We sat on the glider last night and marveled at the beauty surrounding us. Especially lovely, and deliciously fragrant, are the blossoms on the catalpa. This is that brief period in which all the catalpas – and there are a lot of them in my area of the Hudson Valley – are covered in beautiful, white blossoms. Don says the fragrance reminds him of night blooming jasmine. He’s absolutely right. I miss that scent, part of our everyday lives when we were living in San Diego, but we get to have much the same scent wafting through the air for a week or so.
Yes, that’s one of two wood/debris piles we have on the property.
The spirea, which I had to cut back a bit earlier this spring, is in bloom. It grows right next to the annabelle hydrangea and both plants suffered damage during the last two winters.
Speaking of the hydrangea, an update –
Some of the shoots coming out of the ground are going to blossom! I’m so happy to see it coming back. I still have some cutting back of the dead wood to do, but I was careful to keep some support for the new growth. Once I see how it all turns out, I’ll cut back some more.
Yesterday, I spilled an entire cup of coffee all over the table next to this chair, and all over the floor and several nearby objects. Sigh. The cleanup took forever, but all is well. I also mowed the corral and the back forty. It looks very pretty out there at the moment.
So glad that bunnies are back! We see one or two nearly every day now. One area that Don cleared in our woods has now grown back, affording more cover for our little friends. Hurrah!
I woke up way, way too early this morning, so I’m going to stop now. I’ve expended all my energy.
Stay safe.
Happy Wednesday.
beautiful! so happy for you and don to have all that plus bunnies! :)
extra-hot here so walking earlier and earlier in the mornings (where we happily sometimes see bunnies, too). helping with someone’s move, making treats for members of my family and enjoying time visiting and being with them, not getting much done at home.
happy wednesday. stay safe and cool!
kathy
kathy, thanks for your nice message yesterday about ‘my’ tree; so glad to read your recent posts to know that you’re happy in retirement; good, full days of contentment!
Thanks, Kathy.
Stay safe.
I”m glad you bunnies are back, too! It all looks beautiful, with those wonderful, colorful blooms! My Annabelle is at bout the same stage as yours. I’m so glad it is beginning to pop!
It’s to be in the 90s here today — coming your way. Keep cool!
The 90s are not coming our way for some reason. Which is fine with me!
Stay safe, Jeanie.
Aren’t the smells of spring wonderful? My neighbor’s peonies are done blooming….and I miss their scent already. Your yard looks lovely as usual.
Happy to see blooms on your hydrangea…and your spirea is lovely.
Another day in the 90’s…with storms later. At least we have power….some areas in the city, are still without power after a terrible thunderstorm ripped through on Monday. Haven’t experienced thunder and lighting like that in long while.
Enjoy your day! ;)
I had one peony bloom this year. One. I don’t know why!
Glad you have power, Donnamae!
Stay safe.
Beautiful. Despite our 100+ temps here in Central Texas and grass that’s straw-colored instead of green, I’m finding time to sit out on our roofed back porch and enjoy the wind in the oaks that are finally tall enough enough to cast some shade. I like that we looked ahead to a time we wouldn’t be here when we planted those oaks, paying extra to get good sized ones. After 15 years, birds are grateful for them and what remains of our fig trees after the 2021 Texas freeze hit them.
How wonderful that you planted those oaks, Linda. I love oak trees.
Stay safe.
So busy lately with doctors and hospitals and trying to keep my sanity—but one of my happy time-sucks is Emma! She’s overly exuberant, loves to be groomed and cuddled, funniest bark in the world, crooked tail, wants to be part of everything. We are in love—busy, tricky love—but surely smitten and hanging on for the ride ahead!
Your gardens are beautiful and I wish I could smell those catalpa blossoms!
I’m so, so happy for you, Shanna! You both need a little bundle of puppy energy.
Stay safe.
We’ve had bunnies running around our yard too. Yesteerday there was one resting under a tree in our front yard, just feet from the sidewalk and street. Sometimes we see them crossing the street. Amazing. We have a huge green belt area behind our house so animals are not unusual, but hopping across the street is.
Yes, I rarely see them crossing the road, but occasionally they do.
Stay safe, Jan.
Lovely florals, beautiful green-green-green too!
Claudia, thanks for being so nice and understanding as I mourned the loss of my neighborhood tree yesterday; I appreciate your kindness about ‘change’.
xoxo
SO green right now!
Stay safe, Vicki.
It truly is a lovely season right now. Well, except for the 90+ temps, of course. But everything is blossoming & blooming & it is so pretty. Especially from a window view with AC. As Donna said, we had some bad storms on Mon. The wee one had no Day Care yesterday due to no electricity. More storms forecast for later this aft. Hope you have had a good day. Tske care.
Sounds like you had fierce storms! Glad everyone is safe.
Stay safe, Chris.
dear Claudia/Don — so glad your hydrangea is living–ours usually die back in winter and so far, (after 10+ yrs) has returned in the spring — our biggest trouble w/it is too much sun which makes it look so distressed by the end of the day–needs more shade but after a little water in the p.m. perks up again. stay healthy/safe
Ours always died back in winter and came back in spring, but this year, nothing came back on the old wood. That’s what made me think they were gone. Thankfully, new life has come up from the ground rather than on the old wood.
Stay safe, Linda.
I love that photo of your yard. So much green! I can see how you sat there just taking it all in. Sometimes we get so busy and take the nature around us for granted. Getting so hot that we have to walk our Golden, Gracie, either early morning or later in the evening. I have to cringe when I see people walking their dogs in the middle of the day. Ouch!! They don’t realize they are burning the dogs feet! They think that pads are tough, but it is just the opposite. We had many dogs come in the clinic because they are constantly licking their feet because they hurt! Was a little cooler today. I’ll take that anytime. Take care!
You are so spot-on about the dogs not having the shoes WE do for our feet. When it’s so hot that you can fry an egg on the asphalt/sidewalk, what does it do to their feet? I stopped a gal once whose dog was limping, offered her and the dog a ride home; she acted like she didn’t know what I was talking about yet was receptive, as if she’d never given it any thought. I talked to another person once (making myself very popular [hint sarcasm]) who was watching some demonstration on a hot asphalt parking lot (SHE had on a hat, sunblock on her nose AND shoes), making her BLACK dog sit in the harsh sun and hot temps with no overhead cover, and he kept shifting, trying to be obedient, because he was burning both his butt AND his foot bottoms on that intensely hot paving. (That one just made me plain ‘ol angry/infuriated, and I didn’t care about her sass-back. Of course it was a few years ago; today, I might be afraid she’d whip out a gun and shoot me in the face, considering all the madness going on lately with people over the edge.)
I was at my veterinarian’s within the last couple of years when he was visibly upset from the patient or two before us that day, whose owner hadn’t been mindful of their dog on the hot sand at the beach, which had burned the dog’s pads which the vet said was so painful for the big dog who could barely stand and support his own weight once they finally took the dog to the doctor. Why are people so stupid? Why can’t they think beyond their own nose? My nose is nosy; I called Animal Control on a guy who tied up his pit bull in the sun; the dog had nowhere to go on such a short tie-down, no shade anywhere near him. THAT owner-guy I wasn’t about to tangle with (I’d seen him beforehand), but I went ’round & ’round his neighborhood until I knew Animal Control responded (which unfortunately took awhile, with me getting more nervous for the dog every minute). Just cruel to treat anything/anybody like that; so, to save my sanity, I make myself think of all the GOOD pet owners in the world who see to their pet’s comfort and wellbeing, because there are a lot of them, too; hopefully good outweighs bad. It just HAS to!
Hi Vicki, I’m happy to know that there are good pet owners out there. Unfortunately, a lot of the ones I see are younger people who are clueless. We were in Lowes last weekend and 2 young people were behind us with 2 dogs. It was 1:00 in the afternoon! I said to them that they should be especially careful on the black asphalt in the parking lot. They looked at me like I was crazy. I informed them I was a veterinary technician and I have taken care of one too many dogs with burnt pads. I will always be on the side of the dog! I have so many crazy stories about clients we would see. A very interesting career. The pets are fine, it is working with the owners!
What are people thinking? I guess the answer is that they’re NOT thinking.
Stay safe, Deb.
The northeast in the spring and early summer is pretty fabulous. Enjoy all your hard work.
It is beautiful around here.
Stay safe, Kay.