The high today, 102. Thunder and hopefully rain. Thunder storms early this morning and a bed full of dogs.

Thunder, lightning, dogs in the bed and that all equals NO SLEEP!!!

I never had a dog that was scared of storms. And the ones we have didn't start out scared. It just kinda started slowly. It is funny but also pitiful. Nothing helps except to put them in the bed. Then we have free vibrations for most of the duration of the storm. I'm not one who likes to be crowded. I don't even like cover on me. So with two dogs laying on me and shaking,  makes for a miserable night.
We desperately need the rain. So I guess I will just have to get over myself and endure, for the dogs sake.

Wild Turkeys

They love to peck my tomatoes and move on.

Sunflower patch  near the Tennessee River.

Same patch

I would love to see this from the air!!

IT RAINED!!!! Not very much but it RAINED!!
Nor a drop for almost 3 weeks. Everything is brown and crunchy.
A lot of trees will probably not make it. Three years in a row of low rainfall and everything is dying.
I keep waiting for our well to go dry. It can't keep pumping much longer.

We lost about 50 HUGE Oaks this spring from high winds because the roots were so shallow from no rain. It breaks my heart to loose them. They have been around a long time.

Hay is scarce and corn crops are stunted. Food will be going way up again. This is happening all over the country. Everybody will be paying more for what does make it to our shelves.

With our little shower the temperature went down over 20 degrees in 10 minutes. WOW! High today 102.

I will never complain about winter again!!!!

Sugar Sweet Cherry Tomato

 The garden is still growing but gets drier every day. Watering is not the same as "mother nature" or as time efficient. It is very discouraging to put the time and work into getting a garden out and then the weather takes over.
But that is what you endure to grow your own food.
I shudder to think what our grandparents had to put with.

Right now, we are fighting a ghost pest. It is targeting our green tomatoes. We find 3 or 4 laying on the ground every day with little bite marks or holes in them. We thought it might be deer because you can see in the dirt around the garden where they had their square dance the night before. But we also have lots of wild turkeys that stroll by the garden every day.

Then there are turtles, rabbits, ground hogs and squirrels. But I never thought anything would eat a "green" tomato. They haven't touched the ripe ones yet. Now that I've said that, they will probably start in on the red ones!!

Crab Apples

Yellow Squash

Grape Tomato

Green Tomatoes

Black Raspberries

The raspberry plant are new this year. I am trying to grow food of any kind. Raspberries are high in vitamins and fiber so we will give them a try.

Tomato patch

Muscadines

Hemlock

March 13

 Before and after of back yard

April 13

March 13

April 16

Before and after of front yard

Spring Favorites

Tennessee Iris

Fresh Strawberries

OK
It went from fall to summer. Everything is blooming and the sneezing has begun.
BUT, I love it.
Onions are planted, lettuce and mustard is in the ground and everything wild is doing its "thang"!

Bleeding Hearts

Bluebells

Blueberry blooming

Crab Apple

Lemon Balm

Pansy

Strawberries

February 26, 2012.
Who would think it would be 60 degrees at this time of year?
Not me! I just keep waiting for "winter' to fall all over us. This is not the typical winter
in Tennessee.

I'm not complaining, mind you. I love to get outside anytime possible. I just keep waiting........

The trees are blooming, Forsythia is smiling, of course Buttercups are yelling "hello", Hyacinths peeking and  the birds are singing so beautifully. Who wouldn't love this?

It makes me feel hopeful for the world. New beginnings for all. Life renewed.

Now, if I could just get into the garden............

OK. It has been like late Spring and then it goes "frigid" for 2 days. The animals and plants have NO idea what is going on. I am confused myself. This just ain't right. 

Snowing right now. Then it warms back up to the 50's the rest of the week. This ain't right. 

What is going on?

O.K it is cold as a "mother-in-laws" heart. 19  degrees is COLD!!!
Spring, where are you?!