Ana's Birthday

We spent a day down at the Farm celebrating Ana's birthday. It was very relaxing but very humid and hot on the back deck. We grilled garlic chicken and cabbage and made potato salad. Ana and her daughter Nini brought Khachapuri which was made even more delicious with this paprika butter Tim made. Tim's mom made homemade Tiramisu which was amazing. It was so humid and hot on the back deck trying to grill, add the smoke from the grill and the heavy metal band music from a party in the park nearby was a little much. Much better being inside and sharing a meal and desert and opening birthday gifts. Happy Birthday Ana!!!

HRM

Not only are the flowers gorgeous this year but the ferns are really great as well. So many to talk about the most amazing is our Royal Fern. It is almost as tall as I am (5'6") and quite full. It looks kind of prehistoric but lush and sumptuous. Very excited.

Bovina Farmers Market

Friday evening and nothing in the fridge so we decided to go check out the local Bovina farmers market that happens on Friday afternoons. It had been a rainy day so they moved the vendors into a barn. It was so much fun. We bought dinner from a woman selling italian subs and pasta - great subs! We bought vintage handkerchiefs, cookies, donuts, Bovina tote bags and bread pudding - we were hungry! There were cute corgi puppies for sale and we caught up with a couple old neighbors that were selling their wares. So much fun. A definite must now for Fridays!

Lake George

We decided to go up to Lake George with my Uncle Jack and explore Lake George. My Mom and her family used to vacation up here in the 50s and 60s and I have never thought to explore it. We decided it would be a great thing to do with my Uncle Jack who lives nearby and he is from there originally. It was a gorgeous day and the boat was lovely - champagne brunch and panoramic views of the water and homes and hillsides. What a beautiful place. We had no idea how gorgeous it was. We spent a couple hours touring the lake on the brunch cruise which initially seemed weird but it was actually quite nice. After the lovely boat ride, brunch and tour we went for a drive and let Jack reminisce about his childhood living there most of his life. We definitely loved it and will be coming back real soon. My Mom would love that we were here.

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Spring Flowers

It has been a fabulous spring with all of the flowering shrubs and bulbs really putting their best foot forward. Beautiful rhododendrons, azaleas, irises, and amazing peonies. So beautiful.

Turkey Lurkey

We were in the process of replacing a crabapple tree that died and Tim was digging the hole for the new tree. I was nearby working on some fencing and Tim stood up and said "something hissed at me?" I asked if it was a snake and he said no and I walked over to the berm that he was working in to investigate. He said "there is a feather under the bush.". We had this cluster of yellow cypress shrubs that circled the base of the old crabapple. I looked down and I could see plumage through the branches. I asked Tim if it was a grouse and he didn't know. I went and got a pitchfork and started to nudge the plumage. Suddenly, it hissed at me as well and I looked further and it was a female turkey who had decided that this was where she was going to lay eggs. The shrubs are at the corner of our house that we pass by constantly. We had already gotten most of the hole dug and the tree was fairly expensive so we had to get the tree in the ground. I nudged the turkey some more trying not to hurt it. She hissed at me and finally moved out of the shrubs. It walked away and we didn't see it for a few hours. We were worried that she wouldn't come back and nest as a result and felt guilty about it. Later that day, we were sitting in the back yard eating dinner and all of a sudden this huge butterball of a turkey comes flying out of our back woods and over our heads and the roof of our house going towards the front yard. It freaked us out but we were glad that she was back and wasn't going to neglect the eggs. There were 11 eggs in the nest. She stayed in the shrub for the next few days. I forgot at some point that she was there and I walked into the front yard and she jumped out of the shrub and hissed and chased me down our front yard and driveway. It made me very nervous. I am watching too many videos of crazy attacking turkeys. She stayed there a few days and then disappeared again. This time she didn't come back. We felt bad but it was really a terrible place for her to nest and we tried to avoid her walking around the opposite side of the house but that wasn't enough.