Spring Transforming Wisconsin New Life, New Hope, New Times

April Brings In Early Spring

Hope A Rising

Daffodils Love The Cool Days Of Springtime

The trees are rampant with buds bursting into leaves, lime green, new life, new season, new sights after the long snowy winter! Living in Wisconsin we have the four seasons. I do not know why but each season is a surprise of wonderment and joy. I awake and first thing draw curtains and gaze out at the miracle happening right in front of me

Wood Hyacinths flourish and run vamp-int, (an old thing to make it look new), in any area it can settle! Oh so lovely the color. Here they cuddle below an old Maple tree next to our horse barn spreading out further and further into the lawn.

I just let them do their thing. Can't get enough of them.

Heliotrope is a shy flower. Keeping her pretty head down.

I pick it up in my hand, looking at its marvelous center. It

has the neatest pistils, in the middle of the waxy violet pedals.

Garden Hyacinths are more formal and multiply a lot slower

I wish they would produce like the wild Wood Hyacinths.

Another Garden Hyacinths ever so delicate and pretty!

Miniature Daffodils I keep in the Rock Garden so I can feast

my eyes on them as I take my daily walk about. They are

smaller both in flower and plant.

The chickens have been given their freedom to wonder our property. It is called free ranging and they sure do move about eating numerous bugs, worms and anything else they can find that is appetizing. I wait until the leaves are starting to bud out so that they have a little cover to duck under if the big hawk comes zooming in looking for his next meal. I think the chickens are large enough to not be carried away, but could be injured if cornered I am sure. During the winter months we only got one or none eggs each day. Since they have been Free Ranging the property we get at least five to nine. The yokes are a brilliant orange gold and so firm when they are dropped into the frying pan each morning as Dick and I prepare for our breakfast! Adding raisin toast and orange

juice I find myself full of energy again.

Along with the joy of Spring there is numerous jobs added to our relaxing schedule. Outside fix up, Taking out the stored garden items like the sink Dick is holding. We store the many items in my potting shed for the winter. They would crack from the frigged temperatures otherwise. This goes into the old antique wood barrel to be used as a birdbath.

Lady's Mantle, leaves hold the dew in the morning like diamonds sparkling.
Petals are soft as a kitten's paw. A ruffled edge oh so pretty. Her flower
is a little mousy looking doesn't show up compared to other plants.

The large frog is back in the pond not caring that it has not been

cleaned out yet. "Waiting for a nice warm day with lots of sun."

Dick says. " And then the gold fish that have been living in an

aquarium down in the heated tack room all winter will be able

to be put into the pond at the same time." The pond is in the large

rock garden on the hill next to our home. The rock garden is greening up really

nice. Daffodils all in flower brighten the area. It use to be covered in snow

just a month ago.

Rock garden with many Daffodils blooming.

Dick with Luke our Airedale dog waiting for me to quit taking pictures
so we can continue our walk in our woods.

Behind Kathy are Daffodils just budding out that line a path to where she stands.

The Blood root are open in the woodland. First the flower and then the leaves hugging the flower tight will unfurl. The variegated leaves showing are the garden nettle I put in as a ground cover but it has spread way too fast. It is a mistake to plant foreign vegetation into a woods because of this very thing. It over comes the natural ground plants that nature provides for the birds and other wild life. I learnt this too late so will have to spray it to confine it from spreading to other places. Luckily the creek runs along this area and will hold it in its place. I hate using chemicals on our land.

Dutchman's Britches is another unique woodland plant. It got its name
because of the way the flowers are in the form of britches hanging on a line.

As we walked through the woods this old dead tree that had fallen in a storm many years ago caught my eye. The fungal growing on it looks just like flowers. So intricate each layer grew like the petals of a rose or peonies flower. I simply love these surprises nature puts in my path. When I am out on a walk, I never know what I will find.

"April Showers Bring May Flowers "

Lower part of Rock Garden on hill. Sun dial on big rock up front. Steps made
with 4 x 4 wood to keep eroding from the rain. This area was nothing but a
large farmer's field on the hill when we purchased this land 30 years ago. We
had an excavator place the large rocks from a stone fence on our property,
using a big digger of sorts. Dick and I hauled the smaller rocks from the
same fence using a home made wagon attached to our riding lawnmower.

Top part of Rock garden. Chickens do not mind the rain. Here one of them
is taking a drink from the birdbath that sits on the stump of a large Ash tree.
It was infected and dying from the nasty Ash Burrow Beetle, we had a man
cut it down last winter.

Here the chicken is done and off to find a nice fat worm.

Rainy day most of yesterday and today. Storms are predicted today.
Spent the day inside taking pictures through my many windows. This
garden is in front of our home. I got a little weeding done here,
mulched it with my two year old leaf mulch. I get truck loads
from the city in fall, let it sit for two years and it is the most
beautiful fiber I could have for my gardens.

Sun peaking out in between rain drops. Looking out my computer window to see this lovely Wren singing his heart out for his lady friend. She did show up and explored the bird house close by. Flitting in and out trying to decide if this fellow and his birdhouse he picked out was what she wanted. The male Wren gets ready many birdhouses in the area and will take his lady friend to all of them hoping she will decide on one of them. It was fun to watch the goings on right outside my computer room window and try and catch a photo of the pair. They move so fast it is hard to get my camera focused and shoot it fast enough. I haven't seen any activity for the past half hour so maybe she refused this house and wants to see the next one on his list.

Another male bird is the Peacock who daily fluffs out his feathers trying to impress his lady Peacock.

He ruffles them making a very noticeable noise drawing her attention. Most times she ignores him. But eventually after constant days of his antics she takes notice. He is much too handsome a fella to

disregard for a very long time.

We no longer have a rooster in the large chicken pen. The poor hens were loosing feathers and we had to deal with the roosters antics of chasing us when he is busy with his lady friends. Now their is great peace in the coop and outside large pen. We do have a couple little roosters in the barn with the silkies. They are no threat to us and a lot smaller than the regular size chickens in the coop. We let the silkies chickens hatch out a few eggs too. Is is fun to watch them grow up and grand kids like to hold their soft fuzzy bodies.

Picked up some of my favorite annuals at the hardware store. Dick was choosing paint so I headed to the garden center. Could not resist purchasing a few packs of seeds. Now the problem as to where to plant them. My gardens are pretty crowed so not many open spots for burying seeds. But I will for sure find some place for them maybe even a very large pot on the deck.

It is too early here in Wisconsin for seed planting. The weather is so fickle at this time. Yesterday it was 72 degrees, but after the cold front went through and the rain stopping, a North Easterner wind has brought it down to 38 degrees today. Brrrrr not use to this anymore. I prefer the nice shirt sleeve type weather, so staying in the house one more day and catching up on getting this blog done.