Blackberries Are Getting Ready to Bloom

April 16, 2025

On a walk around Blackberry Homestead, I noticed the blackberries are starting to bloom.

I noticed some pink on these flowers. The ones I had seen before were all white. I looked them up and they are Philadelphia fleabane.

Here are some pictures of the dismembered pine tree that I took on Monday (April 14).

On Monday (April 14), I decided to take a break from pulling up poison ivy in the back pasture and yard.

I picked up limbs and sticks that came down during the wind storm we had on Thursday. I put them in the burn area.

I moved the dirt that was in the two boxes next to the house (remains of a failed cabbage growing experiment) to the garden. I also shoveled the cow manure compost from our neighbor onto the garden beds.

Bruce mowed and moved the pine branches.

I went inside for some water and after drinking water, I decided it was time to start hanging up some of the art we have.

While I was looking through the pictures to determine where I wanted them, Nox crawled under the loveseat. She crawled out from it fairly soon afterwards.

Nox and Luna loved to get underneath the loveseat when we lived in Golden, CO.

Notice the “bleached wood” round end tables. We found those in a salvage store for $50 each. I enjoyed displaying some of our oil lamps on them.

The big empty wall next to the front door inspired me to create a gallery wall. My theme for the wall is three generations of women in the family. I have embroidery from my mom, counted cross -stitch from my mom and mother-in-law, a picture done by my daughter, a pen and ink picture my daughter “helped me” with when she was three and pictures I did.

While I was playing with the layout, Bruce stopped by and mentioned there was a goldfinch on the bird feeder.

I laid out the pictures on the floor to determine the arrangement.

I stopped here and made a soup for supper.

On Tuesday morning (April 15), I continued with my picture hanging. I was able to get started hanging up pictures on the gallery wall. I had to go to PT part way through my picture hanging, so I finished the gallery wall when I got back from PT.

Top picture (train – let the good times roll – counted cross-stitch) by my mom, the top middle (bear cub in pen and ink) by me with “help” from my daughter, top right (leaf – pen and ink) by me, far right (animals – counted cross-stitch) by my mother-in-law, lower right (pansies – embroidery) by my mom, middle picture (pansies in vases – embroidery) by my mom, bottom left (cat – scratch paper art) by my daughter, far left (fish – pencil) by me, middle left (USM (Bruce and my alma mater) – counted cross-stitch) by my mother-in-law and top left (pansies in circles – embroidery) by my mom.

In the master bedroom, I hung two of my pictures and a mass produced print.

In the dining room, I hung two of my pictures.

In my office, I hung a counted cross-stitch picture I made in high school using a poem I wrote. I hung up the picture I did of Christopher Robin with Piglet and Winnie the Pooh. I did this sketch for my daughter when she was little. She out grew it and I ended up with it.

I was surprised by how long it took to hang the pictures. We still need to hang the pictures for Bruce’s office.

I plan to create a gallery wall in the hallway for our family pictures.

I love seeing our artwork up and our oil lamps out.