Fall Gets Quiet

The days are undoubtedly shorter as I now get up before the sun and certainly go to bed long after the sun has set.  The leaves crinkle beneath my feet as I head out to the gate to head to the swamp for some duck box maintenance. The day is a perfect autumn blue-sky day.  The turtles in the swamp appreciate the warm afternoon sun after the cooler evenings.  They are slower and lethargic as fall moves on and seem less afraid of me. 

I lean against the bark of the tree and also enjoy the warmth of the sun.  I hear the crickets but they are timid in song. The frogs no longer sing.  As I head down the path that skirts the swamp I hear high crying.  The bald eagles have gathered in a small set of trees and make their twittering call as I invade their space.  Dozens of feathers at my feet mean they have been there grooming for some time.  I count four adults and more than six younger birds as they flee gracefully down the marsh.

The early mornings are sometimes fog filled as the water holds onto the day's heat and the night air kisses the surface of the cooler water and thus we get fog.   One of my favorite plants this time of year is the saltbush which is beginning to form its seed which will soon fly everywhere mimicking the first feathering snowfall.

And some of the best beauty is the velvet fog that makes you move more slowly and with greater peace.  

Falling in Love With Fall

The leaves on the tulip trees are crispy brown with a hint of yellow. They are falling like parachute jumpers spinning slowly to the ground below. They are not showy, but just the opening act. Cosmos are the second act this time of year. They are silky ballerinas with the last of the nectar before the butterflies drift south and the bees begin their dormancy.

I Do Not Like PIckey Eaters

More on birds on vacation.  These little thieves were in Banff National Park in Canada.

"Hey man, you better get moving.  The wife is already headed for the door!"

"Is that mustard?  Really?  Egad!

"Well, I will just eat around the edges before that waitress returns.  If I can just flip out this lettuce..."

City Birds

Europe has little that is wild and untrammeled over the centuries of civilization and wars.  They eat EVERYTHING over there, so many animals do not have much of a chance except in remote protected lands. In the city the birds have adapted to humans and no longer seem to fear them, but maybe they just tolerate us. I was able to get some closer photos in the city parks because the wild birds are somewhat "tame" birds and many have learned to beg for food.

Rooms Without Walls in the City

A healthy society needs lots of green space for its people. Green space to rest the eyes, green space to rest the weary body, green space to rest the tired ears, and green to rest the soul. Most cities accept and promote this sanctuary for its citizens. Below are two photo-paintings I created of the area outside the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Nederlands.  Perhaps inspired a bit by the art inside?

After all, if the leaders did not see the importance of letting in the natural world where could people fall in love?

Respite

My life has been a nasty roller coaster this past week. I have been able to keep the worry away until bedtime because I have a beautiful 6-year-old visiting for the week that is a pleasant distraction. The bike ride to and the picnic at a distant state park have given me the respite I badly needed yesterday. Hoping you and yours find ways to ease the week ahead.

The air was cool and so fresh. Almost like an early visit from fall.  The breeze off the ocean kept away any insects but was not so strong that it was annoying for our picnic near the beach.  

The park was almost ours as only one family with children were at the dozens of picnic tables and one other couple our age were exploring the nature center and the historic sites.  Grandson had plenty of room to learn to ride his new bike both on the paved roads and the grassy areas.

A Steady Pace

The air is just a bit flat this week, meaning the moisture is down. The shadows are sharper and the sun is not so hot.  A tidbit of fall?  A sneak peek.  Having the 6-year-old means we can spend more time on his new bike and not sweat so much.  I took a walk around the yard, and these are the harbingers of fall at my feet.

My cosmos are in full and abundant bloom, but the early blossoms now look like this.

I realize that no matter what events happen in my life, the world marches on at its steady pace and does not worry that I have fallen behind.

Using It All Up

My garden is tired, just like me at the end of the summer. We have had weekly torrential downpours allowing me to feel less guilty about my neglect.  Amazingly, the tiny hummingbird finds the small yellow blossoms on the zinnia and is able to make a small meal.

His balance and focus are superb and he does not miss one blossom.

And as if to remind me not to pull up the plants another animal comes by and uses up what is left.

I will just let them tidy everything up for a few more weeks.

They Return Each Day

This is the full-table time of year when an abundance of fruit and seeds is available for all.

And below the whole family showed up this time, but were spooked by the click of my camera and thus this one shot was all I get off.

Twins

There are always surprises when you live in the woods, and ever evolving ecosystem.  This means that these woods are hardly as natural as they were generations ago. This was unnatural farmland, perhaps owned by a black family, about 80 years ago and has now grown back to woodland complete with invasives and paved roads. My husband even found a broken hand plow from Germany in the woods.  

A change but not uncommon finding was the bottom jaw with tiny teeth of a fawn near our path to the dock.  We had seen buzzards flapping awkwardly onto tree branches in that area, but thought nothing of it as we were packing for a trip. By the time we returned there were just a few bones left beside the jawbones and these were being eaten by beetles. We had not seen any fawns this year and while we have an ongoing battle with the deer eating landscape plants at the driveway entrance, we were also sad not to see the dappled backs of the new young ones with their soft brown inquisitive eyes. Yesterday, while I was making quiche for dinner, I looked out the kitchen window as I often do and saw this young one.

While I went to get my camera and quietly opened the door to the deck, I saw this second one!

Yes, he/she is sticking their tongue out at me. They watched me for a few seconds.  No adult could be seen to snuffle or stamp or flash a tail and warn them, so they just stood.  After a short time, the slightly smaller one of the two turned and decided it was time to retreat back into the safety of the shadows of the trees and was soon followed by the other.

I was glad for the break in cooking and relieved to know that two young ones, who may be on their own, seem to be stable for now.

The Pause That Refreshes

We had a break today. The heat and humidity disappeared and was replaced by high 70-degree weather and no humidity. It meant I could go outside to weed in the morning for an hour or so and not have to wear a towel around my neck. The rains yesterday made the ground soft for pulling up the invasive crab grass and that newcomer, the Japanese stilt grass! When I was done I went inside for my second cup of coffee. While sipping on it and looking out the patio window I saw this...

That crazy ten-foot sunflower plant in the pot on my deck had attracted two hummingbirds. Both were territorial and fought for space making it twice as hard to capture them.  But, as you can see, my sunflower is blooming very well!

While I have not seen the goldfinch, I expect them any day as the first blossom in the photo above is drying and producing seed.

I could see the little hummers flitting through the trees as I sat on the patio waiting for them to return.  They are such fierce fighters with each other.  One even flew up to my face within two feet as if trying to figure out my species.

While I Was Away

Those who read my other blog know that I have been in New York City for the prior week. Those of you who garden realize that being away from your growing plants for a long time is a bit traumatic.  You try to plan your vacation trip around the growing season.  Or you either throw things to the hands of fate or you try to find someone to water and check on things and keep your fingers crossed . 

We did not have anyone to really check on things except the man who helps mow and trim on the weekends. But we "lucked out" in that a heavy rain came mid-week. My roses are bereft as there was no one to pick off the beetles and deadhead to encourage more blooms. My other flowers have almost completed blooming before the fall time. 

This time in my yard with the heat and humidity there are a few late lilies, the ever patient phlox and the rather weedy annual flower bed full of zinnias and sunflowers all overshadowed by a thousand coreopsis!   The crepe myrtles are still in bud.

The vegetables had grown large and watery...cucumbers and tomatoes. We will pick and eat them anyway. 

This year hubby planted a new variety of sweet blueberry and we had amended the soil to finally get a decent crop.  Granddaughter helped us pick a pint or so for pancakes the next morning.

I also noticed that the planters I had placed in large bins of water (with mosquito dunks) had managed to hold their health if indeed looking a bit haggard from wind and pelting rain. But there was one surprise...

This sunflower, that volunteered from the bird seed this past winter, I staked well and it is  now 10 feet tall!  Soon goldfinch will flash their golden beauty and start picking away at the seeds and chumming down on the golden petals.

My gardening will have to wait as the weather is now unbearable!

I Have Volunteers

Each year I purchase a few annuals to put in pots on my deck. Every other year or so I change out the soil. This year I did not replace the soil as I was in California. When I returned I got a fertile sunflower from seed dropped by a bird during the winter feedings on my deck.  (All photos were taken through a somewhat dirty window!)

This sunflower is one of those giants you see in fields in France or perhaps our own Midwest. It is huge and I have staked it in the hopes of saving it from our winds and torrential downpours. Of course, it really sucks up all the moisture and I have to go out and water each day.

It seems that the goldfinch are impatient for it to flower.  

The male and female are not as disheveled as they have probably gotten their young ones out of the nest and on their way.

But their impatience is strong.  So now they are tearing apart the seeds of another volunteer in my petunia pot...the zinnias.  It is a colorful show I must admit, although it will probably ensure no zinnia volunteers next year.

Flower Painting with the Computer

I have been hiding from the hot sun and very humid days recently.  I sneak out early in the morning and water a few places and weed a few others in my flower gardens.  Then I lumber back inside with cut grass covering my feet and twigs in my hair and bugs on my back and go to my computer in the air-conditioned cave and spend time "painting."

This 'artwork' hides the weeds and softens the dead-heads on the flowers and evens out the harsh sunlight.

And I can pretend my garden looks as nice as yours. Your know who you are up in the lovely Northwest with all your soft and misty rain!