HEN SOLO

This was one of those late autumn mornings when the last leaves are falling like rain on the lawn. The air is filled with gold and red drops the size of playing cards and that unique autumn air quality that reminds me of pumpkins passing and the threat of snowflakes.

As I went to open the chicken coops and pour the feed into the feeding pans, I was greeted by one of our black australorps who for the second night running has hidden during the chicken closing time at night and has spent the night by herself outside the coop.

I am calling her Hen Solo. She seems none the worse for wear this morning, but the winter is coming and I know I am going to have to watch out for her. Soon the weather will make her self isolating behavior dangerous.

PLANTING THE FOREST GARDEN 2026

Yesterday was any day off which means it was my gardening day. I am finding I need at least one whole day a week to be in the garden and then several parts of several other days to keep it going and that is outside of the daily chores of animal care and cleaning.

Yesterday I gave a lesson to my granddaughters on planting tomatoes and peppers. I think we are finally clear of the frost so it’s time to get the rest of the vegetable garden in!

I started with a morning walk around the garden, while my son-in-law tried to break up some really big rocks that critters have made their home underneath. We began planting. Here are some things blooming right now even as we get the seeds and seedlings planted.

The Siberian iris are lovely this year.

The Korean lilac is soooo fragrant.

Paintbrush in the lawn.

Greater calendine growing by the rock wall.

Here are some annuals I picked up. They will go into our newest garden bed along with some hardy lavenders and some coleus.

By the end of the day the girls and I had put in several tomatoes, some pumpkins and a winter squash. We noted the summer squash had sprouted. I finished out the afternoon with some mowing and some work on the newest chicken coop.

MEMORIAL DAY WORK WEEK

It was a busy Memorial Day weekend.

Today (May 29th), being Ascension Day, our church is beginning a season of concentrated prayer which will go on until Pentecost Sunday.

That means getting the projects done at the Vicarage took front burner status as we approached the holy days. I wanted to get the gardens at least partially planted. I wanted to get the chicken coops finished. We are pretty close with the coops.

Sunday, Monday,Tuesday and Wednesday the fam worked hard.

The tomato trellis is now set up.

Once all the vegetables and herbs are in I will start building the stone walls around the box gardens.

It was a very productive weekend. Now on to prayer!

The Vicarage Forest Garden 5-22-25

We are having a wee Nor’Easter today. In spite of it the garden is blooming beautifully.

The Korean lilac is just beginning to release its fragrance, but the main fragrance of the garden is still the lily of the valley.

Each part of the season is connected to its own fragrance. First is the apple blossom and then the lily of the valley, then the lilac, the black locust, and then the rose.

The blueberries and the strawberries are fully flowered

And everything is so green!