5/21/26   The time is always ripe to do right.

Partly cloudy, an ENE breeze, 48 degrees.  Partly cloudy today, a strong NW breeze, high 61.  Clear tonight, a NW breeze, low 30.  Mostly sunny Friday, a strong NW breeze, high 67, low 42.  Partly cloudy Saturday, a light north breeze, high 69, low 44.  Cloudy Sunday, a brisk south breeze, high 64, low 45.  Some showers Sunday night and Monday.  An east breeze Monday, a high of 58, a low of 48.  Partly cloudy next Wednesday through June 4th.  NW breezes, highs in the seventies, lows in the low to mid fifties.

    The weather forecasters don't know this is the end of May but the birds do!  There are very few coming to the feeders.  Loads of hummingbirds, they were flying inches away from me when I was filling the feeders.  Implanted red and blue salvia in front of the get to gather room window.  There are lots of blooms on the red salvia. Today I'll plant red, white and blue petunias in front of the salvia.  Yesterday I dug out grass and the creeping charlie that was invading the petunia's place.  Next will be red, white and blue petunias around the flagpole.  The new solar light for the flag came yesterday, it is in the window charging.

Even with the wind I used bug repellant yesterday.  The black flies crawl in behind my hearing aids!

    We let the backyard grow for Mabel.  There were lots of dandelions, she choose to eat them first.  I'm glad, less dandelion seeds  blowing into my  containers, raised beds and flower beds.

    Potatoes are planted.  Peas are next.   They should have been planted a while ago but there are only so many hours in a day. Customers come first.  Beets and carrots need to be planted too!

   May your day be blessed, Sally

 5/20/26  You cannot change yesterday or begin tomorrow until it is here.  So the only thing for you and me is to make today as good as it can be.

Clouds, a south breeze, 68 degrees.  Cloudy today, a high of 84, a south wind.  Partly cloudy tonight, a NW breeze, low 44.Sunshine Thursday and Friday, strong NW breezes, highs 61 and 67, lows about 40.  Partly cloudy Saturday, a light NE breeze, high 69, low 43.  Cloudy Sunday, a stiff SW breeze, high 66, low 46.  Perhaps some showers Monday, a light SE breeze, high 59, low 51. Partly cloudy Tuesday through Wednesday June 3rd with brisk NW breezes.  Highs in the seventies, lows in the low fifties.

  Today's wind will help with the black flies.  They are hungry and trying to make up for lost time. The swallows are happy.  Lots of food just as their eggs are hatching. It will also evaporate more water from the garden pond.  We'll add water today and leave the hose so we can add more.  Everything we plant is mulched.  Lots of soaker hoses are being planted with the vegetables.

  There are still enough birds to enjoy watching them but far fewer than a week ago. It is reassuring that they are finding natural food  and I'm glad to not be buying so many  sunflower seeds.  Now I'm buying sugar for the hummingbirds!  Suddenly we have a lot of them.  The blossoms are starting to open on the chestnut tree.  I'll be removing the remay that is protecting my flowers from the wind and tomorrow night's cold.  There are some blossoms on the bleeding hearts.  Soon they will have lots of natural food.  The oriole singing for a mate has found one.  She is  small, she doesn't look strong enough to be a moma.  I hope they do ok.

   It is time to water.  Looking at the forecast, that will be the first job in the morning.  Bekah is glad so many plants have left so she has fewer to water.  It still takes her hours to get everything watered.

   May your day be blessed, Sally

 5/19/26  Today is a good day to have a good day.

Sunshine, there will be some clouds, possible afternoon showers.  A strong WSW breeze, high 85, low 64.  Partly cloudy tomorrow, a west wind, high 84, low 43.  Partly cloudy Thursday, a NW wind, high 60, low 39.  Partly cloudy Friday and the weekend. highs 69, low 43.  A NW breeze Friday and Saturday, a brisk SE breeze Sunday.  Showers Memorial Day, a SE breeze, high 56, low 49.   Partly cloudy Tuesday through June 2ed, highs in the mid to upper seventies, lows in the low to mid fifties.  NW breezes.  

    We got lots done yesterday. We used up the mulch.  Maegin called to order more, the mill isn't making it now.  So today I look for another source.

    They hope to finish planting potatoes today.  We are thankful the soil is as wet as it is.  The wind helps with the blackflies but it is drying.  First we were going to have thunderstorms today and tomorrow, now it's just questionable showers today.  Thursday night has warmed up to 39 but we are still watching closely.

     May your day be blessed, Sally

 5/18/26  To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow. — Audrey Hepburn

We have moved up to moderate drought on the map.  However all the rain and thunderstorms that were in the forecast this week have been deleted.  We'll continue to put soaker hoses in our rows.  Cloudy today, a SE breeze, high 63.  A few clouds tonight, a SW breeze, llow 49.  Partly cloudy tomorrow and Wednesday, highs in the low eighties.A brisk SW breeze tomorrow, low of 67.  A west wind Wednesday, low 42.   Sunshine Thursday, a strong NW breeze, high 60, low 38.Mostly sunny Friday, a strong WNW breeze, high 68, low 43.  Cloudy Saturday and Sunday. SSE breezes, highs 71, lows 53.  Cloudy Memorial day, a south breeze, high 64, low 49.  Cloudy next Tuesday, a SW breeze, high 68, low 52. Possible morning showers next Wednesday, a brisk west breeze, high 71, low 53.Cloudy next Thursday with morning fog, a brisk NW breeze, high 74, low 52.  Partly cloudy Friday the 29th and the weekend, NW breezes, highs about 76, lows about 53.  Maybe some showers Monday June 1st, a west breeze, high 76, low 54.

    The orioles and cardinals have been here for breakfast.  One of the orioles has been singing for a mate all day the last few days.  Not as many as last year but we have quite a few hummingbirds now that the females are here too.  Yesterday's wind meant that I kept the waves wrapped up in remay.  The hummingbirds have been going in the greenhouse.

    Yesterday's wind blew a tree on the power line, Which made a transformer catch on fire. Which caught a tree on fire.  Thankfully the Bradford fire department got there quickly and put it out before it started a wildfire.

    Onions are planted, potatoes are next in the main gardens.  My few potatoes are planted, onions and strawberries are next.  I'll be covering them with remay to keep the dandelion seeds out.

     May your day be blessed, Sally

5/16/26  This weekend, let your garden do double duty as your gym.

Sunshine, 52 degrees.  Sun and clouds today, a high of 77 with a strong WSW breeze.   Partly cloudy tonight, low 58.  Partly cloudy tomorrow a NW wind, high 74, low 44.  Partly cloudy Monday, a brisk SW breeze, high 69, low 51.  Partly cloudy Tuesday, PM thunderstorms, high 81, low 62, a brisk WSW breeze.  Partly cloudy Wednesday, a stiff SW breeze, high 83, low 51, PM thunderstorms. Partly cloudy Thursday and Friday, stiff NW breezes, highs 62, lows 41.  Partly cloudy next weekend, highs 68, lows 43 and 46.  A NW breeze Saturday, SE breeze Sunday.  Cloudy Memorial Day, a SE breeze high 67, low 49.  Some showers Tuesday the 26th, a SW breeze, high 70, low 49. Partly to mostly cloudy the rest of the week, NW breezes, highs 72, lows about 53'
   You probably don't think of weeding as a workout, but Welsh researchers measuring oxygen uptake found that digging, raking, and weeding land in the same zone as brisk walking and tennis. And here's the kicker: people typically garden for about 40 minutes longer per week than a typical workout, because there's always one more thing to plant, prune, or rescue from squirrels.  A cross-sectional study in Scientific Reports found daily gardeners are 43% less likely to report anxiety or health problems, and newer research points to immune-boosting compounds released by the plants themselves.

   I didn't get much done yesterday because I had to renew my driver's licence.  A two hour and twenty-five minute wait.  It didn't take me long once I got to the window.  Then I stopped at Sam's, the store was packed, I had to park far enough away to get lots of steps in.

    Five grosbeaks haven't gone north yet.  We seldom see a chickadee or bluejay, they've headed to the woods.  A pair of nuthatches have their nest right outside the window in the horse chestnut tree.

    So many things I want to do outside I'm not sure where to start.  I do know any flowers I plant today will be wrapped in remay to protect them from tomorrow's warm wind.  I have a few plants I will harden off the traditional way.  Setting them outside for a few hours and then bringing them in for 4 or 5 days.

    May your day be blessed, Sally

 5/15/26  Have we have forgotten how to be good guests, how to walk lightly on the earth as its other creatures do?

Clouds, 51 degrees.   Cloudy today with a slight chance of a shower,a NE breeze, high 61.  Some clouds tonight, low 48. Partly cloudy tomorrow, high 75, low 57. a strong SW breeze. Mostly sunny Sunday, a strong WNW breeze, high 73, low 43. Partly cloudy Monday, a brisk west breeze, high 70, low 50.  PM thundershowers Tuesday, a stiff SW breeze, high 86, low 61.  PM thundershowers Wednesday, a stiff SW breeze, high 81, low 51.  Partly cloudy next Thursday through the weekend.  Stiff NW breezes Thursday and Friday, highs 61 and 64, lows 42.  WSW breezes on the weekend, highs 69, lows 44 and 49.  Partly cloudy Monday the 25th and Tuesday 26th with possible morning showers , highs 69 and 74, lows 51.  Partly cloudy the next three days with brisk WNW breezes, higa 75, lows in the low 50's.

    Since I now share the egg refrigerator with milk and yogurt there isn't room for all the eggs. This winter I stored them under the hoosier cupboard.  When it warmed up this spring I put them in the garage.  Tuesday night a critter found them.  The eggs the critter ate had an opening in the top and the egg sucked out, nice and neat.  The eggs it knocked on the cement  floor to get the ones he ate were a mess to clean up. Bekah has seen a possum a few times so that is who is getting the blame.  There won't be any more eggs, room has been made in the refrigerator.

    Potatoes are cut up.  The cut edge is drying over, they are getting little sprouts, the weather forecast says there are some good days for planting.  Kaleb planted the red rhubarb for me.  I dug the dandelions I missed last fall out of my strawberries. As soon as I see a dandelion going to seed I'm putting remay over my raised beds.  Last summer the wind dropped dandelion seeds in them and I think everyone germinated.

    Little League and T ball have started,  Jordn and Chairia coach, son Mike coaches and umpires.

    May your day be blessed, Sally

 5/14/26  Let us never stop giving our appreciation and praise to our Creator.

Misting, 46 degrees.  Cloudy today with a strong SE breeze, high  63.  Showers this evening, overnight clouds, low 48.  AM showers, some afternoon sun, a NE breeze, high 63. low 46. Sunshine Saturday, A strong west breeze, high 75, low 55. Partly cloudy Sunday, a WNW wind, high 76, low 44. Partly cloudy Monday. a west breeze, high 67, low 47. Partly cloudy Tuesday, a stiff SW breeze, high 86, low 60.  Thunderstorms Wednesday, a west breeze, high 75, low 49. Partly cloudy nxt Thursday and Friday, a Brisk NW breeze, highs 64, lows 44.  Cloudy next weekend, showers Sunday, brisk WNW breezes, highs 66, lows 46.   Partly cloudy on the 25th and 26th, NW breezes, highs 67, lows 49.  Cloudy Wednesday the 25th, possible showers and Thursday the 28th,WSW breezes, highs 68, lows 51.

   It isn't very pleasant for outside work but it is calm.  There is too much to do to let the mist stop us.  We're looking forward to this weekend.  The warm temperatures will probably bring out blackflies but  the swallows are hungry.

   I made butter yesterday, it is already turning yellow because Mabel is on grass.  There is plenty of grass, she stayed out in the pasture for the first time last night.

   I bought some Canadian red rhubarb roots,  The variety is hard to find and expensive. It is all red and sweeter but not as robust as the common rhubarb. It will be planted a long way from our hardy, dependable old fashioned Victoria rhubarb.  I'm hoping it will put out seed stalks next year.

   May your day be blessed, Sally