Blooming this week

So many flowers! It seems like every day something new is in bloom.

Had one of these azalea's at the old house and killed it.  It smells absolutely wonderful.

Love tradescantia especially after I read about John Tradescant.

This is a beautiful double flowered azalea.

Left my iris at the old house so happy to find these.

The rhododendrons are blooming nicely.

I always wanted one of these bridal veil shrubs. Now I have a few.

And this wild phlox is scattered around in multiple places.
I can't wait for the peonies to start blooming.  I have no idea what colors they are.

Old photos of our new house

The woman who lives across the street from our new house was born in this house before it was moved down the road.  She and her siblings were raised here and when she was newly married her parents gave her the lot across the street.  She and her husband built their house on that lot and raised their three children there.
They gave me a page of copied pictures of when the house was moved.  It looks like a happy crew working hard.  It's great to see the early origins of the house.

In the photo above you can see the original cabin in white on the right side of the picture.  I think the window is in the same place today but the door was where a corner cabinet is now.

The happy woman in the foreground is our neighbor's mother.  This is the back of the house which has since had additions added.  The double window was over the back kitchen counter top.

It was really wonderful to get a copy of these pictures.  I love seeing the progress of the house through time and can't wait to add our own progress.

Friday Favorite- Lockset

With all the work happening at the old house I have to keep reminding myself that soon we'll be able to start on the new house.  The scale of the old house did not lend itself to the changes I really wanted to make to my living space.  Tall, narrow schoolhouse windows just can not be made to look 17th or 18th century no matter how hard you try.  The new house's bones are much more suited to the look I want to achieve.
While shopping at the Fort Frederick 18th Century Market Fair last month we bought this lock:

This is the outside knob.  Just a simple wrought iron knob.  The amazing part is the inside:

I am not sure where we will use this latch, but wherever it ends up I will be happy just looking at it.  It was made by a blacksmith at or near Prickett's Fort in West Virginia.  The mechanism is very cool.  Every time I walk by this lock I am reminded of all the interesting things we have planned for the new house. 

Blooms and Birds

The blooms and the birds have gone crazy around here.  It's hard to get very good pictures of the birds, but here is a decent one of the Rose-Breasted Grosbeak that comes to visit regularly.  His mate also comes fairly often, but she is much harder to get a picture of.

We saw our first hummingbird on Saturday so the hummingbird feeder went up yesterday.  We have been visited multiple times by one or more Ruby Throated Hummingbirds.  We have three different kinds of woodpeckers, mourning doves, finches, sparrows, nut hatches, blue jays and a very pretty bird today that could possibly be a Baltimore Oriole.  We'll have to get a better look if it comes back. The cats are happy with all the great programming on kitty TV.

But the flowers and shrubs are the real story.  Everything is blooming like mad.  The rhododendron have just started, but the azaleas are amazing.

The tree peony is at its peak.

I almost forgot the wisteria!

The lilacs (I have white lilacs! Who knew!) are just about past their peak.

Pink Lily of the Valley?!? I don't think I ever saw pink.

Even the blueberries are blooming like crazy. If half of the blossoms become berries we will be set for the entire winter.

And the wildflowers are getting in the act too.  The buttercups have beautiful swaths through the fields.

And there are more flowers in bud getting ready for their big day.  Can't wait!

Beltane

A lovely Beltane day here spent working in the garden, checking on the new turkey poults, and listening to English Country Dance music.  And to top off this Beltane I harvested ramps from the woods and cooked them in a pasta sauce for dinner.  Next year we need to have a space for a bonfire.

It seemed appropriate that the apple tree and cherry tree buds began to open today and the turkeys hatched.  Spring is amazing right now.  Here are some pictures:

Turkey Poults!

After waiting through most of April while two of our turkey hen sat on their eggs we finally have babies!

 

At last count we had ten poults, but its hard to really count because they hide under mama's wing.  

And there are still more eggs to hatch out! Hopefully they will be good moms.