My Field Days

Maybe it’s because they’re young and a bit timid.  Maybe it’s because they were watching the apricot tree foolishly bloom early in March, only to be bitten hard. Whatever the reason, my little pear trees held onto their buds, and finally decided to put on their frilly and beautiful show this week.  There are several [...]

In August I took this photo on the way to my mailbox, then came inside and posted “Promise of Pecans” on my site.  Today I’ve gathered the crop. For such a young tree, it sure has given me a wonderful harvest.  I’m anxious to crack the delicious fruit out of its shell.  Well, no, I’m [...]

I have the sweetest cat in the world.  I feel a bit bad when I say that, because I hate to take away from the other wonderful cats I’ve owned and loved.  But this little girl has the most charming personality imaginable. She’s black as the darkest night.   She’s the fifth cat of our married [...]

Going to the mailbox… it’s the twice-a-day trip I love.  I used to have to drive to the post office to check that PO Box, and although it was fun to bump into friends and chat for a few minutes, I was always longing for the day when we’d get this barn built, get that [...]

My yard is very young… barely four years old.   I baby my plants along, and cheer as the little twigs slowly work toward becoming tree trunks.  My cherry tree hasn’t come up with any cherries yet, but my apricot has produced a couple of little crops.  This year I think we had about twenty.  The [...]

I was so excited about that parsley.  I was gathering seeds and letting is spread… in the fall I was going to make sure my flowerbeds were full of it, then they’d be so lovely and green throughout the winter.  It’s such a pretty plant, really lush. I’ve sat out there on my old glider [...]

I’m working on some self-analysis today.  Trying to figure out how I have become such a fanatic about my crepe myrtles.  Although I told myself not to give them a thought until May, this day finds me outside inspecting them for signs of tiny red leaves.  And even though leaves are starting to pop out, [...]

Will Rogers said, “What the country needs is dirtier fingernails and cleaner minds.” How I love this quote.  It’s fun to conjure it up when I’ve been in my flowerbeds all day and my nails are black with soil. It’s finally time to get back out there in our yards, think about plowing our garden [...]

My rose garden was really in bad shape.  Last year’s drought, coming on the heels of that fantastically cold winter, certainly took its toll.  So I found myself on a sunny March day, pruning shears in hand, tackling the first gardening of the season… trying to get the roses shaped up. As I cut away [...]

Note to self… this coming summer get lots of parsley planted in the midst of the petunias and marigolds! The summertime flowerbeds are always so pretty.  This wonderful profusion of yellow and white out in front of the red barn.  But wintertime flowerbeds… oh my.  I always hope my guests just glance away when they’re [...]

How can Thanksgiving be so near?  We were trying to survive a swelteringly hot and dry summer, and the very next day we were making decisions on who would bring the rolls and who would bake the pies.  Ahhh… I’m thrilled about it.  It’s a grand holiday, and I just can’t wait. Today I’ve shelled [...]