Hot Summer

Sometimes you are too hot, too sweaty, too tired to get up and take that shower.

Butterfly Head

Granny said after I made my bed,
And after I was fully fed,
After I put on that shirt dark red
After we had cleaned out the shed,
And if the sky was still blue overhead
We would go where I led.
But as we set out...
Wait, is that a butterfly on my head?

The Watch Frog

Throughout the world people use various means to protect their valuables. Besides technology we also use animals. In the U.S. (and elsewhere) dogs with their excellent sense of smell and hearing protect us from robberies. When I lived in Indonesia they used peacocks because they had a piercing call if a stranger approached the yard at night.

I guess I have a volunteer watch frog in the potted patio tomato...or perhaps he is just free-loading. The look he is giving me says "What's with all this drenching rain every morning?"

A screen saver for you'all

If you click on the photo it will be higher res and then just right click to save image to you PC!

Summer Lovin'?

While checking the new plants, I found the salvia and Russian sage and Veronica are tempting the lovely swallowtail butterflies to visit.

This gentle fellow (gal?) is almost lovelier on the front side!

Then suddenly a second appears and they immediately tangle on the ground. Are they fighting or mating?


Soon one leaves and the other in either extreme ecstasy or pain remains behind on the gravel and I slowly approach. He/she gathers needed energy and soon flies off into the air.

Freedom

Free to leap
Above the why
Into the arms
Of strange

Free to fly
Far from real
Into the arms
Of away

Free to sail
On the craft
Into the arms
Of sighs

Laughing and yelling and screaming with joy
I spin the sun at my command

An Evening

The fragile beauty of a summer evening as the sun begins its low glow above the silhouette of trees was the perfect time for sitting in a coasting canoe.

For a while we chased the reflection of the half moon up the river until we reached the end of a finger where the sanctuary begins. Small schools of bait fish bubbled ahead on the surface on each side of the bow. Quiet evening air was punctuated by the raspy call of the blue herons behind the marsh and later by the lyrical beauty of the warbler's call. We looked up to see a juvenile bald eagle without his balding color glide to land gracefully in the crook of a nearby tree becoming camouflaged against the darkening shadows.


The pink and purple surface of the water was gently rippled by the cool and welcoming breeze that also kissed our faces. Windows from houses nestled against the sheltering trees on the distant shore glowed warm and golden as the evening lamps were turned on.

Three blue herons glided smoothly ahead of us following the shoreline. One landed at the top of the tallest tulip tree and remained like a sentinel arching his neck and balancing his head in perfect yoga pose as we slid past below.

The sun's bright glow diminished rapidly, and reluctantly, we turned back skirting the gray fingers of fallen trees near the shore as we headed toward home.

Ha Ha...!

The house is quiet as the sun is not quite up. I am standing in the bathroom washing my face. I hear a repeated bird call in the nearby woods that sounds a little different.

ME: "Do you hear that bird call?"
HUBBY: (Lying peacefully in bed.) "Yeah."
ME: "What is that?"
HUBBY; "A cardinal"
ME: "Gee. Sounds a little different, sort of raspy. Like it has a sore throat."
HUBBY: "You'd sound raspy too if you spent the better part of your day beating your head against a window."

Sometimes a Surprise

After the hectic weekend of guests and grandchildren, we decided a woodland walk was in order to calm our spirits and return our pace back to something more rhythmic and less jazzy. We discovered a new state park nearby that warrants a return visit. It seemed that the time of fungus is upon us.

That is the Plan...

A naive person might think that having an open grassy space would make it easy to put in some flower beds and trees. But that cannot be the process. This is the beginning of planning for our rather plain front yard with gravel driveway. I am hoping that the stark and rather formal look will mellow once the plants fill in and spill over. The wild raspberries on the right side will have to be removed, unfortunately, because they are so invasive. Now that our raspberry buses are int he ground and starting to produce we may not miss these so much. We have to have raised beds because the ground is hard packed clay even after adding a layer of top soil! The bed in the back by the garden and the one in the front still needs edging in brick. Trees and maybe more beds will be added over the years and if we find the deer continue to leave us alone. I am also hoping to widen the sidewalk entry( not shown) somewhat as it is too narrow. I do not know how to pour and level cement, so maybe I will have to settle for some pavers?

Quick Update

The cardinal continues to peck at various windows starting as early as 6:00 A.M. I also thought about putting in a stuffed cat as Sky suggested...just don't have one around. ALTHOUGH, just yesterday I was sitting reading on my sofa and got up to get something to drink and staring at me was a black cat with a white patch on his throat. He was on the deck looking in through the French doors! Once he say my movement his eyes opened wide and he took off racing down the deck and in to the woods. He is not wild as I saw a collar.

I also was thinking of taping down some fly tape to the ledge of the window to see if very sticky feet would discourage him. My husband thinks he has an addiction to the behavior, a pattern he cannot break since the mating season has passed.

I did see Mrs. Red perched on the deck table looking very frustrated as her mate went from window to window tapping. Maybe he is a polygamist? My hubby has nickhamed the bird Don Quixote.

I have "googled" this behavior and am going to try first spinners and next bird netting, if I can figure out how to attach it to the second story window.

News from the Homefront

(Warning: Pictures at the end of this blog may make you a little squeamish.)

The owl pictures did not work to discourage the bird. Red, the cardinal lunatic, was unintimidated and still comes tapping at my bedroom window around 6:00 A.M. most mornings. We have had loud argumentative discussions about this behavior...actually I have discussed and Red just flies away! I even tried spraying deer repellent on the outside windowsill and that did not keep him away. I was going to put those spikes that they have on the roofs and gutters of monuments to discourage pigeons, but my husband said that was going to far.

The other visitor, Mr. or Mrs. Raccoon, has not reappeared or been heard from for several days. The pest control people could find no sign of a large mammal in the part of the attic they could reach. But they also said the eve access above my bedroom was too hard for them to attempt any animal removal. It is tremendously hot up there for anything to live, so I am thinking the move-in was temporary due to a downed tree from a storm or he/she was actually pacing on the outside on the roof.

Mud wasps are making homes under the soffits as I see them coming in an out. It is right by the front door, so they will have to be removed.

Finally this friendly fellow swam all the way across the river to my dock just to say hello. This country life is quite exciting and I am such a popular girl these days!

A Pick Me Up

This Gerbera daisy, related to the sunflower, was a parting gift on my retirement at the end of April. It had one small flower in the center. When that died I thought that was the end of the show. I have never bought these daisies because they are annuals and have a reputation for being tempermental. This gem has rewarded me with three more blossoms--two are tucked behind, and if it survives the summer, I will see if I can keep it going inside this winter. Daisies are such happy faces and I have been feeling a little down for some reason.



I was also gifted with the first two blossoms of one of the John Paul Clematis that I planted recently. The other does not have blooms but is more prolific in vining and leafing. Another pick-me upper.

Ms. Manners vs. Pachamama

Pachamama, the passionate one, has been very restless this past week. For two nights, she threw her hair around in grand sweeps and tore the leaves and branches from her shoulders scattering debris across the lawn making it look as though a love-war had happened during the night. A small dead tree was tossed across the driveway and another large branch across the path to the dock. It was almost as if she had sent a message that she did not want me to leave the house. I was able to move the small tree to the side, but the branch across the path to the dock is too precarious for me to try on my own as two other smaller branches cross it high above.

On the third night of this dance, the full moon emerged to bring Pachamama some peace but to test my patience. The moon light cast its pearl beam directly across my bed at 3:30 and has done so each night since then waking me up each time. It is too bright to sleep and since I have not yet sewn draperies for the bedroom, I must allow the moon her mischief and be patient.

Two nights ago just before the moon passed beneath the branch of a tree to beam gaily through the window once again, I was awakened by some rhythmic sound above my head. I could not make it out in my sleepy fog but it sounded like large drops of water hitting the ceiling above my bed. But it was not rain. There was no rain falling. The pattern was soft and rhythmic. One, two, three, four across the tray ceiling above my head and then it repeated but in the opposite direction. I realized that it was the padded pacing of some animal. Something was in the attic. It sounded too large and slow for a squirrel and although I pictured a bobcat due to the padded footfall, I knew it was not that. I am guessing it is a raccoon. I heard it for two nights, but last night it was quieter. Maybe it is some mystical beast that was thrown out of sphere by Pachamama!

Today I had to call the rodent removal people. I am too practical and too scared to let it set up housekeeping in the attic.

What is Pachamama trying to tell me? Is my footprint too large? I guess I will try to be more polite.

Mushroom Abundance

Like a witches cauldron in the heat and steamy air, the lawn is bringing forth mushrooms aplenty and with variety. If someone knows why blogger refuses to upload an image in a correct rotation, let me know.

Reach for the Sky

Having both well water and a septic system requires some balance in how we use water. After several months bacteria build up in the well and our pipes, and when we turn on the water, it smells strongly of hydrogen sulfide. Therefore, we must carefully treat it with a shock of bleach. Then we must carefully drain the water from the well over a rock river for a while to empty the well of all bleach residue so that we can use the water and so that it doesn't ruin the important bacteria in the septic system. This recycling of bleach water takes several hours. The well pump is capped in the back yard. Because of my aesthetic sense, I ordered one of those artificial rocks to cover the well cap. I intend to eventually plant some small grasses or other plants around the' rock.' We put the 'rock' in place a week ago and upon lifting it to treat the well this morning an interesting mushroom was found underneath reaching for who knows what. Ilove the beauty of various fungus and so had to capture this one.

Neighborhood Modernization

He spotted the new supermarket going up about two months ago. There seemed to be much unnecessary construction and sporadic cleaning of the area before all was finished. Yet, it was so close to where he lived, he felt very fortunate. Finally, the rows of produce were stocked and he could see the fresh greens just seductively sitting there. The price for the pleasure was small...just a 5 inch hole needed to be made in the black plastic netting. He was in the middle of a "fresh green bean sprout delight" which reminded him of his mother's recipes when a crazy woman came running and whooping at him raising her arms in the steamy air.

Her frightening and speedy approach made him a little disoriented and not sure of the way out and he almost didn't make it through the 5 inch hole in the net. But soon he was safe, lumbering through the wild raspberry patch and heading down the ravine with a tummy full of new bean plants.

Simmering Senseless

If, like Haglet, anyone was interested in the owl experiment...it did not work. This same red devil has four favorite windows which he proceeds to tap and fly at each day. Usually in the morning. I must regroup.

It is now 91 degrees and climbing and Mr. Red is probably panting at full tilt in one of the tulip trees tyring to get his breath.

Early this morning while I was fixing coffee in my birthday suit (perhaps in dread of how hot the day was going to become) I looked out in the front lawn and very near the bay window Mr. Longears was busy eating away at the clover. We have lots of clover in the lawn and I think he is doing a great service. I just wonder what he will eat when all the clover is gone...yes, exactly what I was thinking. Maybe I shouldn't let him get too comfortable.

I took my coffee in hand and wandered out all beige with tan lines into the front yard. Being able to wander out in one's birthday suit is a cool advantage of living in the country--- all puns intended. Mr. Longears looked up briefly, made a determination about his situation and then continued his clover breakfast undeterred. A 61-year-old body with all its warts and scars is not going to frighten this fellow.

I have fond memories of this morning because now only a house fire could get me back outside before the sun wanes.

I Hear You Knockin

I hear you knockin, but you can't come in!


When one reaches the age that I have attained after no small success in avoiding various dietary-induced illnesses and diseases of the 20th Century, I do not have any patience for little scares when I brush my teeth in the quiet of my bathroom in the early morning. Little scares such as a cardinal abruptly flying at the window behind me and then tapping incessantly in the early dawn causing my heart to stop and me to drop my toothbrush into the sink.

I also am allowed that occasional nap in the afternoon and do not appreciate the incessant tapping of the same motley cardinal at my bedroom window just as I drift off to sleep---fifteen times!! I have taped the following images of startled owls to the windows of my house and we will see if this discourages this determined and tedious bird from his addled behavior.

Glutton for Punishment

Is is just my imagination or does this 'hog' have a guilty look? I remember a summer when one of his relatives visited my garden in another area of this state and proceeded to make tomato salad every single evening from my garden without asking. She lived under my neighbors porch and was raising an extensive family. My dog treed her for almost 12 hours one day.

This groundhog above looks even healthier. I have lots of clover and other nibbles throughout the lawn and I respectfully ask that you ignore all the expensive delectables in my flower beds! I am willing to live and let live...and that includes the horticultural exotics that I have planted.

Today I Planted

Click photo for a larger view

This past Sunday I took hubby to the airport very early in the morning. My return trip took me by one of my very favorite plant places. I spent $160.00 in very little time and only the size of my car kept me in my place. This place is expensive, has 1,000's of different plants, and everything you get is very healthy and guaranteed for one year. They even have Sunday muffin/tea sessions with a plant expert if you have the time. I took my treasures home and placed them throughout the yard for Monday.

I planted the following on this very nice spring Monday:

2 Clematis John Paul beneath the sun trellises
6 Liatris Spicata Kobold around the circle of the ugly oil tank cap in the middle of the yard
2 Perovskia Little Spire in the same circle of the tank for accent
1 Salvia marcus near my blue-eyed grass
1 Salvia Marcus Nemrosa also near that
1 hybrid tea rose-Sweet Surrender in the same bed ---I am a glutton for punishment. What can I say?
1 paeonia Krekler's Red under my newly planted pink dogwood

and put aside the the newly purchased bird feeder for another day.

Before planting the Peony, I cut the four lovely blossoms and brought them inside along with four of the shasta daisies that had yet to be eaten by the rabbit and put them in a bouquet on my dining table. The bouquet was missing something...it needed a center with a little height. I have a small hedge of wild raspberries creeping into the lawn and a cutting from that seemed to add just the element needed. What do you think? It is not Ikebana, but reflects my casual style.

Trellis and Suns

The above trellis (actually two) were purchased recently to add to the vine hardscape next to the pathway to my front door. I currently have one clematis which blooms in the spring that is growing on a more traditional looking trellis in the center of this side bed. The flower is not the exact color I thought it was going to be, but the plant is so healthy, it will remain. I added two other trellis structures, one on each side with the sun symbol as shown above for balance and to add two later summer blooming clematis that are paler whitish pink in color so that I have vines blooming through a longer time period. They are called John Paul II. This sun in the trellis continues a 'sun-theme' that I accidentally began a few years ago with the sculpture below that is beside my front door.


I also have two large suns hanging above the garage doors. These I have to remove rust from and repaint in a darker wine red next week. Just one more of the many projects I have been meaning to work on. Below is the full bed now in full bloom.
This whole landscaping process is going very very very slowly as I do not wish to be buying expensive salad for the rabbits and deer. Rabbits already are eating 10% of the shasta daisies!!

Life in the Jungle

There seems to be basically two types of people. Those that feel most comfortable living in or very near the city. The sound of an ambulance and police sirens, barking dogs, people chatter and bus groans are comforting and familiar. These sounds become the lullaby that puts one to sleep.

The second group of individuals needs the sound of the wind in the trees, the final call of a bird and/or the lap of a wave upon the shore to help them unwind and drift off in the evening.

Interestingly enough, I think I like both worlds, and while I favor the latter, I can adjust to the sounds of civilization growing as I drift off to sleep.

Two nights ago, there was a twist on the evening lullaby in the woods. The rains had deposited almost three inches by the time sunset (which we could not see) arrived. The gusting winds broke new growth from the tops of the trees and flung it across the lawns. Leaves danced crazily above our heads. The monotony of the falling rain and gusting wind finally put my husband and I to sleep---almost. Just as we lost consciousness the violent and gutteral sound of an angry animal drifted up to the bedroom window. There was calling like a rusty hinge on a door and deep growls that could only come from a mountain lion. This went on for several minutes and hubby got the spotlight and directed it to the ravine. Someone was clearly not going to sleep until he/she got their way.

The spring shrubbery was full and green and we could not even catch a glimpse of a yellow eye. Finally we went back to bed and the animal sounds subsided.

In the crisp sunny post storm morning as we ate breakfast we talked about the noise. We concluded that we had been listening to a territorial dispute between two male racoons. Nasty it was and somewhat frightening. But I guess I can get used to that as I have gotten adjusted to everything else...except a baby's cry.

Nature's Bouquet

These beautiful branches fell to the roadside during the recent heavy rains and winds. The water crept above the dock and kissed the bottom of the boat. Rains and wind continued for over 48 hours, but left behind this lovely bouquet for my dining room table. Tulip tree flowers are not something I would normally be able to 'pick.' I feel very lucky to have such a lovely bouquet before my company arrives tomorrow.

Bye Baby Bunting

Here is an Indigo Bunting(?) that has been visiting. There are two males that stop by the bird feeder. I am hoping to see at least one female soon. How lovely would it be if they nest nearby each year!
Just as I head downstairs to replace the flash card in the camera, one of the males flings himself at the window near the dining room table! I hope he is alright! These filmed windows are tragedies in the woods.

The Beginning

For some odd reason, I think the deep red of the pot offsets nicely with the purples.

And thus begins my citrus grove in the mid-Atlantic.

Monday, Monday

Right on time! It is blooming my very first Monday of freedom!!

Here is Mr. Red

Not the best photo of Mr. Red ...but the best that I could get early in the morning. You can click/open for a bigger photo.


Here is our resident blue jay who clearly does not like the paparazzi.
I also saw the most stunning indigo bunting during lunch and failed to get that photo!!

New Tenants

A new couple has moved in nearby. Since I am still at work in the city, my husband has been the spy of their activities. Except for the demolition and remodeling noise, they are a quiet couple. The male part of the team arrived earlier this spring and began the remodeling. We were sort of surprised that he installed the entry away from the water and facing our deck. I wish I could have heard her comments when she saw this.

"You have that lovely water view and you decide the entry should face that brick monstrosity? I will have to listen to noisy biped chatter every evening from that deck!"

He probably appeared sheepish but continued to move wood chips out the front, because he knew she loved him and she needed someplace to nest soon.

Over the next few days, hubby watched them settle in and begin their child care. They seem to have a balance of responsibilities. When he returns to watch the little ones, she leaves -- probably to get a meal out and some fresh air. There is not much room in that abode.

Yesterday they had their first adventure. Blackie, the black snake, which I had talked about in a previous blog entry has come out of hibernation and returned to the yard. He was 'snaking' his way up the remaining trunk of a small dead tree. This trunk was within a yard of the trunk in which our young couple had set up housekeeping.

I wish I could have been here to see the drama. There was a rather vocal (on the part of Mr. Red--you would think I could come up with more original names) argument followed by diving and flapping. Blackie, probably intimidated by that jackhammer bill, eventually gave up his territory even though it was only feet from the bird feeders. He moved on in search of a meal elsewhere and will certainly startle me one morning when I am out gardening.

I will post some photos today of the newly-weds, if I can.

Shed Your Inhibitions

Tulip Tree -- Yellow Poplar -- Liriodendron tulipifera tepals

Some people have cats or dogs or even birds that seem to shed throughout the house. I have a forest that sheds throughout the yard and deck.

Overnight Summer

It happens every single spring. I ever so carefully and eagerly study the swollen tips of the tree- branches while I anticipate the new beauty that is yet to come. I am rewarded ever so briefly with the Easter colored flowers that blanket the trees and the shrubs along the roadside as I hurry off to work or back home at the end of the day. I see the grass on the roadside turn lime green with each spring rain. And every year, like a softheaded fool, I am so dumbfounded when I wake up that next morning and discover that every single tree has exploded with all its leaves meaning summer is well on its way.

Should I go to War?

This is my Lungwort (Pulmonaria x 'Berries N' Cream') or Bethlehem sage that I planted last year. I could not find it in the local nursery and they special ordered it for me. The variegated leaves with a hairy-furry surface are almost as interesting as the flowers which start out pink and change to purple. The blossoms remind me of the blue bells that grew wild in the foothills behind my house growing up in Colorado. This perennial spreads out about 2-3 feet. My specimen sits in a landscape bed that is right up beside the house and the plant is touted as deer resistant.

...Unlike my purple rhododendron which sits only four feet away in the same landscape bed and which had only one bloom that escaped the cropping of the deer. I am hoping that the deer and I can come to a better compromise once I live here full time. Of course, if they are fundamentalistic and uncompromising in their diet, we will work this out on less friendly terms!

Finally, it is now time for the wild sassafras (below) to be in bloom. If you tear or crush the leaves, they smell like root beer. Tea can be made with the leaves by pouring boiling water over a handful, letting them sit, covered, for 10-15 minutes and then straining out the leaves. I remember doing this when I was a scout leader... but I cannot remember if it worked.

Peeping Tom

Those who still wear gray and brown are embarrassed by the blatant offering of these deep red poutings so early in the season. They are not ready for this arousing display of a need to give and share such beauty. Is it too suggestive when winter winds still steal the warmth from the sun? Provoking and luscious, their time, like our youth, lasts only so long. It is your loss if you allow your eyes to linger elsewhere.

The "Name That Plant" Game

The small package has been opened but I am still trying to figure out what it is. Annie in Austin suggested one idea, and while the flower looks very much like it is related to a flax the rest of the plant doesn't quite fit and so here is a better picture of the whole plant. Anyone else want to play?

30 minutes later....

Ah HA...even though I should be planning an Easter dinner...I have been surfing and think I finally found the species...Veronica chamaedrys or Germander Speedwell!

Good Things in Small Packages

These little faces of goodwill and sunshine greeted me poking their noses over the rim of a leftover planter on the back of my deck. The plant was almost completely buried in oak leaves and then these little ones showed up like eager blue bunnies in the middle of March. I googled tons of images, but found nothing that was close enough for me to remember their name. Fortunately, I don't have to know the name to enjoy them.

Raspberry Kisses

Raspberry kisses
Marmalade dreams
Sugar sonatas
with fragrant sunbeams.

Exotic Spring

This time of year, this is the way I feel. Don't I wish I looked that way! Photo was taken from my recent visit to the Philadelphia Flower Show.