new mown meadows

Finally, we are having a bit of sunshine. I couldn't resist including a picture of the Angel's Trumpet flourishing in one of my favorite pots on the deck. I have two others that are also doing well. I plan to try to overwinter them.

This break in the weather has allowed us to get some of the meadows mowed. In one of the pics you can catch a glimpse of the Kubota (orange) being put to the test in one of the most difficult to mow meadows. For years it was seriously over grazed and errosion has caused the rocks to remain while the soils washed down hill. In addition to the rocks there are a number of springs and streams to contend with. Next we'll tackle the Crosby Pasture to the south of the

house. The Bob o Links usually nest in the field and the first safe date for mowing it is July 15th.

By that date the young are safely fledged and able to fly.

Isn't the Buddleia glorious? I can't tell you how many time I've tried (unsuccessfully) to grow a Buddleia, first in Windsor, MA and then at our farm in Reading, Vermont. They would do beautifully during the summer but the following spring would find them dead as doornails.

Solstice

It's been a very long time since my last entry!! Spring has come and gone...... Poof !!! Today being the longest day of the year and the official start of summer. Let the Games begin. Because we stayed at home this spring I elected to try my hand at starting my own tomato seeds. I found a company in CA that specializes in heirloom tomato seeds and the rest is history.
Caspian Pink, Julia Child, Alaska, Crimean Rose to name a few. I'll be sure to announce my star tomato's and my flops. They all transplanted into the garden along with a handful of Epsom Salts ( gratis my father's tomato planting advice) and are growing pretty well considering the cool and wet weather.
Below is a pic of Cicero giving me a hand while weeding this afternoon.















Here we have a shot of the Green Bean TP's. They were errected today out of bamboo poles and baling twine. I have one more to construct ... tomorrow, when it isn't raining.














Here are the Sweet Peas.

And, here is a long view of the tomato plants. I am most optomistic that I'll have a bumper crop.

Knitting ------- I have picked up Tokyo which has been languishing in it's bag for well over two years. It is a fun knit and I'll be happy to have it on the 'finished' list.

Wishy Washy Wednesday

It is pretty cloudy here today but the temps are in the low 50°'s . As I sit here writing I see just outside my window and very beautiful male Red-bellied Woodpecker perched on the lilac. He is nearly close enough to touch!

I walked our property lines with Don Westall this morning in preparation for a walkabout with Mr Schmidt on the 29th at 5:00. We had a look at the Red-tail Hawk nest. I imagine that they are starting to repair the nest in anticipation of nesting this spring.

Ran out of yarn ....... Socks That Rock in the Spinel coloway. I had completed one and 1/2 socks !! I emailed Blue Moon and they couldn't have been more helpful. I took my sock and a half down to the Post Office and had them weighed ..... 3.5 oz rather that the 4.5 oz on the label.
They will send me yarn to finish my project !!!! Fabulous customer service!!!

No pictures today as blogger doesn't seem willing ????

Oh fickle March

Yesterday it was raining and in the 50°'s and today it is sunny, blustery and very cold!!!

Last evening I managed to find enough silence to finish the gusset and get mid way up the heel.

The net result is resting on the windowsill. I started out knitting this sock in the large size but after a couple of inches i thought it looked very large. I measured it up against one of my earlier Seaweed socks and lo and behold...... it was much wider. I ripped it out and started again ..... this time a size medium.

On a horse related note , Mary Arena spent a couple of hours here yesterday helping Sonnet get ready to have her spring shots. Sonnet was her usual *STAR* self and was more than willing to cooperate. I spent a few minutes with her again this morning and she was terrific!!!

Jack was here earlier to trim all four horses. His first visit since his hip replacement. It was good to see him.

Knitting Tuesday

Tonight is Knit Night at the Pownal Library and I will be helping two members get a real start on their Tomten Jackets. One has cast on the requisite stitches and has worked the first ten rows and will be ready to learn how to do a 'short row'. A second is STILL in the swatching stage but I have hope!!! A third is still working on simple knit and purl stitches. Last week I explained how NOT to twist her stitches so we'll see how she made out.


Meanwhile here are a few photos of 'my' Tomten Jacket. Over the week I have finished up the second sleeve and perhaps tomorrow will start to
do the finishing work ..... still haven't found a proper zipper. I do love this construction! The

yarn is Ecological Wool from Cascade Yarns. I found it at Webs on one of my trips to the Pioneer Valley to visit Trader Joe's & Whole Foods. I love Ecological Wool!!! It is a dream to knit. I used some discontinued Berroco Smart Mohair in a fabulous 'tomato paste' red color.

Now that I look at the photos I'm considering trimming the opening with the 'red'. Perhaps I'll give it a try and see how I like it? Of course if the opening is red then I'll have to have a red zipper.
Perhaps it is fortituous that I didn't buy a brown zipper????

I've just started the gusset on my second pair of Wendy Johnson's Seaweed Socks and am using Socks That Rock in a lovely greenish blue ... almost a seaweed green..... from stash!!!

And, speaking of sock yarn! I have just scored three skeins of Cherry Tree Hill 'Nantucket Red'
merino sock yarn. What luck!!!

In a while I'll be heading over to Peru, MA to collect the dogs from the groomer. Today was their day at the spa and I know that they will be lovely and sweet smelling ..... for all of one day.

Can Spring be far behind?

Woke this morning to the sound of the Red-winged Blackbirds and Bluebirds. Such an encouraging sound in these gloomy times. The thermometer never dropped below freezing last night and is well above 40° as I write. The snow is vanishing and leaving behind the usual soggy ground. As you can see from the photos of the barnyard and meadows (snapped
this morning by me in my bare feet on the side lawn) there is a long way to go before the grass will beg to be cut.

The horses are still cleaning up most of the hay I throw in the feeder but it is pretty obvious that they are looking forward to the first green shoots. After doing a mental count of the number of bales left in the loft I too am hoping that the grass will come in sooner rather than later. I may well be buying 50 more bales just to give myself some peace of mind. I'm hoping that 'himself' will bring the tractor up either today or tomorrow to clean out the barnyard.

We've had a couple of coyotes hunting in the meadows over the last several mornings. I'll post pics later. They look very healthy due in good part to the plethora of moles, voles, mice and rabbits that this farm supports.

I've also been keeping a watch out for signs of a Bobcat crossing our meadow . So far no luck but will continue to watch.

As to knitting content. No pictures right now but I have finished two preemie hats to take to Michelene's Preemie Party at the end of March. She is trying to amass a good number of hats for the NICU at Albany Medical Center. The onlyrequirement is that we knit ONLY with washer/dryer proof yarn. I had forgotten how much I HATE nylon/acrylic yarns.

The Tomten Jacket is close to completion and is about as cute as a bug's ear. I'll be off to find a zipper for the front closure but not sure where to go. It's been years since I've bought a zipper for anything. I'll bet the last time was when the kids were small .... well over 30 years ago. Yikes!! Tempus Fugit !!

'Himself' just appeared to alert me to the flock of 40 to 50 turkeys that have just wandered through the yard.

44° and windy

The sky was red this morning and we shall take warning. The rain is due to commence after noon. Yesterday I asked Brady to come up this morning to clean out the barnyard in preparation for the monsoons. This is the absolute worst/best time of year here in southwestern Vermont. The days are getting longer and the bird song in the mornings portends of things to come.

I'm waiting for my seed order to be delivered and although it is a bit early to be starting tomato seeds I'm still very much in anticipatory mode. I've ordered a packet of Caspian Pink ..... an Heirloom Russian variety that we really enjoyed last summer..... and several others whose names I've forgotten.

On a knitting note, there has been significant progress on the EZ Tomten Jacket. Two of the women in the Pownal Library Knitting Group are swatching for the Tomten Jacket and I wanted to knit up the jacket as an example for them to follow. Granted, EZ's instructions are impeccable BUT these women are beginner knitters and reading a pattern is a new exercise for them. I've marked all of my increases and decreases for them to be better able to understand the shaping process. As of now, they have purchased the yarn for the project and are in the process of swatching to determine the appropriate needle size.

I am nearing the end of WJ's Six Pack sock#2 in Smooshy merino. It has been a fun knit and I do love that Smooshy. My only concern has been. Will I have enough yarn to finish sock #2 ? My current thought is 'just barely winnona'. By the end of today I'll know for certain. Perhaps THEN I'll feel inspired to get back to work on Fulmar??? It is such a beautiful pattern and I am really loving the fabric and color!! The yarn is Jan's Frangipanni gansey yarn in the Ocean Deep colourway. Ocean Deep is just that .... the color of the North Atlantic in winter.

The Red-bellied Woodpeckers have been at the feeders several times this morning. This year I am determinded to locate their nesting tree. Wish me luck!!

Pictures later.