April Showers Bring May Flowers

APRIL Showers...Bring MAY flowers! Well, it started off with showers this morning. The contrast from today to tomorrow, and beyond is that we are going to be seeing the sun and get up to the upper 50's and beyond. HURRAY!!! This little Junco was the only bird that would sit still long enough for me to take its picture. Had the WHOLE suet cake to himself. The bluejays,cardinals, chick-a-dees, downy and hairy woodpeckers, red bellied sapsuckers,and nuthatches all took flight when the backdoor swung open ...

Pictures for the photo album..."Remember the last Iowa Spring snow on April 3rd, 2008. " Famous last words?

Deer Meat Recall

The Iowa DNR issued a warning to the people in the State that benefit from the HUSH Program(Help Us Stop Hunger). Distribution of donated ground deer meat has been halted until officials get the all clear from the tests being done at the State Hygenic Lab in Ankeny, IA.. Residents of Iowa are still waiting for releases to be made for the charities to begin using the meat again. People with private supplies should not become alarmed and dispose of the meat needlessly. This came after Health officials in North Dakota sent out a recall Wednesday, March 26th. Being tipped off by two Bismarck doctors they x-rayed 95 packages of donated deer meat and found 53 of the packages carried metal fragments. Minnesota, decided to follow the lead of the other two states in temporarily withholding pounds of protein that charity groups depend on to help cover the needs of the needy. It has been pointed out that Iowa hunters primarily use shotguns for hunting whitetail. Our North Dakota, co-horts however are allowed to use high-powered rifles, lead tipped high-velocity bullets. RECALL UPDATE: After testing the donated deer meat Iowa Officials have found only two incidents of a tiny amount of lead fragments. The supply has been cleared for public consumption once again as of April 1st,2008.

Garden Dreams

This is the time of year gardeners are getting a need to play in the dirt...I am among them. Thus the name CDGardens... Last year,I didn't cultivate my deeply ingrained need to start plants from seed. Through the winter the seed offers me the best option of continuing to be productive. To watch life spring forth, mature, and then return to the earth. In the past I used to start seeds way back in January. My kitchen became a jungle as the plants needed to be given more potting mix to maintain its health and continue to grow.By the time spring arrived I was ready to empty out the house. As soon as I placed the plants outside,it wasn't long until they were chewed off by one animal,or another. Then of course I felt great loss,because in just a few days all my work had been reduced to wilted heaps. Eventually, I built some fences to try to keep marauders of all sizes at bay. For a brief moment it worked. That is until the rabbits decided to go over the top of the rabbit wire at the base of the fence in the big garden, and under the gate of the little garden, even with a board across the bottom. You can surely say, "Where there is a Will - There is a WAY." The wildlife aren't doing things to be mean. They are looking for an easy source of nourishment. More times than not, the rabbits would chew the plant mat-erial in two, realizing afterward they really don't find the taste all that appealing. Little critters either smelled or saw fresh greens . BLESS their Pea Pickin' hearts!!! Happens year after year...They have a lapse of memory. My gardening dreams still continue in spite of set backs, because it seems to come from deep within the heart of me - so I continue on with determination. The Farmer/Huntress syndrome?

Spring Time

Spring time ...Guess, I should wipe my glasses off to see if it changes the view. Nope, nope... That didn't change the view any. Still see that white stuff filling the air and covering the ground.

I must be thankful for what we are seeing as far as weather goes. So many people have had to face tornadoes, flooding, and feet of snow in parts of our country. My heart goes out to those touched by recent disaster. I know that fortitude, family, and friends will be the way that the challenges for each new day will be faced. So, now that the picture was taken the snow is subsiding ...maybe even a little melting going on.

Yesterday I was out picking up limbs and raking...

The Joys of Spring!