Sorry for such a long absence of interesting news...
What's new? Well, in short, 10 new bee colonies in a beautiful spot we hollowed out for them in the trees, a grown-up and much better behaved Cardigan Welsh Corgi (yes, our little Runway has stopped destroying everything he can reach and has ceased his thieving raids on the neighbors), and the surprise addition of a new resident. Meet Bacon, the Farm Pig. (NOT a pet pig - I think we all know what that means.)
I know, I know - she's cute now but certainly won't be for long. We're actually pretty excited about raising our own organic pork. Looks like I'll finally be getting that new freezer I've wanted. It's really the ulimate in recycling. A quote to consider:
"A peasant becomes fond of his pig and is glad to salt away its pork. What is significant, and is so difficult for the urban stranger to understand, is that the two statements are connected by an 'and', and not by a 'but'." - John Burger
With 16 (!) bee colonies, we've also planted about an acre of buckwheat and some extra wildflowers for them since we are FINALLY getting a decent amount of rain this spring. The bees are really loving our blackberries, both the wild ones and the ones in the garden. We'll be swimming in honey before you know it!
The vegetable garden and herb garden are off to a lovely start. To my existing thyme, rosemary, and oregano, I've added some new lavender plants (since I accidentally killed my giant hedge last year) and have planted some nice new parsley and cilantro. The hubby already has a nice crop of french radishes. My big "McCartney" rose is just gorgeous right now and smells absolutely heavenly. And, oh, the irises:
Ahhhh...springtime in Texas.
Have a great week. :O)
