MOUNTAIN LAUREL

The mountain laurel is spectacular this year. It fills the woods here and comes right up to the edge of the forest to the flower gardens we planted. But unfortunately so do the bears. This mother with her two yearling cubs saunters up the road next to the fields and our animals on a regular basis.

I knitted a few more squares for the Blankets for Birmingham project, but have been kept pretty busy with the gardens. We have had lots of rain this year which makes everything unusually florific on our sandy glacial till soil. The Milford Rose is a cascade of potent fragrance under the kousa dogwood.

The four ewes have plenty of grass. If you look closely, there is an ear sticking up that belongs to the fourth ewe. The garden has been a challenge to keep weeded. Little more tan half the potatoes came up this year, but the ones that did look great. I planted sugar snap beans around tomato cages this year and they seem pretty happy. The spinach didn't do well and already bolted, but the lettuce is nice.

P. Wood Great Wheel

The P. Wood great wheel has been freed from gobs of drippy, shiny polyurethane and is ready to go - - priced at $500. It comes with a Minor's head and is wonderful to spin on. The spokes are fixed to the rim by wooden pegs rather than iron nails, something we have not seen before. The wooden pegs were shaved flush so that they do not catch the drive band at all. SOLD to Sierra!

Everything is blooming here. The Milford Rose is just beginning to bloom in front of the kousa dogwood. The deeper pink John Cabot rose is in full bloom with the ancient mock orange behind it and the mountain laurel blooming behind that.

RUSHING

Spring seems to have rushed past. The wisteria which has never bloomed before decided to bloom this year. The earliest roses, the yellow R. hugonis, has already gone by as well and several other roses are blooming earlier than usual.

I wonder if this painted turtle is the parent of the tiny visitor to our spinning group several weeks ago. Fred noticed it hiking across the pasture this morning. By the time I got out with the camera it was in the driveway.

Cyndy told us about Blankets for Birmingham to provide some small comfort for victims of the tornados that hit Alabama - - before the terrible one that hit Joplin, Missouri.

Audrey donated an enormous cone of light pink yarn and it was distributed among our knitters over the past couple of weeks. These are some of my 8" squares.