Feels Like Summer

We went from winter to summer this year.  You could almost watch the leaves on the trees unfold.  It has been hotter than Hades the last few days and now the black flies are eating everybody alive.  Today it is supposed to be 91°F.  That's why I'm in the house right now.   I have been putting off most of the work till after supper when it is a bit cooler and the sun is not so hot.  It is supposed to get down in the 40's again tomorrow night.  I still think it will be a cooler than hotter growing season.

We could use some rain.  We have seen rain falling both North and South of us, but we have not been getting much. 

We are getting lots of wind though that dries the plants out and keeps me out watering everything more than normal.  The black currants especially don't like wind.  So far just about everything in the forest garden is still alive:  one of the two Honeycrisp apple trees, two elderberries, and three raspberries look like goners though.

Out in the field I got the Golden Bantam corn, Red Cloud potatoes and most of the onions planted.

When I pulled into the field with the truck and started unloading my tools, I discovered a surprise just a few feet away from me in the next field section to be tilled:

A spotted fawn!  Its mama must have hidden it in the tall grass and gone to get something to eat.  The fawn put its head down when it realized I could see it.  It didn't move a muscle.  I slowly walked away so as not to frighten it to go plant my onions and when I came back to the truck, the fawn was gone leaving only the grass pressed down where it had lain. 

I had other visitors watching me that day.  Maybe this doe was the fawn's mother.

Then there was this Canadian goose in the grass just outside the fence.  I usually see this goose across the road in Minnow Lake where I suspect it has a nest.

I finally got the cranberries planted down around the West marsh.  This marsh is what I think they call a fen because it has a stream clearly visible that flows through it.  Fens are rare in Wisconsin.  I planted the cranberries in different places around the edge of the marsh and hopefully the plants will eventually spread. 

Tom wants to plant some small trees or shrubs around the front yard so we took a short trip to a local nursery.  He didn't find anything he liked, but I, of course, am not one to ever leave a nursery empty-handed, and came home with some nice Lady's Mantle, Black Cohosh, Pulsatilla, Russian tarragon, and Lemon Balm plants that I'll add to the Forest Garden.  We will take a ride one day out to Winter Nursery in Winter, Wisconsin.  I bet Tom will find something nice to plant from there.  Maybe he'll buy some Bali cherry trees; they are nice natural dwarf trees that have pretty flowers in Spring.  I'm sure we'd never get any cherries off them as the birds are sure to get them first.

Speaking of birds, I've counted at least five sandhill cranes.  They must have nests nearby.  I suspect I'll see more of them after the corn comes up.  Sandhill cranes are the best corn pickers in the world. ;D  I hope they leave some corn for me.

I wanted to get a picture of how the beavers chewed down the dogwoods by the creek, but the greenery has grown so quickly that it's hard to see the chewed stumps already.  But the creek looks nice --

More planting is on the schedule so I'll check in with you later!