The Potting of the MUMS

 The potting of the MUMS and mum even helped. 

First, you start with a no rain allowed day.  

Then you put up two tent canopy ez ups just in case. 

You need lots of soil.

And of course, pots.

Can't forget the wee little plantlets.

Canopies in place, workers in place, soil in bin, ok lets go. 

Here's mum checking out the progress.

Can you believe she is 83 and still can put in a hard days work.

 More mums waiting to be potted up. 

 And here they are all lined up by variety.  

And the groups just keep growing.  Especially like their system for keeping the pots at the same distance.

 Doug with his mum.  Almost finished.

And here is Willy and his Columbian mum.  Willy is our summer helper and a terrific worker and friend.  His mom came to pick him up after work and got in on the act.  Thanks Maria. 

Photographer James forgot to get a shot of Willy so this was Willy last night at rehearsal.  

Planting Big Time

Douglas, John and James took on the overwhelming jobs of replanting 7 cedar trees.  Sounds easy but these trees were 7' tall. 

Removing tree stumps.

Rearranging soil.

Two in place - five more to go.

John backfilling.

John in "training".  These are the legs that will be doing the boilermaker in a few weeks.

James - manning the controls and calling the shots.

 It's a thumbs up.  

Getting ready to put three #3 in place.

Fitting the loop over the back hoe teeth.

And now to pull it into place. 

My love of lawn mowing...

I do believe I have perfected the art of mowing our overgrown lawn.  It seems it just grows faster than I can mow it.  That and all the rain we had this year.  Today, as I finished up my mowing I realized I didn't get stuck once. Now if I could just remember where the holes & roots are. 

 Lawn mowing and me go back to the 50's.  Our first lawn mower was so "green" and even today I can remember the sound it would make as it went back and forth on the lawn.

 But it was soon relegated to our summer camp (Tom Kettle Lake), 

where my sister and I would get the job of mowing the little patch of "lawn".

 Today, that little mower has a a unique and honorable
 resting place.  Leaning against the wall of our store.

And this is what replaced that trusty, green, no gas needed lawn mower.  

Sitting in our garage waiting for it's weekly chore. 

I loved mowing the lawn but we had a poodle who made
the grass in the back yard very very lush. 

If we didn't keep up the weekly back yard mowing it would become a nightmare trying to get that mower through it without it stalling.  I become quite adept at lifting the front of the mower when ever I heard that tell tale sound of shutting off because it was easier than pulling that cord multiply time.

Over the years those push mowers were replaced, at my moms, where my boys
took over mowing for her, to the homes I had after getting married.  Who would have guessed that one day I would make a living mowing lawns for the government: first with John and then James and then Joshua, we would travel throughout Oneida County maintaining the lawns of repossessed houses.

And this was a good lawn compared to some we used to get.

Now, my lawn mowing is curtailed to my yard.  And we have a beautiful Ferris mower
that makes it so easy.  If I had to mow "the manor" by push mower it would be an
 8 hour a day job 5 days a week.

 

Now, I can get it all mowed in just a weekend and that includes mowing around the trees, the berry bushes, the gardens, the tree roots, the rocks, the fallen apple tree branches.......

AND I LOVE IT.

In Pacific islands, such as Guam and Hawaii, they have plants called sleeping grass.  

They have thorns when they close up.

I came across this photo and it did give me a giggle.  Of course,  being the horticulturist I am I needed to find out just what sleeping grass.  AND, it is the sensitive plant that we would grow in the greenhouse back in the 70's when I would for Cerri Flowers. Never thought of calling it sleeping grass. 

 It would close up when ever it was touched.  

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It's a Strawberry Moon

I love the moon in all of its stages but I am especially fond of full moons.  In fact, I love sunsets better than sunrises and falls better than springs and yes, I am a night owl and not a noisy morning goldfinch.  
Tonights full moon awed my whole family as they one by one came into the house and the first thing out of their mouths was "Have you seen the moon?" Duh - of course and I hope you too got to see it. 

Full Strawberry Moon – June This name was universal to every Algonquin tribe. However, in Europe they called it the Rose Moon. Also because the relatively short season for harvesting strawberries comes each year during the month of June . . . so the full Moon that occurs during that month was christened for the strawberry!

We're moving on down to the orchard....

with a deluxe apartment in the coop.
They're moving on down to the orchard.
They finally got a taste of some corrrrnnnn.

 Well ladies, what do you think of our new digs.

 I heard they have a penthouse that was once used by Jolly Rooster.  Seems he only let "certain" ladies stay overnight.  You know we've got to make sure Alphie doesn't get any high minded ideas.

 Yea Mabel,  if they thing I'm going to put up with her nonsense they're wrong

 Oh, Hilda, at least we have more room here than in that chicklet nursery.

 And I noticed they even painted the walls before we moved in.  Well sort of,  half anyway.

 Hey Gladys,  check out this nifty resting place

Yup,  we are in for some fine times Ethel.

How much WOOD did my wood chuck chuck?........

We have all heard that tongue twister  - How much wood can a wood chuck chuck and I finally have the answer. But first let me tell you about these "cute" little creatures that have invaded the farm.  I have to admit - they are cute as they waddle and scurry along.

Over the years,  I have noticed a HUGE burrow in a large pile of soil out in the back orchard.  I knew who lived there but hey, I figured maybe he's a bachelor seeing as I didn't notice any children.  Anna my woodchuck wonder dog found one about 15 years ago so maybe that was his lady.

Woodchucks are tenacious.

 And they stick together.

And they have this wonderful knack of MULTIPLYING.

 And they are amazing architects.

Which brings me to the answer you are all waiting for.  Wood Chucks don't chuck wood.   THEY CHUCK ROCKS.  Last month while doing yard cleaning John and I came across one of the architects projects, about three feet from the chicken coop door.  Not being educated in the fine art of woodchuck chamber building we decided to throw some rocks into the opening.  The rock rolled out of site.  Four dozen bricks and rocks later we finally stuff that hole full.  And, yes you guessed it.  Tonight while mowing around the coop, yes the grass was about 3 feet high, there was this pile of rocks.  That chubby chuck had removed about 24 rocks before he gave up.  Now that is what I call one hard working wood chuck. 

ALL ABOUT WOODCHUCKS and after learning all you need to know about woodchucks, check out the rest of Anne's web page.