Sights from around Crooked Acres.
Jericho Romaine. The weather has warmed up considerably in the last few days, and the lettuce is enjoying it.
Red Romaine (and weeds.)
The grape vines (around the back yard) are doing well. Which is good, because our huge muscadine (wild grape) vine died over the winter.
Wee baby apple.
Chickens (and Gracie).
Spirea flowers, up close.
Spirea in bloom.
Blueberry bushes, and Kara.
Surprisingly enough, our Paw Paw trees lived through the winter. I didn’t expect them to (it was a pretty bad winter), but they did. I don’t guess we’ll get fruit this year, but maybe next year!
Down our favorite road is this field, which is just so pretty.
I can’t figure out why Fred is so sneezy these days, though. It’s a mystery!
Primroses are so pretty.
And they grow everywhere around here. I love them!
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Dennis likes to sit in the window on the landing and watch the birds.
He can’t figure out how I got out there!
Livia loves to spend her days snoozing on Fred’s bed.
Dennis, stretching his way out of the pagoda.
If you were tempted to adopt this boy, please be aware that he has excellent ballet skillz.
Tricki and Livia. Tricki is just starting to spend most of her time out of the closet (there’s a shelf in there with a pillow on it where she’s been hanging out a lot. I didn’t put the pillow in there for her (I just set it in there to get it out of the way), but it worked out well for her), and yesterday when I went up to lay on Fred’s bed and read, Tricki came in and sat next to me, and proceeded to lick me. And lick me. And lick me some more. I finally had to make her stop, because it was starting to hurt. Girlfriend is a vigorous licker.
“You needed cleanin’!”
Eyes on the feather teaser.
SO pretty.
Thomas, sashaying in for some pettin’.
“Uh.. yup. Ceiling fan’s still there!”
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Newt, dangling out of the washstand in the dining room. There’s always a cat hanging out in there.
Check out the ATTITUDE on that one!
“Gawd, MOTHER. You’re SO EMBARRASSING.”
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Previously
2013: And Buttercup vacates the scratching post, upside-down.
2012: Hellcats and Hatecats.
2011: No entry.
2010: Maura and the Bookworms.
2009: Beulah and Bessie.
2008: Best. Picture. EVER!
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
Hey! How about that! We used to have a huge draping Spirea in our front yard, hanging over the sidewalk, but no one ever knew what it was called! We figured someone planted it there, so almost on top of the public sidewalk, to keep people from tripping over a pipe that stuck up out of the ground about 8 inches. After having several utility people come by to see if it was theirs or what it was hooked to, we finally pulled it up. It was a pipe.. that someone just stuck in the ground, attached to nothing. So the huge Spirea (had to scroll to see if I was spelling that right!) was split and sent to my mom’s where it’s enjoying spreading out in several areas on her property! Bet you were dying to know all that crap, lol
Newt sure is good at dripping teen-age disdain!
I found it interesting, actually! 😉
hahahaha… Dennis looks SOOO worried but… never fear! Sheriff Mama has her eye on you while you roam around outside!
Ditto. That pic of poor Dennis cracked me up. He looks SOOOOOOOO very worried! Poor baby. Makes me want to grab him up and bring him home.
I loved all the pictures. Your Spirea is sooo pretty! I love Primroses also! I would be like Fred, sneezing up a storm, but that field is oh so pretty!
P.S. That up close pic fo Tricki sure shows that she has kissy lips!
She DOES have kissy lips!!!
Oh, noes – no more muscadines! What will you do when you run out of muscadine jelly! 🙂 Are you and Fred getting any pigs this year?
Luckily, Fred dug up a muscadine vine last year and we potted it. It’s doing well (though it won’t bear fruit this year), so by the time we run out of muscadine jelly (IN TEN YEARS), we’ll have a source for more muscadines. 😀
No pigs this year – the freezer is still full of pork. Probably next year, though (I hope). I actually tried to convince Fred that we should have pigs anyway, since I really like having them around, but he wasn’t having it. I guess that’s only fair – he’s the one who does most of the caring for them when we do have pigs.
Uh, Robyn? You do not need more chickens.
We certainly DO NOT need more chickens, you’re right! 🙂
I was wondering, Robyn, how many eggs do you get from your chickens? (and just how many chickens do you have?) If I wanted to have chickens laying eggs for two adults, how many chickens would I need? And do I have to have a rooster as well to make the ladies produce?? (Sorry, I’m realizing that last question is pretty basic – I could probably find the answer with just a quick Internet search. But I’m lazy and know that you can give me the answer.)
One more chicken…one more cat….who will ever know??
Poor Fred (snort). And poor Dennis – he looks very concerned about you being outside.
Thought of you the other day – a friend posted a picture on facebook of a art sale in her town – there was a booth selling footstools shaped like chickens.
I need a chicken-shaped footstool, so I can pose a cat on top of it. 😀
Oh…I like that idea!
Oh yeah, me too! Robyn, you come up with the greatest quirky ideas!
Oh, that last picture of Smug Newt is so great! It’s funny to find out that Tricki apparently cannot hold her licker, but she’s so beautiful that I’d probably also put up with it until it started hurting.
It started hurting pretty quickly, but she was so happy licking that I let it go on for longer than I would have otherwise. 🙂
We have a lonely spirea shrub by one entrance in the apartment complex. I was appalled to discover the grounds guy clipped it back to a round bush. Yes, it was already blooming. Where do they get these guys for grounds maintenance?
George and Gracie definitely have quite a flock to guard. Sad to hear there will be no pigs this year 🙁
I’ve already told Fred that even if we still have pork in the freezer next year, we’re GONNA have pigs. That field is perfect for them!
I can’t believe they cut the Spirea into a round bush! When we bought this house, I asked for advice on how to trim back the Spirea, and someone told me to just leave it alone. I listened to her, and the bush has been absolutely gorgeous. The only trimming I’ve done is to cut it back where it’s encroaching on the front flower beds. It’s happy, I’m happy, we’re all happy. 🙂
Now you made me curious so I did some Googling. I found this site (of many sites) http://cultivatorscorner.com/pruning-spirea and it was interesting. Also, read the comments. The grounds keeper should have waited till the fall to prune, but it seems that pruning does the plant good (not saying Robyn’s needs it as hers is gorgeous). But if you have a straggly one or it gets too big for the space, then it is a good idea. I need to buy a bunch of land just to put all the plants I love on it. Then I could open a botanical garden!!!! 🙂
Love the pictures of Thomas checking on the ceiling fan. The late, lamented Simon used to worry about ceiling fans, too, to the extent that if one was on, he would sometimes duck. He seemed to think he was a lot taller than her really was!
So.. tell me.. when you coming back to Maine??
I don’t know! Do you need me to bring you some kittens? 🙂
Robyn thank you so much for this Crooked Acres Wednesday !! It is so nice to see things growing and blooming. We just had snow again here in Alberta, Canada !!!! It didn’t last but it is still kind of depressing seeing snow in May.
Sweet Dennis has my heart ! I only wish I could have him as my own ! So many of your fosters (and permanents) are my favourites but a select few have my heart and I wish I could see them in real life !!!
I think that wee baby apple is actually a wee baby pear.
NOBODY ASKED YOU, MISTER.
(Fred really shouldn’t be lurking on this blog anyway!!!) 😉
Nice pictures, and a plant we call the same name! Spiraea is very popular here too and its long arching branches of white flowers are why its also known as the Bridal Wreath bush. It is one of my favourites, however your Primroses are NOT the same at all. Ours are yellow and occasionally flushed with pink in the wild form and in many,many colours as cultivars known as Primula.We also have a long stemmed wild form called Cowslips which are mentioned in Midsummer Nights Dream.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primula_vulgaris
I would be interested to know what your Primroses are and the field of yellow looks like Oilseed rape.
I thought Goldenrod. Hmmmm… Robyn, what is it???
(Just Googled Oilseed Rape. Fields of it are gorgeous!!!!)