a man and his hoe

every day is a good day

Author: theMan

  • Apple Blossoms and Magical Shoots

    apple blossoms

    Apple blossoms are so beautiful. It’s a good thing all the fruit trees don’t bloom at the same time. There would be too much beauty to take in all at once.

    apple blossoms
    apple blossoms
    chickens gone wild

    The chickens are having a riotous time with the new spring vegetation. For them, the grass can’t be too tall, the bushes too thick, or the bugs too many.

    chickens gone wild
    chickens gone wild
    hen in the grass
    rooster in the bushes
    duck nest

    The clever thing about a duck is that each day she adds more feathers to her nest to hide it and keep the eggs warm when she leaves to eat and gossip.

    fava bean flowers

    Few people imagine these gorgeous flowers when they are eating fava beans. It is just as well as the flowers would end up in vases and there would be no fava beans to be had.

    sweet potato shoots

    And what are these phantasmagorical shoots? They look magical. The next time you bite into a sweet potato, remember that this is how they start, as bewitching shoots.

  • Where is Kaku 隠?


    We only saw four of the ducks this morning on our way out this morning. I searched through the garden but there was no sign of Kaku 隠.


    But this afternoon she showed up with the others, so I followed where she went and discovered where she’d made her nest, and why I couldn’t find any duck eggs recently. She’s been hiding them in the middle of some tall grass.


    You can barely see her through the tall grass. The next mystery to solve is finding out how many eggs she is sitting on. The next time I see her off the nest, and I can probably lure her away with some treats, I can check.

    A duck on a nest is not a duck you want to mess with. A chicken on a nest, well, she may peck at you and draw blood, but a duck on a nest, if you treasure your life, you’ll keep your social distance from her.


    Weeding yesterday showed me how sorrel grows. You can see how it sends its roots out and every so often sends up a new plant. Sorrel is one of those vegetables you can plant one season and have it for life.


  • How Does a Bee Pick a Flower?


    The fruiting cherry trees are in full bloom, attracting bees by the hundreds. From late March into early May some cherry tree or another is in bloom. It takes thousands of flowers to feed all the bees. Watching them fly from one flower to another, it makes you wonder why they pick that cherry blossom and not the one next to it. What does a bee see or smell that makes it pick the flowers it visits?



    Potato shoots are pushing up through the ground. These remarkable plants breathe in air and create delicious morsels to eat out of air, water, and minerals. If the potatoes are growing, not everything is kaput.


  • Dog or Bear?

    dog or bear?

    Takuma 拓真 is enjoying spring from the window. Is he a dog or is he a bear?

    Spring comes slowly in the Pacific Northwest. The alders began to show hints of green weeks ago. Their leaves are just starting to unfurl. With spring inching along, the changes from one day to the next barely perceptible, spring is a relaxed meditation.

    ducks in the garden
    first magnolia
    fresh garlic

    Fresh garlic is a wonder of early spring. If you don’t pull all your garlic out in the fall, you’ll get clumps of garlic which are great eaten fresh before they form bulbs.

    fruiting cherry blossoms
    hen on nest
    lovage

    The lovage is back up, something I celebrate each year. For a short time, it’s a treat to cook with.

    yellow tulips
    tulip and takuma the dog

    This morning, after a string of sunny days, we had a gentle morning shower. Just a light sprinkle to freshen things up and leave the air sweet.

    tulip in the morning

  • What Sunshine and Warm Air Brings


    The pear blossoms are opening. These are modest flowers compared to the showy cherry blossoms. Camellias are flowering too.



    The forest floor is a carpet of green. The sunshine and warmth have stirred the bleeding hearts and trilliums awake. I saw the first trillium of the season today.


    And this splash of yellow on a log. Wow! Mushroom yellow? For some reason this fungus wants to be seen by all.