o·ver·whelmed - to be buried beneath a huge mass; to overcome completely in mind or feeling
It happens every Spring. The long dark days of winter
sequestered in the confines of our warm & small farm home result in me
wondering and dreaming about growing things... through electronic media.
"Oh! That looks lovely!" "Why, I wonder, have I not
planted that before?" "Maybe a few more of this will add even more
beauty to my bouquets..." "People asked about this vegetable,
(ok, only once), I should try growing it." So I peruse catalogs,
websites, Pinterest, and dream of the sweet aroma of Oriental lilies, cactus
zinnias, poppies the size of dinner plates. I order, and then order, and
then order more.... Seeds, starts, and plants.... And by the time
May comes I am inundated with planting and transplanting, weeding and more
weeding.
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| Garlic growing happily in the straw. Just-transplanted 350 snapdragons with Achillea and Columbine in the background. |
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| Just planted zinnias, baby's breath, and cosmos |
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| 1200 one gallon pots of Bluecrop, Draper, Northland and Patriot blueberries.... ready and waiting to be planted in our new raised beds. Just need to make those beds.... |
So as always, I press on. Press on through the achy joints and stiff muscles. Unsure of whether they are due to the work of the farm or the residual of the aromatase inhibitor I take to prevent cancer reoccurrence. Mourning the loss of energy and expectations of pristine and weedfree rows. But rejoicing in the beauty of the new, the rebirth, the hope and the gratitude in life.
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My supervisor Ally. Enjoying the sunshine and watching me catch our first swarm of the season.
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| It was an "easy swarm". Only six or seven feet from the ground in a blooming honeysuckle bush. All I did was backed the Gator under the limb, climbed in the back, opened the deep (a big hive box) with drawn out comb and gave the branch a good downward shake. Most of them landed in the deep. Some of them of course landed in the back of the Gator. I just waited for a while and then they all flew into their new home. Happy as bees! |
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| The barn is taking shape. Just last Friday the piers were poured. |
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| Marty, Thomas and Chad - our foreman and crew from Morton Buildings. They work SO hard. |
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| Filling the holes. The next morning the whole crew returned (with Steve, a fourth member not pictured). They started putting up the walls. And then by Monday afternoon they even had most of the windows in. |
Today's Journey Joys: blueberry plants producing, strawberries in bloom, honey being made, flower planting and dreams, baby white kittens, sweet potato starts, freshly mowed grass, warm sun and wind, friends who like coffee and conversation, potatoes growing, warm showers, herb garden growing...
