Adding plants and preparing for travels

A lovely Silene virginica to plant

A native Viola

We only have a few weeks here before we're off for traveling.  My gardening companion is in full swing, snagging various Phlox species to plant, a Silene virginica, and a native Viola, in addition to some colorful annuals to add to our porch pots for our summer folks to enjoy.

I'm trying to use up all of our "staples" -- wheat berries, rye berries, dried fruits, and nuts.  We'll be away for four months in Quebec this summer, and I want to leave a clean slate in our pantry hutch for our summer residents. Ditto, in terms of freezer space, too!

So, I baked whole-grain rye sourdough bread today (started yesterday);  I'm channeling the wonderful whole-grain bread we bought in Freiburg last fall.  These loaves have fruits and nuts added, so a bit different, but they're delicious.  They'll be a nice thing to have in the freezer as we count down the coming weeks.

I'll be away in Ireland for 3 weeks in late April to mid-May;  my gardening companion will be heading toward Quebec with Woody, and our Ireland HomeExchange partners will be here, followed by me for a week and then by our summer folks.

I'm grateful that we have the opportunity to do this.