Flowers on the farm

Usually when you purchase a property that someone has lived on for several years there are some established perennials. Daffodils, forsythia, lilac, tulips, or something. This was not the case with our property. There was not one single flowering (or non -flowering) perennial on the place. So when Mother's Day rolled around this year and the kids asked me what I wanted, I told them flowering perennials. Well, the oldest came through for me. He got me a really nice climbing rose and helped plant it by the garden gate. Now it is in full bloom and looks beautiful! I smile every time I look at it. Somehow, it makes the farm seem even more like home. Maybe because my mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother always had lots of flowers in their yards and always took such pride in them. I guess that's why it was so important to me. It's not just the beauty of the plants themselves - it's the sense of tradition and home that I associate with them. Sometimes a rose is not just a rose...

Peace

Ducks to Water

Whoever came up with the saying "took to it like a duck to water" obviously didn't have Indian Runner Ducks. Yesterday we decided to "release" the ducks and let them free-range during the day so they could swim in the pond, eat bugs and grass, and do regular duck stuff.
I had envisioned them going right into the water and happily splashing around first thing. Well, that was not the case. When they discovered the water, they acted like they were afraid of it. They ran back and forth along the bank quacking nervously for 15 minutes before they would even drink from the pond. Then, when one accidentally wadded out too far, lost it's balance and had to SWIM, it absolutely panicked and flopped around for several seconds before it realized that it could float. This caused all of them to panic and run away from the water. Seriously! It took them an hour before they were all in the pond and then they never got more than 5 feet from the bank.
Only we could raise ducks that are afraid of the water!

Peace and happy swimming