Last Weekend In April On The Farm

On Saturday April 30th, we went back to the farm, to talk with the owners. As always I took my camera and got some great shots. Things were really greening up, and there was more in bloom. The pictures skip around the yard quite a bit.

This looks like an apple tree to me. It's over on the north side boundary line between the farm and the next lot—which as it turns out, we are also buying. Apple trees tend to grow horizontal branches, pears are more vertical.

Another possible apple tree on the north side, it doesn't appear to have much for blossom buds. Got to get those vines out of there.

Out behind the block building, the fence is falling down, and will need to be replaced. There is a bit of a drop off there, that it protects.

A shot of the back of the barn.

A windstorm blew those doors off the far end of the barn, and took the old TV antenna off the house too. Dunno if those doors are salvageable, but we will secure it with something and rebuild them later. Stuff happens! Saw a couple swallows flying out when I rounded the corner.

Nice shot of the north side yard by the road, with things in bloom—here a magnolia (I was right!) and forsythia. 

The crabapple tree between house and barn is all budded up. 

Daylilies on the south side of the ell that will be blooming in summer.

A shot of the field across the driveway on the south side. Everything has been greening up, and new leaves are popping out. 

The garden is just begging to be planted. 

I caught a grackle sitting in the brush by the pond. 

That magnolia is magnificent in bloom. I'm excited to finally have one. 

This one has a bush form and a lovely rosy blush on the backs of the petals. Most of the magnolias you see up here are more like trees and they have big shrimp pink cupped flowers. These petals twist and curl more too.

The plant is just loaded with them. They have a carefree elegance to them that I just love. 

The creamy bone color of the inner side of the petals makes a nice contrast. These are really holding on the plant better than the big ones, which tend to shatter quickly. 

A nice shot if the north side of the house, taken while standing a bit downhill and somewhat behind the barn. The house is on a knoll by the road, and so sits high and dry above most of the other buildings. 

Looking over from by the house toward the old office trailer, which we are keeping. That will be my 'writing retreat' where I can get away from the noise and bustle of the household, and be able to think. Handy to the garage, it has electricity, AC, heat, but no running water. I'm told it was purchased in Vermont back in the early 80s and hauled here for that purpose of getting the office out of the home. It makes it easier to do business, or in my case, write without constant distractions.

This is the little dwarf pear tree on the north side of the house, all budded up. 

Looking up and across the driveway to those pines by the road. The garden lies along there. 

The rhubarb seems to be doing well!

This is the south side of the main part of the house, facing the driveway.  The second entrance is hidden behind the holly bush, and that tall plant is a white lilac.

I believe this is a dwarf weeping crabapple (could be a cherry) across the road, planted on the shoulder strip. There were three of them, all in bloom, this is the medium height one. 

A starling in a budded up but still bare sapling by the pond. The day had really started clouding over by then.

Whatever those little trees are across the road, they are pretty!

A shot of the white lilac right by the house. It used to be a much larger bush, but had to be cut down when they put on the roof and then new clapboards. Ungrafted and tenacious, it bounced back.

The promise of lilac blossoms to be. Just goes to show you that no matter what comes through in life and mows you down, you can always spring back, as long as you have roots and resilience. 

Hope you're having a blooming good week too,
~Nancy