April 15 and there is no prettier place than the hollow right now. Wild geraniums, foamflower, trilliums, toothwort, spring beauties, chickweed and rue anemone along my road. I heard a black-throated green warbler and the Louisiana water thrush has been back for a while. I expect the scarlet tanagers to be arriving very soon and then the indigo buntings.
I have finished treating the cabin with Thompson’s water seal. I had hoped for Mike to do the ladder parts, but since he was too busy, I did them myself. I had to put some shims under the step ladder and I hammered in a garden post when I was using the extension ladder, but overall it went well. I am a little shaky up there but I won’t have to treat the cabin for another five years.
A few years ago I bought a lilac bush and I thought I had lost it when the tree cutting company cut it down accidently. I hadn’t warned them while they were clearing around the house and I though the lilac wouldn’t make it. However, this spring I have my first lilac blossoms.
Last week, I rerouted the water to the hot tub since it isn’t in use. It wasn’t too hard, just a couple of PVC fittings and the job was done.
The greenhouse is working well. My beans are up, the tomatoes are doing fine, the strawberries have fruit on them. I have been eating fresh spinach and the lettuce is just about ready. I set up some strings for the peas to climb and they are doing quite well.
I will have to clean up the upper part of the big garden when Mike gets a chance to help me. The quicker I do it the better since weeds will grow in the mesh fencing and around the solar fence wires. The protected orchard part is doing terrific and each of the trees is loaded with blooms.