A New Tree at Salsipuedes

I am excited--soon I will have a new tree here. That "special man" discovered wild pear trees growing near my pond and offered to graft cultivated pears to them. Last summer we picked pears from a grafted tree at his house--delicious--so of course I jumped at the chance to have producing pear trees here. The process is absolutely fascinating to me!!

Step One - Choose a tree. I might add that it certainly helps to have someone who can identify a wild pear. :)

He brought cuttings  from "good trees".

New "new" tree

He made his cut on the original tree..

Then carefully sharpened the donor twig.

He split the bark on the original tree, peeled it back,  and inserted the twig.

He then wrapped it with tape to hold it in place.

Next, he wrapped it with plastic and then foil.

Now we wait! I can't wait to see the new trees growing,  He grafted several, so it will be interesting to see how they develop. I'm still having difficulty understanding how this works. Luckily, I get to see it in progress. 

Stay tuned--let's discover together!!

Signs of Spring!

Spring is trying to arrive--I was sure we were through with cold weather, but today proved me wrong. However, there are signs --blooming redbuds, pears, plums, flowers, etc. 

 I spied this flicker in my back yard the other morning and raced to get the camera. I managed to get a shot from my bedroom window.

Breakfast?

Isn't he a beauty? I have seen others down by the pond every day. Bluebirds are nesting down by the pond also. I'll try tomorrow to get a photo of the eggs. That mother will need to sit tight--a freeze is predicted tomorrow night. I've filled the bird feeders and will give the horses extra hay. And I'll now need to cover my newly planted tomatoes and squash! I'm hoping this is our last cold spell. I'm ready to sit on the bench at the pond and do some serious bird watching.

Stay tuned!!

Puzzle Complete--What Fun!!

I am a little sad to see the puzzle finished--it was so relaxing!!

Can  you find the the three unusual pieces?

I'm saving that last piece for that special man to insert. We both worked on it. The three "unusual" pieces are ones that Rufus managed to get.  (I must have accidentally knocked them off the bar.) Thank goodness he didn't eat them--just chewed them a little. 

This has been such a relaxing experience--I've decided to just keep a puzzle going all the time. It's nice to  take a few minutes and mull over deciding which pieces goes where.  Thanks again, Laurie!!

Stay tuned for the next one!

Puzzle Update

Remember the puzzle I have set up on my bar? Well, it's been a month and I'm progressing slowly. But it has been so much fun and very relaxing. I just work on it a few minutes here and there--almost like meditation! Puzzles are good for the brain, so I've been told!! I can just feel those cells firing up. :)

Here is my progress so far:

Slowly but surely!

Well, I will admit that I have had some help from that special man in my life.

This has been so relaxing that I believe when I finish this one, I'll set up another one!!

Spring is almost here--lots of projects--I can feel my energy returning--stay tuned!!