I Guess It Really Is Spring



Purple, yellow and saffron colored crocus are all blooming in my garden now, and the other night on the way home I  heard spring peepers as I passed a low area in a neighbor's field.  I love the sound of the peepers.  One of my favorite memories is of lying in bed on a rainy early spring night years ago with my window open, reading a Gertrude Jekyll gardening book and listening to those tiny little frogs sing their little froggy hearts out.  The crocus are beautiful, but it is always the peepers that really convince me it is spring. 

I know this is not a good picture--my little camera does have its limitations--but this is a picture of an actual leaf bud on a poplar (I think) tree that has wisely chosen to grow by the compost pile.  One of the limbs got bent down and covered up with compost.  Apparently the heat of the decomposition forced out this leaf bud.

What a Difference A Week Can Make

These first photos were taken on the 10th, just five days ago, when an inch or so of snow caused yet another delayed school day.  Five days ago...remember when we were all cold and complaining that the winter would never, ever end.

...And these next photos were taken this weekend and following.



My sweet hubby mulching between the raised beds in the garden

These yellow crocus are always the first flowers of spring here at Pleasant Places.  They usually do bloom in February.

I planted this spinach in the fall, ate a little of it and then kind of forgot about it.  It has survived snow and bitter cold without any protection at all and has now started to grow again.  In fact Saturday night, we ate a spinach salad from it. Amazing.

We topped off the garden beds with compost this weekend and mulched between them.  All ready for spring.

I noticed on the way home today that many of my neighbors were actually plowing up their gardens.  In fact, there were new gardens plowed where none existed before.  I wonder if this sudden urge to plant food is more than just spring fever.  I suspect it has something to do with ever-rising food prices. Whatever their reasons for planting,  I am glad to live in a place where folks still know how to feed themselves from the land.







Day Length

The effects of day length on animals fascinates me, almost qualifying as miraculous in my mind. As we put the winter solstice further behind us and move toward the spring equinox, the days are ever so gradually lengthening. The change might be nearly imperceptible to us, but my hens have noticed and are celebrating the change by beginning to lay eggs. I am now getting 3-4 a day, which is encouraging. I have also noticed that on sunny mornings, even when the temperatures remain cold, there is more birdsong. Apparently the longer days encourage male birds to start singing in hopes of attracting a mate. So yes, it is still winter, but "if winter comes can spring be far behind?

Cheese, Cows and Wows @ Sweetwater Valley Farm

My husband said it was "udderly"  unique and yet  "udderly" predictable that I would want to visit a nearby dairy and producer of farmstead cheeses for my birthday.  Good sport that he is, though, this Saturday found us at Sweetwater Valley Farm,  located about 75 miles away in tiny Philadelphia, TN.  The farm is unique in that the owners control their product from cow to cheese, running the 900 cow dairy and the small on-farm cheesmaking operation.  On some days, usually early in the week we were told, visitors can actually watch them make cheese through a glass wall in the cheese shop.   Inside the shop the many cheeses are available for sampling, and the day we were there they were also serving samples of fried cheese curds, which were delicious.  The curds, just lumps of the unpresssed, unaged cheese, were simply browned on a non-stick pan and served.  Yummy.  There is also an educational exhibit and farm tours are available in the summer months.  We stocked up on several types of Tennessee cheddar and headed home through Cleveland, Tennessee stopping at The Spot for lunch.  The Spot is a tiny, downtown diner that has been serving Cleveland since 1939.  The menu is limited to burgers, sandwiches and chili, but it was tasty and reasonably priced, and the retro ambience was fun.  After a brief stop at the Abundant Living health food store, we were on our way home.
And that was my perfect, foodie birthday.

The Cheese Shop

Educational Building

Inside the shop looking into the cheesmaking room

Part of the dairy operation viewed from the parking lot

Sunset at Pleasant Places
Wednesday, February 2

I am a few days behind getting these posted, but I wanted to share them anyway.  Our house faces southwest and we are often treated to spectacular sunsets, especially late summer through late winter.  This was taken Wednesday with a front moving in.
We have noticed that the most beautiful sunsets take place when there are some clouds in the sky to reflect the sun.  Maybe that speaks to one purpose of hardship in our own lives.  Do the clouds of difficulty perhaps allow us to better reflect His glory?

The heavens declare the glory of God.  Psalm 19:1