Saturday, May 2, 2009

Spring and green...


If you have never been in Iowa in the summer, you would never believe we were ever this lush and green. This is the grass in my orchard area and I don't always mow it weekly. Sometimes in August this would be brown and spotted with dead looking areas and pretty sad looking. Some of our summers, like last year it rained every two weeks. But eighty degree weather is not unusual for us all summer and a lack of rain can be common also.


I am sure this is a common sight throughout the states, but ferns have been a common plant around older houses. They were probably planted years ago in the early nineteen hundreds. Abandon farm homes and vacant farm sites will still have ferns coming up strong this part of the year.


I didn't have the heart to mow the violets in my yard. I have spots of grass that are now longer than others and that is fine with me. I can mow it next week with they are finished blooming.


I have the one neighbor who makes lolly pop trees but my other neighbor has this flowering tree that he doesn't like. I remember when a former owner got that tree for free at a bank give away and it continues to mature and bloom beautiful red flowers every spring. I go over and give him a pep talk once in a while to explain how we really enjoy this tree and he continues to say that he wishes it was gone. I tell him that he would miss it and so far it is still standing. Thanks for reading....
By the way!
After looking at this blog I noticed the picture of the leaning building behind the tree. I thought I should explain. That house on that property was a funeral home probably seventy or more years ago. They have a newer garage and the leaning one use to be the carriage house for the funeral home. It had storage above it and of course that it is it's original siding. It is quite a piece of history and I am sure there once was a barn next to it to hold the horses that pulled the carriages.

3 comments:

Erin said...

Our neighbor to the west has ferns growing between our houses and we can't stand them! They're so thick, that I'm always thinking that a snake would LOVE to hang out there...and then get into the house, so we mow OUR half.

And I'd love to have a flowering tree! Your neighbor doesn't know what he has!

L. D. said...

Yes, I have to mow mine back all the time. I saw my first snake yesterday while mowing. It was a large garter snake. I am getting use to them but not my favorite creature.

Erin said...

I got used to (as much as one can) garters, but I'll NEVER be OK with bull snakes. We had a few out in the country and they would go after you if you got too close - always without knowing.