Not About Eggs

Sometime this past week, i managed some sleep, and consequently inspiration (adequate sleep can do that to you) and did an experiment with boiled eggs.  I took pictures, prepared to blog, and then had utter failure and decided my imagined post would be really boring with these results.

SO this post is not about eggs.

I know.  You're relieved.

This is a post about humble ambitions.  Ironic.

One of my humble and unrealized ambitions is to be an excellent gardener.

Gardening is a subject that utterly fascinates me - and often confuses me completely.

When it comes to things with heartbeats (cats, dogs, chickens, rabbits, husbands)....well, i wouldn't say that what i have on animals is a handle, exactly, but i can be reasonably sure that i can take a heartbeat-containing creature and have better than 80% success at keeping it alive regardless of how much it rains or how the drainage is.

I have learned that vegetable gardens are not entirely my strong suit (yet), but after some limited success with trees, i am encouraged.

Almost exactly a month ago, i wrote this post, about planting my Arbor Day flowering tree-lets.

And i posted this map of my property and where i planted what.

On the following map, i have made some changes.  One of the goldenraintrees was .... mysteriously disappeared, possibly due to overly curious heartbeat-havers.

And two of the redbuds by the creek simply did not ever leaf out.  HOWEVER, all three dogwoods, one of the redbuds, both remaining golden raintrees, and the only crapemyrtle, are going great guns.  Woohoo!  They are tiny, but they are definitely alive and growing, and i am very pleased.

Also, last year, we planted 4 fruit trees:  2 peaches, one lone star orange, and one mexican lime.  The heavy rains and our mis-directed drainage - together with the abnormally cold winter - managed to kill all 4 trees.  We were absolutely devastated.  I had actually re-homed two dogs who threatened those trees.  I really wanted those trees!

This week, delightfully, i have discovered that the lone star orange tree is not dead.  It looked dead, but suddenly, it is growing new green shoots and beautiful citrus leaves.  Woohoo!

Then, my dear friend, Meredith, gave me one of the branches from her amazing fig tree after it was pruned recently.  We had heard rumors that these could easily be propagated by planting the branches in the ground,  so i did a little reading and decided to try it out.  I planted fig tree starters in three places today (which will be indicated on the map), and i am very hopeful.

While i was out digging holes and whatnot, i discovered another tree surprise.  A small magnolia tree that my husband transplanted last year - and that had appeared to die completely - is also coming back with one beautiful pink bud on a very pathetic stem.  I thought he was going to cry when i told him.  

We may have a little too much emotion invested in our trees.....not sure.

Here's the new map.  Again, you'll probably have to click on to bring it up in a new window so you can actually SEE it.

Oh, since i have puppies and chickens and not fences, we have taken care to put chicken wire cages around all our baby trees.  Experience yields greater wisdom - well, sometimes.

Besides all the tree success, my garden, which consists of 2 survived gerber daisies, one stevia plant, and a transplanted iris, looks lovely - even if it is sparse.  I'm pleased to have living things (non-heartbeat things) growing and thriving in spite of chickens and dogs.  It feels like a miracle.  My chickens dustbathe in the garden every day but don't seem to bother the plants.  Yay.

Beyond that, it's Saturday, so i'll just share some sweet farm eye candy with you and wish you a beautiful wonderful day.

Here comes the eye candy.

Flourishing tiny Crape Myrlte.

Bunnies eating oak leaves.

Magnus, the new rooster, taking his girl for a walk through the flowers.  They're so sweet!

Extraordinarily tiny egg next to two normal eggs.  It weighed in at 0.6 ounces.

A normal large chicken egg weighs 2.1-2.4 ounces.

Freshly washed dishes in farm house dish drainer.

Beautiful (in my opinion) bouquet of wild flowers i and the munchkins picked in my yard.

Born again orange tree.  See the beautiful new green growth?

And munchkin foot.  

Minimus.  The chicken, who when thought a male Buff Orpington was known as Magnus.  When it was discovered that "he" was not a Buff Orpington, "his" name was changed to Minimus.  Also, we're pretty sure "he's" a girl.  These things happen.

If she had any knowledge that you existed, i'm sure that Minimus would wish you the loveliest of days.  And i do too.