patio

Porch Sitting, Gardening & Baby Bunnies

June 2, 2014 at 8:04 am by Claudia

porch

I spent a lot of time right here this weekend. The weather was so gorgeous on Saturday and Sunday that I much preferred being outdoors. I sat on the glider and read. I swept and cleaned up the porch. I potted some plants. I did some tweaking to the Funky Patio. I added some hanging baskets.

my girl

This little girl spent some time with me on the porch. But she only lasts so long out there. She gets antsy. She has to ‘take care of business.’ She feels a push/pull. She always wants to go out there, but then she finds herself wanting to go back in the house.

my girl 2

But she does enjoy gazing out at the world.

little yellow flowers

This is one of the yellow flowers that I planted in the galvanized bucket that lives on the Funky Patio. I can’t remember the name, I’ll have to check on that. I fell for the look of the flowers and the silvery stems and leaves.

little pink flower

And one of the pink flowers in that same bucket – Gomphrena. There’s also some Sweet Potato Vine in there.

I’m going to try to get some shots of the patio and the porch this week. They’re looking pretty spiffy and are about as ‘done’ as they’re going to get. I tend to be very simple and somewhat spare with those spaces. A planter here, some potted plants, a splash of color, a couple of hanging baskets, some old cushions on the rusty glider. The star of the porch is the bluestone floor and the view of the gardens, so I let them take center stage. The Funky Patio is just that: cobbled together with some pavers, two wonderful chairs we found several years ago at a local antique shop, a wooden bench, the birdbath and some plants in barrels – funky.

I don’t have the budget to buy lots of pots and plants and garden decorations. I use what I have and am very frugal with what I buy. The fact is, after 8 years of gardening with perennials, I really don’t have to add anything to the garden beds. They, except for the ever-present weeding, take care of themselves.

I love this place. It’s never prettier than in the Spring, with lush green everywhere and gardens full of perennials. Yesterday, Don and I walked around the gardens and gazed at the plants and the trees and felt gratitude. Gratitude that we are here. Gratitude for nature’s bounty. Very, very grateful.

This morning I was opening the kitchen shades and saw the mama bunny with one of her little ones. That answers that question: the babies have been born. The little baby was sticking close to mom, getting tangled up in her legs, looking to her for guidance; so reminiscent to me of fledgling birds and their moms. Mom, however, was having none of it. I think it must be ‘find your own way’ time. I grabbed the camera but I only managed to get this one shot of the baby.

baby bunny

She’s no more than 4 inches long, about the size of a chipmunk. Later on, I saw her running across the grass outside the kitchen window, disappearing into the growth near the the nest – just a flash of her little white cottontail.

Adorable. No more weed wacking in that area for a couple of weeks, I think. I’ll have to research how long it takes for the babies to become full-grown.

See? Grateful.

Happy Monday.

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The Funky Patio

June 24, 2013 at 8:00 am by Claudia

As you read this, I will either be driving Don to Williamstown, MA or I’ll be on my way home. It’s an all day event, this journey to Williamstown. He’ll be there for 5 weeks, performing in Pygmalion. It’s the same production that was at the Globe last winter, with the addition of some new cast members. The great thing is that this time around, I will get to see it! It was a huge hit at the Old Globe and I’m sure it will be again.The Berkshires are beautiful, one of my favorite places. In fact, it was during another acting job in the Berkshires that I came out from San Diego to visit Don and we started to think about the possibility of moving out East.

funkypatio

You remember the Funky Patio? It’s the little makeshift patio we threw together a few years ago. It’s right outside the gate that leads to the kitchen door. Sometimes we like to hang out there because it’s a little bit further back from the road than the porch is. And I love those chairs – they’re very comfortable and they rock gently.

The other day I bought some plants for the galvanized bucket. Everything is done on a small budget here and I had to wait until last week until I could buy the plants. It’s still not finished, but here’s what I have so far.

funkypatio2

I like putting bright, vivid colored flowers in this planter. Such a nice contrast to all the green that surrounds the patio.

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There’s some lantana in the mix – I used to use lantana a lot when I lived in San Diego, but this is the first time I’ve used it here.

pottedplant1

My mom gave me that piece of pottery many years ago. I like using it for these pretty flowers.

pottedplant2

That shade of purple is amazing. I love seeing purple and green together.

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Normally, I plant impatiens in the white barrels, but last year’s had that fungus that is infecting impatiens. So I went with geraniums. I think I have to add some more plants to fill in the bare spaces – have to get on that!

Yesterday morning, I sat in one of the white chairs and closed my eyes. I listened to the sounds of all the birds, to the faint hum of a plane overhead, to the sounds of the cicadas. It’s important to just be sometimes. To simply listen to the natural world going on around us.

I know the birds have been using the birdbath lately because I can see the telltale splash marks. Yesterday, I saw one of our catbirds taking a bath. Catbirds are known to love birdbaths and this little guy dunked his entire body at least 6 times. Such a joy to watch.

When we first moved here, we had a family of groundhogs living under our shed. They are gentle, gentle creatures – vegetarians – and I used to see their babies all the time. I just remarked to Don that we haven’t seen them in a few years and what did I see the other morning? A lovely groundhog chewing on the grass near the shed. They are so timid that the minute they hear anything, they race for cover. I saw him again today and the minute Scout went out, he ran back under the shed. He’s clearly living there. Or she is clearly living there. Did you know they make elaborate tunnels? One to eat in, one to sleep in, one for elimination. They are quite meticulous and clean. And fascinating. I’m so glad they are back – though I’ve only see one so far.

It’s Don’s birthday today. Happy Birthday, my love.

Happy Monday.

Don’t forget to visit my post about Newtons cookies to learn about Healthy Eating on the Go and some yummy treats.

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Our Funky Little Patio

June 9, 2012 at 8:00 am by Claudia

A couple of years ago, Don got the idea to add a patio space next to the house. Let me explain: when you drive up our driveway you reach the top, turn the car to the left and park. The car ended up being parked right next to the house, which was too close, thank you very much. So Don thought some separation might be called for. I was home for a week’s break in the middle of my 6 month stint in San Diego. So we went to the store, bought some pavers and some barrels and a birdbath and threw it together. We didn’t really level the area or put sand down or any of the recommended steps – we just did it. Three years later, it’s still here. The pavers are a bit crooked here and there, but it’s hanging in there.

I hope you are enjoying my high-tech visual aids. Since I harp on the peonies all the time, I thought you might like to see where they are on the property. See them at the top of the picture? They are all the way down by the road. The big garden bed starts just beyond the patio and slopes downward to the lawn. We park the car to the left.

I love, love the white chairs. We bought them at a local antique store several years ago. They’re extremely comfortable and you can rock in them. We used to have them way up in the back forty but we didn’t sit there very much (although it’s cool up there – you can see the mountains.)

So…yesterday I decided to add that galvanized tub on the right. And I planted lots of bright colored annuals in it.

I found the tub at our local Agway store. The plants are from my favorite local nursery.

Then I moved one of the benches from the porch to the funky patio. I always like to have a place to set down a cool drink or a book.

You know I love our porch, but sometimes I like to sit here. It’s a little further from the road and a wee bit more quiet. Some day, we’d love to add a fence between the big garden bed and the patio. It would nicely separate the areas and make the patio more private.

And look! Last year some of the impatiens that are planted in the barrels seeded between the pavers. Impatiens are annuals. They’re not supposed to come back. But there they are! A wee little miracle.

The patio is nothing to write home about. It’s not slick or professionally done. But it suits our little cottage and our lifestyle. I guess if the patio is funky, we must be, too.

Happy Saturday. It’s a rainy one here.

Oh, Northeastern gardeners: do you have more slugs than ever this year? We sure do. Every leaf on every plant has holes. I see those little buggers everywhere.

Porch Sitting, Gardening & Baby Bunnies

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Our Funky Little Patio

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