We made it through May! My word, I think May is busier than December. Every year I leap into the month excited for the weather to start warming, the grass to get green again and the peonies to arrive! And then I look at my calendar and wonder when I’m going to enjoy spring when we’re running to baseball games, school events and all the things.
But isn’t May pretty? I think so.
So, who’s ready for an update? Because buckle up, we got a lot done this month. And by “we” I mean my family but also people we hired because you can’t do all the things all the time. Sometimes it’s worth paying for help.
Remember this? The remnants and the reminder of our 1800s barn. Oh, I do miss it. Especially now that when I sit on my front porch, I look right into all our “stuff” in the barn. But at the same time I’m grateful. Grateful that I don’t worry about the kids getting hurt every time they run outside to play.
And grateful that this month we finally had a company come out and clean up the mess. We plan to plant grass and re-gravel the driveway. My brother is also going to replace the temporary supports and pretty up and fix the barn this summer. I’m still not sure what our long term goal is in terms of this area, but for now I’m glad we kept the lean to for all that “stuff.”
At the same time the barn was getting cleaned up, we also had the company clean out our fence line. It was way overgrown. My brother owns the fields beyond our home, so we’re splitting the cost which makes it a win for us. We can now look out at the farmland a little easier.
The fence-lines being removed really opens up the backyard. We also had a big stone pile buried as well. My latest view from the lawnmower as a storm was about to come through.
Just before the barn clean up, we decided to take a Saturday to plant flowers. I’m not sure what our long term goal is for landscaping since we’re still in a bit of a clean up mode, but I felt that I could at least make the milk house look better.
I think it looks a lot better with a few flowers. The big round thing in the ground in our well, if you’re wondering. The same well from generations ago, and it is still providing great water!
Amidst it all was planting season which means the tractor was in our front yard. I personally like harvest season better. I find it more exciting. I also think planting season can be a bit more stressful with the weather.
The highlight of the spring is the peonies that bloom along our driveway. We have 24 plants that were planted by my great-grandfather making the peonies over 70 years old! They are just gorgeous and remind me each spring of my grandma who adored them. They bloomed for about a week and now I have over 1,000 dead heads to prune… but it’s all worth it! Anyone want to come and help?
Outside of working at our home, we’ve taken lots of moments to play at the playground and swim at the pool. I also had the opportunity to visit a an auction in our area hosted by an Amish family who was moving. It’s one of my favorite things to do with my dad. In addition to the homemade donuts for breakfast and the chicken n’ noodles for lunch, I enjoy getting to know others in our community and finding great deals while I’m at it.
Also, baseball. Lots and lots of baseball this month. As crazy as it is to our schedule, I have really come to embrace the season. It’s been a wonderful opportunity to get to know other parents in our community. And since the league is made up of kids from our school district another opportunity to connect.
May included Memorial Day and we’ve been very intentional teaching our boys about what that day means. We spent Memorial Day morning at a service and then placed flowers on the graves of soldiers. That same week we made sure to visit our family in cemeteries and planted flowers there as well with the cousins. It is quite amazing that my children plant flowers on the graves of the people who built our home. I don’t take the deep roots they are planting for granted.
All in all, lots of yard work this month, lots of gratefulness and lots of moments on our front porch taking it all in. I am reminded of what a season of rest the winter is. This month reminded me how much work it is to bring our property back to what it once was. But it’s warm and the sun is shining! Hallelujah for that! As soon as I finish writing this, I’ll be outside watering the grass we planted this month in hopes it starts to come up despite the wind and high temperatures we’ve been experiences. Grow grass, grow!
Summer is a great time to enjoy the outdoors, and we plan to do that whether working or sitting with a good book on our front porch.
This Coming Month We Hope To Accomplish:
- Restoring our back patio. Something is not right with the concrete. ☹️
- Planting grass around the barn area.
- Clearing and planting grass on the backyard fence-line area
Comments & Reviews
Joann Ashworth says
So enjoy coming here for a ‘visit’. Such beauty. You and your family have a lovely touch. The farmhouse transformation has been interesting and educational as well as inspiring.
I am an Ohio farm girl now transplanted to WV. I love them both!
Lynette says
HI Joann, thanks so much for your comment. West Virginia is a beautiful state as well!
Bonnie says
I just wanted you to know that I made your pickle pasta salad recipe for my family and they LOVED it (that is an understatement). I enjoy reading your blog so much and look forward to it each month! Keep up the great work on the house! It is looking wonderful. Peonies are also my favorites flowers. My granny used to have marigold flowers everywhere planted in old tires in front of her old farmhouse. As a kid I remember the smell of them. So to this day, I plant them in my planter boxes just to honor her memory. Oh the things we remember from our childhood.
Lynette says
Hi Bonnie! So glad you enjoyed the pasta salad recipe. It is amazing what you remember from childhood and all the little details you carry with you. I can’t wait until the next Peonies season.