garden — Page 14

Monday, and It’s Humid

June 26, 2023 at 8:30 am by Claudia

The bee balm is beginning to bloom.

I went outside to take a few pictures yesterday. The humidity was terrible and I felt lethargic so a fresh perspective was in order. After not doing a whole lot for many years, the rose bush in front of the house has taken off like wildfire this year. I’m rather stunned every time I look at it. Gardens and flowers are a mystery when it comes down to it. Some plants always do well. Others disappear from season to season. This rose bush, which I have considered removing in the past, is suddenly huge!

Go figure.

My brain is like mush in this very humid weather. I’ve always had a problem with high humidity, not to mention my allergies going haywire, as well. If you’re allergic to mold and mildew as I am, excess humidity is not your friend.

I saw two of the baby groundhogs yesterday, one of them Buddy. And the rabbit. And a baby bunny this morning.

We’re due for thunderstorms today. It’s in the forecast every day this week. We’ll get rain, which is good, but this particular weather pattern is hanging over us and won’t budge.

So don’t expect profound writing here on the blog. My brain is incapable of it.

Little Z is not so little anymore. He’s 12 and his voice is changing. How did that happen? He’s looking so grown up lately. I think I’ll have to call him “Z” from now on. I’ve never had kids, but I imagine that particular change – of voice – has to be a bit sad for Moms (and Dads). It’s evidence your child is no longer a little kid. And when it’s your last child, as with Mere, it has to be particularly bittersweet.

Okay. I’m already sweating.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Blooms

June 22, 2023 at 8:38 am by Claudia

Rain is headed our way at some point today, though maybe not as much as predicted. Nevertheless, we should be getting rain over the course of the next four days. To all of you who are desperate for rain, I send a prayer up that rain will soon be on its way to you. I’ve been there, and it’s very stressful.

It was very sunny when I took this. It’s so hard for me to capture the beauty of this area once everything starts blooming. I don’t know why. The spirea is blooming, the hydrangeas are starting to turn white, the roses are really taking off this year, and the clematis is in the last of its bloom. We mowed the front lawn yesterday and I was so taken by the flowers! I don’t always get around to the front of the house, especially since the critters are demanding my attention on the side of the house. That’s not really brown in the lawn, it’s the grass trimmings that turn brown. It’s pretty green out there right now.

The other rose opened yesterday morning. So lush and beautiful! I only wish they lasted longer, but within a few hours, the look of the flower changes dramatically and it starts to decline. So I have to run out there and get a picture in the early morning hours.

We’re off to buy groceries this morning. Exciting, right? Actually, it is – there’s very little food left in the house. We hope to beat the rain.

Meanwhile, the birds are singing. The other day, I walked up on the trails that run through our little patch of woods and the bird song up there was incredible. So much more intense than what I hear down by the house. It was magical.

And those robins that I wrote about the other day? I was right. They either fledged that morning or the day before. We’ve had three bird nests this year; two at the shed and one in the burning bush. And of course, baby groundhogs as well. And baby rabbits, but I have no idea where that warren is. I’m sure there are a lot more nests on the property, these are just the ones I could see.

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

Beautiful Monday

June 19, 2023 at 8:26 am by Claudia

Good morning.

It’s a beautiful morning here at the cottage. The yarrow has blossomed. The back forty was mowed a few days ago. We’re due to mow the front lawn, but we’ll wait a bit before we start in on that. It’s very green out there, helped by our recent days of rain. I’m well aware that we had a drought last summer in July and August, so I’m enjoying this while I can.

My little buddy, one of the baby groundhogs, visited in the afternoon yesterday. He/She is fascinating – usually comes to visit by himself, hangs out, eats, lazes on a rock or two, disappears whenever we suddenly appear, then comes back to the rock. I haven’t named any of the babies, but this one – he is Buddy. I have no idea where the others are, or where they dine. Every once in a while I walk up to the back forty near the area where their burrow is, but I don’t see anything. Buddy definitely goes back to that burrow at night. I haven’t seen mom in a while. I guess the kids are the equivalent of teenagers now and just like when we were kids, they go off by themselves for hours at a time. Mom knows they’ll come back “when the streetlights go on.”

The robins are still busy feeding their babies – this nest is in the big bush in the main garden bed. The burning bush, if you remember it. It’s the perfect place for a nest because the bush is dense and the nest is quite hidden. Heck, I can’t even see it when I’m nearby. I imagine those babies will be fledging soon; in fact, with my track record, they probably fledged this morning. I want to prune that bush, but I’ve been keeping away from it while the nest is active.

Today, I’m going to tackle the weeds in the rock garden part of the secret garden. They are out of control. Soon, they’ll cover The Dude and we can’t have that!

I’m working on a puzzle – another Renoir painting – which is very dark and very, very difficult. If I can fit 5 pieces in a session, I’m happy. It’s very slow going, especially since I’m busy outside much of the time. But it’s there and I often stop whatever I’m doing in the kitchen to see if inspiration hits me.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Monday, and It’s Humid

Blooms

Beautiful Monday

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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