Mother Nature Day Flowers

View from the top

Huckleberry Blooming

Wild Strawberry blooms

Apple bloom up close

Apple Tree in yard

For Mother's Day I took a short walk to the top of our hill and looked at all of Mother Nature's flowers. Most of the berry plants are blooming and Apple trees. There were several violet colored small flowers so shy they blurred their pictures so you did not get to see them. All the trees are getting at least some green on them and starting to leaf out. It is always amazing what even a day makes in the color of things. After a long brown/grey and white winter it wakens up the happiness inside all of us to see some color.

We've had a lot of rain in the last few days bringing the creek up from 1.75 feet to over 3.5 feet in a short amount of time. This would be a great day for the adventurous mother rafting trip down Pine Creek. It would be fast and possibly a little cold as the temperatures are in the mid-forties this morning with a lot of wind.

We also went from one hummingbird to about twenty overnight and Lee has increased the amount in the feeders. She is trying to decide if she wants to risk putting them out front this year and deal with the bear again. We don't know if he learned his lesson from the electric fence last year or not. She didn't care much for mowing around the electric  fence, so the decision is still up in the air.

I still have some of my backyard fence to repair from the bear climbing it last year. Since it is only a ten foot section I am thinking of making it solid wood so I don't have to buy a 50' roll of fence to repair 10 foot of fence.

The forecast for next week is very cold we are looking at some freezing temperatures at night, which could affect the apple crop like it did last year. So we are keeping our fingers crossed it won't be too bad before we will get back into the warm temperatures by the next weekend. Mountain girl, Paula, logging out.

Happy Mother's Day from Leetonia

The apple trees are blooming and it is a beautiful day in Leetonia. The wind is gusting up to 3o so it is a bit windy. You can see how the trees are starting to green up and it won't be long until the forest is shady once again. It always seems so much darker in the summer. The advantage of the dark is it is always 10 degrees cooler in the summer as well.
The last picture shows the road coming into Leetonia from the south. There was quite a few people up for Gobbler season this week, but I noticed them all heading home by noon. Hopefully, to spend some time with their mothers. Mountain girl, Paula, logging out.

Mother's Day and Blooming trees

The apple tree in the front yard announced Mother's Day with a brilliant white shout.

The trees are blooming and the allergies to trees are in full-swing so if you have any tree allergy bring your medicine.

We have had a little cold, wet spell and are still having an evening fire to take the dampness out of the air. It seems we have been very busy with work and I have had little time to write anything on the blog.

The turkey hunters have been stalking the woods with varying degrees of success. Of course the turkey's appear the most on Sunday just to spite the hunters. Last night I was at the Ruins camp and as I got ready to leave a large Black bear stood about 10' from the door. I decided to wait until he ate the hamburger one of the guys had thrown out...no wonder he was so close. This camp was like the McDonalds of the woods. I will try and take my camera with and get a few pictures for the next post. Have a great Leetonia Day. Mountain girl, Paula, logging out.

Mother's Day in Leetonia

Mother's day in Leetonia means barn swallows attempting to build a nest on the house. This year they are particularly upset, since I am redoing the siding on the camp and they can't seem to find a place to build that I don't interrupt their progress.

I took the back porch of to do some repairs, which is a spot they have build many of their nests. They keep looking and looking for their old spots and can't seem to figure out where they went. They land on my ladder and look at me wondering what I am up to next.

Next are some pictures of Cedar Run General Store a place most mother's like to visit when they come to the area. It is full of gifts and nic nacs. You can see a beautifully restored canoe hanging on
wall.

The next picture shows the bar they serve a lot of ice cream when it gets warm and sandwiches. It is one of those cozy places that takes you back to the early 1900's as soon as you walk in the door.

Today is the day to think about your mother. But it is also the day we think of all the mother's who have come before us and those who will come after us. Looking at this old store makes me think of
all the women who worked their during the last century..their personal struggles their victories and the hardy spirit they had to have to live up here in the Pennsylvania woods.

Today I remember my Grandmother Ruth Maholm 1900-1970, whose great spirit and story telling has inspired me to write.
My mom Marge Hewitt 1932 who lets me know regularly that acting your age is so boring. My daughter, Mary Todd 1974 whose personal courage has taken her to a new purpose and direction in her life; and her daughter, Reilly Todd, 1995, who defines flexible, fit and energy. I am thankful for all these relationships and what they have taught me and what I am still learning from them about what it means to be a woman and a mother. Have a great Leetonia Mother's Day!

Mountain Girl, Paula, logging out.