Hello summer!

 Summer has taken it's sweet time to get here this year.  It was one of the coldest and wettest Mays the northeast has ever seen!  Consequently, we spent almost the entire month of May sitting in and looking out.  Chad had to rush out any time the rain stopped and mow the grass before it got wet again.

 For me, all the cold and rainy weather meant that the ground stayed so soggy that I couldn't get out and start my garden.  It has been a real struggle for me, as I'm usually out in April, planting peas and onions and potatoes.

 But May wasn't all bad.  We got to finally see what color our rhododendrons out front are.  The one under the kitchen window is a small leaf rhododendron, so it bloomed earlier, and it's a very soft and lovely pink color.

 

 The one under the living room window is a large leaf rhododendron, the kind that's more common, and it's a lovely magenta color.

It also currently has a momma robin living in it, literally a foot right outside the window.  The kitties are having so much fun watching her.  Just yesterday, her eggs began to hatch!

On nice days, we like to go spend time by the cabin.  Chad has been keeping it mowed really nice.  Not long ago, the honeysuckles were blooming all over the valley, and there are pretty pink ones by the cabin.  I sat in this spot one day and just daydreamed.
 

 

The fields are full of buttercups right now! And just beginning to come out are the daisies.

 

 We had a small break in the rain earlier in the month, so I got out and revamped the front flower boxes.  The perennials were already there, just covered in weeds.  The one in the middle looks like a fall phlox, and the plants on either side are something tall and purple, maybe salvia?  We only briefly saw them bloom last year, so I guess it's a surprise!  To fill in a little, I stuck some pinks all around them.  

I also managed to get out and do my initial shallow tilling early in the month, before the fields were very tall.  But then it rained and rained, and I think it took me an entire month to get back to it!

We had a three day window this week, where it was going to be very warm and also dry!  So I decided to wait until the very last dry day and get out to till.  Unfortunately, we had very bad air quality which didn't play nicely with my mild asthma.  Usually my asthma only flairs up when I'm exercising in cold weather, but I just felt terrible when I tried to work the other day.  

So instead, I finished my little shed garden.  Next to one of the (very shabby looking) sheds, there was evidence of an old garden.  There's a big railroad tie forming a bit of a square, and there were a ton of daffodils there this spring.  I simply cut down the grass and daffodils, put down cardboard, and dumped some top soil and garden soil on top.  I also put my mini greenhouse on one side of the garden, because it needs a wall to lean against, and this is the only one available I could use.  

I planted the rest of the pinks in front, with giant zinnias behind them.  I also put morning glory seeds in the very back, but they got rained on pretty hard today so I'm going to wait and see if they come up or if they got washed away.

In the mini greenhouse, I always plant my sweet peppers.  This is the only way I have ever had luck growing peppers, as they need a lot more heat than I can normally give them here.  I've had this greenhouse for about 10 years now and it's doing great!

Yesterday, I got up at 5:30 to get working on the veggie garden.  I had to hurry because the rain was supposed to start in the afternoon!  By 10:30, it was as done as I could get it.  It's not perfect, and really could have used a lot more compost and time to dry, but I'm trying to be patient with myself this year.  I accidentally tilled the space too big, but I'm going to roll with it.  There are three wide beds now, 4 feet wide by 20 feet long.  The third unplanned bed is going to be a pumpkin patch!  
 

 Chad and I got out tonight and pounded in the four corner posts for the fence.  We had to sink them 2 feet deep to make them sturdy, and I was afraid we would hit rocks or something.  But nope, they sank right in and had no rocks at all.  There were also no rocks when I tilled!  It's very silty and heavy, but that's something I can work on over time.

And of course, the kitties have been loving it here.  The birds and bugs and good smells keep them pretty happy, and they get to go for walks at least once a day.

 

 Unless it's raining, of course.

The air is so sweet here.  It smells good and clean, and Chad tells me that it smells like we're camping!  It reminds me of going to all my favorite swimming holes when I was a kid.  And just this week, we got our first fireflies!  At first there were just a few, but last night there were probably a million.  They look like snow sparkling on a sunny winter day.  

 There's a lot to do out here, but I'm so glad we moved!