First week of May on the farm

The tulips are nearly done so now it's lilacs and viburnum for the table.

Yes, it's FLAT!

Janine and I drove up to Wisconsin to pick up our packages of bees.  That's a total of 12 pounds of bees riding in the back of the car with a few loose ones, too!

 

Fern fiddleheads unfurling by the barn.  

The days are packed with adventures and chores.  Everywhere I look, I see ten projects that need to be tackled but there's time to enjoy the beauty around us.  Kenji has become my bee helper and Anne is worth two or three of me when it comes to working in the yard and garden.  Today she and I planted a bunch of lilac bushes that Mark and Janine had gifted us.  Pete and I also went to Ottawa to the DMV and proceeded to take up a huge chunk of their time with getting our licenses and registrations.  There was a steady trickle of people in and out of the DMV office but everything was calm and friendly, not more than four or five people there at a time.  As we were leaving we met another lady who had just moved to the area from LA.  Then a quick stop at Farm and Fleet (ag store) to look at mowers and a peep at the baby chicks and ducks they had in stock.  I'd just ordered my new poultry this morning so although I was tempted, we didn't come home with any new critters.   

It was a stunningly beautiful day and we meandered across country roads.  We can drive for miles and not meet another vehicle.  Later this afternoon Janine stopped over with a tub of herb plants, thinnings from her garden that will be so welcome as a start to our herb garden.  She also brought a big bag of fresh rhubarb that will be transformed into strawberry rhubarb pie, rhubarb custard pie and rhubarb coffee cake.  

The lilacs are in bloom everywhere and the fragrance is heavenly.  I can't get enough of it - it smells like home and spring.