Night Visitors 2

Tandi is up to two 10-minute walks per day now, though still not able to be with other dogs, as she gets too excited and wants to run or dance around. I try to take her when I don't think other dog owners will be out, but  I'm not always successful. While coming back towards the house the other day, I ran into Kathy, who has two Westies and another terrier, whose actual breed I can't remember, and lives up the street and around the curve from me.

After asking about Tandi, she asked if she'd told me about the bear yet. "Oh, did you see the bear in my yard?" I asked. She got a confused look on her face, and said, "No, in MY yard." AHA! Seems one smashed her feeders, too, even carrying one into another neighbor's yard. She said the dogs were going nuts, barking like crazy. She now brings her feeders in at night. I haven't bought any more yet, because I'm not sure I'll always remember to bring them in before going to work. The birds will just have to fend for themselves for a while.

Then 2 days ago, my neighbor The Mower Man came putt-putting up to mow my lawn. He lives closer to the entrance to our neighborhood, and he actually saw a mom and 2 cubs foraging around down by his house. In fact, he's had to find a different place for his trash cans. He said Mama Bear had shooed the cubs up a couple of trees while she snuffled around, and then WHOOSH!--she was up a tree in no time flat. Up until then, he'd thought he was okay being several yards away behind a chain link fence, trying to take pictures.

While at Home Depot last Friday, I ran into Mark, another nurse who lives just a few doors up from Kathy. Seems he has a nightly visitor, too--a raccoon. This one is rather bold; he comes right up onto the front porch. Mark said he grabbed his camera and was clicking away, flash and all, while the raccoon simply sat up and posed.

Oh, and Mower Man reported spotting coyote tracks in the field back behind his house, out of the subdivision. While bears will ignore dogs and cats, coyotes will go for them.

Taking Tandi out for a last, late night potty run is becoming disconcertingly treacherous.

Spring doings

Thank goodness for spring--we thought it would never get here!  The winter seemed so long, but all is  warm and mostly sunny and  the grass has been cut 4 times already. Don't mean to rub it in for all of you who can't plant til after Mother's Day! I've spent a small fortune between Lowe's and the local nursery, but don't tell Jack. 8^)  Last year's perennials have caught on and are doing great!

Remember the dying oak and two juniper bushes I lost last fall? Well, I had the stump ground and once I cleared out all the wood chips, I mixed in some garden soil and compost and planted a couple of yellow rose bushes.  I still need to edge it and mulch it, and I plan to add a couple of chives since they are supposed to keep aphids away, but the bushes already have lots of buds on them and I check them every day to see if any have opened yet!

Last year I planted 3 Sweet Williams, but two were eaten by slugs.  The third one I placed in a different bed, and there it is to the left of the birdbath--doing its biennial blooming. See the daylilies in the background?  I dug boo-koodles of them up and planted them in another part of the yard, and it looks like I never touched this bunch. Just outside the right of the picture are a couple of white impatiens, waiting to be planted on my next offday.

The Japanese maple you see in the middle (Crimson Queen)  has lived for the last two years in a pot bought at the truck market.  Obviously it's a hardy little thing--as is her stepsister, Bloodgood, who is still in a pot awaiting her transplant at the end of the house. The hostas were orphans I transplanted here and they have shown their appreciation for their new home by billowing out.  I am in need of some taller plants here, so bought a couple of purple phlox to poke in the ground this weekend. .

And the bachelor buttons went crazy on me!  It sends out runners  and has grown so large, I may have to dig up parts to move around or give away before it creeps up the sidewalk and into the house.

I planted two kinds of lavender last year--English and French--and I can't remember which is which, but one of them has tiny buds just about to open.  And the Dusty Miller, which should be just an annual, has come back, too. I bought a small 3-pack of dianthus to put at the end, but they're so cute, I may have to buy some for the rosebed, too.

As if all this weren't enough, I decided to plant some sunflower seeds, and they were so eager to meet the sun, they germinated 3 days earlier than the packages said they would. There are 3 different kinds, and heaven knows where I'm going to transplant them, but I couldn't resist.

In this pot, I planted the root ends of some green onions. They emerged in a hurry and another one has poked its head up since I took this picture.  I usually buy a single bunch at the store, but rarely use them all before they turn slimy in the bottom of the refrigerator. This way, I can cut off what I need and let them grow until I need more.

Oh, and Coleus, how I love thee!  Some of these will be repotted for a shady spot on the front porch, and the others will be planted just to the right of these steps, where they'll get only about an hour of sun a day.  They're obviously very happy there, as they are all about to outgrow their pots. I succumbed to temptation and bought a package of coleus seeds, as well, but they've yet to poke their reluctant little heads above the soil. It's a shame they're only annuals.

In addition, the house has been power-washed, lots of weeding has been done (though you can't tell it), the hammock frame is up and waiting for me to get to the laundromat to wash and dry the pillow and mat in some  heavy-duty machines.  The screened in back porch is all cleaned up and vacuumed and Tandi and I have already put it to good use. 

It's a large yard, and although I've done a lot of work this spring,  I'm not showing you the bare patches, the weedy area at the end, the empty spots where trees used to be, or the dying spruces in the backyard. Not yet, anyway. And the only thing in last year's lasagna garden right now is wood chips from the fallen trees, though that's where the newly seeded coleus will live--should they decide to come out and taste the fresh air.

But I figure in about 5 years the yard will be just like I want it. 

Oh, who am I  kidding?  

Small Town Living

The morning is cool and partly sunny as I get off work, and I am just not ready to go home to bed. Being only Wed., there are no yard sales, and being inside again doesn't appeal to me. I decide to drive over to the local AM station and pick up a prize I won a couple of weeks ago when I answered a trivia question about tomatoes. It's beautiful, the music is right (Barry Manilow, since you asked) and I am singing along, turned around, but in the right neighborhood I know. Finally I see the sign, and turn onto the gravel drive leading to a converted house that sits on top of a small knoll, surrounded by apple orchards. It has a lovely view of NC mountains right off the front porch.

As I slip in the front door, the talking gets louder and I realize the sliding glass doors to the studio are open. I tiptoe quietly over to the entry table where the prize envelopes are stacked to search for mine. (Did you discern this is a rather informal setup?) As I sift through, I hear one of the DJ's say something about someone here to pick up a prize. Gulp. I don't know if they are on the air or if a commercial is playing, but the host, another announcer and their guest all turn to view me from the studio and wave. I wave my envelope, mouth the word thanks, and try to leave. Oh, no, they are in great spirits this morning. One comes after me and holds the door open while another calls out to ask my name, holding up some piece of equipment--maybe a microphone? Why can I never think of sharp or witty things to say until half an hour or half a mile has passed? There I am, my name badge proclaiming my employer for all to see, while I do my best impression of the world's dullest nurse. I say something inane, like "Keep playing that great music--I've been singing all the way here" or some such platitude, and beat a hasty retreat down the steps. I hope no one I know has heard me.

From there I drive over to one of the farms this station advertises, intending to get a basket of strawberries and some fresh asparagus. The advertised open time is 9:00, and it's only 8:35 as I pull up to the shed, but there are a couple of cars passing me on their way out and the strawberry baskets line the table. I ask if it's okay that I'm early, and the farmer and his wife beckon me on out of the truck. Ma'am, he calls me, though he is clearly 15 years my senior. He proudly shows me several hanging baskets of tomatoes that "you treat just like flowers, with Miracle Gro and all", and there are already dozens of tiny yellow flowers.


He pulls a few leaves aside to show me small green tomatoes nearing grape size, and I am persuaded to bring it home. His wife counts out my change and he arranges the plant in the back of my truck "so the wind won't blow it too hard". I am urged to return for the purple asparagus soon.


I don't know how I found both places, but my sense of direction fails me now. I drive down back roads, around curves and over small hills, the mountains that typical smoky blue color around me. In a small but very neat little yard, an older lady is already out pulling weeds, and farther down I see a riding mower with a "for sale" sign sitting close to the road, its owner apparently unworried about someone trying to haul it off without paying. A man I don't know in a neighborhood I've never been through raises his hand in that familiar wave.

Soon enough I realize I have been heading in the opposite direction from my home and I find a larger road and then another until I make my way back to the highway and home again, an hour after buying fresh fruits and veggies at a place only 10 minutes from my home. Tandi comes wriggling out to meet me and I carry my treasures into the house, and onto the deck. J-Man, who is accustomed to me coming home 'whenever' on the morning of my first night off, is properly appreciative of my purchases and asks about my night. I put my tomato basket on the deck, exclaim over my seedlings sprouted from eggshell planters, water the petunias by the front porch, celebrate the small shoots of grass coming up from the previously bare spots, and wave at one of my neighbors as he drives past.



Life is good.

Biltmore Gardens

Thurs. was a beautiful day to go to Biltmore, though I am planning to go back by myself in the next two weeks. I enjoyed going with Susan from work, but she was more into the shops and I really wanted to be outside. We did hit the greenhouse (and shop) and made it out to the walled garden before it got late. AND, we went to the winery (shop) where Dr. B's wife was playing the harp.


I won't show a photo of her here, but I did try to get a couple of her hands. She's been playing since she was 9 years old and was a marvel to watch. So very graceful. I used the sport action on my camera hoping to catch her hands as she played, and not a pose, but that dimmed the available light significantly. There was probably a way to correct that, but I am still woefully ignorant about this camera.


In one of the greenhouses I found this stunning, albeit strange-budded flower:

Maybe it's a balloon flower?

Then there was this lovely blue one:


Here is a close-up of the petals--isn't it amazing how they were layered?


A very odd-looking cactus:


I loved this arrangement in an old birdcage. I added that item to my list of things to watch out for at garage sales and flea markets.


Outdoors, I snapped a photo of this container arrangement, because I never think about combining multiple plants in a container, but love it when I see it done:


The fields of tulips and other flowers were just breathtaking, and I know these photos don't do them justice:





Wouldn't this color combination make a stunning quilt?


Running up the hill from the greenhouses was a covered walkway, covered with grapevines (currently bare of leaves) and benches to sit and view the fields. There are gardeners available daily to answer questions, but we were too late to talk to them on Thurs. (Another reason to go alone next time.)






I want to find out the name of this tulip and plant some in my yard next fall:


We walked toward what looks to be a gardener's quarters, but reminds me of the book "The Secret Garden".


Just under the bridge, we saw this:


There was sign denying admittance, but you know how it is when you aren't allowed somewhere; it just makes you want to go there all the more.


But outside the gate, we saw this one rose blooming:


To the left, downhill from this grove of trees, are the azalea gardens which should be blooming in the next couple of weeks.

Mine are already starting to bud, so I will know when to go back.

There were many times while driving the grounds I wanted to stop and take a picture, but either Susan was talking on her cell phone to hubby, or talking to me about something and I couldn't interrupt. We had a really good time, as she is lots of fun, but next trip will just be my trusty little camera and me.


Edited to add: For a really gorgeous look at that blue flower, or the pink tulips, etc, click on the photo to enlarge. That blue one makes me smile every time.

Listen to the Rhythm of the Pouring Rain

Today was one of those restless days for me. I just couldn't seem to settle down to one thing. I got all the paperwork together (I thought!) for the People at H&R Block, but the appointment wasn't until 4pm. We were also waiting on the plumber to call us back. He's going to need to do some more work, and we didn't know if that would be today.
I wanted to be outside, but it's been raining, and when it isn't actively raining, it's either too muddy to do anything, or I'm asleep. I can see mole hills from the window, but there's nothing to be done about it today. The rain is needed, no doubt about it, but could I please have just one sunny day when I don't have to be somewhere else? Sigh.
Remember this from about 6 weeks ago?


Now look:


Feb. 26:


April 4:

(No, it hasn't rained continuously since then, but it sure seems that way.)

Doesn't it just make you want to be out there? Except for the rain, of course.

J-Man was on the computer and watching some of his endless number of taped shows. Reruns on DVR. BORING. I wandered into the sewing room, but didn't want to get started on something and have to stop for the plumber, or my appointment. There are 5 or 6 new books on my shelves and the latest Quilter's Home just came in, but I can't seem to concentrate on reading right now. (Don't you hate it when your kids act like me?) Looking out the sewing room window, I noticed the new bird feeders I put out last week were getting low. Hmmmm, that would kill a few minutes. So I sloshed outside between showers to refill them and look who came to dinner!

Carolina chickadee


Mourning Dove


Cardinal, the NC state bird:


I think this is a tufted titmouse:


This might be a grackle;



Some are camera shy:
(purple finch or song sparrow?)


And some love to pose:


Some prefer the tubular feeder:




Some want a little more solid footing:




And others prefer to search the ground for extras:




Some just can't decide:


And some just want to observe:


I think this is the most variety I've seen in one day, and then we saw one at the backyard feeder today we've never seen before. Neither of us has found a picture of it online, yet, but we're still looking.

Some days it's hard to get any sewing done for stopping and watching these little guys. Literally: guys. Most all of them are strikingly marked, so they must be the males, right? I wonder if the females are already nesting? I've put out some threads and bits of batting and tiny strings of cloth on the bushes, but can't tell that any are gone yet. Maybe it's a little late to do that, or maybe they prefer other materials. I think I'll research it a bit.

Oh, and somewhere I saw an article on the kinds of trees and shrubs to plant if you want to attract birds and butterflies to your yard. Since we've lost 4 or 5 trees in the last couple of years, we might as well replace them with critter-friendly greenery. We should start a list.

Soon the hummingbirds will be back. Time to clean their feeder and find my recipe for the nectar they love. It used to be with my recipe cards, but I didn't see it last week when I put them all in my new rose-patterned box. The formula is probably on the internet somewhere.

Excuse me, but could I please take the rest of the spring off? I have so much to do.....