when it rains it pours

In the event you were not in Miami County recently, the rain yesterday was pretty crazy. The rain was so hard for so long it caused flash flooding, shutting down two interstates with several feet of water. Those of us living in farm country now have lakefront properties. (We're taking reservations if you want to build a condo). Fully stocked- with corn. Haha.

Black skies around 4:30pm.

Jeremy had to remove his shoes just to get to the car.
This side of the parking lot was shallow compared to the other.

Experiment Farm

I-75 Southbound. Boats already out.

Bank barn half under water.

I-75 Northbound. The water was moving incredibly fast.

Rushing water under the road between two farms.
The fields looked red; so strange.

Our drive home was very interesting.

Our fields: Lake Burns.

I've always loved willows beside a lake.

spring blooms

Mom, this post is for you, as you are the one who inspired my love for nature in the first place. I have always loved spring, especially as I get to enjoy so many beautiful flowers. It is like searching for a lost treasure when I start to see the fresh green growth and go on my springtime walks to find the beautiful dainty flowers.

spring help

We are so thankful for the warm weather! Getting the gardens ready has been very relaxing and peaceful, and the kids have been a big help. Little Claire isn't too keen on the strong wind, so she took a nap in the garden shed. The warmth of the sun and the smell of the fresh air is such a welcome change from the long winter.

Taking the grass to the burn pile.

Elauna was sick, so she bundled up and sat in the sun.
Claire didn't like the wind too well.

Just waking up from her nap.

Having fun in the garden shed.

earth day

What a beautiful Earth Day. It is so wonderfully warm and sunny, and we all enjoyed working outside today. We fixed the kids play area, edged around some trees, graded the driveway, weeded the garden....perfect weather.  My children have a habit of ditching their shoes, and off they came today. Even Claire discarded her rubber boots after learning how to go down a slide for the first time. I gave up trying to keep them on and decided I could wash everything later. We found creepy crawlies under a board and the kids enjoyed learning their names and even held a few (without squashing them).  Here are a few pictures from the day.

my tiny helper

she's smiling :-)

grape hyacinth

yellow daffodil

red tulips

playing in the sun

Frederick holding a tiny snail

big worm

centipede

the tiny snail up close

mr. armadillo bug

a new day dawning

Even though it is not very warm yet, the sun and blue skies make it seem like spring is just around the corner. I always want to clear my gardens a little sooner than I should, so I am trying to avoid the urge this year to start too soon. I did get outside and check my bulbs. My daffodils are starting to shoot up, and much to my amazement, I found a few lovely crocus in bloom. They are an early indicator that spring is here, along with the return of the vultures and the snakes. 

daffodil heads popping up

my surprise crocus

I also keep a gardening scrapbook full of notes on the plants and trees I have, where they came from, when I planted them.....I also have drawings of my gardens so I know where certain plants should pop up each year. It is a work in progress, but it has been so helpful. When I purchase flowers through a catalog, I clip their picture and write-up and paste it in my book. When I buy a potted plant, I put the plant tag in the book. I have kept my seed packets, but I haven't started putting them in yet....that's a job for this year. 

my notes on taking care of my Ficus tree

my original garden layout and sketch

early garden shed ideas

plant tags and plant descriptions

seed packets for saving my seeds this year