Spring 2014 has sprung?

Spring 2014 is trying so hard to spring, but Old Mother Winter keeps showing back up at the door this year! It is like the weather is on a roller coaster and the jet stream is to blame, and something called the Arctic vortex.  This past weekend we had a glorious 70° Saturday again, giving me a chance to putter in my garden and walk around and take photos of some of the blooms showing up in my yard before I went inside and finished doing my taxes.

Forsythia, a favorite of mine, along the drive to the house

Pear tree blooms near front pasture.  Moonshadow and Armando curious as to what I am doing!

The temperature dropped throughout the day on Sunday until, by dark, we began to have rain, then freezing rain, and finally sleet.  I woke up Monday morning to 23° and ice in the water troughs.....again!  What is the deal?! About two hours north of my farm there was lots of ice and thousands lost power.  I feel sorry for all the birds, wildlife, and flowering bushes and trees that are as confused, if not more so, than we humans are with this shift in normal weather patterns that has been occurring all over the country, bringing severe cold weather with it.  Do the flora and fauna of the earth know about the Arctic vortex? 

In town, the red buds were already budding out, as were the salmon-colored quince bushes and perky yellow jonquils. Everything in town always blooms about one week ahead of those on my farm because I am a bit north and east of there. It is amazing to me what a difference those four miles can make.  It also makes it nice for me, who gets to see everything bloom, essentially, twice as long as those who live, work and stay in town.

I found these precious little johnny-jump-ups in the front yard.  Aren't they adorable?  Like tiny, elfin faces in the grass, smiling up at anyone who looks down!

Johnny-Jump-Ups

One morning this week, going to work and about 1 mile from the outskirts of town, I spotted a full grown coyote trotting out of the woods on the right hand side of the highway.  It paused and let me and the truck behind me pass, and then, in my rear view mirror, I watched him trot across the two lane road, duck under the fence, and continue into the pasture beyond.  What a privilege to see "him" or "her" going about their business!  Coyotes are a favorite of mine, and it is such a thrill for me to see one, "alive and in person".  I feel blessed to live where I can hear them yip-yipping and howling to each other long into the night.  I don't even have to have my windows open to hear them, they are that close, and loud!

A typical East Texas coyote

On my walkabout on Saturday, taking photos, I saw honey bees already out, busy and a-buzzing.  It worries me when I read that they are losing many of their habitats.  Our earth needs them so much to help propagate our fruits and vegetables, not to mention the yummy honey they produce all by themselves!  I try to do my part by planting things that will attract them, and I enjoy seeing them active on my farm.  One year, they built a huge nest and comb in a tree out front, away from the house, and we couldn't mow around that tree without getting attacked. Needless to say, we left them alone to do their thing until freezing winter temps sent them on their way. When they did not return for two years, I finally decided it was safe to "harvest" the bee's nest last fall, and I plan to hang it on the back porch this spring as a special "prize"!

Bee's nest plucked from tree out front

I noticed quite a few fire ant hills scattered around in the yard and in some of the pastures, but no activity going on above ground.  Maybe fire ants are smarter than all of us and know not to take some warm late February and early March days as a sign that Spring has sprung.  I am sure that fire ants serve some purpose in the Big Scheme of Things, but the next warm weekend that comes around, I am going to sprinkle some granules of poison on their hills to greet them whenever they do decide it is time to come out.  Surprise!  Take that, you mean-spirited little so-and-so's!

Fire ant hill in my back yard.....ARGHH!

I have finished my income taxes and have ordered my seeds for spring planting from Southern Seed Exchange. Now a trip to Lowe's is in order for purchasing lots of peat pots and some potting soil, several large plastic pots, and some fertilizer for my backyard lawn.  My Wildflower Fiber Retreat takes place this weekend, so I will have to wait until next week to get these needed items.  

I have decided that I will try growing my squash varieties in large pots this year and see if being up off the ground will keep the mildew and that yucky white mold off of them.  I will also go back to planting my eggplant (my favorite!) in large pots because I can put them under cover easier when and if there is an early frost.  I am really not one for container gardening of vegetables, but I have found that some types actually do better in a large pot, and for me, at least, eggplant is one of those.  I am interested to see how the squashes do in pots, and if it will help to extend their season for me.  I could eat squash, eggplant and tomatoes every single day!  One thing that pots do have going for them in my estimation ..... they are a whole lot easier to weed!

I will leave you with a photo of a dandelion and a "wish" from my yard to yours.  May Spring find her way soon.

Dandelion and "Wish"

Wishes come true, sometimes, at HeartSong Farm!

Lifestyle Changes

Instead of Resolutions, I made Lifestyle Change decisions this year.  I have toyed with this path before and have succeeded with some to the point that I don’t even remember what they entailed because they have now become so ingrained in me.  I am pretty sure, though, that some of them had to do with living less expensively, allowing myself to be more creative, counting all my blessings, and trying not to stress over the little things. 

Because I am approaching the ripe old age of 65 this year and am in fairly good health as always (just slowing down a bit!), I want to make sure that I stay healthy.  My plan includes eating more consciously, getting enough rest and sleep, keeping my mind active, finding an exercise routine that really works for me, and growing even more of my own food.  None of these should be difficult to achieve (well, except maybe the exercise!), and some will be easier than others.  What is really at stake here is making them part of my lifestyle from now on, so much so that I no longer have to think about any of them.

By saying I want to eat more consciously, I mean that I want to slow down and really enjoy what I eat.   I want to taste all the flavors and experience the textures and aromas.  I plan on chewing my food longer and taking more time to eat even when I am on the go.  I will eat many more fresh vegetables, fruit, and experiment with cooking tofu and whole grains and eggs.  

Beautiful brown yard eggs

I have already begun eating much less beef, pork and even chicken as they have become less affordable, as well as much less processed food which contains way too much sodium and some very questionable and unpronounceable ingredients.  What I need and want to be able to do by the time I retire in the summer of 2016 is to live as much off of my own gardens and land as possible and yet not feel like I am doing without. 

Also, I have already begun growing more of my own food, including my first ever winter garden.  I started out growing things I was already familiar with growing and eating:  tomatoes, peppers, okra, eggplant, squash, basil, oregano and rosemary.  That was last summer.  This past fall, as I have mentioned before, I added a third bed, and planted some cold weather crops:  mustard greens, Swiss chard, beets, turnips, spinach, garlic, fava beans, and kohlrabi.  I have never grown any of these, and have never even eaten fava beans, Swiss chard, or kohlrabi.  

Lovely and very edible, kohlrabi leaves

First turnip harvest!

Several weeks ago I received my spring seed catalog and immediately began making notes as to what I will add this year.  I already know that more beds will need to be created even if I don’t plant everything I want to try this year. 

My beautiful and exciting seed catalog!  Order yours at
http://www.southernexposure.com

Keeping my mind active and getting enough sleep are going to be the easiest to work on, of course. Reading, spinning, knitting, sewing, writing, playing word and number games, and doing jigsaw puzzles are already in the list of activities I love to do regularly.  And, already I have begun to listen to my body and take a break or even a nap when it tells me I am running out of energy and need to be refreshed.  But going to bed a bit earlier would help, too. Falling asleep quickly is also something I would love to figure out this year.  Sometimes it will take me an hour or more to be asleep once I slide under the covers.  My mind begins to race as soon as my head hits the pillow.  Do you know how maddening this is?!  Maybe some nightly meditation is in order, with a lavender candle for ambiance.  Or a relaxing bath right before bed instead of the usual quick shower in the morning before work.

Now.... I absolutely hate the word "exercise".... as much as the word "diet."  Is it because I tend to be somewhat of a free spirit and these two words seem to go against all I embrace?!  These two words seem to reek with structure and discipline, and one is associated with a definite amount of sweat....another word that I do not care for much in the literal sense.  However I do admit that I very much need to be more "active" now and into the future, and that word I can more easily co-exist with than that other one.  So I will strive to be much more active this year so that my poor knees will be more flexible and to lessen the burden I have gradually placed on them over the past decade or two. I prefer not to have to go through any kind of joint replacement!  Gardening will a be a great way to add more activity to my schedule.  Two birds with one stone....Yes!  I like it!  And maybe I will finally take up yoga....

So all of these things are very doable.  They are not so specific that I will feel guilty for not achieving them, and, in fact, they are generic enough that I can easily praise myself for even the smallest headway I make along the weeks and months ahead!  I need more praise in my life, and much less guilt.  How about you?!

There are more life changes I intend to make in the years to come, but for now this is plenty to keep me busy.

If we go slowly and steadily, and go where our hearts' desire, we find ways to get back to the places we love and do the things we love. Slowly and steadily, magic happens. ~ Martha Beck 

Slow and steady is the way to go at HeartSong Farm!