Springfield, IL - Lincoln's Town

Last week we traveled west to join a Road Scholar trip in St. Charles, MO.  More on that in future posts.  On the way we stopped over in Springfield, IL to see Lincoln's home, Library and Museum.  The former is a National Park and free while the latter is a private entity with admission that was well worth it.

Lincoln's home - originally a single story had a second story added with very high ceilings.  It's draped with mourning bunting.

The Park Service owns the entire two blocks which is closed off to vehicular traffic.

The front parlor.

Lincolns law practice was very lucrative as you can see from the way these rooms are decorated.

Mrs. Lincoln's sewing desk below.

Lincoln's bed

Adjoining room for Mrs. Lincoln.

Lincoln's shaving mirror mounted rather high.

The kitchen where Mrs. Lincoln became an accomplished cook with assistance from servants.

The stove was a gift to Mary from Abe.

Lincoln's law office behind statues.

Old State capitol.

Lincoln's tomb.

It was pilgrimage weekend for the Boy Scouts.  Here the honor guard is entering the tomb to stand guard.

At the Lincoln Museum photos were limited to the plaza.

If you go plan to spend a good two hours in the Museum.  It is well worth the price and the visit.

First Harvest of 2015 - A Basket of Greens

Here's the basket of greens.

There was a little bok choy.

Some leaf lettuce.

Some tatsoi thinnings.

Some spinach.

They all went into a pan of hot olive oil with some garlic (from last year's harvest) and served for dinner this evening as wilted greens.  They were good.

Update on what's happening in the garden in future posts.  I'm doing battle with voles eating my snow peas.  I won't get any from my first sowing and hope the voles don't find my second sowing.

Other harvests over at Daphne's Dandelions.

Bleeding Hearts

I love this spring time plant.

It may self seed but that means I just have more to spread around the garden.  And as an early spring bloomer it is a nice sight to see where ever it is.

Volunteer by the deck I just haven't had the heart to pull out.

Volunteers (top & bottom) waiting to be transplanted.

Look what else is showing.

Mulched

It happened yesterday and I didn't lift any of it.  8 Cubic yards were delivered on Thursday afternoon from a local supplier and Bill, a handyman extraordinare, came Friday morning and spent less than 6 hours spreading it all.  It would have taken me weeks and weeks.  It was well worth the money spent. And plus it looks fabulous.

You know its spring when you step outside and smell the mulch!

Here's the west end and A's Garden is on the right.  Perennial Garden is in the foreground.  I have been busy expanding A's Garden and expanding the Glen Garden on the left by the fence.

I bought and planted three new foxglove and this time I will not clip the spent blooms so they reseed.

I planted three new ferns there with a lovely bright green type of grass whose name escapes me in the center.  I've also been transplanting lots of volunteer bleeding heart to the fence line in the Glen Garden.  The dark spots are from my watering.  It made a funny pattern in the mulch.

Another view of A's Garden the green on the left is a new white butterfly bush.  It will grow big and block some of the view in.  Part of the D.P.P. as is the arbor with gate.  There is fishing line now between the stone wall and the arbor.

Here's a look at the fence line in the Glen Garden with the mulched bed.

I was taking these photos in early evening so these blooms have already closed up.

It's hard to mulch around daffodils but these survived.

One of the transplanted bleeding heart with blooms setting.

Farther down the Glen Garden the hosta poking through the mulch.  Liquid Fence spraying weekly will be required as the grow.

The Pond Garden, half in light and half in shade, ringed with iris and full of tadpoles.

The D.P.P. called for me to dig up these hosta.  Well, I tried unsuccessfully so I planted the red hot poker plants to the left (not in this photo).  I'm just going to have to keep these sprayed as I have in the past successfully.

There wasn't enough mulch to do the Perennial Garden which is just as well since as things come up I need to thin and transplant.  The herb bed, front right, needs a total overhaul, too.  I saw something on Pinterest where each herb is kept in a pot then buried to the brim in the soil.  I do that already with mint.

Inside, here are the tomato seedlings, doing well. Peppers still need to be transplanted to small pots.

Don't you just love Spring?