The kingbirds are back. They hang out on the barbed wire fence feeding on insects, swooping down and around, making their catch and resting again on the wire. The mourning doves are especially active right now, calling plaintively back and forth. Ring-neck pheasants are pairing off, their throaty calls mixing in with a multitude of other melodies, dominated by the ubiquitous robin. We had two gorgeous days, but it’s blowing with fervor now and the cold is back.
I got the early garden vegetables planted - potatoes, peas, onions, beets, and a row of giant zinnias for good measure. I purchased seed at Firth Mill and Elevator. Claude, the proprietor, knows everyone’s business and asked about my Dad. He was a great resource a few years back when Seth had laying hens. The chicks are in stock this time of year and, oh what familiar scents and sounds!
I also made it into Kesler’s Garden Center and showed steely determination getting out for under $20. So easy to be taken in by trays of bright marigolds, alyssum, even roses in bloom. There’s plenty of time left this spring to blow the garden budget; best to let a few more frosts come and go.
Seth made it home from college last night. He had other options/ideas for the summer, but none panned out. Not that he didn’t want to come home, he just thinks he should be doing something with a wider scope. We discussed how the challenges of working for and with his dad and grandpa provide plenty of opportunities for self-growth. There are many lessons still to be learned at Pratt Ranch. In the end it was his English professor, a native Tunisian, who clinched the decision for him. She said that Americans do community service in place of helping their families.
Goodness knows we can use the help.
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| golden currant bush in bright spring display |
that picture is majestic
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