Happy Spring, Ya'll!

      Or in our case, early summer! The temps have been in the mid eighties the last few days, and are predicted to stay there throughout the week! It gets really warm after lunch, so I don't really enjoy the sun much. I can only imagine what it will feel like in a month or so! Still, I love the South! Everything is going to come in early this year, all the vegetables and fruit. I can hardly wait to go pick strawberries in a few weeks!


      The bees arrived this past Friday and seem to be doing very well. We are learning as we go and are doing things a little different this time. We check the sugar water every evening and always have to refill the jar. It's a very thick syrup that has to be fed to the bees in the beginning so they will have something to eat. We are not doing this to try to get honey this year, as I read on someone's blog. This is something that has to be done. We won't get honey until next year, and I'll be so excited when that day comes. In the meanwhile, I just enjoy watching the bees go in and out of the hive, and eventually pollinate the garden.


      I still haven't painted the bathroom trim yet. I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever get that job done! Hopefully, the notion will strike me soon! All I want to do this time of year is be outside or in the kitchen! I'm hoping to can some baked beans today.(Probably not going to happen today!) Oh yea, someone asked me about a website on canning and the name of it is: pick your own dot org. I hope she reads this post and gets the right address! Also, if you want to email me, just click on my profile photo. Have a great week! Blessings from Bama

Wisteria still looks pretty, but today it's almost gone!

Old once-blooming rose bush. Chickens stay under there when it's hot, and for protection from predators.

Lots of dogwood trees in bloom.

More dogwoods and irises.

View of raised beds.

The row thing seemed like the right thing to do at the time.

Play date with the nieces. It was a beautiful, warm day!

Tiny tot pushing cart.

Hubs the bee man!

Hubs and the other bee man. Hubs has on complete attire.

Nuc of bees. The can has  sugar water to feed bees during transition.

Close up of nuc.

Ten thousand bees?

Fig tree producing leaves and fruit. Fruit won't be ready for awhile, though.

Pulling out the container with the queen.

Queen is inside this box.

They're already trying to get to the queen.

Emptying nuc inside hive.

Look at all those bees falling into hive!

They're in! Tonight we get to see if they got the queen out.

I was told this was a snowball bush when I purchased it. It doesn't have big snowballs on it like I though it would.

All seems well with the hive.

They're going in and out as they should.

Feeder on top.

Wisteria and Roses are blooming!

      Seriously? Yes! I knew the Lady Banks rose bloomed early, just didn't know it would be mid March! And wisteria? Usually the first of April. But they are blooming at the same time! Did you know those are my two favorite blooms? Thus, the name of my blog. I was so excited yesterday when I saw them, so I had to share them with you today. I also just discovered the purple verbena blooming, as well. It looks like it's going to be a long, hot summer! I hope we have lots of rain, though, no more droughts! I really am enjoying this warm and mild weather.


      Someone asked about the cardboard I'm putting in the garden. I have raised beds, so the cardboard will hopefully prevent the grass from growing around them, and the flowers I have planted there. I'm not talking about weeds, it's grass! It takes over everything! The garden, flower beds, you name it! I may pull  up some of the cardboard where there is a large enough space, however, and plant more tomatoes and squash.  There's just so much to do this time of year, but like I said before, I love it! I love staying active and busy, because to me, time is a precious thing to waste! Have a nice day! I intended to post this before 2:00 my time today, but the internet decided to go off until awhile ago! Sorry! Better late than never! Blessings from Bama!

I just can't help showing this Keria again! It is right next to my herbs.

I love all the yellow flowers blooming this time of year!

A spirea still in the pot. Beautiful!

More yellow from the forsythia.

New Lady Banks rose! We sat it out this past fall.

Purple iris.

Fennel.

Blueberry bush. Looks like its going to make it.

I think this one will make it, too!

Blackberry vines, irises, and other random flowers.

Can you see it? Wisteria!

Wild plum tree in bloom.

Purple verbena. Landscape fabric needs mulch on it.

New chicken yard and neighbors horses. View from my front side porch.

Spring has arrived in Zone 7 Alabama!

      The reason I can attest to that is hubby had to mow and weed eat Saturday! Now if that doesn't say Spring, I don't know what does! Although the weather has been cloudy and overcast with sprinkles of rain here and there, it is quite warm. I just came in for a drink of water after putting down all of the cardboard from the trailer. Since I needed a break, I decided to share a post with you. We worked hard all day Saturday and some yesterday, trying to get caught up with the grass. If I don't get cardboard and straw put in the garden, the grass will absolutely take it over, especially since the chickens are not in there. They are loving their new space and I'm enjoying them being there!


      Hubby cooked smoked baked beans and chicken breasts on the smoker last night, which turned out very good. We're not having chicken tonight however, but salmon patties. I'll warm up the beans to go with it, and I may fry some potatoes or cook some rice. The gravy will be good on the rice.


      I had to go grocery shopping today since we had no milk. That is an absolute necessity in this house! I hope to get started on the trim in the bathroom this week. I'll keep you posted. Blessings from Bama

Those are figs already! They won't be good yet, but figs!

I had to clean out the beehive and paint it a little. We are getting bees  soon!

Cardboard for the garden. I saw a bluebird on the perch of the  bluebird house in the background yesterday.

The property beyond the fence is not ours. We only have 2.83 acres. It's narrow and long. The back is wooded and on a slope. The goats will go in the back if we ever get any.

The man on the mower. The Tulip tree got in the photo!

Have you canned anything lately!

      I love to can and this week has been such a good time to do it. No, I haven't forgotten about my challenge, I was just in the mood to can! I wished that I had checked before canning more pinto beans, though. I already had twenty jars, before I canned the last ten! I actually canned more than that, but I used them that night in our meat. They were delicious! I canned twelve jars of black beans, but put two in the freezer since the canner will only hold twenty jars at a time.


      I also got to work in the garden yesterday and the weather was very warm, almost 80! I cleaned out more beds and covered the garlic I sat out the day before. I didn't have time before to put the dirt back into the hole before it got dark. I'm so happy that the chickens are finally out of the garden so I don't have to put fencing around the raised beds. That makes it hard to reach down and do things. But now, no more fencing! So much better and easier to get to! The chickens are happy, too, since they have a whole new area to dig and scratch around in!


      Today, the weather is much cooler with strong winds at times. I prefer not to be outside when the weather is like that, thus I had time to be here. I think I'll make a homemade pizza for dinner tonight, since the leftover taco meat is gone. I made a delicious lentil pie that I've been eating for lunch all week. I still haven't gotten tired of it, it's so good! So hard to believe the weekend is already here, so ya'll have a good one! Blessings from Bama!

The canning process.

 Canned large limas.

Views of stacked jars.

Another view.

Ten jars of black beans and ten jars of pinto beans.

My plate of Lentil pie.

The delicious lentil pie!

Another challenge for me!

      I want you all to keep me accountable this month for something I started a month or so ago. I want to paint the trim in our master bath. I decided the paint I had chosen is way too white, so I'll be starting over with another color. I think I have enough paint without having to purchase more. I hope to get this accomplished before April arrives, but you have to encourage me! 


     I'm sorry that I didn't write last week. I was not myself due to all the hormone changes taking place in my body. I just wished menopause would get here so I could be done with that. At least the headache didn't last more than a day! For that I am very grateful!


      We've been having Spring and I have a few photos to share. I also was in my kitchen quite a bit, so I'll share those photos, as well. Some of the seeds that I started have already sprouted and are growing, quite nicely! 


      This past weekend, I helped hubby get the new chicken fence up so that the chickens could finally get out of the garden. Just in time for me to add some more plants and seeds to the raised beds. I planted onion sets, potatoes, lots of lettuces and beets seeds. Today, I hope to get more seeds in the ground, as well as the rest of the onion sets. I also hope to get some large lima beans canned. It's going to be a very busy day, just the way I like it! Thanks for visiting my blog! Come back soon! Blessings from Bama!

Meet Rowdy, the neighbors' new mule!

 

The Keria looks like dainty roses.

The garden and the nectarine tree. Those ducks and geese love nectarines!  Rowdy is in the barn in the background.

My tulip tree, or Japanese  Magnolia, whichever you prefer.

The peach and plum tree in bloom.

Hubby just put up the bluebird house and it is already being occupied! This is the new place for our feathered friends to hang out.

I finally made a ketchup that we all like!

Tomato plants Roma, and a tomato with a tiny orange fruit.

Not all of the tomatoes have come up, nor have any of the peppers or eggplants.

Here's my challenge! The reason it's a challenge for me is because I'm afraid of heights! Even the small ladder I use to get to this makes me nervous! It's higher than it looks here.

Hubby has been working on the inside of the shower, and I can't let him outdo me! (kidding) His work has inspired me to get this done!

I'll keep you posted on the progress.