Not that I am complaining….but summer weather came upon us suddenly this week on our homestead in SW Michigan. One night it is freezing and the next day it is sunny and hot. In fact, it was sunny and hot all week-long and no rain. The daffodils are bursting out everywhere and their bright yellow color everywhere makes me happy. Even the daffodils that I had thought were drowned in the 2009-2012 high ground water flooding have returned with many new blooms and are spreading.
The Rhodies love to scratch and peck in the wood ash from the recently burned down fire pit.
While this is a mood boosting strategy we do need rain here and a lot of it. Not only do the plants and trees need life-giving water to get a really good start, we need to fill our water containment totes for the long, dry summer ahead. The Farmer’s Almanac is predicting hotter than usual and less rain that usual in our part of the state. In a 1950’s style home without a/c and a not-currently-working swimming pool, this is not good news. Sigh.
The daffodils are bursting out in the crab apple tree circle garden right now.
We hope to get the swimming pool up and running again soon but a large chunk of cash is needed to do that and not in the budget right now. The pool needs to be drained, scraped, acid washed, re-painted and the mechanical’s up and running again. It’s going to a big and expensive project.
Circles of daffodils in the fruit tree triangle.
Gene worked on removing the deer netting from around the hydrangea shrubs and turned the pool pump turned on and got out the hoses. He also worked on repairing the ruts in the meadow this week. The rusts came as a result of the roadside trimmer driving their large, heavy truck to dump the mulch. The ruts were filled with a mix of sandy soil from the woods, well-composed horse manure from a friend’s farm and topped with good composted soil from the compost pile. In the fall, I’ll plant grass seeds. Grass seeds do not germinate well here in the spring time unless we have a very wet year to keep them going. Grass seed simply does better here if I spread it in the fall and let the snow melt germinate it the following spring.
Gene digging composted soil with his Rhodie helpers fishing for worms.
Our bird feeding bed is edged in daffodils and a bloom.
I spent most of my week dispersing straw and then bark chips. I made some good progress but have a l-o-n-g way to go yet.
This Rhode Island Red chicken is certainly strutting her stuff in the leaves.
Crystal wants to get away after wiping down her messy butt from a bit too many kitchen scraps.
Bloom where you are planted my friends!
Small House Homesteader, Donna
Small House Big Sky Homestead 