Apple Sticks

      Hey Everybody! I hope you had a wonderful Resurrection Sunday and Easter weekend! We did! Spring is in full bloom here. Thus the reason for my title. I bet ya'll thought I was talking about a recipe! Lol! I am speaking of my apple trees! But they did start out as sticks, as some would say. They are grafts that we ordered and planted three years ago. They have thrived in our zone and are blooming for the first time. They are absolutely beautiful! Some have a lot of blossoms while others have only a few. And they smell like roses! Not a real strong scent but still! I never knew they smelled like that! I am so happy we have these apple sticks, er..I mean trees! I don't know if that means there will be apples this year, but maybe. The older apple tree is loaded with blooms and will hopefully be loaded with apples this summer. Don't be afraid of apple grafts. Research and see which apple trees are suited for your zone. Those will be the ones to order and will thrive and produce lots of apples for years to come. I can hardly wait to see the results of all these blooms!

      The blackberry brambles are already blooming! I guess this is the right time, but it seems sooner this year because last year it stayed colder longer. We have been enjoying temps in the seventies for several weeks, and tomorrow it's supposed to be in the 80's! Yikes! I need to get some tomato plants in the ground! I just need to go ahead and plant my whole garden, as a matter of fact! Surely the snow has melted where you live and there won't be any more until Fall or Winter. I don't even want to think that far ahead! I'm just so glad for the warmer temps! I wished the sun would shine more, though. We've had a lot of cloudy days with a good bit of rain. Some days it was just cloudy with no rain. Blah! I need the sun! Just not the extreme heat! Oh well, that goes with living in Alabama! 

      I've been into baby chicks lately. I am trying to build my flock so that it will be one that produces many eggs. The chicks I want have not been offered at Tractor Supply and I've had to really search for the ones we've aquired. I got some Ameracaunas, but I think 3 of the 5 are roosters! I also got some mixed chicks that I don't know for sure what they are: roos or hens. If you go by the comb, there are probably 4 roos and 3 hens. You can't always go by that especially with mixed breeds. Time will tell. I just want to find out so I can sell them and not have to feed so many I'm not going to keep. If you know of a way to sex young chicks, please share in the comments. I would greatly appreciate it! I still plan on getting some Black Australorps, Speckled Sussex, New Hampshires, and maybe some Barred Rocks. These are supposed to lay lots of eggs. I'm having fun watching the chicks grow and turn into pullets and roos! The life cycle is amazing! How can one say there is no God?

      The girls were here this past weekend and we had fun, as usual. We went to their Meme's (Grandma) who is my sister, for Easter dinner. We all had a great time and enjoyed lots of food. I've been making cakes lately, but my sister made a delicious coconut cake. I forgot to bring a piece home, but that's OK since I have a strawberry cake in the oven. I did use a white cake mix but it has pureed strawberries in it. I will make a cream cheese icing with strawberries as well. I sure don't need to be eating much of it! I had to stop eating the carrot cake with cream cheese icing I made last week, cause I don't want to gain back the weight I've worked so hard to loose! I do indulge in a piece of cake now and then, just not everyday.

      I hope ya'll have a great week and can get in the garden soon! It won't be long and we'll be enjoying those fresh veggies, straight from the ground! Thanks for reading and commenting! Blessings from Bama!

A little morning Uncle Randy love!

They love looking for Easter eggs!

Winn didn't bring her sunglasses! Randy's one man carport for the camper showing in the background.

The blooms look almost like a double blossom!

Another tree.

Cherry blossoms.

Another apple tree.

The oldest apple tree.

Can you see the blossoms?

These are the same chicks in the last post. Haven't they grown!

These chicks are a few weeks younger.

These are the newest babies.

My Experience Selling on Craigslist

      There was a lot of conversation in the comments of the last post on this, so I thought I would share with ya'll about it. Craigslist is not a bad thing. It is a tool that can be used for good and not so good. Just like the internet can be abused, some people take advantage of innocent people on Craigslist. I just want ya'll to have a heads up if you're thinking about selling on Craigslist. There are people (scammers or spammers) who will contact your contact number or email. They will leave a link that is highlighted in blue (that's the color on my phone and computer). They want you to click on that link. DON'T!!!! If you do, they can have access to your computer and accounts and wipe you out! Thank goodness I never clicked on those links before I knew! Someone my husband knows who knows about things like that explained it to him and then hubs told me. Now I'm telling you. It makes sense! Most of the people who contacted like that had an out of state phone number. Some were in this state but a different town. The last one was even from this area! So you never know! Just use caution!

      Overall, my experience with Craigslist was good. I sold the main thing I was hoping to. My goats! I also sold my older hens. They were gone in 24 hours! I will use Craigslist to sell chickens, but I'm not sure if I'll use it to sell anything else. No one was interested in the piano or pool. But now that the weather is warming up, I may advertise the pool again. I'll let you know how that goes.

      The temps have been in the mid seventies this week, so I've been outside a lot! There's been so many changes in the blooms on trees and the color of the grass. Everything is turning green again! It's so beautiful this time of year! And the fruit trees put off the most wonderful perfume! The only thing, the temps are supposed to drop below freezing Saturday night, and I hope it doesn't hurt the bloomed out fruit trees! For the last couple of years, we have experienced cooler Spring temps and later frosts. But by April 15 we should be able to set out garden plants like tomatoes and such. I can hardly wait! My seedlings are growing nicely. I hope the weather is turning warmer where you live. You could always move further South, in my opinion. Have a great day! Blessings from Bama!

The nectarine tree in bloom.

Blooming plum tree. Smells awesome!

The girls having fun with Uncle Randy!

Love the expression on Yasmine's face!

I love to capture scenes like this!

Americauna chicks.

The tulip tree may be small but the blooms are beautiful!

The forsythia is outstanding!

See the clematis bloom about to open? Blooms are all over this vine!

Do you know what this is?

Future egg layers! Do you see the grey chick?

The BEST lemon cheesecake I ever made!

Pear tree with blooms.

The first time the apricot tree has bloomed. You should smell the fragrance!