Building Gypsy Rose

We saw 25 degrees on the thermometer on the morning of June 1st. The growing season up here on the mountain is considerably shorter than it is in the Champlain Valley where we grew our vegetables last year. Marion finished planting the garden during the first week of June and, in the photo above, takes a moment to enjoy the late spring sunshine.

To keep the deer and other critters from sharing the harvest we erected a 7-foot fence around the garden using hemlock posts that we harvested from the adjacent forest.

Marion prepares to settle the tomato plants into the earth (above).

We've been mowing the meadows two or three times per summer for the past three years to encourage the grasses. Someday we may return the fields to hay production but that's way down on the list of priorities. For now, we enjoy wildflowers that bloom in abundance.

Today I took a walk through the meadow with a camera to capture a few close-ups.

The Vermont state flower, the red clover, is the most abundant of the mix but white daisies, yellow buttercups, orange and yellow hawkweed, and purple fleabane contribute to the colorful palette.

While marveling at the mix of color and delicate petals (and trying not to disturb the butterflies and bees) I think back to the days when I lived surrounded by neighbors who took pride in their weed-free suburban lawns. I can't help but wonder if those sterile neighborhoods began as fields of color such as the one I enjoy today.