Flowering/New Leaves Time 2026

Apple blossoms

Spring moves forward with the end of Flowering and New Leaves Time. Isn't it amazing how quickly the leaves grow from tiny, pale and fragile things to full size and darkening green?

We've had some lovely flowers this month.

Early Clematis

This is the earliest of our three Clematis vines. From this point, it has gone on to be covered with blooms.

Not to be outdone, our woods have also put on quite a display.

Forget Me Nots

White Form Forget Me Nots

Jack in the Pulpit

A new Trillium!

Wild Geranium

It has been a challenging month for us. The weather continues to be primarily cold and wet. We are still having many nights in the 40 degree range so the weather has been a struggle. The upcoming week appears to be improving.

Personally, both Bob and I are dealing with health issues which are greatly affecting our endurance. 

Bob is being treated for digestive issues which are causing fatigue as well as discomfort.

I mentioned in the last update that I was dealing with a sore back. Further testing revealed that I suffered a spinal compression fracture. No surgery is needed, just time to heal. I'm currently very limited in what I can do. No walks or yoga and I miss them both. There's only so much pain management that can be done. I find the best approach is to lie flat on my back and rest two or three times a day.

With both of us ailing, it has been difficult keeping the house clean and preparing the garden for the season.

Early planting

We finally got the cool weather crops planted.

Bob and friend planting

Bob's learning how to plant the starts. The cat is on hand to offer guidance. Bob has never actually done the planting. He has always been busy with other tasks. This is the year to learn.

We plan to plant the warm weather plants today and tomorrow. Hopefully the weather will stay more seasonal from now on.

Last month I mentioned the new strawberry bed. It's all done now. Here's the foundation.

Strawberry bed foundation

 

I helped a little by setting bricks in place.

Setting bricks in place

 
Then I showed Bob how to plant the strawberries. He did all of the center plants to save me the reaching.

Planting the berries

All of the materials used for this project were repurposed from other projects around the place.

Bob has done quite a bit of work on his mushroom garden.

He brought the inoculated logs out of the cellar and buried them in the soil/woodchip bed. (Inoculated with Chicken of the Woods spawn.)

Inoculated log segment

Setting them in place.

Placing the log segment

Finished placement.

All in place

After they were all buried, he got some free wood chips from Ithaca to place around the logs.

Gathering wood chips

This is how urbanites and suburbanites transport the woodchips.

Loaded up

Since we sold the van and trailer last year, we have joined their ranks.

Shiitake logs fruiting

Last year's Shiitake logs have given us over two pounds of mushrooms. We thought the logs were all spent.

A nice harvest

 Most of these have gone into the freezer.

Because of our health, we haven't done much to get away this month (not counting doctor's visits). However, we did go to a free concert near Ithaca.

Young Artists Concert

This group of young musicians was very good, and the female vocalist was phenomenal!

Of course, we had to go to the big book sale in Ithaca. (Just loaded up on the pain meds!)

Early visit

We went the first weekend and got four books.

The larger haul

Then we went again on Senior's Day when the prices are much lower. That time we got 14 books, 17 CDs and four DVDs.

I focused on CDs of original cast recordings of Broadway musicals. I grew up listening to these, borrowed from the public library. They are like old friends to me, and at fifty cents each, who could resist. While I am lying flat on my back, I have been reading. So far, I have finished six books. It's a good thing we got new ones at the sale.

We certainly hope to have better weather and be in better health by the next update.

We hope that your season is less problematic than ours has been. 

Enjoy and we'll be in touch next time,

Kathleen and Bob

Bouquet of fresh herbs

 

Shoots Show 2026

Hepatica

Spring has come, but the weather apparently didn't get the memo. Cold, wet and dark here. I usually have the early crops planted by this time. It's been so cloudy here that I haven't even finished hardening them off yet.

Winter lettuce

I have sowed peas, spinach and lettuce. I have picked some winter lettuce which seeded in last fall, and the peas are just coming up.

Bob has been busy in the garden. He dug out the two large currant bushes because we just weren't using the fruit anymore.

Transplanting rhubarb

After the currants were removed, he dug and divided our two rhubarb plants. He replanted four crowns of each variety where the currants had been. The remaining crown pieces were given away. Hopefully our rhubarb will produce better in this space and because of their division.

Rhubarb and strawberry bed

At the end of the rhubarb bed, he's building a new raised bed for the strawberries. Once he has finished with the surrounding brickwork, we will fill the bed and plant new strawberry plants.

I've been nursing a bad back and unable to help with any of this project.  I did the planning. Poor Bob has got to do all of the physical work.

Blood Root

In our woods, we have had Blood Root and Colt's Foot blooming. The May Apples and Jack in the Pulpits are just coming up now.

Colt's Foot

So far, we have found just two small Yellow Morels. Hopefully a few more will pop up.

Very small morels

 

While we were in the woods, we found a sneaky little invasive trying to get a toe hold - English Ivy.

English Ivy removed

Luckily it was a small patch, and we were able to pull all of it up. We will still need to keep an eye on the area in case more emerges.

Hardanger Finished!

I finished my large hardanger piece. It took me 14 months to complete. It looks very nice on our dining room table.

Corner detail

It was a very nice day on April 14th, so we walked the upper trails at Taughannock Falls State Park. Wildflowers that we found in bloom were Hepatica and Spring Beauties. 

Hepatica

Spring Beauty

We are looking forward to the weather turning around and enjoying more walks in our State Parks, in addition to getting the garden going full force.

Hoping that your Spring is a bright one.

Till next time,

Kathleen and Robert

Taughannock upper falls

Come on Spring!

Blustery Winds Time 2026

Birthday flowers

It's been cool and windy here. This week we had a number of rainy days. 

It was a cold late winter. So cold that we actually used up all of our cut firewood and emptied our huge kindling bin. We'll have to spend time cutting more firewood before the next heating season. 

Cherry tree down

We'll start by cutting up a couple of trees around our yard that came down this winter.

Fallen Maple tree

We don't have to cut standing wood at all. There's always enough that has fallen on its own to choose from.

On Monday of this week the weather was so nice we decided to scrap our original plans and work outside.

Bob prunes an apple tree

Bob pruned our larger apple tree. He's working on the smaller one today.

Wildlife browse

He always saves a lot of the trimmings to take to the Wildlife Hospital at Cornell. They use it for any animal patients there that relish such stuff - like beavers.

Pruning the shrub rose

I pruned my overgrown shrub rose ....

Pruning clematis vines

...and cut back my three clematis vines.

After that, I cleaned the yard by picking up downed branches and twigs.

Gathering kindling

We use some of this material as kindling in our wood stove. I was able to refill the bin in the cellar and have an additional large box ready in reserve. All of the rest that is picked up will be piled up outside to serve as wildlife cover.

New Shiitake logs

Bob has brought his fresh Shiitake logs out of the cellar. He needs to clean up his mushroom garden so these logs can have a permanent home. It's still a few weeks before he buries the Chicken of the Woods logs out into the garden.

Planting seeds

 
At the beginning of the month, I began my seeds in the cellar. They have sprouted and are beginning to grow.

Potting up

Yesterday I potted up the seedlings from germination flats into 2.5" pots.

The cool weather plants should be ready to go into the garden by the end of April.

The warm weather plants will be potted up into 4" pots at that time. They will be ready to go into the garden by the end of May.

Bob's "agitating" again

Bob went to Albany again to join others in standing up for the environment. Greenidge is a nearby Bitcoin Mine that is moving to also become a Data Center. This will use enormous amounts of electricity, which will drive our rates up even more, and produce high levels of hazardous emissions.

A COLD No Kings Day

Of course, we were counted among the 8+million others on March 28th for "No King 3". Once again, we joined between 100-150 people in the small village of Ovid, just 5 miles from our home. That doesn't sound like a big crowd, but considering the political atmosphere here, it's a big deal. I find it difficult to understand how those who stand to lose the most are the most myopic.

Almost finished

Last evening I finished stitching the hardanger piece that I've been working on for several months.

Now I have to cut off all of the edges (as you see begun in the right lower corner of the picture). That's exacting and tedious work.

After that is done, I hand wash it and iron it dry. This removes any oils from my handling it and shrinks the fabric slightly to create a cleaner, finished look. 

It's been a long project. I'm glad it will be finished before the hectic garden season begins.

The Vernal Equinox has passed and we're now in the Tide of Activation. The peepers are singing; we saw and listened to a Northern Mockingbird and heard a Kildeer last week. Nature is stirring and we must as well.

New life and growth to you all.

Till next time,

Kathleen and Bob

Another friend of Bob's