Today

Summertime

A nice sunny day

Today started out very grey, but ended up being a nice sunny day.I was finally able to get into the garden and do some much needed weeding, sit under the new shade sail for a little bit, and let the chicks run around

The Christmas cactus on the deck is getting close to blooming

In the garden

We have a ton of these tiny frogs hopping all over the place

The bees really love the Salvia

Everything is so far behind because of all the rain we've been getting, but I was finally able to get some badly needed weeding done today 

1st season with these strawberries, we have already picked a couple

3rd year with the raspberries...they are really filling in

These are ground cherries, I started with 1 plant and they spread like weeds, but I don't really mind because they are delicious

The bargain plants I picked up a couple of weeks ago ended up in the back row along the fence

The girls were out running a round for quite a while today and found a nice shade place to rest



I might be raising chickens, but someone else is raising turkeys

This happy family just wandered through my yard today

New Shade Sail

I installed the new shade sail today...now to see if it stands up to the elements

Update - Garden - Plants - Chicks

It's hot and sunny today and I got a lot done!!! Here's how things are looking in my garden...

Creeping onto the deck

First flowers on my potted Hot Portugal, hot peppers

Is that a bloom I see...



Looking into the garden

Views from inside the garden

The garden just wouldn't be complete without some chicken Bling



I finished putting in all the pavers today, hoping they will make mowing a bit easier

We let the girls run around today...they were having fun exploring around the foundation plantings



A positive day

I saw the sun today, which has not happened very much lately and I ordered my shade sail. I consider that to be a positive day, especially considering it was a work day!

The Newest Additions

I stopped by my local Lowe's to pick up a gift card and happened to see a clearance section...the plants are in rough shape, but most of them were $1 each and the hibiscus was a whopping $1.75. Hopefully they will bounce back
 
2 -Summer Pink Delphinium
2 -Firewitch Dianthus
1 - Sentimental Blue Balloon Flower
2 - Sensation Rose Salvia
1 - Hibiscus

My first Peony Bloom

This is my Peony transplant, I drove from Iowa to Massachusetts and it sat in my car planted in an ice cream container a few years ago...and this is it's first bloom

What Are you

My mother has these growing in her yard and gave some to me last year, I like them, but have no idea what they are and neither does she...anyone recognize them?

The fence is done...well almost

The fencing is pretty much all done, the only things left to do are attach the green wire fencing to the inside of the new picket fence so I can keep the rabbits out. I also bought 75, 5 1/2x5 1/2 limestone floor tiles, which I will run across the front, directly under the fence. The idea is to keep the grass from growing below the pickets so I don't have to pull out the weed whacker. Eventually we will extend the fence in the back to run across both sides, but I am planning on doing that next year. You may notice one very tall post, that's not a mistake...we live in a high wind zone and every type of umbrella we have ever put up breaks, usually within a month. My wife bought a  "better" one this year and heavy duty umbrella stand hoping better quality would equal a longer life, it didn't. It blew over and broke within a week so I put in a tall post and plan on adding two more so I can set up a shade sail. Hopefully that will work out better than the umbrellas.

view from the second floor, gives you a better idea of what that side of the yard looks like, not visible to the left is the swing set and to the right, hidden behind the Japanese Maple is my fire pit, which is great for roasting marsh mellows with the kids on summer nights.

Time Time Time Time

1 - It's Rhody time. The rhododendrons are opening up

2 - It's  scary time...well at least I hope so. Every couple of days I am woken up around 5:30 in the morning to the sound of a jack hammer. Except, it's not a jack hammer, it's a wood pecker on the side of my house. I heard owls scare them away so this little guy is going to be on patrol for now on

3 - Time to paint and build a gate time...That's a top priority on the agenda for tomorrow.

4 - Time to try to figure out why the garage door opener mysteriously stopped working after a storm....if their's time!