Weekend

Little yellow blossoms on all five tomato plants . I don't want to get excited and won't until I see tomatoes .  I was going to say red tomatoes and then I remembered that one of them is a yellow tomato and another one has almost black stripes on the red . Vegetable gardening can be so addictive with checking each day to see what new changes have happened . Hoping that there aren't any unwanted visitors . I think food gardening is more addictive then flower gardening . Maybe , because it can wake up your taste-buds.

Zucchini 

 Acorn Squash

Another Daylily - what a lovely soft pastel color .

Not much going on around here . My solitary lifestyle is feeling more solitary !!! The world news is so disappointing with the numbers going up and not down .  Human behavior can be so difficult to understand when it seems so logical that we really have a lot of power over the pandemic . I will just carry optimism in my pocket !

Three nights ago , we had some thunder storms and this was my view from the window just before the raindrops started falling .  What a phenomena of nature !

Stay Healthy
Stay Safe
Stay Optimistic
Stay Happy

Mary

Garden And Current Events

This is the first Daylily to open this season . And there are about three spikes on the plant .  It is planted on the other side of the house from the White Garden where the soil has not been improved very much . So , I am so happy it is looking this good . When I think of how hard I have worked to get my garden soil improved it makes me happy to get any blossoms . Oh , the memories of when I had wonderful garden soil where I lived .  Especially, many years ago at the home we built . The soil was so fertile and fabulous .  I certainly did not have to work very hard to have a lovely flourishing garden . As I have said in the past, most of my neighbors have had truck loads of soil brought in because the ground is hard clay with a lot of rocks . I was never able to get better soil other than what I could buy (2 or 3 cubic foot bags) occasionally - but I still have A Garden !  And , I don't have a sprinkler system - but I still have A Garden !

I have always enjoyed Daylilies, maybe because there is always a new beginning as each blossom emerges quickly in sequence day after day and then it's gone . Throughout the garden I have about 24 different species , everyone with it's very distinct personality ! Because of the poor soil they have never grown into nice large clumps of bursts of color . But , I don't think there ever has been a year that each and everyone of them has not bloomed even if it is just one spike . As they unfurl their petals I will take a photo so I can share everyone of them with you .

This is how so much of my garden soil looks like even though I spent a lot of time working on it .

However , these White Daylies are nice and large as they sit in the White Garden where the garden soil is so much better ! Look at all those buds .

This plant is NOT what I said it is a few weeks ago .  It is ENGLISH LAVENDER !  Yep , I goofed and thought I was as I was preparing my post .  The voice in my head kept saying Lavender but I also was remembering a nursery tag that I have had for eons in my disorganized plant tags. The more I compared google photos of  Bowle's Mauve Erysimum (Wallflower) and English Lavender I am convinced it is Lavender . Regardless of the name , this particular species of Lavender is truly enjoyed . Probably , because it always blooms year after year .

Funny how things happen !!! I was at Lowe's Home Improvement and Garden Center today (more about that later) and side by side sat an English Lavender and a Bowle's Erysimum . What are the chances of that happening ? Especially , since I was just commenting on the plant in my garden ! It was certainly easy to compare one to another , if I had any doubts !

This - - - - - - - - - - 

finally has become this .

In the past I had a nice small power rototiller . However, my daughter borrowed it long ago and that was the last of it !

Following a tremendous amount of work digging out roots and turning the soil , I have planted some tomatoes and squash .  I also planted some marigolds . Reportedly , they attract beneficial insects , such as ladybugs , hover flies and parasitic mini-wasps that prey on garden pests .  I hope there will be enough sun for my little veggies to grow . I am not sure if it will get six hours a day .

Can you see how nicely the shrubs on the outside of the fence are growing after being cut down to the ground in October 2018 ?  I miss my privacy !

As I commented above , I went to Lowe's this morning after my six month follow-up doctor's appointment at the Cancer Center .  The information from the doctor was wonderful and he was exceptionally pleasant !!! More on that next time .

And, some comments on this photo from our morning newspaper of the Stanislaus River in our rural county a few miles (about 20) from here . Point of interest is that I cross the Stanislaus River (as I did this morning) to shop and attend my doctor's appointments.  I am tired and it will be interesting to hear the story of how and why someone ventured that far out (to Yea Hoo Gulch) into the forest to make the statement . Years ago (over 20 years ago) when I was younger and more adventurous and curious about what was over the next hill and around the next corner I drove out to this location with a city friend who was visiting me .  The river and the surrounding area is very scenic and quite isolated .

Stanislaus River

Yea Hoo Gulch

Until next time , Stay Safe and Stay Well .

Mary

Morning Invasion

In the morning after I am dressed I frequently walk around my house with a cup of coffee surveying what the new day may bring .  My house is surrounded with a nice sidewalk next to the foundation that makes for a nice little stroll and look see of the garden .

This morning there were many black hawks flying low just above the roof .  I don't think I have ever seen hawks that close .  However, it is not unusual to see hawks flying above in the sky most days .  With closer observation I could see at least ten hawks on the roadway in front of the neighbors house .  I was looking against the sun and did not want to scare them away . When I returned from getting my camera there were even more hawks and they were moving about very quickly  jumping and fighting over road kill .

I took some photos but they are very poor quality but the best I could do .

They were very serious about what they were doing  and there were lots of full wingspans as they were fighting - over breakfast ?  With closer inspection  I was happy to see that it WAS NOT a neighborhood cat or dog !

The quiet early morning was awakened with a little neighborhood squabble !!!

Living in the country brings nature closer to your doorstep.

Oh, the painter finished today .  Photos coming soon .

Happy Day to Everyone .

Mary

Well - Hello There

And ,  How Are You?   My name is EDGAR and I have found a new home in this beautiful bottle tree house .   Look, there is more -

This is a very good place for me because it is sheltered against the wind and it is somewhat hidden so any young humans that may think of a little mischief don't know I am here !

And , it won't be long before all those figs in the Fig Tree behind me will be ripe and ready for some sweet pleasure eating !

Those figs are everywhere !

 With this super hot weather it won't be long before they will be soft, purple and juicy .

This year the tree is huge even though I trimmed it quite severely last fall .  Perhaps the daily hand watering of the garden has coaxed it to exceed all expectations .

A couple more photos that may be of interest .  On the right of the photo you can see the trunk at the base of the Fig Tree .  Now notice the large roots growing on the surface of the ground.

I have never seen anything like that before .   I think it is like that because the ground is filled with so much rock .   Yes, it is my NEMESIS again !  THE ROCK .
It trails out in all directions .  At least I know the Fig Tree is on my side and isn't a quitter !

I am beginning to marvel at the fact that there is any semblance of a garden here especially since there has never been a professional landscaping company involved which would mean that loads and loads of rich soil would be trucked in .  The piles of nice dirt  (only a gardener would call dirt - nice.  Am I right ?)  were so tall and so many that I could not see over them .  I saw that with two of my neighbors, one across the street and one next door to my house .

How about a little trivia for you  .  There is evidence of a mine (probably gold)  on my property. Actually close to where the blue bottle tree is planted.  For the longest time my plants would disappear .  YES, just disappear !   And, after some PI work on my behalf, I could see that I could not see ( how do you like that combination of words) the bottom of a very large hole and it was surrounded with a lot of very very large rock .  So, you know of my overabundance of unwanted rock.  Well, I just started throwing the rock down the big hole.  Eventually, my plants stopped disappearing! The mine is on the property line and I could see some openings on the other side .  For the longest time it was the home of a family of skunks . YES, SKUNKS. One night I looked out my living room window with a flashlight and I saw a Mama Skunk and eight little babies trailing behind her coming out of their home .  Living with nature is grand !

Oh, another piece of trivia.  Since, my house is the first house on the block that is outside of the original 1800's Township this property was used as the town dump !  Yes, you heard me right !

So, it is quite unique and surprising that I have my gardens and without professional landscaping.

Just one more comment.  The largest item I have dug up was a large bed spring .  And, there still are many odd shapes of metal poking out of the ground.

WOW, I really got on a roll, didn't I ?

Next time I'll tell you about last nights vandalizing in my neighborhood .  Interesting that I would write about "human mischief" at the beginning of this post before I even knew there was any such issue here at my home and the neighbors !

The end,  yes, really !  Be Good .  No mischief, OK ?

Mary

Neighborhood Visitors

Our area has been having more visitors of the wildlife kind more frequently than anytime in the past.

It was just last week when I was talking to a neighbor who lives on the next street over and she mentioned that a couple bears had been in their yard the night prior.

And, recently on two different occasions, I have noticed the trash barrel in my next door neighbors yard has been turned over and lots of what appears to be white paper spilled out nearby . The home is a vacation home and they are frequently here since their main residence is only about two hours away.  They are the neighbors that live on the other side and are very meticulous about their home and garden maintenance. So, I really doubt that there are any food scraps in the barrels. But, the bears are really hungry and they probably smell food from the barrels.

The fact that my property is fully fenced seems to help keep the bears as well as the deer out.  The prize (trash) with the least resistance is probably the more desirable target area.

The forest lands further up the hill have been severely clear cut and that causes the bears to migrate down to forge for food.

The Rose Of Sharon is starting to bloom.

The Rebecca At The Well fountain sounds nice and cooling !

I hope your week is Going Well.

Mary

Happiness

Oh, how I love my tiny little friends and they like the nectar in my garden. I am grateful for so many different things in my life.

A Good Day to You.

Mary

Morning Surprises And The Wonders Of Nature

My little house sits above the neighbors house and this is the view of their property behind their house from one of my windows. Lily and I had a nice surprise as we were side by side looking out the window (as we regularly do) this morning. From that same window we can see the many people taking their morning walks with their dogs or walking to main street ( two short blocks away) to town for maybe some hot coffee. I often see them coming back caring a cup with a little steam drifting in the cold morning air.

Lily and I can spend quite a long time in the morning looking from the window checking out all of natures gifts. The birds may be flitting about, hummingbirds chasing one another, a strolling neighbor's cat, carefree squirrels foraging for acorns, fresh frost on the ground, an emerging rose bud opening and it's always a special occasion when we see the deer! This morning two young fawns were scampering around in circles like they were being chased. And, they came back a second time. Lily knows the word Bambi and will come running (yes, she still is running) to the window to see. In the past, when she has been outside I have seen her nose to nose with a deer through the wire fence. Nature is so remarkable if we take time to be still, look and listen.

This photo was taken a different time but the lighting with the sunshine and diffused lighting is very similar to this mornings beauty.

Lily had a good night and is doing well this morning. It is very difficult to adjust her medications. And, especially difficult to see how happy and healthy appearing she is so much of the time when I know I have to let her go! She is eating, drinking, peeing and pooping as normal. She needs a new heart even though the heart she has is filled with love and sweetness! Every time I think about letting her "go to the the rainbow" I can hardly stand it! I know we are now on borrowed time and I will enjoy every minute of it.

Hope you are having a Good Post Thanksgiving Day.

Mary