New life. Hope. Schemes.

Spring is a season filled with promise. It is a time when we place our faith in the future, a time when we place seeds in the ground and believe they will grow and create nourishing foods for us.  Thank goodness that's how it's turning out.  So many things can short circuit that outcome.  I have seen, with my own peepers, pesky robins pecking holes in the bean leaves. I am guessing they aren't doing that for entertainment, that quite possibly there are little insects they are eating and may even be doing me a favor.  I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on that.  The peas are blooming and little pods are forming. I'm harvesting swiss chard, spinach, various lettuces and green onions for delicious salads.  The potatoes are growing.   We've already gone through the early radishes and two more rows are nearly ready.  For the first time this year I planted carrots.  They are up but sparse.  I'll try to do better next year. The elephant garlic is peaking through. There is one short row of beets and the candy onions look great. All of the above is in this section of the garden, which is protected by chicken wire:

A few feet to the right of this spot is another, with caged tomatoes, pepper plants, all protected by chicken wire,  and the blackberries, which are blooming.

About that chicken wire;   the girls are really, really beginning to plot and scheme.  They would love to get in there and scratch around and trample everything.

Laverne:  "Hey, Opal. Whaddya think. If we tried, really, really hard, don't ya think we could get in mom's garden?"
Opal:  "Oh, yum. Worms and grubs and bugs and tender green things.  Bok."

And on the chick front, these young things have now been cast out into the cruel world of their outside home.  The first introduction didn't go well, and I see a pecking order in their future, but in another couple of weeks, they should be able to defend themselves. They are segregated from the big girls for now. Their colors are so pretty and each is different. No names yet, just in case there are casualties. Since they are americaunas, which is very similar to Americana, the patriotic term, I am leaning towards Martha (as in Washington), Betsy (as in Ross), and Dolly (as in Madison). What do you think?

So there you have it. Well, not all of it. I am putting some faith in the distant future, as well. I am in love with Meyer lemons now, and just received my new little dwarf Meyer lemon tree, along with a dwarf lime tree DS wanted. They are so cute. I hope I can keep them alive long enough to harvest fruit from them.

They'll have to come in for the winter, but in 3 or 4 years, we should be enjoying our own fruits from these. Hope. It's a good thing.

Blessings,

Brenda