garden — Page 164

Too Darn Hot

May 29, 2016 at 9:12 am by Claudia

Cripes. It’s been so hot here that we are under an air quality warning and have been for the past couple of days. It ‘felt’ – according the the weather report – close to 100 yesterday. Where the heck did Spring go? I’ve been staying in, just venturing out to keep water in the birdbath (they are drinking and bathing there almost constantly) and to water my seeds and potted plants.

All the rain that was predicted last week never materialized and we could really use some. I hope that tomorrow’s predicted rain comes. The birds, the animals, the plants, the grass – they all need a break.

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The catmint has really taken off – purple blooms everywhere.

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Yarrow that has self-seeded over by the Chicken Wire Fence Garden.

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Clematis twining and looping and blooming.

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Wind chimes moving gently in the breeze – when there is one.

I read a book in a day and a half. It’s titled Security and it’s by Gina Wohlsdorf. On my Kindle in eGalley form, it is un-putdownable. A high-tech thriller so well plotted and written that I was mesmerized. I’ll write a brief mini-review on Just Let Me Finish This Page today. It will be published on June 7th. Don was out doing a gig last night and there was nothing that interested me on television, so I just kept reading. And then I picked it up this morning and finished it. I love having a nice chunk of time in which to lost myself in a book. It’s the best.

Is anyone, other than Melanie, seeing ads that block the text or photos? I don’t mean the drop down ads that are sometimes above the first post. Those do open up and expand but are easily closed back up. I don’t seen anything on any of my browsers and I use Safari, Chrome and Firefox. I think it might be adware that’s on her browser, but I want to check with the rest of you.

Happy Sunday.

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Opening Night

May 28, 2016 at 9:37 am by Claudia

I’m getting started very slowly today as we didn’t get home until 1 am from the Opening Night of Anastasia. It was a long day – driving there took almost twice as long as usual because of the Memorial Day weekend, I suspect. I almost gave up, thinking we should just head back home. But oh! I am so glad we kept going.

I cannot tell you enough how glorious this musical is. Opening Night was one of the most magical nights I’ve even been a part of, and I’ve been in theater for, ahem, many years. I am sitting here, this morning, in my blogging chair, remembering bits and pieces of the night, snatches of songs, magical moments onstage, the roar of the crowd at the end of certain musical numbers, the cheers and foot stomping and bravos that filled the theater. Don was completely enthralled. He couldn’t stop talking about it and said it’s the best show he’s seen in years.

I love the cast, a group of super talented actor/singer/dancers with big hearts and a wonderful, positive attitude. I love Darko, of course – his brilliance is a given. The music and lyrics, the libretto, the choreography, the music direction, the costumes, the set design, the lighting, the projections – are superb. I grew up acting in musicals. They are my first love. And what I love about the musical theater are the lush, gorgeous songs of the greats: Rodgers & Hammerstein, Rodgers & Hart, Frank Loesser, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Kander & Ebb, Jule Styne, Jerome Kern, George Gershwin….what I don’t like is the Pop sound in a lot of recent musicals. I avoid them like the plague. Musical Theater should be larger-than-life, it should take you to a different place, a place where the feelings and emotions in a moment are so big, so momentous, that the character just has to sing.

Anastasia does that. Oh, how wonderful it is to witness something like this.

We spent some time at the party afterwards and then, about 11 pm, headed home. Not much sleep, but so worth it. It’s headed to Broadway sometime in 2017.

5-28 clematis

Before we left for Hartford, I noticed the clematis was blooming!

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As is the Lamium.

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With these 90 degree temperatures, I suspect a lot of blooms are going to pop open. Staying inside with the A/C on today. Don has a gig tonight, poor guy, so he’s trying to sleep in.

Happy Saturday.

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Flora and Fauna at the Cottage

May 26, 2016 at 9:15 am by Claudia

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The weather was so hot yesterday that I spent a lot of time watering the newly planted barrels and pots and planters. The hollyhock was drooping under the heat of the sun. That got watered, too. More heat today, tomorrow and into next week.

Mother Nature, it’s too soon.

Luckily, we put the a/c window units in on Monday, knowing what was coming. It’s nice and cool inside the house.

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I pulled a lot of weeds. Cripes, there are so many already! I trimmed a couple of stray mini bushes that are growing in the big garden bed – there’s a wild honeysuckle trying to take over, a mini catalpa, and heaven knows what else. Their roots are deep so it’s tough getting them out of the bed. So, I just keep pruning them throughout the summer until it’s too hot to care anymore.

Birds are using the birdbath constantly. A sip of water, a refreshing bath; there’s lots of activity. And bunnies are everywhere. In fact, they’ve been getting into the big corral and then they can’t remember how they got in and we have to guide them out. After a few efforts at herding them from inside the corral and seeing them freak out in panic, now we do it from the other side of the fence. It’s an interesting turn of events. They rarely made their way inside the corral when Scout and Riley were alive. But now? Those scamps are in there all the time.

I haven’t seen Henry in a long time. In fact, I haven’t seen him since I opened the front door to get him out of the big garden bed. He ran off quickly, as groundhogs do whenever they hear a sound. And I haven’t seen him since. Maybe he is a she and babies are being born? Maybe he decided to move on? Maybe he’s exploring other parts of the property? I have no idea. But I miss him.

My neighbor tells me they have groundhogs living under their shed, as well.

5-26 boxwood

Plants in the photos: Geranium, Dame’s Rocket (a wildflower), and Boxwood.

I have a book review scheduled for tomorrow. Early tomorrow afternoon, we will be headed to Hartford to see the Opening Night performance of Anastasia. I can’t wait to see it again and I can’t wait for Don to see it.

Happy Thursday.

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Too Darn Hot

Opening Night

Flora and Fauna at the Cottage

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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