After writing about mowing the lawn in my back yard, I thought you would like to see it. I took the camera out first thing Thursday morning and took this video. Happy Friday everyone!!!
My Back Yard from Dackel Princess Maribeth on Vimeo.
Category: The Seasons
Abundance
Hot. Yes Sunday found us having our first real hot day. The temperature was 87 degrees (F) (or 31C.) here, and it was very humid! The sun peeked out for a bit, but mostly it was overcast and like I said, very muggy.
Sunday, while Hubby was at work, I cleaned, I did laundry, and I ironed. Truthfully, I felt pretty good about it, because I really like it when I get a lot accomplished!
While I was doing all of the above, I watched three movies. All movies I have seen before. The Blind Side, The Lake House, and Julie and Julia. Seeing The Blind Side again, I liked it even more the second time around.
The apple trees in our yard are so totally beautiful! I went out with the pups and took some pictures of the blossoms. Here is a short montage of the beautiful blossoms.
Our Apple Trees from Dackel Princess Maribeth on Vimeo.
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We also have beautiful blooming pears.
And in my green house, all the little seeds I have planted are sprouting, with the exception of the regular eggplant. I just do not seem to have the knack for doing that!
Time to kick off my shoes, get my nightie on, and watch some TV. Hope you all have a great Monday!
Planting Time
It was planting day here at the Dackel Princess home. Immediately after breakfast I changed clothes and then got out the dirt. Excuse me, soil. You see peat moss, which is what the man sold me the first time, is far different than the soil that I bought the second time. The soil I got, which is fabulous, is full of nutrients, and small fertilizer pellets that slowly feed the seedlings as they grow.
Although I bought a couple of plants, I also bought seeds. Here is a tomato plant I bought this week
I’m really lucky to have this little greenhouse to start my vegetables.
Here are my seed packets.
I set about filling square pots of the good soil, and then planting and marking each pot.
In the end, I had a tidy looking shelf of seeds and re-potted plants.
Then I went for a walk about with Hubby to view his fruit trees when I came upon a bee in the tree pollinating a blossom.
and as I watched (and clicked) he climbed out,
and again
and lastly.
Fritz was a great help today to both Hubby and myself. He sat up under his Peach tree, where he could observe both Hubby and I as we did our various jobs!
Don’t you just love spring?
All The Right Dirt!
Monday found Hubby and I headed to the Garden Center to return the incorrect “Dirt” I had purchased on Friday. When we got to the shop the clerk argued with Hubby about this being the “right stuff” and Hubby corrected him. After all Hubby farmed his land in southern New Hampshire for over 20 years! He also is a voracious reader. He knows good dirt from bad dirt!
I stood listening, not saying a word, and allowed Hubby to “educate” this man! After a few minutes the clerk relented and we got the correct “soil” to start my seedlings. Two bags of the correct soil for the price of one bag of bad dirt the clerk sold me! I will be planting my seeds on Tuesday morning. I’ll get up and have breakfast and then put on my dirtiest clothes and plant seeds. Oh, the joy of working with the correct soil!
After getting the “soil”, we stopped for lunch and then headed to Loews, where I got 2 Ichiban Eggplant, plants and some eggplant seeds.
Here is an Ichiban I grew two years ago, when it was just starting to grow.
I love eggplant! And the Ichiban is Japanese Eggplant, which is long and thin and sweet! Hubby splurged and spent $20.00 on a new Macintosh tree. You see, this past winter our newspaper girl slid off our driveway and demolished the Macintosh tree along the way!
Lots of spring work around the Dackel Princess House and green house.
Still no news on Anneliese, and this is a very good thing. I hope she will go into heat on schedule at the END of May. Surely, by then the passengers displaced by the Volcanic cloud, will be safely home and there will be a seat for Anneliese and me on a flight to Germany.
Anneliese and me when we went to Germany a year ago!
Snow
Yes it happened. When I woke on Saturday morning we had snow. A frosty blanket of snow across our front lawn and covering our trees.
Snow in New Hampshire April 17 2010 from Dackel Princess Maribeth on Vimeo.
I was not at all happy about the snow. Usually I am captivated by the beauty, but not when I am anticipating the deliciousness of cherry jelly in July! So I am praying that the snow on Saturday, hasn’t affected my cherries!
We ran around doing errands today and I even took Anneliese out for a visit up to our neighbors house. It was nice to get out, both times.
Now we are all feeling sleepy, so I will leave you with this. I hope everyone is having a great Sunday!
The Snow Came, Softly
On Friday, it snowed here in Central New Hampshire. Now we didn’t get blanketed with the white stuff, but all day long we had a cold, white snowfall that just chilled me to the bone. But the worst part of the snow is that it threatens my lovely fruit trees. You see, the trees are just starting to blossom.
Here is a peach blossom. Isn’t it lovely? I took this on Thursday afternoon.
And here is a Cherry blossom. You know I adore our Cherries! I love to wash them and sit and just eat them one after another!
And in my little video you will see this same cluster of Cherry blossoms. It is my favorite, and today during the snow I wanted to cry!
In any case, when it started snowing this morning, Hubby yelled to me to come quickly and video it for the blog! It didn’t matter that I was just out of the shower and trying to blow my hair dry. Heck, the snow was just going to make my hair wet anyway, right?
So I quickly jumped in my boots and headed out the door, camera in hand!
Snow in New Hampshire April 2010 from Dackel Princess Maribeth on Vimeo.
I realize that snow in April is not all that unusual here in my part of the world. Goodness, I recall when Mandy was a baby that we had snow on the 10th of May 1977. We had about 15 inches of heavy wet snow that took down trees and power lines. We did not get power back for over a week. So today, although annoying, was nothing compared to that!
At this point, keep your fingers crossed that my fruit trees will be okay.
I also heard from Mike and Patsy, who own Anneliese’s other son, Baron! They sent me a bunch of new pictures, showing me what he is like. He is completely different from Bogart. Bogey tends to look like his Uncle Arnie and Baron looks like his Mom, Anneliese and Dad, Isegrim.
He looks like a real sweetheart and I hope at some point to see him once again! Maybe I should have a puppy reunion!
Thanks for sending these, Mike and Patsy!
It’s Official
Our spring is far ahead of the usual ones that we have here in Central New Hampshire. Our fruit trees are starting to open their blossoms, which is a concern, as we do not want to lose, what could be a wonderful crop of fruit.
I went walking with Hubby, Fritz and the dackels today in the yard to look at the beautiful trees. The cherry tree is loaded with blossoms and a few more warm, sunny days and we will be overcome with their delicate blooms.
Aren’t these just the most beautiful thing?
We also noted that a peach tree is about to start with their lovely blossoms.
I do so love spring. I love everything, but the pollen! As we walked around the trees I started sneezing and couldn’t stop. I need to find a good allergy medication!
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This evening was my Library Trustee meeting. I substituted for the regular Secretary, who was out with a severe cold. Since this was our first regular meeting since the Town Elections they had the Election of Officers. I was asked to be the new Secretary for the Trustees.
I accepted, but I am very nervous about doing the job correctly. I hope I can do a good job for the coming year. So now it is official. I am an officer on the Trustee Board.
Isn’t it amazing how life can change so quickly for you? A year ago, I would never have thought I would be involved in all the things I am.
But, it does feel good!
A Strange Day
It was a strange day on Tuesday. It started out bright and sunny and then the clouds moved in and sprinkled us with rain. Nothing major, just annoying rain. I decided to run out and do my errands in the morning and then come back to do a little cooking, make lunch and play with the dogs.
The sun went in and out, before departing completely about 2 PM. Our yard is alive with fruit tree buds, lilac buds and snowball bush buds, all reminding me that spring is just around the corner.
Hubby took his skis out of the car, and has put them away for the year. His ski clothes are in my laundry room awaiting washing and packing up. Yes, here we are, April 7th and his skiing is over.
I talked to him about skiing next year. He wants me to go with him, but I really am not an excellent skier. I mentioned that I would be happier getting a pass at a smaller, local area where I can ski and not fear falling and breaking something. So now I can look forward to next winter when I can ski at an area that I am comfortable with.
On Tuesday night I was officially voted in at my Woman’s Club meeting. I was so happy to be joining this group of remarkable women. There is a ton of stuff coming up in May that I want to be a part of, but everyone understands that I am waiting for Anneliese to go into heat, so I cannot officially sign up for anything just yet.
One activity I hope I can work at is Wiener Weekend! It’s not what it sounds like for a Dackel Princess. Actually we sell grilled hot-dogs at our towns Arts and Crafts Street Fair! Doesn’t that sound wonderful? I hope I am around so I can help sell hot-dogs!
Anyway, that was my Tuesday. A slow start, which picked up mid-day and ended with a smile or two!
Arnie, Anneliese & Lilacs
When the day ends and I am getting ready for bed, I often look to see if my boyfriend has arrived. He is small, and dark with big brown eyes, which he flashes at me in such a way that he melts my heart! I’m not sure if Hubby is jealous of him or not, but I am thinking he is. What do you think?
This is his “come hither” look!
I must admit that between Arnie and the girls, I am well snuggled and well loved in bed each night. I woke briefly in the night last night and the two girls had my back and my belly and Arnie was near my feet, under the covers!
We’ve been having a cold snap the last few days, which means that Hubby has gotten out to ski again. Sadly, the forecast is for heavy rain the next three days, so I think that his skiing might be over for the year.
I hope we have some warmer weather soon, because my lilacs are starting to bud. I just want warm weather now to bring them out.
A lilac bud today.
This is the earliest I can remember them being out.
This week finds me preparing Anneliese’s documents for travel, as Arnie is showing me the first indications that Anneliese is close to going into heat. He simply will not leave her alone. I also have Library business to attend to, so that will keep me out of the house a bit.
Next weekend is Easter and I have a great menu planned for my guests, but I will tell you all about that in another post.
A Walk In The Springtime
It was a perfectly beautiful day. So perfect that I decided to take Anneliese and go for my first walk of the Spring. About 10 o’clock I put on her cute little harness, snapped on the leash and we headed out. I wanted to go to the Post Office and the docks down on the big lake. After that, I was open to almost anything.
Up the driveway we went until we ran into our neighbor, Frank. He is a 92 year old man who served during World War II. He is the most positive, happiest and fit man that I know, for his age. I tease him all the time and call him my boyfriend! Anneliese and I gave him hugs and kisses and off we went.
We stopped at the Post Office and got the mail. I had a plastic bag to put it in, but in the future I really need to use my back-pack. Those silly plastic bags really cut into you after a while.
So off we walked to the big lake. It was beautiful. The lake temperature is up to 39 degrees (F), so we should have ice-out almost anytime.
As you can see around the dock area it is clear of ice.
Anneliese is such a big girl and she handles herself so well. She does not know she is a small dog and when a Greyhound passed her by, she barked like she was going to eat him! The poor thing just shook! The Greyhound, not Anneliese!
I spoke to her a lot and then I remembered that I needed to get sworn in at the Town Hall as a Library Trustee for the next three years. I turned back and walked to the Town Hall and went in. I took my Oath of Office with Anneliese as my witness. (The Tax Collector was also my witness.) Then we started our walk home.
Anneliese was so good and when I spoke to her about our walk she stopped and turned back and looked at me with love in her eyes. Or is that annoyance that I am photographing her again?
Eventually after about three miles of walking, we got to our driveway and started down hill. It was so beautiful that I stopped and took a few pictures.
As you can see our little lake is nearly ice free. Truly amazing. Usually it is late in April when this occurs.
I think Spring is here!