Bunny Hop

Bunny has been using my garden to test life outside the burrow. She doesn't seem to mind my presence as long as I move slowly and don't expect her to chat.

This gives a better sense of just how tiny she is

I caught this shot just in time. Later in the evening, Mr. Raccoon climbed the adjoining steel gate on his way to rob the bird feeder and apparently tried grabbing onto the sunflower stalk.

Bad move all round.

High Enders

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There are sentinels overlooking the garden.

 

This kind of raccoon is the best--he's permanently fastened to the tree and doesn't attempt to nosh on my sweet little pond fish.

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Cow lost her ears a few moves back but that doesn't prevent her from admiring the world from her Maple tree.

This is the view I get each day.

As you were, guys.

After the Rain



My elephant garlic is a triumph amongst drought victims in the garden.

We  take our victories where we can

The rain barrel is full--it was either that or my arm had to grow a foot longer to catch what was left from the bottom

Look at this--lovely red tomato hiding shyly under the leaves.

The cone flowers looked pretty good also; standing tall after a satisfying dash of rain.

It was a short but satisfying storm.

Gardens Tours

Garden  tour season is heaven for us junkies.
For one afternoon, instead of peeking over hedges or standing around awkwardly pretending to look for an address, we are invited to soak it all in,  picking up amazing ideas for our own little beauty spots.
This gardener remembered the cardinal rule--plant three of the same thing at a time; the clematis looks lush 

If I could it to do over again, I'd hock the silverware and plant a cedar hedge. Keep it tidy and encourage it to grow towards the sky and you have the most breathtaking  background for your garden

This garden has an English look--both tamed and bordering on blowzy. Perfect.

I have no desire to  own a gazebo but I love them in other people's gardens. Seriously, do you see yourself sitting out there? I expect the town marching band to swing in and present a concert.
Of course  you can always stage  a garden wedding and  fill the space with  a string quartet.  Just saying.

This garden was charming and I was captivated by the clever way they increased the height of the fence.

I  appreciate the generosity of the owners. Most of all I appreciate the amount of weeding they have to do to prepare for the tour. One homeowner told me her husband was up the minute the sun rose and weeded for hours every day so that the garden would be perfect.

If it rains, you have to worry about people churning the plot into a mud pit or worse still, hardly anyone shows up.

Gallant people, all of them.

My New Roomie

My grandson Ben is a twenty-one year old college student whose  serious  health problems sidelined him for a while and when he was recovering he came to stay for a week.

Seven months later he's still here and we both like the arrangement.
It turns out that we get along well and  the house is adapting to two people.
.

The guest bathroom is his and very soon it resembled what I imagine a YMCA change room looks like. I didn't have the stamina to take a "before" shot before  this cart  was resurrected from the basement to hold the small stuff.  Now order is restored and I don't get antsy when a female guest heads for this room.



The basement has turned into a gym



The laundry/sewing room is also a computer room now. My computer area upstairs is sacrosanct.



The hall closet (guest side) is full of sneakers and hoodies and never an extra hanger when you need one



The study closet used to contain office supplies. Now it holds off-season clothing and the office supplies are stacked neatly on shelves shoved into the corner to the right of the door.

The former sewing room is  now Ben's room and the closet is all his.

Before Ben arrived, my house was always tidy and on the sterile side, staged for something but I was never clear what that something was.

Funny thing--this shifting of values and objects evolved naturally and my house has again turned into a home.

Ben's health is good and we're both happy. Eventually he'll move on and he'll leave me with good memories.

In the meantime, if he develops any more hobbies, he will have to utilize the garden shed and it will be up to him to figure out where the contents of that will go.

Waiting for Water

The garden hose burst a couple of days ago and until that moment it had been the perfect set-up.Two hoses had been linked together  and traveled from the garden tap at the side of the house, under the deck thirty feet and out facing the back garden.

From there my multi-setting nozzle swooped where I directed it and my garden world was just fine.

My thrifty side itched to see whether the surviving hose could be re-used but the only way to salvage it was to hire a raccoon to crawl under the tiny deck space and drag it out and I have doubts about that happening.

Son number three to will come over this morning to tightly secure the new hose, cut a hole in the fence to get it through to the deck and on from there.

In the meantime I'll give a pep talk to the blooms that are patiently waiting for their morning libation..

Mostly by luck I potted the same color here,. That had been my goal. but when the buds are tight, you sometimes have to guess. These are part of last year's geraniums that had been bundled up in the fall and saved  for the re-pot in the spring.

Delphiniums are my favorite,

peeking out from the thick vine

I planted elephant garlic a couple of summers ago and it wasn't in a hurry to show itself. until this year.

I'll use this seed top in my cooking.

Trumpet vine is just a lovely sight.and doesn't cause much fuss. I love that about them.

Hang in there guys--soon you'll get your drink.

Hot Day in The Garden

I don't have any idea what this is called but it looks good. The rest of us are melting but this guy is sturdy.

You can see the haze in this shot. The air is almost chewable. Fish is up for the challenge.

My first double lily to bloom. I brought it with me from the last move

The Clematis is perky considering that it hasn't seen much in the way of moisture.

Mental note: remember how well these plants stood up to the long-lasting hot spell.

Turning a Closet Back Into A Closet

My grandson  recently moved in, so we scrunched things up a bit to make space for him. His closet held my off-season clothes (a great luxury, an extra closet) but that stuff will have to move on and the only other closet that might be considered available is in the study. That's where the bookcase used to be, hidden from view.
Now, even the shredder has to double up.

These files were also hidden in the closet. I might be able to shove them back in there once the off-season stuff settles in .

The next  able-bodied relative to drop by can re-hang the clothes rod. I'm not sure if it needs more bolstering than a couple of screws in each end, so I'll wait for a second opinion.

This detritus requires serious investigation before either storing it or pitching it  There's a partially-written book in there--I've been promising myself to get it written. Maybe not.

So the study is a mess but it's nice having a house-buddy.

Besides, a thorough overhaul of house and mind is a good idea several times in a lifetime.
Too bad it's so much work.

A Perfect Canada Day

Patriotic pancake

Soccer game

 Patriotic deviled eggs.

Fireworks waiting for nightfall

Add to the mix perfect weather and family.

Nothing better