it's that time of year

it's that time of year

a middle tennessee garden blog


finding beauty in the natural things around us makes for one happy self and a lovely life. ~marmee

dash home farm, leiper's fork, tennessee

Monday, March 23, 2009

march happenings

christine, maday, and brittani.
sunday was a photo shoot for senior pictures.
jesse did not want his photo taken.
so i had him sit on his dad's bike.
still, this won't work. i will have to use an older
photo for senior pics. our good friends,
the lopez family have a daughter, brittani,
graduating alongside jesse this year.
they are both home schooled. we have an
umbrella school and they will walk for graduation.

my oldest daughter, rachel and i were both taking photos.
we took brittani around the farm and drove around
leiper's fork to get some shots in nature, my favourite kind.
rachel's beautiful capture.

one of my captures of a beautiful girl.
we took lots and lots of pictures.
it was a beautiful day.
today is monday.
now it's another day to get things done.
first up order seeds for veggie garden.
i found a great resource in clemson state u.
they have an extensive amount of heirloom seeds
that have been proven growers over the last 30+ years.
chopee orka, chantenay red core carrot, stowell's evergreen corn,
bee balm, summer savory, cangreen lima beans, etc...
have all been ordered...yipee!

still there is so much research and reading to do.
this magazine has been inspirational and helpful.

when i was down visiting meems @ hoeandshovel.blogspot.com/ in florida.
i found these interesting watering tools at her local nusery. they are called
plant nanny's. i have been using them since i got back and
i have to say i like them. they are terra cotta and you put them into a plant and
use an old wine bottle filled with water to keep your plant watered for days.

another thing on list to do
is find a solution to my cushions
being eaten one by one by a pillow
hungry chesapeake bay retriever
named "bronte' jane" aka "the destroyer."

that is actually a polite nome de plume.
she has many aliases.

i found these decorative hooks and the cushions have a
small ribbon handle on the side.
hopefully she won't feel the need to
bother these hanging cushions.

we'll just get them down when we need
to sit on them.

since we have been here at dash home farm...
we have been trying to attract birds
of all sorts. bluebirds, finches, martins, owls...and more.

we have a bat house on the barn.

kestrels are next on the list to try to attract.

photo from the web
these birds are in the falcon family.
they are the size of a jay.
their prey are rodents and insects and of course small birds.
photo from the web



we thought that out over the open back
acerage would be the best place to put up
the box for nesting.
so this morning dh and jesse head out to put up the box.
jesse climbed the 28 ft ladder.
yikes i can't i don't like heights.


the under canopy of the tree line is so
magical...there is life in abundance there.
birds and creatures make the best of fallen trees.

moss are blooming like little green flowers.
greenery is popping up everywhere.
anybody know what this is?

first caterpillar spotting so far.
well the new kestrel box is hung...now we just have
to be patient and wait for one of them to discover it.
great job men.
thanks jesse and dh. there is always much to do in march.
happy springtime plans to you.

14 comments:

tina said...

The pictures look mighty good. I hope Jesse changes his mind and gets his as they are so important. Can't help you with your mystery plant.

Susie said...

Looks like you had lots of fun around your home today. To me that mystery plant looks like wild honeysuckle. I'm not sure but I think it could be.

Unknown said...

My goodness that a lot going on! It's that time of the year isn't it?

Jayne said...

Wow, love that nesting box and can't wait to see if you get any takers! Beautiful girls at a magical time in life. :c)

Gail said...

Good morning...A post filled with the people you love (and love you) plans for the garden and critters! You've been busy....and the weather has totally cooperated!

...and you've found a good sources of heirloom vegetables that may be happier growing in our middle southern gardens. Thank you!

Maybe Jesse will change his mind! Kids can be so firm about things at that age! Your family is lovely Marmee! There is always an aura of love and happiness when you post about them!

Gail

Roses and Lilacs said...

Nice post, lots of topics. I hope you are successful in attracting lots of birds. Their songs add so much to the enjoyment of the outdoors.

Had to laugh at your description of Bronte Jane. We have lots of names for our little psycho Aggie, many of them not printable.
Marnei

marmee said...

tina,
i already sent in the photo i had taken of him and that is fine. jesse is very shy and i can relate in some ways.

marmee said...

susie,

thanks for the id i will do some research it is very viney. we have had some busy days in march with all this warm weather.

Meems said...

Dear marmee,
March is picking up steam around there for sure. Fun photos with the kids. Love those hooks for the cushions - handy and safe. Is the plant combinations a mag or book? the plant nannies look to be working out. I am looking into micro irrigation... really would save me hours and hours AND I could actually take a real vacation away from all the hand watering. :-)Thanks for linky love.

That's a great new bird house your men folk afixed to the tree. I sure hope those kestrels (or at least some little birdie if not)makes good use out of such a fine home.

Have a fabulous Wednesday as dash home farm!
hugs and love,
meems

marmee said...

darla, this is the life of a mother of six you know all about busy with all your children. plus with one graduating there is much to be done. it's raining today so a reprive from the garden at least.

marmee said...

thanks jayne,
those girls are good friends and the one is graduating with my son. it is such a beautiful place for outdoor photos.
that kestrel box should have some takers, our martin gourds are up and the scouts have been checking them out.

marmee said...

dear gail,

thank you my family is my all. i have devoted my life to them and i do receive lots of love in return. teens have their own mind at this point and i understand, they are trying to become independent.
the weather had been great and i don't mind at all that it is raining. we need it and all the things already planted are having a wonderful drink. some of my hostas are peeking out of the ground.
happy spring to you.

marmee said...

marnie,

i didn't know one creature
bronte' jane could create such havoc. she is "something else" which is also a nice name.
i couldn't see my life without dogs but sometimes i go overboard, will i ever grow out of that>? i hope so.
we are having so many wonderful birds coming now that even our visitors have noticed.
i have my misgivings about attracting birds of prey but hubby wants them for the mice. i hope since we have a really good canopy for the small birds it won't be a problem.

marmee said...

meems,

i am always glad to have people find your blog cause it is so good and so much detailed information. you are so good at that.
what is micro irrigation. if it would help you daily and to get away once in a while i think it would be worth the looking into. i guess i can google it but i think my google might be on overload, lol. i have been doing quite a bit of research. i found a native plant nusery in nearby fairview(west of us). it is by appt. only so dh and i are thinking about going next week, we shall see.
i got my seeds today from csu. it is so very exciting.
i am a little concerned about inviting birds of prey here seeing as we have so many small birds coming. i think since we have a good canopy of trees along the back of the house it should be alright.
we are rainy and chilly today but i had errands to run today and my standing date with rach. so i don't mind plus dh and i are a bit sore.
we are having a fab day here at the farm. hope you are having a fantastic spring day.