White (board fence) Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday

Joining Susan at A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday and

Kathleen at Faded Charm today for

White Wednesday.

The fence that surrounds Cove Cottage was in desperate need of a lick of paint!

And time was running out! Our dry weather would soon be coming to

an end and we just couldn't leave the fence unpainted for another winter.

It was Now or Never! Painting by hand would have taken far too long so

Gentleman Farmer borrowed a paint sprayer. It makes a bit of a mess

of the grass and plants near the fence, but speeds the process along

greatly. The 'white' grass will disappear after a mowing or two.

After much hard prep work of scraping and rolling on a

mildewcide, and 11 gallons of primer and 11 gallons of white paint,

here is the finished product!

(Gentleman Farmer built all the fence and gates that surround Cove Cottage.)

One of the frequent visitors to Cove Cottage wanted to be in the

above photo ~ can you spot her?

Hopefully, next summer there will be a beautiful arbor and a gazebo to

go to through this new white gate!

Pear in a bottle

Early this spring, when the fruit trees were just setting out their little fruits, Gentleman Farmer and I chose a very small pear growing near the end of a branch. We slipped a clean glass bottle over the little pear and wired it to the branch. And then we waited... and waited... and

finally the day arrived to pick our pear which had grown full size inside the bottle!

I had to gently clean inside the bottle with a dampened paper towel on the end of a wooden skewer (like a long swab) as there was some dried leaves and bark stuck in the bottom.

Then, after a cool water rinse, covered the pear with Cherry Brandy (the only alchohol I had in the house ~ I had it for a recipe, honest! ;~}

The Brandy, or Vodka is to preserve the pear.)

This was quite the conversation piece when we brought it to church,

especially amongst the young people.

~

This can be done with a variety of fruits and vegetables. I read that you can grow a squash or watermelon inside a clean milk or juice carton and when it is larger, peal away the carton to reveal a 'square' melon!

Oh, the fun you can have on a farm! ;~P

I hope you will try this next year ~ and be sure to show us the pictures!

Wild Black Caps

I have been guarding them for two years.

Gentleman Farmer has wanted to "remove" them

so he could build a woodshed there.

~

They grow against the back wall of the barn

and they are hemmed in at the front by the

rows of firewood, protected from the deer

who love them as much as I do!

~

Patience has paid off ~ this year there is enough

to make a batch of sweet Black Cap Jam.

And I did!

~

(Recipe can be found in The Pantry.)

The Secret

We have a secret, just we three,

The robin, and I, and the sweet cherry tree;

The bird told the tree, and the tree told me,

And nobody knows it but just we three.

But of course, the robin knows best,

Because he built the - I shan't tell the rest;

And laid the four little - something - in it.

I'm afraid I shall tell it every minute.

But if the tree and the robin don't peep,

I'll try my best the secret to keep;

Though I know when the little birds fly about,

Then the whole secret will be out!

(author unknown)

Welcome Spring!