Lilacs

There is something about lilacs that fills me with happiness. Perhaps it is because the scent of them brings me back to my childhood where I had a lilac bush outside my window.  I recall bedtime in the spring when the sweet scent would fill my room and make sleep a pleasure – a rare thing at a young age when bedtime is never a favourite time of one’s day.

It has been a beautiful year here for lilacs and unfortunately, they have come to an end until next spring. Here are some pics from the last couple of weeks.
Lilac bush out laundry room window (makes doing laundry a little more enjoyable)

Have You Ever Seen a Turtle Climb a Fence?

Over the last few mornings we have had a steady trail of snapping turtles climbing our septic bed to dig in the dirt/sand at the top and lay their eggs. This morning I noticed this one who had a different approach than the others. She seemed to be eyeing the vegetable garden instead.  I took the above shots trying not to disturb her too much and when I walked back to the house, I turned around and saw her trying to climb the fence!Of course when I went back to take more pictures of her she acted like a statue again 🙂 I never did see where she laid her eggs but I hope she had success somewhere!

A Fire a Coyote and Other Stuff

Yesterday was a beautiful, sunny day. The kids and their dad did a yard cleanup and burned some of the sticks and leaves they raked. The girls were so excited to have a real fire and pretended they were camping. They even got to roast a real marshmallow 🙂

At dusk, we had a surprise visit from a coyote. By the time I got my camera, it was already too far for a good picture but I thought I would show the best one I took anyway. I posted a few better photos I took a while ago here. It had it’s eyes fixed on some geese on the ice. Needless to say, we kept our dog Daisy in for the night since we don’t want this to happen to her again.

On another note, I snapped this photo below of a garden the girls made out of their toys. It seems planting the seeds has also inspired them.

Happy Sunday!

Dreaming Of Vegetable Gardens And Loving Spring

A couple of weeks ago we planted some starter seeds indoors for veggies to be transplanted into our garden when it is warm enough outside to do so. It is exciting to think that we have survived another winter and soon the earth will be awakening again. Already, the skies are beginning to fill with birds on their return flight after spending a winter in some warmer, less hostile climate than Canada in the winter.

I have to admit I love pretty much everything about living in Canada, but there are always a few moments in the winter when I wonder what in the world I am doing living in such a frigid and desolate place. Once the majority of the birds fly south and the animals go to sleep, the silence can be both lovely and lonely at once. Hearing the honking Canada Geese or the excited call of the Red-Winged Blackbirds makes my heart glad and I long for the lullaby of the Spring Peepers which I know will soon follow.

Here are some pics from planting the seeds with my daughters.

So far, this year we have pre-planted seeds for the following:
•Green Beans
•Dark Green Zucchini
•Dwarf Green Curled Kale (only Kale seeds I could find – should be interesting)
•Long Green Cucumber
•Chioggia Beets
•Sugar Snap Peas
•Lettuce

And a few flowers:
•Morning Glory
•Nasturtium (I love these in hanging baskets and also for adding colour to the garden, and their flowers are edible and nice in salads with a slight nutty/spicy taste)
•Candy Stripe Cosmos (remind me of my grandmother’s garden)

Here are some photos from a few years ago of my daughters planting and caring for the seeds.

And a few photos from the harvest.

If you have any gardening stories or just general spring gratitude, I would love to hear.

Have a great weekend!

Gardening

I wouldn’t call myself much of a gardener but I do LOVE gardens and have a few little gardens around. A couple of years ago I started a vegetable garden as well and am amazed at the gratification that comes from growing and eating my own food. The kids love it too. They wander in the vegetable garden and ask (wide-eyed) “you mean we can eat anything in here?” They help me plant and weed it which, in turn helps them to love eating veggies 🙂

Here is the vegetable garden when we first began it


First seedlings (beets on left and bok choy on right)


Spontaneous hugs from the kids (a rare and enjoyable sight)
Then we had to make a fence to keep the deer and other critters away
Kids in the garden