If Pictures are Worth 1,000 Words, Then Why Do I Still Have Words??

We ordered seeds for this plant three or four years ago. The flowers are so pretty and dainty. The plant is called Marshmallow. If you are interested in learning more about it, here ya go:
http://www.woodlandfairyacres.com/historyofmarshmallows.php It was too much for me to summarize this morning. Just click the link if you want to read about it.
I love the simpleness of the flowers...

And the bees love it. See the one flying off? I think he's shy...

Purple Cone Flower...

This cat followed me everywhere this morning. We had a love fest on the front porch. Funny thing is, this cat has never let me touch it very much at all and actually ended up in my lap trying to groom me. Thing is, I had told Adam to take this very cat (among others) to the pound because we just have too many and due to circumstances beyond our control have had a few more show up.

Scary grooming session, but he wasn't hurting me - just trying to get me to hold still... I don't know what lesson I'm supposed to be learning, but the cat still has to go. Now I just feel worse about it. Sorry cat...

We took a trip together to the yarrow. The pink variety bloomed yesterday. It is so pretty. By now, you probably think I have issues because I have three different kinds of yarrow. Well, I'd have more if I could find it. I have no idea why I think it is so pretty - I just do. It makes me happy to look at...

See? I bet you feel all happy now, too! How can you look at that and not smile, I ask you??

Then we went to the chicken coop. I forgot to get the eggs yesterday and my grumpy hens will start eating the eggs if I leave them for very long. So I go to get the eggs and the white chicken that always escapes escaped. The cat there watched me chase it around the yard for five minutes. She is very tricky, that hen. You have to heard her just right or you go in circles for days. Five minutes is about close to my best time with that chicken. I'd have taken a picture, but then it would've taken longer and it has become a personal issue with me. She doesn't do it to Adam... maybe it is because he closes the door to the coop when he gets the eggs... :)

We have eaten and gifted a full bed of potatoes so far. Don't worry. There are more. LOTS more...

We have a whole trellis of peas that we are going to let ripen for seeds for next year. We love sugar snaps and I have decided that next year I am going to plant peas like we planted potatoes this year. I will then be happy with the amount of sugar snap peas in my garden.

We like to plant turnips and kohl rabi in the pea beds. They fit perfectly and feed at different levels in the soil. We take up less room in other beds and also do not waste space in the beds we plant in. See the turnips at the bottom of the picture??

If I had to title this picture it would be, "Really Big Honkin' Turnip". Because that is what that is. Now I have nothing against turnips, but I don't eat them like I do potatoes or chocolate, ok? I'm not afraid to tell you this. Adam does love his turnips better than chocolate because he doesn't really like sweets at all. I could say, "Honey, we are having creamed turnips for dessert." and he would be giddy with excitement. I don't know what is wrong with him, but what is wrong with me is that we don't grow chocolate and I have know idea what I'm going to do with all of the turnips in my keeping. Adam just says, "Well, Baby, they store well..." Thanks, dear. Thanks a lot. :) Now I'll just invent a place to store them... They are pretty, though, aren't they?

The bees were going crazy this morning. They were covered in pollen and buzzing around everywhere. Please ignore my weeds. We are not ignoring them - it is just that there are a LOT of them and two of us!! We're workin' on it - promise!

Mr. Ladybug was covered in pollen. Do you see it on him? You know I can't resist a ladybug picture... Thanks for tolerating my eccentricities!

My first stargazer lily bloomed this morning. All is now well with my soul.

And I hope it is well with yours. If not, go look at some bugs and flowers. You're bound to feel better!

All my love,

Malinda

So Much to Say...

Broccoli. Since I've had a camera, I've really enjoyed taking pictures of droplets on the veggies. Don't know why...just looks neat to me, I guess. This one is for my good friend Cheryl. That is what it looks like, good buddy!!

BAD DOG

This is Mary. She's looking at a cat...

Rhubarb. I made my very first ever strawberry rhubarb pie this year and it was GOOD!!

The big chickens. They love this time of year. So many weeds and vegetable scraps. I think these two are in charge and the red one is no joke. I know I'm a lot bigger than that chicken, but she still intimidates the pants off of me!!

Some garlic that my dad gave me a couple of years ago from a very nice lady in Tullahoma. It is scaping. That is why it looks funny. It is making it's flower full of little bitty baby garlic bulbs. If you want the plant for the garlic, you are supposed to snip the stem and not let it flower, but I want it to establish itself so I'm letting it flower away.

Sweet Violet. She follows me everywhere I go and finds a nice shady spot to watch me toil in the sun. When I'm not around she defaults to Adam...

We need a home! Look how cute we are... we defy all laws of nature and stay this cute all of our lives... :)

Turnips...

Adam ate this very turnip yesterday for lunch. Creamed turnips. I can take a few bites and that is enough for me, but he'll eat a whole bowl of them.

Scary chicken. She really has the evil eye down.

BAD DOG

Here's my sweet husband hard at work again while I take pictures of vegetables. He's diggin' us up some lunch. MMmmmmm tatoes.... Aren't the clouds so pretty?

My spring is now complete. I have lillies....

Enjoy this beautiful day, folks.

Much Love,

Malinda

A New Summer

The lady bug is kind of out of focus, but I still really like the picture. I think I was trying more to get all the tangly tentacles of the pea vines anyway. Can you imagine being that small while the world all around you is huge? Sometimes I feel like that! My Lovin' Husband's beloved lemon cucumbers are comin' up...

and the beans... (finally - we were getting a little worried!)

Potatoes make flowers...

When you are driving with the windows down in the country this time of year, you can smell the honeysuckle. I have always loved it. I used to walk down the road from our house when I was a kid and pick the flowers to get the nectar out of them. I was delighted to find some vines on my neighbor's fence. It is so pretty and I love to look at the blooms. It makes my heart happy.

Let us talk about the barn for a minute. (It is too little to be a barn, really, but it is just so much MORE than a shed...) Usually when I take pictures of it I try to leave out the fencing and extra things that make the picture not so pretty, but yesterday I decided that the extra stuff looks just fine. It is pretty with the stuff leaned against it - in an honest way, I think. People are like that, I believe. A lot of times we sell ourselves and others short when we pretend that everything is ok when it isn't. We all have burdens leaning on us that we try to take out of the picture, but the truth is, we're better in the long run if we let others help us through our pain rather than hide it and pretend like it is not there. The burdens don't ugly us up, they just make us real. ANYWAY. I like the barn. It makes me happy to look at. Especially when the sun is setting.

The clouds were so beautiful all day yesterday.

Go looking for beauty today. You'll find God there. No matter how ugly you feel, you'll find God there, too. Look inside yourself and accept who you are. God is waiting for you there.

Pardon my brain today. We have had a crazy week and I've been thinking about all the places that I have encountered Jesus. Everywhere doesn't even begin to cover it...

Did I Say Massive Garden Post?

What I meant to say was... when I get back from out of town on Sunday, I will tell you all about my garden. Until then, let us look at the pretty peony that my wonderful Granny gave to me... So, So pretty...

Remember these?

Here they are a coupla days ago... I was a little creative here. I wanted to be sure that everyone knew there actually were potatoes growing, so I circled them. Then I drew a heart on my baby. I love him...

Have a good couple of days everyone! I am going to visit my sister Betsy. She and her lil family are moving into their new house this weekend and I'm going to check it all out. And maybe help a little. *wink*

So Much to Say!

Last Monday we finally took the baby chicks (not so much babies anymore) down to the pen that they will live in for the rest of their lives. They have GROWN!! We had to make sure that neither their feet nor their little heads got stuck in the kennel while transporting them. As you can see, they are a little freaked out.

Getting them to realize that they needed to come out of the kennel and into the pen was hard work! My Lovin' Husband talked sweet to them, though, and they eventually ended up in the pen. Talk about confused chickens. They had all sorts of room to run around, but didn't know what to do about it...

See? Very confused chickens.

They eventually got the point and figured that the coop (which we have not replaced yet) was nice and shady and full of brand new straw to scratch around in. I of course had the very busy job of taking pictures and making sure Adam knew exactly what to do. :)

Potato bins. They are growing like crazy...

Especially out of the sides that we should have wrapped last week... *bashful*

Those are the potatoes in the garden. Also coming along nicely.

These are Adam's babies. See the fence around them? This is what the chicks were in. Now that they are where they need to be Adam uses it to protect his precious plants from the animals.

I can't wait to eat some homegrown tomatoes. My mouth waters at the thought!

Peas!!

Squash...

Corn!!

My sweet baby takin' care of the broccoli...

And when it is all said and done.... I come in to play the piano.... But I have to share the rug with Maggie. No joke. She doesn't move - EVER. I play - she sleeps and keep my feet warm!!

P.S. While writing this post this morning, I fried our modum with a cup of coffee... I'll try to have things back up and running in a short time!!! Have a good day. Smile and laugh!!!

Love,

Malinda