Wildlife Wonderland
Birds, frogs, beats, but at this time of year not so many bugs. A little split-rail fence repair, a little pizza on the deck.
Packed and Loaded
Departure tomorrow—on to the next phase.
Second 80 degree day in a row here. Ruby-throated hummingbird observed in the redbud.
Japanese crab, neighbor to the north
When Lilacs Last…
Beautiful time of year here.
High of 80, so full summer. It’s going to be odd to go back to early spring when we head north.
Beets and tomatoes planted, some tools loaded into the truck.
Explorations
Sally and Glenn up this way for some random wandering.
Coffee in the odd coffeeshop in the old Carnegie library on the campus of the long defunct Milton College. The significant underground railroad site, Milton House, was closed, so we went to the native Mississippian culture site at Aztalan. Lunch at Paddy Coughlin’s Irish pub in Fort.
Rain Day
Good for planning, and organizing things like tools, in preparation for the upcoming location switch.
Photo by neighbor Anna
Thinking the rain had ended I went on late afternoon bike ride, only to find that it hadn’t.
Lucy Rehomed
She was a fine guest. Summery day. Rain needed.
Siete de Mayo (or something) party going on now in the park. I’m practicing my appreciation of the music.
Yesterday’s recipe updated.
Rhubarb Cake…
…along with substantial garden prep.
Copious amounts of rhubarb, and a very old-time recipe from Manitoulin. The cake looks good, and smells good. Let’s hope it tastes good. Recipe, subject to modification, below.
Otherwise, we turned 5 rows of soil in the garden, put down landscape fabric, and cut slits for beets. This summer is dedicated to weed control—after last summer’s weed fiasco which caused a complete crop failure. Tomatoes too, but my home-started seedlings may be too wimpy to pant in the time remaining.
Rhubarb Cake
Cake Batter
••
1 stick butter
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups rhubarb, finely chopped
Topping
••
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup brown sugar
Procedure
•••
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla.
In another bowl, sift together 2 cups flour, soda, and powder.
Add sifted ingredients alternately with buttermilk to creamed mixture.
Toss rhubarb with I tablespoon flour, and stir into batter.
Spoon batter into buttered 9 × 13 inch pan, and smooth the surface.
Blend together cinnamon, etc. and brown sugar; sprinkle evenly over batter.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 40 minutes.
A Day of Many Things
Garage door painted, Catrike sold, dog walked, among various other bits and pieces.
Above, neighbor across the street is observing No Mow May. On this side of the street the lawn service came yesterday… and our backyard was almost a foot deep.
Suddenly Summer…
…in fact, almost too warm to work. But a few things got done.
Compost fully turned.
Perfect For Planting
Sunny, warmer, and when working in the sun, almost hot.
Photos by Sue
Lucy helped?
Three little hazelnuts in our front yard, and in Vi and Anna’s—bald cypress, pussy willow, speckled alder, and swamp white oak. If even some survive, our yards will be more interesting and beneficial.
Turn, Turn, Turn…
…the compost.
Bin three over the side—about a good wheelbarrow full—to be used for various purposes. Bin two over into bin three. Tomorrow, bin one (this year’s detritus) over into bin two. And then we start over with bin one. Quite an astonishing amount of material goes into bin one. And what comes out of bin three is sweet, fluffy black, and useful.
Still very windy, and when the sun occulted by cloud, quite chilly.
Poor Excuse for a May Day
Moisture-laden wind roaring down from Lake Superior, soaking and chilling everything in its path.
Pretty In Pink…
…luckily this is a day in April, not May, because it’s cold. May would never tolerate a steady, cold, rain all day like this. (But the blossoms are lasting a good long time. )
Early Morning Rain…
…cool day, partly sunny, but chilly afternoon. Okay for hardening off baby tomatoes.
Like Clockwork, Like A Well-Oiled Machine?
Pretty close. Everything came together, and the timing worked out. The University student teachers were awesome. And for some odd reason the weather was perfect. Photos later.
The educational part followed the dedication program.
Prepping and Planting
Prepping for tomorrow’s big Arb event—Welcome Center dedication and Schools Field Trip—and trying to remember what, among the infinite details, I forgot to get ready.
Pussy willow
Serviceberry
Also planted a a few native trees/shrubs including serviceberry, aronia, pussy willow, false indigo, and hemlock. When it comes to native plants, as a recent convert, I do have to practice what I preach.
More Photos…
…of Tree Talk with Maddie’s class.
Tree Talk…
…at Maddie’s class.
Great bunch of kids. Focus on binomial nomenclature, species, native species, and invasive species, and, on the overall benefit of trees. Fun for me, and for the kids too, I think. Ran out of time before we got to phenology.
A Little More Sun, a Little Less Wind…
…but still cold. Spring got a jump start, but the brakes have been applied.
Serviceberry (shadbush, saskatoon) in full bloom (and with the cold the bloom will last). Tomatoes tiny, but still way too soon to plant, so might be ready when the time is right.
Sold Out (almost)
A few bladdernuts left (good tree, bad name), and a smattering of a few other species. Business slow today, but, overall, we made a profit and have some nice things to plant in the Arb. Did I mention that it was cold, gray, and damp this morning, with an emphasis on the cold?
Official photos not yet ready for publication.