" BLESSED SPRING "

Aren't we blessed that after this long, cold, dreary Winter we have been blessed at last with Spring? We worked hard yesterday getting all the trees, bushes, garden and flowers fertilized in anticipation of a good rain last night and were blessed with 2 inches!!










As you know from my previous posts, I was hit with a wicked respiratory virus a few weeks ago that really laid me low. After taking antibiotics among other things, for ten days I could not get over it and just couldn't get my breath. I was full of congestion both in my lungs and sinus and the more I used the Neti Pot, the more mucus my body seemed to make. On Monday the 29th I went to my ENT doctor. He told me that I have developed severe adult Asthma brought on by this virus! I have since learned of 2 more people, 1 in Louisiana and 1 in Tennessee who have had the same diagnosis. He put me on 15 days of Prednisone steroids, Advair inhaler and Nasacourt spray. I am SO much better, I have my strength and energy back and THANK GOD I can breathe deep again! I go back on Monday and we will talk Asthma control......................

Needless to say, when you're down, you get time to read at least. I finished the 3 book Sarah Prine series and loved it. I'm now reading these 2 series of books. I'm real interested in knowing how to keep my health and doing it as naturally as possible so I'm reading about cleansing the body. The 2nd series is a Christian fiction series by Gary E. Parker set in the NC Highlands and I'm 1/2 through the 1st one and it is AWESOME !!!

This is a pic of the full moon coming up over the pond on March 30th...................

In the deep south, Good Friday is garden planting day....................it started out very foggy but cleared fast into a gorgeous day to plant!

Hubby had worked the day before getting the big garden ready.............

He put lots of barn manure in the soil.............

Then built two raised beds..............

We got Tomatoes planted in this one.................

The upper part of this one has several varieties of pepper plants. I put 6 tiny yellow squash at the end to get started, when they get bigger I will transplant to hills.................

This long row starts with onion sets, then red potatoes, then white potatoes...........
The open row to the left will be planted in okra later today.........

Just to the right of the 2nd raised bed there is a short row of english peas...

Spring has busted out big time around the farm....

The Pines are full of new pine cone buds...

The Spirea is showing out!

this Rose bed is JUMPING................

I think I counted 7 buds on my Joseph's Coat yesterday !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Empress Tree has been really pretty this year.............

The bumble bees love the blooms..................

These blooms will fall and HUGE leaves will take their place..................

Today will be spent cleaning out more beds, planting sweet potatoes and okra. Tomorrow we'll be getting ready for a family and friends gathering here on Saturday for a Fish Fry. We'll have fried Catfish and Blue Gill Bream caught out of our pond, coleslaw, FF and hush puppies. I have to figure out what to make for a desert and get that made tomorrow. I hope ALL of you have a wonderful weekend and are celebrating our blessed Spring..........................

Thanks for stopping by THE PORCH ......................

" Winter Confusion "

Yesterday it was sunny and 70 degrees.....of course I know Mother Nature was just teasing us into thinking Spring had arrived! I wasn't gonna let her confuse me but............

This morning I got out early and found I might not be the only one suffering confusion.

The sky seemed to be confused as to "weather " to storm or be sunny..........

I also found that the Forsythia might be suffering also......It's trying to bloom in February!

All this new growth in the Rose bed wasn't so confusing because I've been covering and uncovering it during the freezing cold nights and sunny days........

I'm determined to help Spring along...........

I'm clear headed about seeing the Roses bloom....SOON !!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think the Italian Parsley is confused too.........it had all froze out but look what I found this morning!

The Rosemary has remained green through it all! No confusion here............

Yesterday, Hubby goes to gather the eggs. He comes in and says to me; We got 6 and 1/2 eggs but one was busted so we have 5 and 1/2 eggs. Now I'm on the couch reading and I think to myself, one half egg? What is he talking about? Come look he says! Well blow me down! Isn't that the cutest little egg ? Talk about confused! Who laid that? Now we are not " chicken experts", so I call one. She says that sometimes when a hen molts, she will "lay out". The eggs will get tiny and have nothing in them. I haven't cracked this one but it's too heavy to have nothing in it...........

However Queen Vicki is moulting...........

See her bald spot??

That's Miss Trixie GoLay in front of her who was the first to lay. So I'm confused......

Shouldn't she be the first to moult??? HELP???

Now the whole chicken gang is confused because I never enter the pen without a treat.....

Sorry gang, I'll be back with a treat later............. :)

No confusion here.... the Peek Gang along with TC the cat are napping..........

L to R....TC, Patch, Sadie and Jake........

OOPS! This is Monkey Man, he used to be called Duke but when he was tiny he had the face of an Organ Grinder Monkey so we started calling him Monkey Man and it stuck. He is confused because he still hasn't figured out how to get up on the couch with the others........

The one thing I'm not confused about is......Today is Queen Vicki's namesake Vicki Lane's Birthday! Go Here and wish her a Happy Birthday!

HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYONE !!!!!!!!!!!!!