Strawberries

This past week, the strawberries made their debut.

I have been buying a quart of strawberries early at every farm market this week.

 They usually run out by noon.

Today, I bought three quarts to freeze for my winter fruit fix.

There will be a lot more strawberries in my freezer in the next few weeks.

 

I am so tired of the California strawberries that are big and red with no flavor inside.

These local strawberries taste like candy!

 

Now comes the best part.

Michael's strawberry shortcake with fresh whipped cream on top!

What a great way to enjoy summer!

Saturday Stroll

On my post Farm Market Saturday stroll around our property, I found many beautiful sights today.

 These flowers are so fragrant!

 The poppies are a great contrast to the grass. They are scattered throughout the property.

 Daisies are so strong. These daisies are growing up from a pile of rocks.

 These daisies have a better life in the grass.

Guess what else I found? 

This is a birds nest. 

We have no idea what bird family this was, 

but the nest is very small. It blends so perfectly in the cedar trees.

 

God is so amazing.

All of this beauty was found in one small space!

Baby Snapper

Today was the first day that I was able to ride our Harley Davidson with Michael. As we were turning into our driveway, we saw a spot on the pavement. When we got a closer look, we found a baby snapping turtle! I went to the office to get the camera, while Michael picked him up (with gloves on) and headed for the creek. Mr. Baby Turtle looked slow and tired and hot. He was a long way from any water. He also had a really ripe scent to him. It was not pleasant.
Michael got him to the creek, gave him a quick splash of water, then put him on a rock at water level. By the time I was able to put the camera to my eye, we blinked and Mr. Baby Turtle was gone! He took one look at the cool water and jumped right in!
Two weeks ago, Maureen found a very large snapping turtle up the road from our office. Michael got a milk crate, picked him up, put him in the crate, brought him home and set him free in our creek. He was not a cute and happy turtle. All he wanted to do was bite Michael! He was so large that he barely fit into the crate.
If this keeps up, we will have lots of snapping turtles in our creek! Fun to look at, but not fun for the little fish that the turtles will have for dinner.
If we had been in the car, we never would have seen him. I am glad that we had a fun ride and could rescue the turtle, too.

Pretty Purple

 I love our property in every season.

Last week, I enjoyed the fragrance and delicate beauty of the Lily of the Valley.

This week, the beautiful Iris has bloomed.

 We have iris flowers throughout the property. 

Some are under our deck, while others are randomly scattered in our back field.
One dark purple plant is in our front planter.
I found the image of that flower in last year's blog, on May 24!
Are we behind in blossoms and blooms this year!

 I gathered some of them in a vase to hold them in.

They were so tall that I had to photograph them on the ground.

I get to enjoy them on my counter for the next few days.

God's creation is so incredible!

Matthew 6:28

“And why do you worry about clothes?

See how the flowers of the field grow.

They do not labor or spin.

Fragrance and Fun

 When the lilacs arrived last week, I tried posting the images to the blog.

They would not open.

Today they opened, so I can enjoy them now.

We have a row of lilac bushes that extend the length of our property.

This year, the fragrance is incredible!

 We also have pretty white flowers close to the lilacs.

 The apple blossoms are so delicate!

I hope last week's frost did not hurt them.

We will find out soon.

 

 I am not sure what this bush is in our front yard,

but it is really pretty!

While I was busy photographing the lilacs, I almost stepped on the lone mushroom in our yard.

That's it. One. No more. Oh well. Maybe next year, I will find two.

Color by the creek

The edge of our creek and half of our property has wonderful yellow flowers again.

They are Marsh Marigolds.

There are bursts of yellow throughout the property.

This is the largest burst of yellow we have ever seen.

They enjoy cedar swamps and creeks, and we have both.

If we do not get snow again this weekend, maybe we can enjoy all of this color for awhile!

Welcome Our Newest Visitor

 Tonight we welcomed a new visitor to our bird feeders.

He is an Indigo Bunting.

Our Kitchen Table Bird Book says that he is a rare sight to behold.

They generally stay away from humans.

He is such a pretty addition to our feeders.

He contrasts well with the Gold Finches and Cardinals.

It is hard to believe that he winters in Central America,

then flies all the way back to live her for the summer.

That is a lot of frequent flier miles!

The Great Turtle

Just in time for the spring tourist season at Mackinac Island,

welcome The Great Turtle to our sugar cookie collection.

This sugar cookie comes with a cute turtle cookie cutter.

Decorating these cookies will be so much fun for kids!

Is It Really Spring?

 Look what I found in my front yard! 

Flowers!

 The hyacinths smell so pretty!

These white flowers are so tiny, but so pretty!

God's work is amazing!

Matthew 6:28

See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.

March Travels - Part One - Two Will Be Later

Creekside Grains Adventures - Part One

March travels took us over the Mackinac Bridge to the Upper Peninsula,

so we could attend the Minneapolis Gift Mart.

As you can see by the image on the bridge below,

the weather was gorgeous.

Mackinac Island is in the distance, waiting for the summer tourists.

Our first night took us to Norway, Michigan

where we found the most wonderful place to stay for the night.

The Viking Motel.

It was like being in a time warp.

The bathroom was 1950's decor, with pretty blue tub, sink and toilet.

 We did not photograph our room, but the floors were 1970's shag carpet

and the bedspreads were shades of 1990's.

 It was spotless and so much fun and the price was great!

 We thought we hit the jackpot with our room,

until we went to the lounge the next morning.

As you can see by the furniture, it was 1950's modern.

We visualized the veterans and hunters playing cards into the night.

We will definitely stay there on our next trip to Minneapolis.

 

Once we arrived, it was a busy week of meeting new gift store owners, 

and catching up with current clients.

Michael is pictured here at the booth.

 

Our trip back to Traverse City was another story.

We made it safely to the Upper Peninsula, 

when the winds came and the snow came and the ice came.

This was our view for several hours.

Michael was white knuckle driving.

We arrived home exhausted, but grateful that God delivered us safely.

April adventures to follow in a few days!