A Visit to the Garden State

      I have made many electronic visits to Shannon's blog, as she was one of the first people who joined as a Follower of my blog.  Please drop in and visit her at

http://shannon-thegardenstate.blogspot.com.  

      Yesterday I made my first visit to Shannon's place in real time.  Once over the Delaware Memorial Bridge and on to the old stretch of Route 40, it is like being transported back in time.  Small towns dot the way, with old diners and tractor dealerships aplenty.  The fruit stands are mostly still closed, awaiting the real and fresh produce which will arrive soon.  A quick passage through peach orchards on both sides of the road, ablaze in their pink spring blossoms.  Many of the fields awash in yellow blooms, maybe turnips?  And how many places can boast of being the home to the Cowtown Rodeo?  And finally, Route 40 goes right through the small town of Woodstown.  The three story red brick High School is in the town proper, and could easily be the setting for a 1950's movie.  Certainly an area with a more laid back life style than much of our crowded and busy modern world.

Everything is just ducky, 4/21/11

 

      Shannon and her three year old daughter, Summer, gave me a tour around their lovely farmstead.  Lucky, the duck, was bashful and hid her head rather than having to say hello.  The chickens were in constant motion along the tree line, staying out of the vision of neighboring hawks.  While we chatted, the horses were doing their job of mowing the front lawn/pasture, with the implied intent of restocking the manure pile I was about to deplete.

Environmentally friendly lawn mowers, 4/21/11

      As the spark for this visit was a plant for manure swap, we had work to do.  With two of us with pitch forks and Summer cheering us on, it did not take long to have a nice load of horsey stuff in the pick-em-up truck.  Shannon seemed happy with her plant starts, and I was certainly happy with my horse dooey.  Maybe I should start a poll here to evaluate who got the better deal.
      Everyone among us has our favorite garden tool, or one that we would certainly love to have.  Well Shannon has a yard and garden tool that I would dearly love to have.  So if my wife and daughters read this and wonder what Pop would love to have for Christmas, I saw it at Shannon's place:

Isn't that red pretty?