Hiking

Over the weekend, we took a break from the craziness that is life & went for a hike with my parents. We drove to Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area & hiked around the game lands for about 2 hours.

Mom found this cool tree. If I were smaller, I would have tried climbing in!

It wasn't an overly strenuous hike, although there was some hill climbing. Mostly, it was just nice to be out in the fresh air to clear our heads & refresh for the upcoming week.

The view from the top was decent - it would have been much better on a clear day! The guide book said that when we reached the top there was a log bench to rest & take in the scenery. It truly was a log "bench" - a tree fell over & someone decided to leave it there for people to sit on. :-)

About midway through the hike, we came across the ruins of an old building (the chimney was still standing!) & this crumbling spring house. We could actually walk inside & see the water that was captured.

Part of the hike was on the old trolley rail bed. The ties had all decomposed, but the path was still full of rocks & very flat & straight. It followed the stream, so we enjoyed listening to the water & watching it flow.

We're hoping to make these Sunday afternoon hikes a permanent thing. Since we haven't been getting away as often as I'd like, we can at least bring the getaways closer to home!

Any recommendations for an interesting hike in the Harrisburg/Lebanon/Lancaster area? We're up for some new hikes!

Sprouts in the Garden

It's garden time again! I planted several types of seeds about 3 weeks ago & they're starting to sprout.

I'm super excited about all the blossoms on our nectarine tree (see above). They're pretty & they mean we'll have plenty of fruit. Last year, a lot of our nectarines were eaten by squirrels, so we're going to be proactive this year. Not sure how yet, though!

I planted about 4 rows each of yellow & red onions. They're showing their green & looking great. Only a handful haven't sprouted yet.

The rhubarb has taken off in the last week. The bulbs were slowing bursting with green & then BAM, full growth! (Ignore my finger in the pic...oops!)

This is the first potato that sprouted through the ground. I was so proud of myself for digging down to plant them deep, until the Bup reminded me that he & his brother had just added that compost, so it was nice & loose. :-) He usually does the digging, so he was still happy to have me do this part.

The snap peas are my favorite to watch grow. They start as little green stems popping out of the ground, & then they unfurl into mini-vines. They're really taking off, so soon we'll need to put in a fence for them to climb.

I tried planting mustard greens this year for the first time. They are doing well & soon I'll need to thin them out. I also planted spinach, mesclun greens, kale, swiss chard, & butter lettuce. Lots of little baby leaves are popping up.

Last up - broccoli! I tried starting some by seed inside last year, but it was too late, so when I planted them outside they died from the frost. This year, I planted a row outside right away & they're growing nicely. We'll see how they do as it gets hotter. Mom already claimed a few of the seedlings when I thin them out.

Inside, we started eggplant, purple basil, jalapenos, bell peppers, & tomatillos. The bell peppers never sprouted, but the rest are doing well. Our biggest problem now is trying to keep them away from Tink. She loves the dirt & playing among our plants, so right now we have them in a makeshift greenhouse by the side door. The warmth & moisture from being enclosed is making them grow like crazy, but soon they're going to outgrow the box. I don't know what we'll do then!

Have you planted anything yet? How is it doing?

Easter Lambs

Cuteness: Look at that face! So precious.

Pain: We met this lamb on Easter at my grandparents' farm. It got trampled by the other sheep & has an injured leg, so it has to stay up in the barn.

Kindness: They're bottle feeding it since it's been separated from its mom.

Joy: It is the sweetest little lamb! It hobbled around & kept moving to the sunniest spot it could find.

Bright & colorful: Mommom's tulips were in bloom & they're gorgeous!

Stinky: Digging manure. They filled 2 bags for our gardens.

Beauty: The barns, so big against the blue sky.

Spotted: All the sheep, strewn about the pasture.

Lost & found: Another lamb, almost left outside overnight, was rescued & brought into the warm barn.

Lesson learned: This is the best way to enjoy lamb on Easter. Just look at those adorable faces! And for your viewing pleasure, available for purchase, is this.

Happy Easter!

May your day be spent surrounded by family & friends and may you always remember the true meaning of Easter!

New Growth

In early March, before we left for Florida, I planted the first seeds for our 2012 garden!

We could barely see anything before we left, but in the short time we were gone, everything took off.

Above: sugar snap peas...I think they're the prettiest of the bunch!

Onions!

And more onions! I bought a scoop of yellow & a scoop of red onion sets. It only cost about $1 at the store, so I thought I might not have bought enough. But no, I have some leftover after planting enough to fill half of a garden bed.

The rhubarb came up all on it's own! I guess that means I should finish off the last 2 packs in the freezer from last year...

 

Baby mixed greens. I can't wait to have lettuce for days. Mmmmmmm!

Not shown, we have baby jalapeno pepper plants growing inside. Mom also started tomato plants for us & they're growing quickly. I can't wait for all the fresh veggies!

Spring Has Sprung

A few signs that spring has sprung!

Rock Movers

Last weekend we went up to my parents' cabin and helped build a rock wall.

As you can see, there are a lot of rock walls already up there. Really, there are a lot of rocks and making walls is the best way to keep them in line. It seems like everywhere you turn another rock is popping up.

Before my parents even bought the property, there used to be a barn yard that had a rock fence around it. It had already fallen down before they got to it, and it was in a field that was rarely used. Since they built the new cabin, it's now in the backyard.

We cut away the weeds and worked on moving the rocks to re-form the wall.

I was in charge of hauling the cart of weeds and brush down to the opposite end of the yard. I can't even describe to you how wet my feet got. It wasn't raining while we were working, but it had rained that morning and the ground up there is perpetually wet anyway. The water from the grass seeped up my pants all the way to my knees.

I love seeing my dad and husband work together. It makes me so happy to see them getting along and growing closer. They really do work well together.

I helped line up the front stones and keep everything interlocking. There were a few times when Dad said that Grandpap and Uncle Sisto were probably rolling over in their graves. They were both very particular about building with stones and taught Dad and his brothers a lot about it.

We made it to the end of one side and stopped for the day. After moving rocks for 4 1/2 hours, it was time for beer!

The cornerstone.

Can we go back again soon?

Our Garden: Part 3

Look what Mom gave me!

This pot held about 20 bulbs, which I planted in 8 different holes.

I like to wear gardening glove to keep the dirt from underneath my fingernails. There are 2 problems with that. First, I don't have long or well-manicured fingernails to be protecting. Second, my $1 pair of gloves promptly ripped at the fingertips, making them useless. I wear them anyway.

I kept digging and digging but it never seemed deep enough.

I'm determined that next year we'll have more daffodils in spring than we did this year. This was our only one and it hid it's face behind our mini rosebush.

Our gardens have a lot more green than last time I showed you.

I planted cauliflower this year for the first time!

The snow peas are getting bigger. We put up a little fence for them to climb and they're so close to reaching it.

The radishes are really taking off. They love this sun and rain. I can't wait to eat them on salads but I still won't eat them by themselves. The memories of Dad feeding me one from the garden and it being so spicy my mouth burned for hours haven't quite gone away. And don't you laugh at how crooked my row is.

Next to plant: tomatoes, more lettuce, and peppers!

In case you missed them:
Our Garden Begins

Our Garden: Part 2