Dad's Garden, Part 7

Even considering the beating that the garden has taken over the last week or so with the frequent thunderstorms and a hail storm, the garden is producing like gangbusters right now.

The garden is gorgeous!  A real work of art.

Although the foliage on this tomato plant isn't impressive,

this heirloom tomato makes amazing fruit.

It evidently is more concerned about putting its efforts

into the tomatoes, not the leaves.

This isn't a row of weeds, it is a row of barley.

Dad is growing it to use in his pond to control algae. 

Who knew?

The okra is coming along.

This particular variety that Dad grows is really nice - the pods don't get spiny as it grows.

Okra is one of those veggies that I love just about any way that it is cooked - boiled, pickled, fried, just about any way but raw.

These snaggle-toothed rows are a sign that cabbage season is coming to an end. 

Between the heads of cabbage that Dad has harvested for them, church, neighbors

and your's truly he has picked about 60 heads.

There are a few of these beauties left. 

This one was particularly pretty with the rain dotting the edges of the leaves.

As the cabbages fade out, the sweet potato mounds are starting to take off. 

Over the next couple of weeks these vines will take off.

Dad spends a lot of time picking blueberries because the birds want to help pick the berries.

He told me he looked out his window and his blueberry bushes looked like

Christmas trees because of all of the cardinals munching on the berries.

Lovely, productive time of the year in my folk's yard.

Trail Friend

This spring weather has been so lovely! 

Are we finally shaking of this unusually snowy winter? 

I like to lace up my boots and go for hikes with friends. 

Yesterday and today we had company for our walks - Allison and my friend's son have had a couple of days off from their school. 

We have had fun looking for wildflowers and strolling through our beautiful hiking trails. 

(BTW, the bluebells are at their peak right now!)

Today we had the good fortune of meeting a new friend.  This red fox walked right toward us on the trail.  She didn't seem to be intimidated by us at all.  I initially was concerned that she might be rabid since she kept walking toward us.  She didn't change direction and head up the hill until we were about 20 feet from her.  My friend Becky is pretty sure that she heard the cries of pups before we spotted her.  Maybe she was just trying to distract us away from her babies. 

There is always something on the trail that makes the hike interesting. 

Today it was meeting a new friend. 

Alabama Snow, Part Trois

 Hi.  It's me again, Peaches. 
As you can see by looking out my window, it has snowed again. 

*yawn*

I spend way too much time indoors when there is snow on the ground.  When it snows I can't keep my short, yet shapely legs and belly dry.  My ears get really cold too. 

All of the snow this winter has really cut into my squirrel chasing and bird terrorizing. 

The chipmunks are running amok without my regular perimeter checks.

Will this winter ever end? 

 I am starting to lose my girlish figure since being stuck inside most of the winter.

Aw, forget it.  Wake me when it's spring. 

The Joys of Living on a Mountain

Living on a wooded mountain lot, this is about as close as we come to grass in our yard. 

As wet as it has been lately what we do have is lots of moss.  And lots of mud.  And puddles. 

Come on spring!

Dear Snow - Time For You To Go!

I am amazed that after 5 days we have so much snow left!  We have lots of ice left on our neighborhood roads - although the kids and I were able to make our way out of the 'hood today.  The kids were out of school yet again - a full week of weather days. 

The sunshine and above-freezing temps (33 degrees!  Woop!)  make the ice a little slushier but it is freezing back slicker than ever.  Hopefully the higher temps and rain that we are forcasted to get this weekend will help this snow melt on into our wintertime memories. 

Peaches will run around for a short time but then comes inside and hunkers down in her bed to warm up. 

She is ready to be able to chase squirrels and harrass birds without freezing her belly and toes.  

There's Been A Beheading!

On Monday morning when we woke up to a glorious snowfall we spent the morning in the yard creating our likenesses in snow.  I know that using the greenery for hair makes for pretty wild hair - but trust me, you have never seen our hair in the morning. 

This morning we woke up to a masacre in our front yard.  During the night someone knocked the heads off of all of our snowmen.  Kinda hate this because we rather liked them.  Son will be heading out in a while to set a head or two back on. 

Who would want to knock the head off this hip snowgirl?

They Grow Up So Fast!

While we were out this morning playing in the snow I remembered another time that we got a good snowfall.  The punks had a blast playing in the snow and I snapped a cute picture of them that day.  Here it is:

I took another picture of them today in approximately the same place.  They have changed just a tiny bit.  Where does the time go?

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

There is some serious gorgeousness happening outside right now people!  Woot!  I put my shoes back on, slapped my camera onto a tripod and went outside to snap a couple of pics. 

After all of the wind we have had over the last day or two while this front makes its way into our lives, it is now amazingly quiet outside.  It is so quiet you can hear the snow as it touches down on the leaves and branches.  All is calm, all is bright. 

Can't wait to see how it will all look in the morning!