At first glance it looks like any other home in the neighborhood. But if you take the time to look, you can find all sorts of interesting nooks and crannies.
We start with our natural windbreak. There are from sixty to seventy five trees, that line the north-north west border of our property. Most are pine trees - at least one each of the pines indigenous to our area. Nestled among the pines you can find a few white birch, some Swamp Maples [we live very near the Schoharie creek], and there is a eighty foot Larch tree.
You don't see too many Larch trees around here. It is an interesting tree. In the summer it is filled with light green needles and brown cones. In the fall, it sheds its needles. I can't tell you how many people have asked me if it was dead. In the spring it starts by sprouting purple cones, and new needles. As the spring continues it fills out to a lush looking tree. As the summer moves on the cones turn brown, and resemble pine cones. It truly is a wonderful specimen tree.
At the end of the windbreak is my new spring bulb garden. I just started it last fall, and this spring it gave me plenty of tulips and daffodils for arrangements.
Next to the spring bulb garden is my garden shed. When We bought the place it had been a house for Homing Pigeons. Let me tell you, that was a smelly messy project, cleaning it up. When I finally did get it clean, I decided to paint it in my own style. Now the out side dons butterflies, flowers, and ladybugs. Inside each wall is a different color. That didn't start out intentionally. I was trying to use up paints I had left over from the house. Then I started to like it. It was really different. I mean, how many garden sheds have you seen painted in many different, unmatching, colors.
Next on our tour is my chicken coop. No there aren't any chickens living in there right now. Currently it serves as a shelter for my winter hay. Until the veggie garden needs mulching. It's a big building, and very well built. Some day, God only knows when, we plan to turn it into my greenhouse/workshop. But for now it's perfectly happy serving as a catch-all. Our dog Sydney thinks it's his house. He likes to lay inside the door on hot sunny days. He actually gets angry when the hay goes in. He
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