It has been cool and windy in central Oklahoma this week. It didn’t rain this week but we could really use some here. We went to the farm on Wednesday to check on the cat and the garden. Everything is looking good but the weeds are trying to take over. We weren’t able to get much done since it was a weekday. We will go back this week to do some serious weed control and a final planting before summer. My boyfriend got us another hydrangea, and I am starting to think he really likes them. This our fifth hydrangea and this one is different because it has dark purple leaves instead of green. I think it is called Eclipse. Many things were blooming this week including peonies, coreopsis, daisies, irises, alyssum, and the first sunflower. The roses are also starting to bloom. The blanket flower, larkspur, coral honeysuckle, primrose, and clematis are still blooming. The nicotiana in the ground at the farm is starting to bloom but the one I planted in a container on my apartment balcony is not. I also saw the first malva zebrina flower and it was smaller than I had expected it to be. I saw an eastern cottontail by one of the rose bushes. I saw some Indian paintbrush flowers for the first time by the fence. These bring back memories of my grandparents’ farm and my childhood in Texas. They are beautiful but hard to start from seed because they’re hemi parasitic. I also saw lots of interesting mushrooms this week at the farm. I wasn’t very busy at work this week and I had time to make Greek lemon oregano potatoes. I was able to use some of the fresh oregano from the farm and it tasted delicious. I did some drawings this week but I didn’t paint much. I drew a birthday card for my sister and a Mother’s Day card for my mom. I am also sending them some gift cards for Walmart and Starbucks. I hope that they will enjoy spending them. I saw a new baby squirrel this week on my apartment balcony. It is shy but I hope it will get used to me. My boyfriend has decided to build me an area for my squirrel feeding. I’m looking forward to seeing how it turns out.
Lisa Ledbetter 