Sunday Ramblings

43 this morning, and chilly all day. Rain in the night and morning but now clear, sunny and windy. And cold! We are supposed to have a low of 38 but will probably be warmer than that on my hill. The green is incredible right now though, even though it is chilly out. This is the first part of our driveway, which is about a third of a mile long in total.

Would you believe we were in bed by 9pm last night?? That's not unusual for Larry, but pretty much unheard of for me. I guess I was just worn out from not sleeping well all week. We didn't wake til 8:30 this morning. Crazy!

I worked inside mostly today, since it was not nice out. I also did some cleaning behind Larry in the furniture workroom. He is so messy, it just floors me. I have to wonder who he thinks will pick up the tools, hardware, bits of wood and trash he scatters in his wake. I have tried to tell him his mother doesn't live here but apparently he doesn't believe me. It's a good thing I love that man, LOL! 

We are expecting lunch visitors Tuesday, so I did some housework in preparation. Nothing like company to make me do the dreaded dusting. I mopped, waxed and cleaned up my ebay room, and began planning what to cook. Something simple, I decided: homemade chicken noodle soup and cheesy biscuits, salad and I am going to try making a carrot cake. It will be my son's birthday and if he makes it back from a trip he will be coming along with one of our friends. Carrot cake is his favorite so...wish me luck!

I did get outside this evening and potted some tomato seedlings.  They are quite small so won't be ready to go in the ground until early June at the soonest. I have other bigger plants, thankfully, so these will be a late crop. 

Right now I am cooking down pokeweed to pit in the freezer. It must be boiled in 3-5 waters to be safe for eating. It is well worth the effort though.

I have been listening curiously to all the reports about the upcoming Coronation. The last was before I was born, so this is quite an event for the English. It seems that here in the USour inaguation ceremonies and celebrations are getting close to the same, although without all the tradition, ritual and history of the event in England. Being a "young" country precludes that, but I do wish ours had more, well, class. Rock stars and actors just aren't the same as royalty. Not that I want to live under the British form of government! So I should just be content, right?

Tomorrow is Beltane, the first day of Summer by the old Celtic tradition. I think actually that's nearer the mark because by June 21 it is high summer here. So remember in the morning to wash your face in the morning dew, and of course, say "rabbit, rabbit, rabbit" for luck!

The view from the porch today. It is ever-changing at this time of year.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Stormy Day

46 this morning, and raining. We had rain off and on all day, some sunshine, and some storms. Higb about 73, and humid.

It was a wild day, storms off and on. We had town stuff to do, and booth stops too even though we were at both yesterday. Mostly though it was garden things we needed to get....more potting soil for my planters and pots, carrot seed, seed wheat for a cover crop on the garden we are letting rest, etc. 

I have been trying to soldier through either a very bruised or broken tailbone, the result of coming down hard on concrete after tripping over my sandal. Add that to the broken toe from a few weeks ago (from dropping tbe top of the paper shredder on it) and as you can see, life hasn't been as fun as it could be. Fortunately tbe toe only hurts if I wear certain shoes, and the other is fine if I am standing,  walking, or bending. It's just sitting or lying down that causes problems.

But since it is garden time, there's naught to do but keep on keeping on, right? Thank goodness I am a tough old broad! And pain or not, I am so enjoying this beautiful time of year.

As we have all heard,  if you're gonna get old, you better be tough. True words there.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Skywatch West Virginia

47 this morning, rain predicted later today. I spent all day yesterday in my flower gardens, putting in some new plants given to me by a friend, stringtrimming, and planting some of my planters. Also tilled the new rose garden again and put in one rose bush, called Ebb Tide, a lovely dark purple pink with a heavenly fragrance. Two more bushes should complete this little garden. A David Austin yellow rose should arrive soon but it will go in a different space as it is a shrub rose and will get quite large, according to its description.

For today's skywatch, a couple photos, one taken last Friday on my ridge, and one from nine years ago, taken at a local lake.

Linking up to Skywatch Friday. Be sure to visit there to see beautiful photos from around the world. 

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Catching Up

34 this morning, with patches of heavy frost. Some area had a hard freeze, but we were lucky to suffer no frost damage the last three very cold nights.

Finally a few minutes to write. We have had a very busy time since I last wrote so this is a catch-up post.

Let's see, where to start? I last posted on Saturday morning, I think. We left home just before noon to go to the Capitol Market in Charleston. It was a dual purpose trip, as we arranged to meet Larry's twin sister and her husband there for lunch. We had a nice visit, and I came home with, um,  a few plants.

The market was hopping, a very happy place to be.

We stopped in Ripley for a light supper and soon learned that it was prom night. Pictures were being taken on the courthouse lawn and elsewhere. What a pretty sight, all the young ones so dressed up. And at the same time, a group taking wedding photos

Runaway bride?

We spent Saturday evening visiting friends and stopped to see our son at one of his favorite hangouts before finally coming home. Sunday we worked on getting this mantle in place in our living room. We hadhad it for sale in one of our booths for a year, and I could just see it on this wall, so home it came.

Later we drove out ourvroad to pick pokeweed,  or poke salad as some people call it. it is one of the most delicious wild greens. We had some for supper, and I froze the rest. To be safe poke must be boiled in clean water and drained 3-5 times before eating, but it is worth the trouble to me.

See all those dead stalks? A strong indicator that there might be some poke growing in this spot. It typically grows where the soil has been disturbed sometime in the past couple years. We missed this patch last year, but therevis plenty this year so we will go back tomorrow to get more.

Monday I did some transplanting in our little greenhouses, then cooked in preparation for friends from Philadelphia who were spending the night on their way to a storytelling festival in Kansas. We had a delightful visit; it has been at least 6 years or more since we were last together! I made potato leek soup, cornbread, tossed salad and a fruit salad. Then we were outside for some firepit time and talked, talked, talked. 

My friend Megan and me. And Buddy, a photobomber of the first order.

After they left this morning we went to another friend's home to help her dig up and thin out her daffodils. We had a lovely lunch and a nice afternoon working in her flowerbeds. 

Then it was home to for Larry to cut grass and for me to plant cabbages, Brussel sprouts and broccoli this cool evening. Tomorrow we will be planting all those daffodils.

So all good things! I do love this time of year, so filled with possibilities and growing things.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Gardens Again

48 this morning, cloudy and raining. We were glad to see the rain, it was much needed after a hot dry week.

Well, back to my favorite topic today. You know, it seems that I have reverted back to my original love, gardening. After years of working, becoming a librarian, then a storyteller, these days the thing that I most enjoy is my gardens. I have no drive or ambition anymore for any other purpose. I love our booths and that part of our life but the gardens are my soul. Funny how many people seem to go the same way in their later years.

So Here's a look at this past week.

This is the volunteer Columbine, apparently seeded from the one plant I bought last year. It has found a home in a tiny crevice between the stone wall and the sidewalk.

This the beginning of my new rose garden. I dug it up and will give it another dig before more plants go in. There are already 3 roses in here.

The clematis has bloomed. This vine is at least 25 years old, but because of the shade from the maple it has never gotten very large. Still, it soldiers on.

An herb garden is going to go in here. We are fighting back a honeysuckle on the fence, which killed the rambler rose. We cut back everything around fence and will keep cutting it all summer.

Another project in progress. I need more pea gravel to cover area between mulch and path. 

New iris bed i planted last fall is doing all right, if I can keep the dogs out. Dogs and gardens: the struggle is real.

The large bed by the drive is doing well this year. I use a mix of blood meal, bone meal and wood ash as fertilizer on my gardens.

Ummm, yeah, this is one of the new irises. You can see where my dear old yellow lab has been lying down. So I put in a stake in hopes of discouraging her. Linking up with Floral Friday! 

My veggie garden. Larry's is one you might just be able to see a former of on the upper right. We both work in them of course, but I tend to do most if the work in this one and he does the other.

The old apple in full bloom. This is a Rome apple.

And the younger apple, its bloom almost over. I believe this is a winesap.

A beautiful day in the neighborhood, and a candidate for Skywatch Friday, I think? Linking up so go check out all the great photos there.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Road Trip: Third Covered Bridge

56 this morning, clear and breezy. Right now it's 84. I planted 3 rows of lima beans and 2 of Tenderette green beans, our favorite. Larry is planting early corn as I write. I tilled a new herb garden and rose garden, now just need plants to fill them. We tore out a dead rambler rose and cut down daylights to get at the insidious and invasive honeysuckle that was taking over that area. Still more work to do there to get rid of it but it's a start. I also spread more mulch and lime, pulled weeds and generally stayed busy in the gardens until just now.

But back to the covered bridge, the subject of today's post. This one was very sad.

This, I believe, is called the Knowlton or the Long covered bridge. And long it was, at 192 feet. About a half of the bridge is gone, leaving only the supports to show where it once ended.

 

By the time we reached this one it was raining pretty steadily. Larry elected to stay in the van while I took photos and got soaked.

O wonder if there are any plans to restore this sad bridge, or if it will be left to continue deteriorating? 

Along our route we noted 3 former General stores, a testament to the days when the area was more prosperous and populated. We also saw several former one-room schoolhouse either in disrepair or converted to other use, and one abandoned high school. Below are photos of two of the old store buildings. Can you just picture wagons coming across a covered bridge and pulling up to one of these stores? Ladies in bonnets, gents in black suits and hats, coming to stock up on coffee, sugar, fabric and other essentials? Perhaps they traded eggs, butter, and other produce for their shopping.

This one showed more recent innovations, like lights and a place for gas pumps. 

We saw many elegant old barns too, but again, a lot of them were no longer in use or falling down. Traveling this road was like stepping back in time in some ways, with so many relics of the past. We saw many signs of the big oil and gas drilling activity that once brought hundreds to this area,  although today most of the wells are inactive.

But there were modern farms too, lush hayfields and fat cattle.  So while some of the old ways are gone, life goes on, just in a different way.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Road Trip: Covered Bridges 2

38 this morning. Brrr.  But clear and bright, looking to be a gorgeous day. 

We continued on Ohio Route 26 through Wayne National Forest to the next covered bridge along the route, the Rinard Bridge. I wonder how that is pronounced? I give the accent on the second syllable, which sounds a bit French. But local pronunciations tend to simplify, so likely it is pronounced RYE nard. Like the town of Rio Grand is RYE o grand. 

This bridge, come to think of it, is actually quite grand. I have not found information on its length, but it was quite a bit longer than the first bridge, and both wider and taller.

The bridge spans the Little Muskingum River, which has a history of flooding. The bridge was destroyed by flood not long after it was built, and again a few years later. Then stood until 2004 when another flood took it out. The bridge was intact however, and plans were being made to re-install it when a second, larger flood occurred just a few months later, destroying the bridge that time. Not to be deterred, the local population and the State of Ohio immediately set about rebuilding it, using many of the original timbers, as well as tbe original design.  The bridge was closed to traffic in 1991 and a replacement modern bridge was built beside it.I am not sure if the reconstructed bridge was ever used for traffic. So this covered bridge has quite a history.

We noticed two interesting features. First, the flooring is installed on the diagonal, which would add to the strength of the structure. 

Second, it had window openings! And the view from them was just beautiful.

I think this looks like framed art.

Until next time!

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Road Trip: Covered Bridges

46 this morning, cloudy, windy and showers off and on all day. Not a good day for gardening, so why not take a little road trip?

I had a doc appointment in Parkersburg,  about 50 miles north of here, so we decided to combine that with a drive to see more of our neighboring state's covered bridges. Ohio has over 120 of these historic structures! We chose to seek out three in Wayne National Forest, just over the river from West Virginia.

The first was the Hune Bridge, built in 1891.

All three bridges we visited were closed to traffic.  Probably a good thing, to preserve them. But I do wonder if this disuse is allowing the state to allow the bridges to deteriorate since they are no longer vital to traffic flow? At this bridge, we could see that the issue was that the foundations were washing out. Not a cheap fix, but definitely repairable. 

There was a sweet little camping park by this location, and here I found a literal plethora of wildflowers.

Wild phlox

I don't know this one, do you?

A hillside covered with Dutchmen's Breeches

Rue anemone

A view up the road, bordered by wild phlox

Trillium. These were everywhere.  We did not see any of the rex or yellow varieties however.

Closeup of the Dutchmen's Breeches

And of course, sweet violets.

Another antique spotted in the area!

We had packed a picnic lunch but the weather wasn't fittin', as the oldtimers used to say. So we ate in the car before venturing on.

More next time!

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Weekend: News That Isn't

55 this morning, clear but now in mid-afternoon  we have had a big downpour.  I am glad I got out in the gardens this morning to weed, plant, transplant, string-trim and mulch a bit. So much still to do! I love this time of year.

This is a bit different view of our house, looking from Sarah's cabin road. You can see the big upturned stump where we built a rough bed for some blackberry plants this week. We will do something better soon, this was just a make-do with what we had on hand.

We walked up to her cabin site to get her some photos of how it looks in the spring as she may not get back in time to see it. So pretty.

And coming back down the hill to where her road intersects with ours.

I spent most of yesterday finishing our taxes. I felt very much oh-poor-me too because it was a glorious day  but procrastinators must suffer for their feet-dragging! At least I can check that task off the to-do list. 

Friday was booth day. We got our Ripley location ready for the mall's big first anniversary celebration by adding some new things and rearranging a bit. I met a sweet younger customer while there who bought several things from our booth. I also met the new director of the town's Convention and Visitors Bureau. I was glad to meet her, as I wondered how they would ever replace dear Mike Ruben, aka "Mr. Ripley". You may recall I wrote about his passing a couple months ago. He is sorely missed, but it is good to know the town has been able to hire someone who will, I hope, have the same love of community as Mike.

After Ripley we restocked at Ravenswood.  It takes longer there since we have 5 spaces, and I needed to take out the Easter decor. Here again, we did some rearranging to freshen things up. It is surprising how often just moving something from one place to another will prompt a sale. We came home to spend some time by the firepit after supper, and to visit with our friend Jeff, who planned to bebout here early Saturday for the start of turkey season. He later told us that he called up 5 gobblers but didn't get a shot at any of them.

Larry has been repairing a rabbit hutch, getting ready to bring home some rabbits this week. We are looking forward to another source of meat, and especially to their droppings, which are just excellent for gardens.

So that's what we've been up to. Nothing exciting. I will leave you with a few photos from our booths. 

At Ripley:

And at Ravenswood:

See you next time!

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.