The day was perfect – 60 degrees, sunny, no wind! We don’t get very many of these so even though I had promised myself to limit my strenuous outside work to 3 hours a day, I kept working until 3 pm when I literally sat down in the chair and fell asleep with Hazel who had been outside since 9 am, too.
Every summer we talk about hydrangeas and right now is the perfect time to dig, divide and move them. It almost takes an ax to cut through the large roots but I got two large tubs dug up and planted them by the barn.
Our soil is so black and so wonderful that most anything will grow but I always plant hydrangeas where they get partial shade.
Do you think the chickens loved looking for bugs and worms in that dirt?
I will move the rocks and chunks of cement another day.
Now if it would just rain a bit these hydrangeas would leap out of the ground! Tomorrow I want to get 30 asiatic lily bulbs planted. Last spring I was still recovering from two knee replacements but this year I’m ready to roll and I’m going to make up for lost time.
We spend most of our time outside on days like this – there’s always something to do and that’s why we live in the country, I guess. Margaret, the organist, will be gone from church tomorrow so it’s all me. Wouldn’t you think that after being a church pianist for 62 years I’d never be nervous? Not so – maybe not nervous but … anxious.
Here are a couple nice finishes :
Is J. Davidsaver reading this blog post? I’ve lost your email address but wanted you to see the “Cookie” is still with me.
I don’t watch Fox News so I was not familiar with this author – thanks to those of you who commented that you know her.
Today’s eggs – aren’t they beautiful?
I think I’m too tired to sew anything tonight.
Put your feet up Mary, you have earned a rest, maybe .rick could bring you a beer!Take care ,best wishes from sandy
Beautiful eggs!!! But how did you get 2 green ones!!
Deborah grisanti – I have several breeds of hens who are green egg layers!
You and Hazel earned your rest today! I’m so glad you can get back out in your yard and enjoy working in it.
I spent from 9-12 outside repotting aloes (a lot of them are recovering) and planting a few container plants. I went in at noon knowing we had a hockey game to attend tonight and if I stayed out longer I wouldn’t be able to walk to the arena. It’s cooler than normal here now. So far we haven’t had the warmth we normally get. That’s fine with me!
Beautiful quilts today and those eggs! I just love the colors of the eggs!
You’ll do fine in church tomorrow.
Beautiful post. Those eggs are simply gorgeous. I’m sure the chickens were in heaven finding all the worms and bugs.
The DD’s are stunning.
As for Hazel…it’s hard work helping all day! She will sleep and snore tonight.
Nice finishes. So fun to see what others are doing. Enjoyed being outside today too. Finished planting and watering grass seed where the trees were that we had cut down. I wish I had all your energy,Mary.
The reward of all our hard work is seeing everything in bloom this summer.
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Hi Mary…YOu sure got a lot done today. Glad you are having such great weather. We are too and I started cleaning out old pots, dead plants, and planting seeds. Time just zooms by when I am outside on a warm spring day. I received an order from Annies Annuals today. They sure do a great job of packing plants and the plants are very healthy.
The finishes are amazing. Such great quilters among your followers.
Really beautiful DD’s.
I love all your different colored eggs. In another blog I follow, they were talking about one breed of chickens that lays pink and blue. Some of your eggs are pink. Who knew?
Jeanie S – I just love gathering those gorgeous eggs! I tried to order chicks from the hatchery so I’d have a few more blue egg layers but they are sold out for all of 2021! I could not believe it! Buying chicks at the farm store means taking a chance to end up with roosters – when buying from a hatchery, I can pay a little more and get only hens which is what I want. I have enough hens this summer to lay all the eggs I’ll ever need but thought it would be a good idea to overlap hen ages.
I love your black dirt! I never thought I would say that😂 I grew up on a farm and lived rurally until a few years ago in north central Ohio. We moved and built on 10 acres east of Dayton/north of Cincinnati. The dirt in this area is clay. It is awful to try to landscape. We have had to buy dirt to build flower beds. You have a very ‘green thumb’ which helps with your great soil. Happy Spring🌷
Marcia-Ohio – my green thumb is not so green when working with outside plants. And that’s the reason I grow the hydrangeas – they grow by themselves. I think nearly anything would grow in that black dirt!
Years ago I read that there is no such thing as a green thumb. The only thing there really is are dirty hands!
Yes, Iowa has wonderfully pretty black dirt, probably leftover from the Mississippi River and the glaciers leveling parts of Iowa.
Happy spring. Take care. Betty in Rapid City
Marcia, that black dirt is wonderful. I’m not too far from Dayton, and we have the clay soil too. It’s taken a long time to get our garden area soft. I grew up close to where Mary is, and the black dirt there is almost like what we buy in a bag in Ohio.
What a great post today Mary! Can’t wait to see the hydrangeas when they bloom. And I have been to your place when the lilies are in bloom…heaven!
When weather is nice, outside is where I like to be in the fresh air and roaming my own “ estate” as we say to the dogs – let’s go check out who was in the estate last night. They sniff and sniff for the rabbits and chipmunks. Yesterday My husband replanted some tree shoots and said it was back breaking work as he hadn’t done it in a few years and thought it was going to go fast but found out our old bodies only do so much so hats off to you Mary for keep your body moving. We don’t do so well with lilies as some tiny bugs (they hang onto the leaf like a ladybug) eat the leaves and I am not a person who buys chemicals for the yard.
Kathy in western NY – I have never noticed bugs on my lily leaves – hmmm – wonder what they are. You could use organic diatomaceous earth safely, I think. I don’t like chemicals either.
You have accomplished a lot and I envy your energy. My favorite flower is peony but hydrangeas last so much longer and yours will be worth your hard work.
Mary: I loved all of your photos today. Especially seeing the different colored eggs. Bailey and I spent some time outdoors yesterday, too. I, however, was cleaning my vehicle–mostly the inside of it. After a long winter, there was lots of dog hair and dust to vacuum up! I, too, always have “butterflies” in my stomach when preparing to play in public. I don’t think we ever get over it. Even though I have practiced and feel confident in that preparation, I am always a little on edge. And I am a veteran violinist of over 70 years!
Lois Ann Johnson – I think anyone wanting to play their best just has to be a bit nervous – thanks for confirming!
Love those eggs! Our daughter has a lot of different chicken breeds and they lay different colored eggs. One Easter I drained the insides and put the eggs in a crystal bowl with some Easter grass. No dying necessary! Looked so pretty.
Love the quilt shows!
I am curious as to what kind of hydrangeas you have? You have gorgeous blooms every year so cutting them back does not hurt them. I have a lot of them planted around our deck and Mike wanted to re-stain so I cut them back like you do so he could get to the deck. They all grew back but we didn’t have a single bloom last year. They are all leafed out and looking good so hope to have blooms this year. I’m not sorry I cut them back to the ground as they were overgrown and really needed it.
Beautiful spring day here on the Eastern Shore of Maryland even though it’s only in the mid 40’s right now. To be in the 60’s later. The azaleas are about to bloom, dogwood and cherry trees are, lots of daffodils and the bluebirds are building their nests.
Mary, I’m sure the music you play this morning will be beautiful to everyone! Very interesting that you do feel anxious about playing after all these years. Those of us who don’t play an instrument appreciate and love what you do!
Would appreciate if you could comment on your knee replacements–one year out. I am 70 and starting to think replacement of one knee might be in my future. Covid definitely postponed a decision for a while. You are so active and I would appreciate any comments, advice, tips on PT, etc.–that you can share regarding you knee replacements. Many thanks for you time in answering.
Our chickens do the same things. You did a little dirt and they are right there scratching to their hearts content. They love to find worms. Enjoyed the DD’s today. Just getting mine finished up. I don’t like the sounds of possible snow in southern Iowa Monday into Tuesday. It has been nice here today.
That should say “dig”. I better proofread next time!!
The quilts today are beautiful! I always find your colored eggs interesting. I can only buy white or brown eggs at Kroger’s. I had knee surgery a year ago and glad I did. It is much easier to walk now, although it (actually both knees) will get stiff when I have been sitting for a while, then I need to walk the stiffness off. Clay soil here in Indiana. My daughter had a school experiment….put some soil in a jar, fill it with water, shake and let it settle into layers of different types of soil. There was no separation. It was all clay! Later she needed clay to make a school project. She just used some of our soil. When we started a garden at our home, my brother-in-law brought over a truck load from where they had been composting for years. Our garden is still doing well. Mary, don’t worry about playing the piano. Who is going to say any thing if you make a mistake? If your congregation is like ours, there is no one to volunteer to take your place. The only one who would say something if I hit a wrong note would be my husband. 😊. It is a beautiful Sunday here with afternoon temperatures in the 60s, but the forecast for Tuesday night is 3-5 inches of snow. In April !?!