The house gets a new roof

And with it, new skylights! We first need to do a lot of demolition on the old plaster and lathing. The scary thing is seeing all that daylight through the old rafters! Yikes! I'm glad we're getting this done before another winter. So when we're done playing This Old House, it will be time to start in on the winter woodpile. Never an idle moment around here.

John taking down the Rose Room ceiling--what is that crap?

Down to the rafters. Glad I hadn't painted this room yet!

And the bedroom--Looks like it will need a new paint job!

It's a jungle of squash out there!

Our garden in Eliot overflows with squash. The vines are climbing right up and over the potatoes, snaking their way out of the garden into the grass, virtually taking over. Yesterday we harvested about half the turnips--another winner for the fair sits on the truck tailgate, even bigger than our last. The buttercup squash seem to be holding their own against the deer, but the French variety (little orange guys) and the delicata are battling against the damn squash bugs and deer depredation. I'm going to have to come up with a storage solution fast for this batch. Given that it's only August, finding a cool, dry spot may be difficult!

Giant turnip dwarfs the harvest!

Checking up on the Eliot garden--and look what we found!

Giant purple top turnip

The potatoes and struggling against the deer attacks and the spreading squash. There's an incredible amount of greenery snaking everywhere. If the potatoes make it, and the squash and turnips, we should be in vegetable heaven this winter! I put my boots next to the turnip for scale.

The Eliot Tractor Show is next weekend. I hope the weather holds so Dad can bring along the mower. We need to mow out at the barn, and maybe also do a pass around the garden.

Memorial Day planting

Dad came up Sunday to harrow the Eliot Garden. After nearly a week of rain, the soil finally dried out enough. He made numerous passes, setting all the rows, then we let the soil warm up in the hot sun.

We planted 5 varieties of potatoes, 5 varieties of winter squash, and 2 melons. Now, if we can just keep the deer out, we may have an awesome harvest!

I got another driving lesson--starting, and getting all the way into fifth gear. I even managed to put it in reverse--all without hitting anything. Good thing it's a large field.

Callie spent her time lying in the shade, slurping water, and panting--but have a great time none the less.

Another bird for the life list!

Photo by Terry Sohl

I heard a scarlet tanager giving his signature chip-burr call out by the barn. And there he was, high up in an oak tree. Then he flew right over my head into another tree. What a wonderful treat!

Spring wildflowers are blooming

Bloodroot

Liverwort

Mayapple

Seedling flats

The seedling flats are growing nicely. Our bedroom is now the greenhouse, replete with warming mats, lights, and greenery. Some of our cool weather plants will need to go out soon as they are beginning to get a little leggy! If this cold rain every stops (by Friday or Saturday), I can get them outside. But I have to remember, it's still only April! These longer days make me rush to get plants in, yet I'm still lighting the woodstove every morning.

Potatoes arrived yesterday! Yipee!

Hard rain gonna fall

John and I finally got our seeds started on Monday while the mercury hovered around 72 and a hot wind blew. Tomatoes, basil, peppers, eggplant, onion, broccoli, cabbage, and brussel sprouts are on the warming pads and germinating at last.
That night, around 3 a.m., Callie jumped off the bed and began pacing around the upstairs. I thought she needed to go out, but ten minutes later, the heavens opened up, and it poured. Of course, my first words were, "I hope Harley is inside." We've had more rain on and off this week, with more coming. There are still patches of snow, here and there, but for the most part, the white stuff is gone. NOAA is calling for sleet/rain mix tomorrow night :(

Spring Carrot Harvest

I dug up our over-wintered carrots today--a much better harvest than I expected. Some rotted into a gooey mush, but overall, not too bad. The tiny ones will be snacks for Harley.

We need to get our seeds started this weekend. Now that I've removed the concrete blocks from the truck bed, we can rig up our light and mat system in the living room near the woodstove. It's time to get those long germinating, heat-loving plants started. The mercury should hit 60 today, enough to melt the last of the glacier in the garden. The frost went pretty deep, so we still need the soil to warm up before we can plant early cool crops.