Home on the Farm

Hello my friends.. thanks for stopping by.  We pick up the story where I left off - packing up the trailer for the ride home.  It was a beautiful and warm day and we crossed the coast range and travelled through verdant pastures and green forests.  

As we headed into the Columbia River Gorge on our last leg before home, I snapped this image of Mt. Hood.

Yesterday I did a walkabout to see how my garden was doing.  I saw lots of Star of Bethlehem in bloom in niches where Dayle's lawnmower spared them.  :-)

The white Azalea is beginning to open.

I was happy to see a few stems of white Lilac that weren't browning already.  My goal of having a bouquet of the 3 colors of lilac were attainable!  

The yellow Azalea is looking fresh and beautiful.

I was also happy I didn't miss the Lily-of-the-Valley bloom!

The magenta Rhododendron is also just beginning it's bloom.. these are amazing!

The flower clusters are as big as a child's head!

The red azalea is fully bloomed out.. I love the pop of color it gives to our green-ness.

Our apple tree is in full bloom too.. ::sigh::.. how full of life the garden is!

Looking up through the floral masses to the blue sky.

These are so very fleeting.. aren't they?

Checking on the chickens.. Hershey the Cuckoo Maran that lays dark brown eggs has gone "broody" and won't get off the nest.  Since we don't have a Rooster, it will do her no good to sit on the nest, the eggs won't hatch.  So, we lift her out and toss her in the pen as often as possible to get her to go out of being broody.

Each day we pick tufts of green grass to give the hens.  Due to the predator problem here in the countryside, we can't let them run loose.  

I was happy to cut a big bouquet of my 3 colors of lilac and they are bringing a wonderful scent to the house.  

Mmmmm.. dark purple, lavender and white.  Heaven on Earth.

I hope you have Lilacs where you are, or at least have smelled them in your lifetime.  There is nothing quite like them.

Too many photos of them?  :-)

Not only do we grow flowers on our farm.. apparently we grow little boys!  Look who is climbing the white Rhododendron.  :-)

Last night we went up to the school for Hayden's Spring Program and here he is with the kindergarteners, 1st and 2nd graders.  They did a program about Helen Keller.  It was so neat to see them sing and also use sign language at the same time!  Can you find Hayden?

The little ones sat on the stage and waved blue and green ribbons to signify the ocean during one of the songs.

What cuteness!  They all did such a good job and it was a huge audience!  Moms, dads, grandpas and grandmas.. :-)

Well, time for me to pack up my swim bag and head to the pool.  It's a PERFECT day, it's going to be 80 degrees this afternoon.. not a cloud in the sky and warm and fresh outside.  Tomorrow we're going on a bus tour with the Portland Women's Forum.. I will bring home some images of the gorge to share.  ((hugs)), Teresa :-)