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

Stay at Home Time/Cleansing Time 2026

Cold weather = hot soups

This month is the time each year when we busy ourselves at home, resting and clearing away old remnants that can interfere with the coming season of awakening and growth.

We've had just a couple of snow events this winter. I think that only twice have we received 6-8" of snow.

Mink trails

On each morning following these heavier snows, our yard has been criss crossed with these very unique trails. They are made by the minks that live along our creek. Apparently, they find our yard great fun for exploring and hunting in the deeper snow.

During the colder days we've seen a Sharp Shinned Hawk hunting around our feeders and in our shrubs. Last week we saw it take a Junco in the morning and a Mourning Dove in the afternoon.

Staying warm this winter

While we haven't had a great deal of snow, the cold and windy pattern continues from last month. Many meals of soup have been eaten in front of the stove.

Big Game Day

Neither Bob nor I have any interest in sports. Nor do we have a TV to watch sports on. On that Big Day, we played our own game, cozy in front of the stove, with a big bowl of popcorn at hand. (I whooped him again.)

Stay at Home Time is a good opportunity to go through our clothes. We can eliminate what needs to go or fix up things that need attention before the next season.

Mending in progress

I used to make all of my own clothes, with the exception of under garments and socks. When the cost of fabric, patterns and buttons (when you can find them) began to skyrocket, I stopped. Now our clothes come from resale shops. Since neither of us are "off the rack" sizes, my sewing skills come in handy. I can alter and improve the things we find.

I resized five summer tops which were in my drawer and remade a worn-out sofa pillow. It feels good to save money and get more use out of the things we already have.

Hardanger piece now

I've made good progress on my hardanger piece. Stages 1&2 are done and I'm well into the final stage.

Now it's time to start stirring ourselves toward spring.

Harvesting trees

Log transportation

Bob's been hard at work preparing for mushroom growing. He cut down two trees (maple & oak) of appropriate sizes and is inoculating them with mushroom spawn.

Chicken of the Woods logs

The short lengths have been sterilized and inoculated with Chicken of the Woods spawn. These will sit in the cellar for 2-3 months and then be partially buried in the mushroom garden.

Logs waiting

He cut longer pieces for the Shiitake mushrooms. (Some maple, some oak.)

Inoculating logs

He's now in the process of inoculating these logs. They will go outside sooner than the others.

Plant start area is ready

The plant start area is all set up and ready. Next week I will sow my early seeds. This year will be garden #33 for us!

The freezer is emptying out. There are a few sweet potatoes, garlic and shallots left. The beets and carrots are gone. What we do have is potatoes!

Ever since I was a preschooler, I have loved Early Music. I was hooked when The Friendly Giant (CBC out of Kingston Ontario) would have his minstrel puppets play along as he played the recorder. (FYI Rusty the Rooster played the folk harp.) I'd love to have that series on DVD!

Incredible concert

My birthday is very soon. As a special early treat, we attended a Paul O'Dette concert. For those who don't know, he's BIG in early music circles.

We were in an intimate chapel setting, and we sat 10-12 feet directly in front of him. He played wonderfully and was so calm and gracious, even when both a string and a peg on his lute broke during the performance. It was really a once in a lifetime experience.

We'll be celebrating my birthday this weekend and beginning to stretch toward spring.

Prepare yourselves, too.

Till next time,

Kathleen and Bob

Sedum waiting for summer sun

Cold Time/Renewal Time 2026

Peaceful Pause

There's no arguing that it's been Cold Time! We haven't had too much snow, only about 8" on the ground. The constant cold and below zero wind chills have made outside activities less than alluring. I'll be very happy to resume our daily walks.

Oops! Almost empty

We've been using the woodstove daily during our waking hours. If the cold continues Bob will have to take his sled and bring in more wood from the pile outside. Not only will that chill the man, but it cools down the house with all of the opening and closing of the cellar door.

An inviting place to read

It is also Renewal Time, so we've spent much time reading in front of the stove.

We finished the Slabsides Book and are now reading Burroughs' book, A Year in the Fields. 

Between these two books we read Desert Exile by Yoshiko Uchida.

A very good read

This book I highly recommend. It is a first-hand account of life in Japanese Internment camps during World War II. The author, in her twenties at the time, her sister and parents we uprooted with thousands of other Japanese (both American born citizens and Japanese born) and dropped into unfinished containment camps in the American desert. No Due Process, no nothing. It's very timely reading for today.

Project is moving along

 I've been making very good progress on stage 2 of my hardanger piece. I hope to finish this stage in the next couple of weeks.

Fresh out of the pans

I bake bread biweekly the year round, but it seems extra pleasant to raise the loaves on the hearth and bake during this cold weather. I thought that you might enjoy a peak too. Try to imagine the wonderful fragrance. That can be part of renewal, too.

Bread for another two weeks

Bob's been relaxing but volunteering as well.

Off to the Capital, Albany

He went with a busload of climate activists to Albany in an effort to remind our Governor of the legal commitments that she has already made on New York's behalf.

Oh yes, another step we've taken in this Renewal Time is that we've turned off our morning alarm for the season. We still haven't settled into a regular wake up time. Some days it's 30 minutes past our normal time; others it's 90 minutes! Once warm weather comes, we can't sleep so late. Our outside exercise and work must be finished at least by noon (preferably 10 am). I think the late sleeping is related to stress.

Taking action

  
Perhaps some of you, especially who we've met since returning to New York, are unaware that we lived in Minnesota for 21 years. The last 17 of those, we lived in a northern suburb of Minneapolis. 

Our food coops where we shopped were in Minneapolis. The ethnic markets we patronized were in Minneapolis. Every Saturday night we ate at a variety of ethnic restaurants there. The Mennonite Fellowship and Quaker Meeting we attended were there.

To witness the terrorization of this community is extremely upsetting to us.

These updates are getting more and more difficult to write. 

When I read posts by some of the people that I know, I think, "Are they just oblivious to what's happening out there?". 

I don't know the answer to this question. But I want you to know that, while I write of reading and relaxing by the fire, we are not emotionally hiding. Things are not fine. We deeply feel this moment and are acting as we are able to respond. 

Protests, phone calls and boycotts. Another important part of the response is to have that cup of tea. Read a book. Recharge to Resume.

Holding all of you, in our hearts and in accountability.

Till next time,

Kathleen and Bob

Snowing again