Spring Time!

Planting a Pineapple!

Start by twisting off the top of the pineapple.  Grasp it at the bottom of the leaves and twist and pull.  You will end up with this little nub.

Begin removingthe leaves around the bottom, one by one.  You will see some brown wormy things...those are the roots!  Continue to remove leaves until you don't see any new roots.

More roots.  We went about 1-2 more layers of leaves from where the end of the roots were.

Using basic potting soil, plat the top so that all the roots are covered.

Gently pat the soil around the base of the pineapple.

Your new growth will come from the middle of the pineapple top.  The outside leaves will eventually turn brown and die.  That is fine.

Keep the top watered.  Keep it out of direct sunlight for the first 1-2 weeks.  After about 2 weeks, you can move it to a sunny location.  We will post more pictures as our pineapple grows!

It is normal for all of the leaves on the outside to become brown and die.  Don't worry!

New growth comes from the center! (1 wk)

Watch deep in the center of the pineapple for new growth.  Becareful when poking around in the center leaves, they are very sharp and can prick you!

Eaglets!

First Eaglet hatched March 27, 2012

Second Eaglet hatched March 28, 2012

Mom feeding the babies.  One egg left to hatch.

Eagles

I have been watching the eagles in Decorah Iowa with my 4-5 year olds.  It has been an exciting time learning about the bald eagles!  I thought I'd share a couple of the still shots that I took via their web cam.  The picture of the female eagle:  she is indeed panting.  It has been unseasonably warm in Iowa this spring.  These birds are used to snow at this time of the year.  They don't even get the shelter from the leaves!  This nest is approx. 80 feet up in a cottonwood tree in Decorah Iowa. 

How big is the nest? About 6 feet across, about 5 feet deep; it weighs close to 1367 lb.

Female eagle

close-up of eagle feathers

close-up of eagle eggs

rolling the eggs

  male eagle

Mom is sleeping on the eggs while dad stays guard on an upper branch.

Close up of Male's eye and beak.  Nares - the holes in a bird's beak

We have a pip!!! 3/26/12

                                                                   3/26/12 - 5:12 pm

                     

This is mom and a close-up of part of the nest. 

2 eaglets!

Dad perched on a nearby branch

Garden week to week...

March 11, 2012

March 18, 2012

March 25, 2012

Birds are coming back!

Finch

The colorful thing in the background is a suet feeder filled with some of my yarn scraps.  Birds love to use yarn in their nest building in the spring.

Dark-Eyed Junco

Chicadee

Wacadoo plants and Herbs

This is our Avacado plant!  Our friend Janda is a pro at starting these plants. 

The large leaves came after we pinched off the tiny first leaves.

We love our indoor herb garden!

Fresh basil in Spaghetti sauce and Bruschetta is so tasty!

Indoor herb garden with basil, thyme, dill and mint.

We have a bloom on our Christmas cactus!  It has been quite a while since we have seen one!