Big changes here at Happy Acres!

Although it's still snowing here on the shores of Lake Erie.

A new day dawns...... literally!

Since last posting the pro panels are gone, the trailer is gone, the Boston trip is over and new pots were delivered to Worcester Center for Craft .  

Gone! 

The trailer was the last to go!  

In hindsight I wondered if I would feel pangs of regret as the show stuff was parceled out to new homes.  Nope!  Not one iota of regret.  Money in hand I drove away and never looked back.  It was one of those rare times I knew instantly I made the right decision and probably should have been off the road last year.  A bit scary but absolutely right for me.  

I pulled in the driveway at 2 a.m last Friday and breathed a sigh of relief, the life I have been living for too many years was over.  Turn the page and move along.  April has been the month of transformation and change.  I wanted to make my carbon foot print smaller, stay closer to home, stay in the studio and off the road, stay in the garden and get a few home projects done.  Now how to pay for all this, I have no idea but oddly; I'm not worried.  I'm kind of kicking it to the wind and the wind has answered in amazing ways. 

I am walking daily, have a nice routine to my days that I am loving.  The garden is coming along when the weather cooperates.  Peas are in!  As are the rows of black seed simpson lettuce, radishes, 120 sets of onions, shallots, chard and spinach.  Broccoli will go in this weekend.  Compost is being spread almost daily.  

I have been following other garden sites and everyone is on a tear to get stuff in the ground.  Not so much here,  there is an order to the garden;  pruning happens first and foremost, seeds get started indoors, cold hardy seeds get planted outside as soon as I can break soil and finally the leaves will be raked up and beds cleaned out.  We have gone from 70F. on Sunday to 22F this morning.  Those old leaves are protecting tender roots and new tender leaves.  The garden will tell me when it's ready, panic sets in when I don't listen.  I'm a gardener, not a farmer and not sure how they are surviving during these roller coaster days of Spring.   I also know as the climate changes and the atmosphere continues to become over saturated with moisture the highs and lows will become the norm.  I wonder how much longer the Salinas Valley will have water to supply the United States with lettuce and am thankful for my tiny garden that provides so much. 

There is so much damage on established plants from winter cold.  There are old rhoddys lost, azaleas not looking too good, hydrangeas are already in the compost pile.  All the yews were eaten to sticks by the deer.  Still waiting for a few plants to show themselves but so far not looking good.  All the lavender and blackberries are but a memory and soon to be replaced.  I've already ordered replacements for the empty space; filberts, blueberries and gooseberry bushes for replacements of the dead ornamentals.  As my life and priorities changed so goes the garden......

There is still chard, kale, carrots, romaine lettuce and oak leaf lettuce plugging away in the hoop house, planted last fall.  Enough to eat every couple days.  The hoop house proved to be a wonder last winter and there will be a bigger one next fall.  Maybe one I can stand up in! 

The goose still sits on her eggs on the roof top across the street.  The male has disappeared, very odd for geese who mate for life.  She sits stalwart, through the wind, snow, rain and freezing temps.  Did he abandon her?  Did he succumb to some diabolical end, although no piles of feathers were found.   

This last month on the road I learned this half acre, this place I carved out is where I come to hole up and heal.  Yes, I do love it here.  And yet how is it the person I married, has to leave this place to heal and recharge his batteries.  He needs a beach and warm weather.  How has it taken me 30+ years to figure this out and once figured out am perfectly ok with all of it!   I know this month has been full of insights.