Firefly/Long Days Time 2023

After a recent storm

The full moon has come and gone, and so our month of Firefly/Long Days Time has slipped away, too.

It's been smokey and rainy much of this past month. Now the heat has begun. July is typically our hottest month of the year.

The garden is progressing, and I've been processing herbs for winter's use.

Lemon balm drying for tea

Dried dill

I've begun to put parsley and celery leaves into the freezer, and have dried dill and lemon balm.

We've been eating a lot of lettuce! One very large salad daily for lunch, and usually a sandwich for supper.

Dill, mustard greens and parsley

We use a variety of herbs to jazz up our salads.

Our strawberries did fairly well this year. We had a freeze (not a frost) in late May which damaged some of the blossoms. Local vineyards and orchards are talking about significant losses from this. It looks like our apples fared well enough, thanks to the microclimate that they enjoy.

Tasty berries

We didn't freeze any strawberries this year-simply enjoyed them as they came.

Our raspberries are now beginning to ripen.

First raspberries (pardon the dirty hand)

Red and black currants have now been picked and are in the freezer.

Black currants ripening

The blueberry plants are just loaded with fruit which should be ripening soon. I anticipate putting a nice amount away in the freezer.

Just one of six blueberry bushes

The cranberries are blooming now. These are dry land cranberries that share the blueberry bed, since they like similar conditions. I thought you might be interested in seeing what a cranberry blossom looks like.

Cranberry blossom and tiny berries

Out in the vegetable garden things are coming along. We've eaten spinach, lettuce, kale and chard. I've just begun to start putting up peas.

First batch for the freezer

Soon cabbages will begin to go in, as well. I pulled the shallots yesterday and laid them out in the attic to cure.

Here's a little look around at some of our other plants:

Potatoes looking very lush

Cabbages looking fine

All of our beans have a ways to go

Bob's been working on the porch, which is nearly done.

New porch now in use

This will easily be my favorite porch! It's a nice size, shaded most of the day and very private.  We've already had a few meals out there and watched some nice rainstorms there, too.

Preparing for the steps

He's now building the step and handrails. When the skirting is added, the project will be done. I'll show more pictures next time.

We've had a rash of unexpected breakdowns and associated expenses lately. (Ever notice how these things seem to follow one after another in a streak? Four for us.)

One was Bob's lawn tractor. The transmission seemed to have some sort of mechanical nervous breakdown. We finally got it back from the shop after a month. A month in the late spring here is a long time to let the grass grow.

Nice backyard, eh?

It was nearly up to my hips by then. It took Bob a while to get it back to the usual three inches.

Another breakdown was our well pump. It quit on a Saturday afternoon (of course!). The pump and pressure tank were the only two mechanicals on the house that we had not replaced. Well, now we're down to only one! The plumber came out on Sunday morning, and just about noon we had water again. Now we keep a large container of bottled water in the pantry for emergencies.

In an effort to keep a balance between chores and rest, we have gone on three outings this month.

First we walked at Buttermilk Falls State Park in Ithaca.

Buttermilk Falls State Park

Unfortunately, it was one of the smokey days and we really noticed it climbing the gorge. After that we decided to heed the warnings and not do anything strenuous on the days we had Air Quality Alerts.

Another outing was at Labrador Hollow Unique Area. It was a nice cool walk in the woods on a rather toasty day.

Labrador Hollow Unique Area

Our third outing was on the Solstice. We went to the Cornell Botanic Garden and Mundy Wildflower Garden. This was another enjoyable get away.

Bob rests at the Cornell Garden

That's what's been happening here at Thistledown. We're keeping busy and trying to stay cool. It's nice to have Bob home to help me in the garden. He's still enjoying full time retirement very much. 

We hope that all of you will enjoy a balance of work and relaxation this season, and we'll be in touch again next month.

Till Next Time,

Kathleen and Bob

Keep smiling!

Sun on a smokey day

 

Bright Time/ Flowering Time 2023

 

The harvests begin!

We've been having a very warm week here. The sweet potato plants have been loving it! My rose bush is covered with blossoms. 

Therese Bugnet shrub rose

You can't beat a Therese Bugnet for beautifully fragrant blooms!

The garden is in process. This weekend I hope to plant cucumbers, squash, string beans and half of my corn. Next week, it will be time to plant the dry beans.

Laying out plant starts

I've already set out my warm weather starts: tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and flowers.

My lettuce is beautiful right now. We're harvesting heads daily for salads.

Gorgeous lettuce

Also, we're picking spinach, tat soi and rhubarb.

Strawberries are just beginning to ripen.

Our first berry!

We're looking forward to many more of them.

There were few morels this year. That's the way wild mushrooming goes.

Just a small handful

I've made rhubarb sauce to put in the freezer, and there's dill drying in the attic.

In my spare time, I finished off my late winter needlework project. About 20 years ago I splurged and bought a silk and pashmina wrap. It's wonderfully light weight and warm, but the color did not excite me. Even less so since I've lost my red hair. For a few years now, I have planned to perk it up with some embroidery. I finally came up with a design I liked and got to work.

The finished product

I finished it this month and am very pleased with the results.

Bob's been working diligently on the new porch. Of course, it helps that his lawn mower has been in the shop for three weeks. He has had more time for the porch project.

The decking is nearly all on. He ran out of fasteners at lunchtime today. He'll be in Ithaca tomorrow as an event volunteer and pick up more then.

The deck as it looks right now

Soon he'll be on to the post covers and handrails. I think we're really going to like this new porch!

We have taken two "get away" days this month. 

First we went to Letchworth State Park. There we hiked on the southern edge by the lower and middle falls and through the woods. We saw many wildflowers and some great views.

View of the gorge

Lower falls at Letchworth State Park

This week we went to the Chimney Bluffs State Park on Lake Ontario.

Entrance of Chimney Bluffs State Park

It was our first visit to this park and we were impressed by these unique formations.

The bluffs of Chimney Bluffs State Park

Our hike was wooded and cool on this day that saw temperatures in the upper 80s. 

After hiking for two and a half hours, and a picnic lunch, we drove a short distance to Sodus Bay and toured the Sodus Bay Lighthouse.

The light at Sodus Bay Point

We came home tired, but enjoyed a very nice day.

That's all of the news from here. We continue to be busy with the garden and the porch project. It is our busy time of year, after all. This is where we earn our winter's rest.

May you all have good days of warmth and sunshine.

Till next time,

Kathleen and Bob

Longspur violet at Letchworth

Golden Ragwort at Letchworth

Shoots Show/Growing Time 2023

Spitzenburg Apple Blossoms

BOING!!  Spring has sprung! Our full Flower Moon has technically brought an end to our month of Shoots Show/Growing Time. But the growth spurt continues.

We've had some cooler and wet weather, but it appears things are starting to turn around. The sunshine and warmth are welcome.

Here's what's up and what's in at Thistledown:

The mushroom garden is done. Now we tend it and wait.

The finished mushroom garden.

Bob seeding the Winecap bed

Our small fruits are coming along nicely.  Red and black currants are blooming. Blueberries have many buds. The strawberry plants are looking good and the rhubarb will soon be ready to harvest.

Rhubarb

   

Strawberries before blooming

In the vegetable garden, I've set out my cool weather plants, planted potatoes and sowed peas, early beets and early carrots.

Pea planting time

Setting out a cabbage plant

The garlic and shallots planted last autumn are up and looking fine.

Shallots and garlic

And I've made my first harvest from my perennial herbs. They really add zest to a sandwich.

Cress, Chervil and Chives

Today is the first day my warm weather plants are outside to begin hardening off. Just one hour of sunlight today, then one additional hour each day until planting time at the end of May.

Regarding other areas of the homefront:

The fuel oil tank from our old heating system is finally gone!

The oil tank, about 6'x4'x3'

We swapped it to an Amish roofer in exchange for some roof repair that we needed.

Tank gone and lots of nice space

 Now we have that out of the way, some nice new space in the cellar and no more leak in our porch roof.

Speaking of the porch, work has begun there.

Here's a photo of the site before work began.

Porch area before, with weird angled, high step 

Bob's cleared the area, removed one concrete step and also the old propane line. Now he's putting in the framing for the new porch.

Bob busy on the porch today

I've finally finished all of my spring cleaning, ending with the windows all washed, the final freezer cleaned and the refrigerator cleaned. 

Outside, I've gotten the rose bush pruned and the flower beds trimmed and ready for new growth. Things look so much better tidied up.

We're pleased that, even with all this work, we've been able to keep up with our goal of at least one outing a week.

We visited Fillmore Glen State Park and saw many hepatica in bloom.

Falls at Fillmore Glen State Park

Hepatica blooming at Fillmore

Next we revisited Teeter Pond in the Fingerlakes National Forest.

Teeter Pond

We made our first visit to Smith Woods in Trumansburg. There we saw many Trillium, both red and white. Also many trout lilies (past bloom) and mayapples (before bloom).

Smith Woods (big Beech trees)

Trillium at Smith Woods

Finally, we travelled to the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge. There we saw our first Glossy Ibis (sorry, no photos). It was quite a treat!

As you can see, we've been very busy, but our nice winter's rest has prepared us (mentally and physically) for our current tasks. It's good to have the energy we need for this new season.

Take care and my you grow along with the season.

Till next time,

Kathleen and Bob

My Bleeding Hearts are lovely this year

Red Trillium at Smith Woods