As spring arrives, Rusty and I have enjoyed the return of the birds. The first batch seemed to be the robins, and each year they are intent on building a nest under our deck. On their busiest days, Rusty removes a partial nest every half hour. Eventually they give up on our house and move to the neighbor's deck. The red-winged blackbirds are spectacular as they flash their breeding patch of red and yellow, and sound their "conk-la-reeeeeee" trill. Our little bird feeder is perfect for the purple finches, and tiny enough to be unwelcoming to the grackles. The birds also enjoy our new (and thriving) red maple tree. I haven't spotted a meadowlark yet, but I hear them when I'm working in my garden.
And speaking of garden...I decided to install an asparagus bed. It takes a couple of years before there can be a harvest, so I thought it was time to get it going.
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| Tall prairie grasses abound in the area behind our property. |
All of these tall grasses had to be dug out of the future asparagus bed.
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| The roots are thick, entwined, and go down 6-12 inches. |
Once the weeds are removed, the soil needs to be dug at least a foot deep. Then the soil is amended with sand, compost, and good topsoil.
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| I dug two, foot-wide trenches. Then I added a small row about 4 inches high down the middle of each trench. |
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| The asparagus plants are placed on top of the small row. Their roots drape off each side. |
Then the rows and plants are mounded over with good topsoil. Hopefully we will see shoots pop up from the crowns in a few weeks.
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| Rusty says to tell everyone that if he suddenly goes missing, look here first. |
We have ordered a fence for our yard and hope to have it installed before the end of May. This is in anticipation of the dog we plan to get in the fall.
A couple of weeks ago we went to the AKC dog show in Grand Island. We met several dobermans and their owners.
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| Meet Kes. When she is bred, we hope there will be a puppy for us. |
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| Nice show stack! |
The Rape and Spouse Abuse Center in Lancaster county has been in operation for 40 years. They have been renamed "Voices of Hope."
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| Lorraine and I were Chris's guests at the 40th celebration. Chris is a former board member of Voices of Hope. |
Rusty is a very good cook. We usually have fish on Fridays and the last two weeks he has prepared scumptious dinners.
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| Seasoned and crusted salmon, fresh asparagus, baked potato. |
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| Tuna steak marinated in orange juice and soy sauce and then topped with cilantro, rice, fresh green salad. |
Our bike club hosts a Spring Fling ride between Eagle and Louisville. I'm not yet able to ride, so we volunteered to run the sag stop in Louisville.
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| Cold and wet bikers were happy to have a brat and some snacks. |
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| Despite the weather, we had a good time. |
My niece, Sophia Stull, is graduating from Lincoln East High School this spring.
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| Not fair when this old lady stands next to this beautiful young thing! |
We did a test paddle one day when there was almost no wind. I lasted about 20 minutes.
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| It was fun to be out, but I know I can't paddle far. |
For our upcoming BWCAW trip, we are renting a 3-person canoe. Rusty and our guide will do most of the paddling. I'll have the option of paddling, or just sitting back and doing the queen wave.
I'm making great progress with my healing. I can now close the door in the Miata with my left hand, but still need the right hand to reach the seatbelt. I can put somewhat of a ponytail in my hair, but the jog bras need to come off going down, not up. PT continues.
