Sago Palms, Hostas, and More

We all thought the Sago palms were done for and I had planned to take them up next week.  I have been patiently waiting for new growth to appear after a horrendous winter, but I was tiring of the brown fronds.  Surprise, surprise - New green fronds started showing themselves this past weekend. 

This week we were blessed with Hubby's lilly opening up.  It was a little slow this year, but the blooms are beautiful and more are ready to pop!

This giant hosta was a Mother's Day gift from my son and his family.  It is gorgeous and in the fall I will divide and share.  I love new plants and additions to my little garden!  Still have to get some mulch around this beauty so it will survive the hot days ahead.

The hostas I put in last year have tripled in size and have bloomed also.  Bulbs and tubers really thrive here.

My rosa rugosa is spreading its roots and new shoots are coming up all around.  I am excited that it likes its soil and light enough to expand.  Sorry I don't I have pics to share, but I will post more later.

I fear this is going to be a long process - one more hatched overnight and two more are cracking.  The two that were cracking yesterday are still in process.  It seems the blue eggs (probably a variety of a game chicken) hatching hatching easier than the brown eggs which is logical as the brown eggs have probably been fed a laying mash with extra calcium where the game chicks foraged free.

I have two beige and 1 black.  One precious baby got into the water container before I could get to it and drowned.  So, if 50 - 75 % are expected to hatch, we started with 120 eggs, lost 12 due to accidental crushing or dropping, a hen is still sitting on 6 and 6 are ladies in waiting, then I still have a long  long way to go.

Expect 5 more to hatch today, but that is what I thought yesterday also.  Buying the eggs as mixed dozens, I have no idea what we will end up with, but I must be game for anything or we wouldn't have started this process to begin with. 

It looks like we are pretty close to the normal hatching days as the eggs were started on March 21 and that puts us on day 24.  Thanks for letting me share this experience with you and come back soon for more updates.

By the way, the garden has not suffered as I have hoed and planted while the chicks are doing their thing!  Thanks to all the rain we have had over the winter and early spring, the flowers and plants are flourishing.  I did lose my sago palms, but we had a really nasty winter as far as temperatures and snow went.  My "thrift" is beautiful and I am so pleased that my rosa rugosa came back and is so full and lush.  My asparagus is sprouting its little shoots everywhere and the hostas (thanks to all the rain) has multiplied into large bushy clumps. 

Again, thanks for visiting and come back soon!

Happy reading!
Belle

It's Here

It is freezing outside! So cold that even my demonic animals are inside by the fire (and it has been gong constantly). The wind is sending daggers of cold right through the body making all barriers useless. The promise of snow later in the week brings a smile to my face until I open the door and slide into the frigid air.

In 1984 we hosted a New Year's Eve party in 4 degree weather. Everyone was gathered around the fire and still froze. Worst party I have ever had the pleasure to attend much less give. At midnight, everyone rushed to their warming vehicles to escape the angry weather making it the shortest party ever for this celebration. Strangely enough it warmed up a great deal with the departure of the guest. Believe me cold doesn't always mean snow, so there was no reason to keep opening and shutting the door to "see if it's snowing".

Well, for those of you who think we must have 3-5 days of freezing temperatures to kill the insects - we should not have any bugs, insects or anything else for the next year or two after this weeks temperatures. Do you think it will drive the armadillos south again?

Those beautiful palms that I refused to put in the ground year before last and now in the ground and will probably perish after this front finishes dumping its icy temps. I look for them to jump out of the ground and run back to Jekyll and the warm soil of the coast. I think it will be safe now to prune the trees and shrubs and shape them up for a beautiful spring. Surely the sap raced down the stems to escape the wintry blasts.

My grandchildren are on the way and I am so happy! I will fill their little tummies with good gooey chocolate pies and fruity strudels. There is so much I need to share with them and I will have only a few days in which to catch up and build memories. I so need to see the sparkle in my daughters eyes and hear her joyful laugh.

I know I have rambled a bit tonight. I lost a most important and longtime friend this New Years. I had things to tell him before he left us and so many things to thank him for before asking God to take special care of him. Life was not always good to our friend, but then God knows that and will grant him peace. Hubby and I spent a day in remembrance and thankfulness for our friend - so many years takes a little bit of time - but we enjoyed the journey and we enjoyed the friend.

Thank you for returning to check on me and my thoughts. They will come back together over the next few days and maybe the writing will be more sensible.

Remember, you can't build a future if you live in the past. Move forward, thank God and be nice!

Happy reading!

Belle