Right now I’m sitting on the deck with my laptop typing this post.
It was a beautiful day here today with the sun shining and so hot you wanted to stay in the shade.
But the breeze was lovely and the clothes that were on the line have dried quickly.
Spring cleaning is going in the yard.
Garden and Greenhouse:
Garden is producing asparagus, Pac Choi, greens, spinach and lettuce for the table.
With beets, broccoli, cabbage, turnips, carrots, cauliflower and brussel sprouts, peas (both snap and shelling) and onions already planted.
The greenhouse is packed solid with seedlings that will need to go in the garden by month-end.
Everything I’m growing this year is from seed and I’m realizing that next year I will need to invest in a grow light as the seeds I started early just didn’t have enough sun.
I’m trying a few new things this year in the garden.
- Luffa – like you scrub your back with
- Soya beans
- Tromboncino zucchini
- Salsify
- Chick peas
- Golden turnip
- Two new types of dried beans
- Nez Perce
- Beka brown
I hate to say it, but I think I need more gardens.
Flower Gardens:
Planted anything I had in pots.
Started a new wildflower garden with seeds that I’d collected over the years including lime millet.
Some seem to be coming up at least but I’ve had to cover it in netting to keep the birds out.
I’m looking at a flowering dogwood tree, lilac, rhododendron, azaleas, rosemary, tulips and a couple of flowers that I don’t know the name of.
And today, I’m surrounding all the flowers and plants in bark mulch.
Everything is looking fresh and new.
Birds:
On the birding front, some of my winter visitors stayed way later than normal this year.
These included the varied thrush, white-crowned and golden-crowned sparrows, dark-eyed juncos and I even had a white-throated sparrow.
Most of them just left a couple of days ago leaving a pair of golden-crowned and a pair of juncos. I’m hoping they will nest here this year.
The quail continue to play havoc with the garden and I had a new visitor today in the guise of a red-breasted sapsucker as seen in the picture.
At the feeders:
- House finches – they’ve already had chicks and are feeding them.
- American goldfinch
- Red-breasted nuthatch
- Chestnut-backed chickadees
- Red crossbills – occasionally
- House sparrows
- Pine siskins
- Hummingbirds – both Anna’s and Rufous
- Brown cowbirds
- Downy woodpeckers
- Flickers
- Band-tailed pigeons
- and lots of squirrels
Overhead – seen most days:
- Eagles – nest in the big fir tree across the road
- Turkey Vultures
- Seagulls
- Canada Geese
- Kingfisher – you can hear him before you see him
- Heron – that flies home every night
- and the occasional hawk
You know when the hawk has been by as there are no birds in the yard.
Totally empty as they take to the trees for cover.
Starting to cool off and the wind has come up so I’m leaving the birds to their evening meal and going inside to find something for ours.
All in all, it’s been a very productive day.
Jigsaw Puzzle
If you need help with instructions click here.
A Golden Crowned sparrow arrived below my feeder yesterday and an American Goldfinch has made an appearance. I’m not as lucky as you are but I’m hoping that my Black headed Grosbeaks will be coming back to nest soon and oh yes, a Hairy woodpecker is at my feeder hourly, I think he may be nesting in the Maple tree. fingers crossed.