I started this post last week but my pictures wouldn't upload..........again..........so I had to wait for Cliff to return from Florida and troubleshoot the problem.  Originally, he had planned a bike trip to Daytona for Bike Week during the first week of March.  I came down with the acute infective tracheobronchitis and as I was getting my immune system back in order, two days before his trip to Daytona, he came down with the virus.  Even though Bike Week was over when he recovered, he still wanted to visit friends and ride.  He'd made arrangements to stay with our long-time friends in Deltona, Jim and Sharon.   Two days before he was scheduled to head south (his second try), Jim called and now he was down with the virus.  Also, Florida has been extremely dry with wild fires and thick smoke causing road closings and dangerous conditions.  By the time everyone was recovered from the virus, the fires and smoke became a cause for concern.  Still wanting to visit friends, Cliff decided not to trailer the Harley and finally left for Deltona in his truck.  That evening I sat down at my computer to blog and couldn't upload/download anything.  He's back so I'll try again.

We hear a variety of forest sounds while outside working in the garden and when Cliff is working on his truck; Carolina wrens answering each others calls, leaves rustling as morning doves chase one another around the ground-water dish, and the strange tapping sound that resonates from a hollow gourd.

I still have a half dozen dried gourds from my harvest four years ago.  In the spring I remove the old moldy ones from the tree branches, carve small round holes with an exacto knive in the new gourds, stick a wire through the top, and hang them on a few tree branches. 

It doesn't take long before the black-capped chickadees investigate and take up residence.  Off and on during the day, we'll hear a hollow tap tap tap sound and watch pieces of dried gourd innards being tossed from the hole.  It's comical.  Are they building partitions or remodeling?

The vegetable garden is thriving, working hard to survive between the rocks and fend off flea beetles.  This growing season will probably pose more insect problems due to the warm winter temperatures we experienced.

Komatsuma Japanese greens with little flea beetle holes.

One row of potatoes are blue potatoes which contain powerful antioxidants.  The rest are Yukon Golds.

                                                     Garlic

A few evenings ago I just happened to go outside at the right time to see one of the most vivid rainbows ever.  The picture doesn't capture what I saw.  There is a double rainbow in the right hand corner.  The rainbow was so large that we could clearly see the individual colors.  We viewed it in the eastern sky as the sun set in the west and there was no rain over us. 

Our farmers market is up and running again.  I'm a fair weather vendor and will set up again this year when the Saturday looks clear of thunderstorms.  With Mother's Day approaching, I hope to get in a few good Saturdays.