Twice Blooming Azalea

The yellow azalea that I planted last fall bloomed shortly after planting.  Much to my surprise and delight it is in bloom in May.

This morning is a repeat of yesterday.  The ceiling is very low and the mist is rising up from the valley against a background of freshly greened mountains.  More rain is predicted for today and right through to Friday with Saturday and Sunday to be warm and sunny.  It is a very good thing that I have raised garden beds as the soil is totally saturated.

CUCKOOFLOWER

Yesterday afternoon I sat down with determination and my Newcomb's field guide and went through each and every step from 'regular flower with 4 parts'; opposite leaves, wet meadow, etc.  I discovered two small patches of this sweet little flower last weekend while mowing the lower corner of our meadow.  My first attempt at identification was with my Peterson guide.  Arrrrgh  !   Finally turned to the very reliable Newcomb's!!

POWNAL PEREGRINES

Several years ago I began monitoring a  pair of Peregrines nesting on Quarry Hill cliffs.  On Friday I was fortunate to be watching during a food delivery and watched the female feed at least two very youg chicks.  Because the eyrie is a shelf of sorts it is very difficult to see over the outer edge.  When the chicks are a bit larger/taller it will be easier to count heads. The picture above are is 2009 and taken from the foot of the cliff.
My lens isn't powerful enough to capture a clear picture of the bird on the snag.

DOGWOOD

Imagine my delight upon discovering a naturally occuring Cornus Florida growing on the side of the road here at the final AMEN FARM.  The first year that we were here the roadside brush, multi flora rose and young white pines had managed to completely obscure it.  That summer FSS and I made it a mission to remove the old barbed wire and all the brush along our roadside.  It was not a task for the faint of heart but we got it done and in the process discovered a most beautiful American Dogwood .

CLOTHES POLE

Pegging out the laundry has always been a part of my life.  My mother had a wonderful clothes yard right off our back door and hung the laundry winter and summer and all in between.  In winter the sheets often froze solid and my mother would ask me to help her get control of those frozen planks to bring them in to finish drying on a hanging rack.  There have been satisfactory 'clothes lines' in every one of our back yards ... three in all,  until this move to Tubs Rd.  I think that the picture says it all.  This clothes pole is nearly useless!  It collapses at the drop of a hat.  If the laundry is too heavy, the wind too stiff, or the load is uneven the mechanism fails and eveything ends up on the ground.   grrrrrrrrrr

There is hope on the horizon!   As soon as the driveway is rebuilt and the temporary lines that came from the barn to the rental trailor are removed there will be a proper clothes yard built off the end of the garage.

APRIL SHOWERS

Goodness!  What has happened to my blog page??  It seems to be operating in reverse???  Oh well,  guess if I just keep typing it'll all work itself out.

Don't you just love this lovely Toad Trillium?  I had thought that it hadn't survivied the trip over here from the former farm.  Imagine my delight when it appeared as if by wizzardry through the duff from last year.

We've had some glorious warm weather over the last week but that has come to a screeching halt in typical April fashion.  Sunday started out warm and cloudy buy by late afternoon the rain had started and the temperature plumeted.  We lit the Glenwood and hunkered down for the evening.  It rained and blew all night and most of yesterday.  Today we once again have black clouds and temps in the low fifties.   Brrrrrrrrr!!!!