Three Weeks and Counting

I know this is a little cliche' but time sure does fly when you are having fun! We cannot believe that there are only three weeks left until our Barn Event and Sale! We have been crazy busy around here getting everything ready and it looks like Mother Nature is following suit...albeit a little early.

The daffodils are flowering in all of their glory along the old stone wall.

The magnolia is budding beautifully even though everything around it is still wearing their coats of muted browns. Except for the ivy which never wears anything but it's resplendent coat of green. I find these changes that occur every year without fail nothing short of miraculous. 

With the soil never freezing fully we have been able to get a huge jump on the vegetable garden. The beds are all ready to be planted and many seeds are waiting to show their heads in the warm sunshine of the past couple of weeks. 

I love this trellis that my son Christopher built with a friend. Last year I built a tee pee type trellis out of the same bamboo...one lasted the season, the other ended up in a heap of twisted vines in the dirt. I passed the job on this year!

I cannot wait for the cucumbers to wrap their growing tentacles around this baby! Unfortunately, with gardening, as with many things in life...the best laid plans...

We all know how that one goes.  

As well as my trellises not serving their intended purpose last summer our crops were severely depleted by the deer. After 4 summers of staying out of the garden fence, they attempted it and were rewarded by all of  our hard work. In one night, they topped off every plant in the garden except the okra. Once they have tasted a ripe tomato, I am sure that they will be back for more! Any suggestions?

We have more to do outside in the warm sunshine but at night we have been busy in the barn. I wanted to give you a peak at a couple of the handmade items that we are putting the finishing touches on.

Here is a chalkboard that we made out of an old decorative molding piece. All we have to add is the tray for the chalk.

We made this one out of an old gilded frame.

Lots more to come so stay tuned!