This Week at Iten's Acres: Green May 26, 2014

Green. That is the dominant venue at The Acres this time of year. There are a few iris--not many, it's been a down year. And there are a few clumps of columbine. Some white and red bachelor's buttons in the wild area.The stones in the rock garden are draped in bluish-purple periwinkle. Other than that--acres of green. (Oops, forgot the yellow flag iris in the bog.--and it's staring right at me. Duh.) Not that the green is all one color. Myriads of shades and leaf shapes, and plant heights make the green wildness gorgeous. By the end of the week, the daisies should be blooming and before long the day lilies and Siberian iris will add their colors to the palate that is summer time at Iten's Acres.
I did, of course, force myself to go to Baker's Acres so the house is surrounded by planters filled with annuals. They will be my companions until fall, growing more and more glorious as the days pass. Sometime this week or next I should get my yearly pallet of wild flowers from Prairie Moon Nursery. I love planting those--naturalizing is one of the primary directives of The Acres. And what could be more serene than a delivery from Prairie Moon Nursery. Love that name. This year I've ordered wild flowers that appreciate the shady and dappled shady areas of the place--as well as a few lovers of wet, boggish areas.
I spent a couple days this week Riding the Acres. With teaching I've not been able to mow except on the weekends, and the weekends have been wet. Ergo: the grass was very high. Had to double cut in some areas. If I had waited another week, I could have sold it for hay. Of course, I and the mower may have very well disappeared into the wilderness never to return. I do love the mowing though. Time
for introspection and reflection. Time to rejoice in my addiction to pathitis. Time to just sit for awhile and watch the bluebirds feed behind me. Sadly, the air corps of barn swallows sat this one out. Hopefully, they will escort me on future ridings.
All in all, a lovely time at The Acres.

Yes, of course, you may be green with envy. I will forgive you.

Today at Iten's Acres: Timber!!! May 11, 2014

Interesting surprise when I arrived home at The Acres. A huge tree collapsed right next to the cave. Fortunately it was impeded by the lovely white pine right next to house, and ricocheted a little to the left. As it is, parts of the top of the tree are right up against the house. I assume that without the protection of the pine, I would have a tree in my house. It either happened just before I got home or the poor Homesteader has been in panic mode all day. When I came inside, her tail was in puffed up I'm paranoid mode. She has since relaxed. I guess she figures the old man is already too far out on a limb to be frightened by tree attacks. Guess I shall have to go shopping for a tree removal company. Alas. The joys of owning a cave. To be honest, I would just leave it there if it wasn't messing with my lovely pine.

Walking Iten's Acres: Legacy May 11, 2014

Mom left me a legacy at The Acres. Myriad of iris from her place. And day lilies galore.. A lifetime supply of phlox. Wild ones, too. And a rose, a lilac bush, a red bud, a dwarf conifer, a cedar, a couple Rose of Sharon, a dogwood, some grape hyacinth--even some of her violets made their way here from South Carolina. A few, I'm sure, could trace their way back to St. Louis. And--it's only fitting--more Love-in-the-midst than you could ever count. The rock garden was her idea. The white iris bed by the pond as well. Yes, it's always Mother's Day at The Acres.

Walking Iten's Acres: Time May 4, 2014

There is never enough time to do all the things that I would like to do here at The Acres. And as I walk, the list grows. I did mow the back of the property yesterday afternoon, added a couple new paths in the wild area, still mowed the paths I intend to allow to return to wildness--I have some flowers I want to put on those paths before I let them go; helping out nature, so to speak. I also "rearranged" one path to give some daffodils and wild hyacinth some safety from a concentration lapse by the chubby old mower later in the summer. Oh, the wild strawberries are here! The robins will be happy. They have discovered that there's a little fruit in the food I throw out for their winged confederates and have been joining the morning feed. Now, they can get their own.
There have been several surprises so far. One redbud finally bloomed so I'm hoping that the others will just be late. The roses that I thought were vortexed are coming back. Perhaps they will even bloom later on. At least, they have survived. Looks as if there will be a nice (small) batch or two of trillium. The May apples are are going to be a "bumper crop." As I mentioned yesterday, the daffodils are at their peak--five hundred blooms at least. And such colors and variety. Marvelous show. Where's Wordsworth when you need him? The best news of the day? The iris that is usually the first to bloom has a bud. But wait, there's even better news. While walking today I came upon an iris in the wild area that will, no doubt, be blooming by tomorrow or the next day. It's never bloomed before--the first real surprise of 2014. It looks as if it will be some kind of yellow beauty. At least, it has yellow in it. Hopefully, I will be able to show you a picture next Saturday on This Week at Iten's Acres. Let's hope some voracious creature doesn't stumble upon it.
All in all, The Acres are on their way to a lovely 2014 parade. I will be doing a ton of walking I assure you. And, as always, maybe even a little of the work that needs to get done.