Spring in February

 Will there even be a winter?

It's over 70 degrees here on the mountain today. Started off the day with my daddy and my cousin having to repair a leaky faucet in my daughter's bathroom. (You haven't had fun on a late Sunday night til your kiddo comes into your room and says, "There is hot water running in my bathtub and it won't stop!") Up here, we only call in the professionals as a last resort. One quick trip across the mountain to town and we are good to go!

It was too beautiful out there to stay inside! Look at this sky:

Excuse the satellite photobomb on the left. I love living in a clearing in the woods. We have our own little private world here.

After picking up sticks that January's storms left in the yard (finally the mud has dried up), I worked on my raised beds. I need to get them cleared and ready. Today I pulled weeds and straightened them up a little. 

It felt so GOOD to soak up this sunshine! And I was wearing SHORTS, y'all! I can't believe it is this hot in February. I took a little walk around the yard to look for signs of spring.

I found these baby buttercups. Look at those little buds!

This one sat alone underneath a tree. I have gathered all my buttercups (daffodils to some of y'all) from old home places out in the woods. They aren't native to the area but came with the first settlers. Finding them in the woods is like looking through a window back in time. They show us where a home place once stood. A woman planted these with pride. A family once lived on each of these old home places, their faces now lost in time. But the buttercups return every year. Never take them all--just take a few. They will increase in number year after year.

One last photo today. I got bit by a blackberry bush when I was trying to take a picture of this one. This means I have weed-eating to do this week, evidently.  Wild blackberries are great, but they will take over your yard if you let them. 

I have more pics, but I will save them for my next post. Time to see what needs cookin' for supper.

By the way, do you call them daffodils or buttercups?

Flea Market Day

What a beautiful day! We decided to drive over to the flea market in Collinsville just to see what we could see.  In the south, actually, local flea markets are usually called "Trade Days". Collinsville is open every Saturday. You can buy ANYTHING there. In the summer I love to buy flowers there. You can find things there you can't find anywhere else.
 I usually come back loaded down with plants (and a guinea or chicken or two), but today we didn't buy much at all. I did see these daffodils:

I loved these, because of the peach-colored center. I had never seen any like this. The man selling them actually told me the name of them...but I forgot. :( I bought a few. I love finding new plants!
We also bought a new bluebird house. We only bought one, for the pattern. David can use the measurements from this one to make more.

Like I said, when I go to Collinsville I normally come back loaded down. Today, daffodils and a bird house were my only purchases.  If we have good weather, we will go to Trade Day in Summerville this coming Tuesday morning.
We planted the daffodils around a tree in our front yard.

I finally got to use the new cobra-head cultivator/ weeder I bought at Baker Creek (www.rareseeds.com).  I really like it. I just wish it had a longer handle.

Well, I'm off this week, so I hope to get a few things put into the garden.  We turned it a week ago, but we haven't had the time to do anything with it. I can't wait to get out there and get started!!!

Beth :o)