Category: The Seasons

We’ve just returned from Canada, where the average temperature during the day was 90+ degrees. It was also humid. The only saving grace there was the stiff sea breeze that seemed always to help cool things down. Thank God for the sea breeze!

We are home now. Back in central New Hampshire, where we are known for our moderate summers. So what have we returned to? Hot! Humid! And Hazy!

This sort of weather is why I left Florida and returned to New England. I just couldn’t take the heat. Everyone said that my “blood would thin” and I would be fine in the heat. I want to tell you all, it never happened. Hot is hot and you never really get used to it, you just get better air conditioning.

So I have one more month (August) to go before we (hopefully) will start to cool off, and I want to say just one thing here!

Enough with the heat!!!

We harvested the cherries today. This years crop was not as large as last years, but the cherries sure are good!

These are Lapin Cherries. Many people are surprised that you can grow cherries in New Hampshire, but there are several varieties you can grow here. So far the Lapin has been our best producer.

The cherries are bright deep ruby red,and they have the most wonderful flavor! Sweet and full of juice! Mmmmmmm!

A few weeks ago we wrestled with a net to keep the birds from stealing our cherries. Some of you might remember last year when we netted the tree because the birds threatened our crop. Once again this year we netted the tree, but for a shorter time. Still, wrestling with that net again made me laugh. You see, it is worth every struggle and tug to get it over the top and then wrap the net around the tree. These cherries are really that good.

We’ll eat some and share some and enjoy our first crop of the season. I wonder what our next crop will be? Cucumbers? Squash? Zucchini? We just love growing things.

It was a bright and beautiful, early summer day here in Central New Hampshire. A cold front had moved through on Friday, leaving the air crisp and clean. We’d decided some days ago to go to Loon Mountain with the dogs (minus Greta who is still in heat) and ride the trams up to the top, have lunch and then hike down.

I was a little nervous about this hike because of my knee, but I didn’t hesitate as June in the mountains is a glorious time.

My only worry was Fritz.

I love that dog like no other, but…he is terrible in the car and on a leash. He jumps and howls and generally makes himself a pest for all around. I have taken him to “doggy reform school” and when I used the chain collar he listens quite well, but I hate the choke collar.

On the ride up we had Emily and the two pups, and Fritz and Hubby and myself. Em’s parents and their dog rode in another car. Fritz was, his usual terrible self! I kept threatening him with bodily ejection from the car. Somehow we made it to Loon and began unpacking the car and getting our backpacks and hiking sticks out.

Em and I took the pups in the first goldola,

her parents and Kodiak, their dog, in the next. Then poor Hubby in the last gondola with Fritz.

I imagined the chaos erupting in that gondola, but when we got to the top I was delighted to learn that Fritz had actually enjoyed the ride!

We poked around, got some lunch at the “Summit Canteen”, and then about the time we were due to start hiking down, Hubby lost the hold on Fritz’s leash. Fritz took off and headed back to the gondola and jumped into the open door! Em’s Dad ran after him and grabbed him and got him out before we had to watch him disappear down the mountain!

The scenery was so beautiful. I wish I could have had you all with us. The Lupines were in full bloom painting the mountyainsides with white and purple.

It was so much fun to walk down the very slopes that we ski in the winter. How different they look with emerald green grass and the trees completely leafed out.

I did pretty well, but about half way down the old knee gave out and I was forced to put on the knee brace. Now to accomplish this we had to scoot the guys ahead and Em’s Mom helped protect my modesty so I could slip off my jeans, put on the brace and then get myself all together again. I did it without missing a beat!

I used two hiking poles (wish they’d been crutches!) and got down the mountain. Then I just wanted to rest. Everyone but Arnie and me rode up the mountain again, but this time they all rode down on the gondola. The funniest sight all day was watching Fritz come back into the gondola loading area. I was hoping to capture that imagine, but a little boy was holding Arnie and I couldn’t get my camera out.

So tonight I am sitting in my chair with my knee pillow comforting Greta, who, of course is feeling sad at having been left behind.

The question is, will Hubby and I be able to move tomorrow?

The sunset Saturday night across the lake.

Once a year spring happens. In my little part of the world this means lilacs, snowball bushes, tulips, forsythia and best of all the blossoms on the fruit trees. If we’re lucky, this will be spread out over several weeks, but due to a rather wacky weather pattern this spring, we have had a two-three week period of blossoms. I actually missed the peach trees blossoming because this happened while I was recovering from my eye surgery.

In the last few days several of my favorites have finally come into their glory and I went out and snapped a few pictures.

Snowball Bush

Lilacs

Rhododendron

I also enjoy the way the grass somehow goes from dead looking brown straw to rich emerald green carpeting!

Being able to sit on the front steps of my house and enjoy these beautiful coral colored sunsets simply takes my breath away.

Sunday was planting day here at the Dackel Princess House. Emily, the “Puppy Nanny”, came over to watch the dogs while Hubby and I planted the garden. This year I feel I have healthier plants (which I started from seed) and just about the correct number of plants for the size of the garden that we are working.

Hubby and I are a great team. He raked the dirt into hills and I planted my seedlings. I think this years garden is laid out even better and will be easier to maintain. It took us about one hour and thirty minutes to do this, but that really wasn’t too bad. I think all of our advance work on the garden helped to make today go quite smoothly.

It was nice and cool, and overcast. This made it ideal for working outside. Tonight neither one of us has a sunburn.

Once we were done planting, Hubby stood and hand watered the plants. We are due for rain tonight, and actually that would be a very good thing.

Hubby watering the garden.

After our gardening we had lunch and then headed to the store to stock up on food for the holiday on Monday. My cousin Janet is coming up with my Uncle George, and our friend Michelle.

Last night while sitting watching television, I realized that all three of the dachshunds had crawled into the chair with me. I whispered to Hubby to grab the camera and take a picture.

This is how we end most days. Fritz stretched out by the fire place, Hubby sitting in his chair and me with my three dachshunds cuddling in my chair!

It just doesn’t get any better than this!

I decided to finish “turning the garden” myself today. I figured it was a bright sunny day, not too hot and I felt good.

How wrong I was about to become.

You see “turning the garden” does not mean that I have decided to switch ends for planting or anything really easy like that. “turning the garden” means using a pitch fork, stomping on it to get the forks in about 6 inched then lifting the wedge of dirt (and rocks) and turning it over. The first few stomps were actually pretty good. I felt strong, you know, like, “I am woman, hear me roar?”. But by the end of the first row I realized why I prefer to be known as the gentler sex. This is tough work.

Now I did not want Hubby to see me give up. He does enough around here, mowing the lawn, spraying the fruit trees and all, that I certainly don’t want him suggesting that he switch off one of those jobs with me. We all remember a year ago when he was laid up with his bad knees and I was doing all his work. Not a pretty sight!

I worked for 2 full hours. I did do the smart thing and stopped twice to down copious amounts of water. I also threw the ball for Fritz and checked on the dachshunds. Then I headed straight back to work. I was determined.

I have to tell you that you would be amazed at the size of the rocks I was pulling out of the ground.

When I think of the men and women who made homesteads here in the early 1800’s and had to do all this work like I am doing it right now, by hand, I have a real appreciation for what they did. I have a little garden, these people probably had a garden 5 times the size of the one I have. And if it didn’t do well, they were mighty hungry.

So the garden soil is “turned” and we raked it too, so now this weekend we will plant a row of corn and then, the last day of May I’ll be planting my seedlings.

My helper, Arnie.

Meanwhile, I can be found in a hot bath soaking away my aches.

Yep, I am woman, hear me croak!