Although she never said so, I saw last year that Maria could hardly bear to be in her gardens, she loves them very much. I understand that this was because we feared losing our home in all of the bankruptcy and other turmoil, and she couldn’t bear to tend to her the house or gardens because she thought it would be unbearable if we had to leave them.

This year is different. We have painted the farmhouse, the living room, the dining room, the bathroom. More to come. We have added a fence to the rear pasture for rotational grazing. We hope to add electric baseboards to our bedroom so that it has heat in the summer.

None of these projects are ambitious or expensive, but they have made an enormous impact on the farm, inside and out.

Our gardens, planted several years ago, are maturing, thickening, blossoming beautifully. This year, we’ve expanded the garden in the back (above), and the Dahlia gardens (we are planting the bulbs next Saturday).

Last weekend, we planted the new Three Sisters garden – corn, squash, beans. The gardens look striking this year, they are thickening and maturing. The place looks loved and settled, and it is.

We have added mulch and our own composted manure (donkey manure is wondrous, if anyone wants to take some home from our Open Houses, bring a bag or box, it is free). We have weeded and are adding new plants and flowers. The garden looks great, and Maria is deeply and lovingly into caring for them.

I don’t know one flower from another, and can’t get on my knees for too long these days, but I help with the digging and planting and watering. (And I scour garden centers for original and colorful plants. Maria is not a shopper.)

And I love these gardens, in part because Maria does and in part because they add so much grace and beauty to our home and our lives.

The porch, as always, is a reflection of our lives – the old “Books” antique sign, Orson’s tombstone, Ed Gulley’s milk can chair and his Turtle sculpture. I’m putting Mr. Blockhead out there for the summer.