The Resident Bunny

Bryan was finally able to snap a picture of one of the many rabbits that live in our yard.  It was taken through a window so it's not a clear as it could be but we finally got a picture.

Art Exhibition

The older 5 children have been taking an art class at the local college this semester.  The classes are taught by art education majors and the kids are able to work with an amazing array of materials.  Much more than we can manage at home.  Since the classes are taught by students, they are very affordable which makes it possible for us to easily afford to enroll 5 kids at once.  After 12 weeks of classes, today was the big exhibition to give the kids a chance to show off their work.    Everyone did a great job.

Why You Can't Miss Even One Day

This is what happens when you skip just one day of checking on the asparagus. 

The stuff gets tall rather quickly.  Once it is more than a foot tall, it is really too tough and woody to eat.  This piece is almost 2 feet tall.  By the time it gets this big even the chickens don't really like to eat it.  This is why I really need to force myself to check every single day.  Thankfully this was the only piece that was this big.  And I also saw a few pieces from brand new plants.  Not that you want to harvest those either but it means that next year there will be more for us.

Caterpillars

We got these little creatures in the mail yesterday.  Now there is much excitement already as we wait for them to do their magic and turn into butterflies.

An Early Harvest

Asparagus season always sneaks up on me.  I never seem to know when to expect the asparagus to start growing.  Then one day a child will come running into the house to tell me that we have asparagus growing.  Good thing the kids notice these things.  When left unharvested, asparagus can grow 5 to 6 feet tall.  Seriously.  Of course, by that time it is much to hard and woody to eat so it's just a waste. 

Asparagus tends to grow very quickly.  You have to harvest it pretty much every day.  When it rains, it grows even faster.  It rained a bit last night and this morning.  Today I found at least twice as much asparagus ready than I find on a normal day.  A few of them were damaged from too much rain or had gotten too tall and were starting to get woody.  So the chickens got a few today.  I am so grateful to the previous owners for planting the asparagus since we never would have put it in ourselves. It takes 2 to 3 years before you can harvest from the plants.  But every year after that you tend to find a larger harvest because asparagus is self propagating and tends to spread easily.  Which means we haven't had to buy any asparagus since we discovered the plants.  That is something that makes me very happy.

Spring Pictures

After living in Florida for five years, the beauty of spring in this area is a stark contrast to the unchanging Florida scenery.  And since we live somewhat in the country rather than in a neighborhood, we truly get to experience the beauty in the changing seasons.  Something I've noticed is not quite as obvious when you live in a cookie cutter neighborhood with nice groomed lawns.  Spring motivates me to get outside and get pictures of the kids and the yard.  And, well, there are always kids saying Mom, take a picture of me please.  So I just thought I would share a few of the recent ones.

Kieran's First Communion

Kieran received his First Communion today.  We had a wonderful day.  Kieran was dressed in his brand new suit and looked rather spiffy.  After Mass we came home to share some food and fun with friends.  Just thought I would share a few pictures.