The line of storms should be in our area tomorrow morning & we could have damaging winds .... this sort of weather always makes me nervous.
One daffodil in full bloom here & another about to open ... we have trees starting to show growth, sort of ‘pre-leaf’ stuff. The old roses around the patio have tiny red leaves. Mom is going to cut them down to 18” & we’ll see what happens. Personally, I would like to replace them - the deer eat the leaves off the rose bushes & I would like something unappetizing in their place.
Mom is raking piles of leaves off the fence line. We’re in the country so the only one noticing is mom. I have warned her to use the rake & hoe, do not reach in to leaves & brush with her hands ... unlike the other house, we are now in Timber Rattler territory.
I will be making a trip (45 min so not ‘around the corner’) soon to get cedar planks so I can build some raised beds, at least 2. It will be a while before I can dig up my metal beds & I am getting almost ‘desperate’ for a place to grow some things.
I bought a used gas grill last year from a cousin & haven’t tried it out yet. Mom has some Omaha Steak burgers ... just the thought of burgers is very appealing!
Stay safe! (Hope you have a basement!)
Good advice regarding the snakes! Perhaps in a few weeks you will have some wild asparagus growing along the fence line!
The first owner of our house was (supposedly) a master gardener, and if so, she left me a great slate to start with. She planted daffodils all along the front fence line, and then has them scattered in the back in a natural way. The ones in the backyard haven’t opened. I don’t even see the blossoms yet. The ones in the front get more sunlight, so are some of the first things to bloom, along with the crocuses she planted. So anyone walking out front gets to see the pretty stuff first.
We live in an HOA where most houses are brick. Ours is a traditional Victorian style, so sort of sticks out, in both color (yellow, with green and cream trim/accents). Not many around here have a front porch (not to mention a porch swing!) so I relish being a bit different from the cookie cutter homes that surround us.
If I could have this house on another few acres, with a navigable creek in the back, I would be in hog heaven. I suppose if that happened, we wouldn’t have as good access to great healthcare and a decent airport as we have here. Our family all lives from coast to coast, so the airport is a necessity these days. So this is probably the best of everything that we need. Especially as we, unfortunately, get older. I fight that as best as I can, but yeah, it’s sneaking up on us. I’ll be kicking and screaming all the way! I try hard to stay in shape so as to keep people guessing my age.
Be careful with your mom and those rattlers! How’s her hearing? Don’t they usually warn you if they see you first? Anywho, a rake or hoe should keep enough distance if the rattler decides to strike.
I bought a new smoker for hubby for his birthday next week. It won’t get here until Friday, so tomorrow’s burgers will likely be the last on this old one (which I love and I’m not ready to part with). Hubby makes the BEST burgers! Those and his baby back ribs are my two favorite things he makes. Of course, we’ve been missing those the last few weeks. Burgers are simple, but his ribs take expertise. He has a method for his ribs.
On Monday I will make a traditional St. Patrick’s Day meal, corned beef and cabbage. Hubby is 1/4 Irish, and I am honorary Irish by virtue of the fact that I was taught by many Irish nuns in my youth. I loved and adored them. So witty and clever and smart! They taught me how to dance the jig, and I know most of the traditional Irish songs, which really endears me to my mother-in-law. I have an old grade school friend with a BEAUTIFUL voice, and I have a recording of her singing “My Wild Irish Rose”, which I send to my MIL every year. Hubby’s father was born on St. Patrick’s Day, so it really warms her and helps her. If I could choose my heritage, I’d probably choose to be Irish in there somewhere.