from China) is so much fun.  It's a Stomp Rocket, and J has the best time with it.  He gets adventurous and jumps off the steps to give it a really good boost.  

Taken on the same day, but otherwise totally unrelated to stomping, this is the magnolia tree that we planted when it was about 6 feet tall.  It was a gift from our realtor when we bought our house.  They are slow-growing, long-lived trees, but it sure has grown quite a bit in the past 11 years.

Around Here

Just a few pictures from around here:

We harvested our first watermelon for this season.  Unfortunately it must have been too soon, as it was most definitely not ripe.  Oh well, perhaps the rabbits/turtles/other critters enjoyed it, as Mr. GV disposed of it by throwing it over the fence in the backyard and into the woods.  There are several baby watermelons growing so hopefully we will figure it out soon!  The banana peppers are just fine though.

The garden has gone crazy.  There's greenery everywhere.  

I've been getting a fairly steady stream of cucumbers, some of which I am sending over for my nephew's lunch.  

I've been soaking some beans (chickpeas in this case) and used them in 3 different dishes:  chickpea salad, teriyaki chickpeas, and as an addition to vegetable soup. 

I shelled some purple hull peas we got from the local organic farm.  Love that place.  If only they had continued their CSA....Anyway, we ate half and half went into the freezer for later.  

I've been making Mr. GV's bottled tea.

I had honeybees visiting in my backyard!  I'm sure you've seen articles that state the honeybee population has been declining, so I was glad to see them. Here they are sucking a hummingbird feeder dry of its sugary solution.  

I've been trying to get clothes hung out on the line more often.  We had rain almost every day for weeks and it was just difficult to get them out there.  I'm still lazy sometimes and use the dryer--I'll admit it, but I really am trying when we have dry days now.  

I attended a Bingo fundraiser to benefit a local humane society.  My mom met me there and we had a blast.  We've been a couple times before and never won.  This time we each won twice, so that was a pleasant surprise.  

One rainy morning I stayed snuggled up in bed with Milo and read through some old magazines.  I've been meaning to get through for a while.  They are now in my car and I should be taking them to the library tomorrow!  

Building a Bird Feeder

J and I made some bird feeders.  I found the idea on Pinterest and thought it looked simple and was a good way to use up orange or grapefruit rinds.  

I mistakenly thought I had some wild bird seed, but only had thistle, so that's what we used to fill these up the first time.  

While I hung the feeders, J enjoyed adding a few things to his "treasure chest."  He's allowed to put anything in there he wants....as long as it's not a living creature. 

Spring Planting

We had some glorious weather a couple of weeks ago, and I knew it was time to put out the plants we had bought.  But first off, some time spent in the backyard:

J was collecting things and explaining that it was for the birds to make their nests. 

Macy and Milo were having the best time chasing each other.  Milo likes to 'hide' behind this tree from Macy.  

J and I looked at the basket of edibles he made at his garden club the week before, and he tried most of them (lettuce, spinach, and dill.)  The strawberries have bloomed but of course aren't ready yet.  

Then he decided he would plant the items he had previously planned to leave for the birds.....

Eventually it was on to the front yard, and time to put the plants out!  J got right into the middle and started digging. 

We dug up a friend or two....

earthworms!  We talked about how we need to be kind to them and how they are a great thing to have in our garden beds, and after some inspection, we put them back in the soil.

The two of us, planing spinach.

J showing off his work!

He had never paid any attention to the water barrels in the front flower beds, and was excited to learn about them and to discover he could manage the faucet himself.

Tasting some kale, which he claims he liked.  

The bumblebees were enjoying the kale flowers, along with a solitary honeybee. 

Around My Yard

The beautiful irises are blooming.  Too bad they don't last longer.  

I love this mound of phlox.  I can spot it from the bottom of my driveway whenever I'm coming home. 

The peonies are very close to blooming.  Can't wait to being a bouquet into my home!

And the compost is growing, which is just hilarious to me.  All it takes is a bit of potato to start a plant growing. We have 4 raised beds and rotate which one is a designated compost bed each year.  And every year we get potatoes from our compost bed.  

Mr. GV has the rain barrels set up, and they've already been used this year.  Right now as I type this, the one we have (barely) emptied is filling back up quickly with the pouring rain we are getting. 

Macy supervises me. 

As does Milo. 

These are kale plants that have been growing for about 3 years now.  I keep expecting them to die off, either in the very cold or very hot weather, but they just keep getting taller and putting on new leaves!  Right now they are flowering, and I am going to gather seed when it is ready, then probably pull up some of the larger stalks.  I have watched several bumble bees, and what I think was a honey bee, hanging around and enjoying the flowers.  I'm overjoyed by all the beneficial insects that hang around (after all, that's a sign of a healthy garden) but I'm especially thrilled about the honey bee because of all the talk you hear about their declining numbers.  

The lilac bush has greened up. 

Mrs. GV has been working hard to make the flower beds look good by trimming, mulching, and the other back-breaking work that is needed if you have landscaping.  

The pear trees are blooming.

And my Japanese maple looks so beautiful right now.  I just love it.  It was here when we bought the house, and I'm glad, because I don't know that we would have spent the money on one otherwise.  

I do love these days of spring, before the terrible humidity arrives!

Water Time

J and I got the water toys out and had a water fight in the front yard.  J got himself ready, and this is what I found him wearing: 

 He was so eager to get out there that I didn't discover the tag was still on his trunks until the very last. 

 We had a great time playing that day, and made a great memory!

Hmmmmmmmmm

I have seen a few hummingbirds this year.  I have a total of four feeders---2 large and 2 small---and I need to keep them filled.  Love when they buzz right by my head.  :) 

Tree

We had a tree that fell down during storms last fall.  It was a pine, which is the case with most of the trees along the side of our property line.  This spring, when it was time to mow, it was time to cut up the tree.  First Mr. GV used his truck and a chain to pull it out in the open where we could work on it. 



Next we plugged up the chainsaw.  Yes, I said plugged.  Mr. GV decided on an electric chainsaw as opposed to a gas one because the upkeep it much easier and it's much less polluting. 

After the tree had been moved, it was time to tackle some of the weeds that had grown up around it. Mr. GV got out his trusty ol' weedslinger (sling blade---"I like them french fried taters."  Anyone get that reference?)  He took down most of the weeds and the mower has it looking much better.