Corn Planting off to a Rocky Start

I could also call this what some people won't do for some fresh corn on the cob! There's nothing like it. The old saying is that to get it really right, you put the pot on to boil and when it's a rolling boil, then you go out and pick the corn. It's so sweet and tender, you don't need butter. So while there is no room in my garden for corn, I found this spot below the garden but still inside a fencing to make terraced rows. So I started digging. To say that my soil is rocky is like saying the dead sea has some salt in it. After several hours of back breaking labor, I had cleared 7/8 of the row and then I heard that dreaded sound; the chink of my spade hitting solid rock. I shoveled the dirt all around it to discover this rock was a whale and I was only looking at its dorsal fin. Jonathan and Perry came down and dug and confirmed that this baby wasn't moving on human power alone. What we needed was a "come-along"which we borrowed, then a thick strap with hooks which we found and then a length of cable to go around a nearby tree. The come-along has a gear and ratchet which pulls the strap and its load. Many hours later and not a few cuss words, we had it up and out of the hole! Of course that was the first row. The second row yielded only mid-sized boulders. then at the end of the third row, I heard it again. Chink. Chink. A little digging confirmed that the whale had a twin living just down from it. Well it was too much. I covered it up and decided to plant a few less stalks of corn. It's not going anywhere and there is always next year.

Successive Blooms

I always used to think that there was nothing in gloom at this time of year. The spring flowers have finished the quince, apple and dogwood blossoms are dried up and on the ground but the peonies and poppies are not yet out. The buds are full and about to burst but they probably have a week to go before they open. Then this morning driving to work, I saw these trees in chock full of snowy white blossoms and I realized they were locust trees. This was confirmed at the library where the locust tree there in full array was sending out heavenly smells. It's like lily of the valley crossed with chocolate chip cookies. Later I realized the tulip trees are also in bloom. My concern of course was for the bees. I always thought of them as pollinating flowers but of course they visit the tree blossoms as well. It's a question of looking up and realizing that there is a whole world of blossoms above the garden. The horticultural world from the honey bee's viewpoint.

Turtle Walk

An ordinary walk on a day that vacillated between threatening skies and hot muggy sunshine yielded a special surprise. We hadn't expected to see box turtles for a few weeks. They are extremely shy creatures and usually don't appear until all traces of cold and damp are gone. And if we do find them its usually after extensive searching in the tall weeds. But there they were in the middle of the path in the act of making more box turtles. It seemed somewhat pornographic to photograph them but in the interest of science. . .

Bee Day!! (Really an A Day)

The rains of yesterday gave way to a brilliant sunny day perfectly suited for opening up the bee hive. They were busy as their name implies and intent on building out the wax comb. The queen was easy to see because she has a blue mark on her. There are larvae in the cells so everything is happening according to plan.
I also managed to get all the tomatoes transplanted and the cucumbers and squashes planted which would have been the highlight of the day last year when we were more horticulturally focused. Now it's all about the bees.

Our Chickens Can Speak Crow

"The Bee's Knees" is a term indicating excellence - the highest quality.
Because bees carry pollen back to the hive in sacs on their legs. The allusion is to the concentrated goodness to be found around the bee's knee. Thank you internet- the answers to all of life's many trivial questions are only a google search away. And now that knowledge is no longer trivial to me- being in the beeing business so to speak.

On these clear windy days, there are red-tailed hawks soaring overhead throughout the day and when they do the crows let all of us know. Now sometimes they make lots of cawing sounds and the chickens go about their business and other times they make what sound like the identical cawing sounds and the chickens run for cover. So I have come to the conclusion that chickens can understand crow. Do you suppose it is mutual? When chickens carry on, can the crows distinguish between "there's a huge predatory bird flying overhead" and "there's another hen sitting in the nesting box where I want to lay my egg."? Now there's some information you probably can't find on the internet.

We Are The Bees' Knees

Don't know where that expression came from (note to self-look it up)but it feels right. The bees arrived last Saturday in somewhat wet and muggy weather. More precisely my package of three pounds of bees arrived in South Salem along with about 500 other packages of bees and we drove over to pick them up.They sounded really pissed to have been in that small box for a few days. They were confused and thirsty so prior to putting them in their new home, we sprayed them with sugar water which calmed them down. Rodney came over to help, thank god because opening up the queen's box and prying off the cover was a challenge since it was covered in bees and it is hard to grab onto the little box and not squish the bees. Then the big box went in and we put on the top and walked away. They have been drinking their sugar tea and they have located the honeysuckle bush which is in full bloom so I think they like their new home. And no wonder because the air is full of the perfumes of May- honeysuckle, viburnum and dogwood float like the dogwood blossoms upon the air.