Virtual Tour:: When the foxgloves bloom

This is a favorite time of year, when the foxgloves bloom.

Foxglove in bloom, little spidey-friend too.

On ye' olde homestead, we have fields of foxglove. I gander that we unintentionally selected for them by having free-ranging goats for several years; goats are voracious eaters but know to avoid the toxic foxgloves. Our (somewhat) faithful goats, Farley and Chloe, would eat everything and anything else but leave these to grow unhindered. I like pretty things that like to grow freely and unaided.

Field of foxgloves and Q.

For me, the foxglove bloom highlights the beauty of spring. They sing praise to the end of the sacred days of spring and herald the upcoming arrival of the beguiling Pacific northwest summer.

We live on forty acres of woodland. By the time the foxgloves bloom, the forest canopy has filled in nicely. Alder dominate our forest with towering western hemlock, red cedar, Douglas fir, big-leaf maple, and wild cherry among them. Salmonberries, thimbleberries, swordferns, and vine maples adorn the ground at the bases of these trees. We live at the end of our road. The pipeline runs along our eastern border with a handful of neighbors farther along. To the north, south, and west lay DNR land, so we are blessed with ample trails to wander. We are but a five mile jaunt to the top of the Oyster Dome, a highly popular hike in the Chuckanut mountains.

Bunting to mark the Heartwood trail.

Trail to the garden.

Trail to the pipeline.

A five or ten minute walk brings us to these beaver ponds.

Our nearest neighbor is more than a quarter mile walk through the woods. I especially value our privacy, introvert that I am. I fear our secluded little spot is spoiling me and turning me into a real recluse! I enjoy people but need my quiet days of solitude to feel refreshed. I feel most at ease when home with just the hubby, dogs, cats, and trees (and now my little Bean as well <3).

Out on a walk with Baby Heartwood

We have a stream running north to south at the western edge of our woods. We have a pond to swim in when the need arises. We have a huge fenced in garden. We have areas of our land yet unexplored by us.* All I'm saying is fortune favored us when we found this place.

Reflection pond/dog's watering hole/swimming hole.

The garden circa 2017. This year is by far not my finest garden year as it's been rather low on my list of priorities.

The best part about travelling for any amount of time or distance is coming home. When we first moved in, the road ended at the south side of our land. This was problematic because our little hut is on the north fringe of our land, so we walked a quarter of a mile to get home for several months before retaking the buried logging road that was our trail and turning it into our road to paradise. We are very proud of our road, and it is surely enticing if I do say so myself.**

The road to paradise at the southern border of our property circa June 17, 2019.

The road to paradise circa December 28, 2013.

Now as we round the last bend of our road, our towering timber framed house stands as our newest beacon of comfort. When it comes into view we can breathe a final sigh of relief because we know we're home. It is quite tall and statuesque! We hope that by this time next year we will have moved in and can enjoy the foxgloves in bloom from the heights of our balcony.

Heartwood haven is coming along!

*One day we want to have trails all throughout our forty acres including one along its border.

**This belief is reinforced by the ample number of strangers we get wandering up our road in spite of the several no trespassing signs because they were "just curious."