turkey feathers

Generous Menu

 

Right before I left the house yesterday for a dental appointment, I happened to glance out the window and saw eight deer grazing on the lawn.  Seeing so many all at once is always a bit alarming, but I do appreciate their efforts in keeping the dandelions and other weeds in check.  One of them got to my roses however, and ate them all up in a matter of seconds.  Ouch!  It was bound to happen though. Overall, the grand rose experiment went pretty well, despite my lack of diligence toward the end of summer to spray the " magic concoction " repellant.  My fault.  I'll know better than to leave it to chance next time. 

As the garden gets put to bed, the golden autumn days are shuffling in, one by one, and I suddenly feel the need for fall fun and adventure.  Apples are definitely on my wish list this weekend.  What's on yours? 

Relief

  

The heat wave finally broke this morning.  One of the worst heat waves ever recorded for the state.   Our outdoor thermometer read 115 in the sun/108 in the shade Tuesday at noon, and it was more or less the same yesterday.  We never left the house;  so very grateful for the A/C, which incidentally broke down last week just as things started warming up.   It's an old unit and the repairman did what he could to keep it going, but no guarantees so I just kept my fingers crossed and prayed!    

Um...no.  That's not my laundry hanging in the vegetable patch.  But almost.

 

I raided the linen closet and strung up whatever I could find to make shade.  We've been enjoying our little salad garden way too much to let it all dry up.  I had to move the canopies around every so often to block the sun.  I'm a little worse for the wear, but the crops were spared.

  

This morning, stepping outside to enjoy the cool air, a wild turkey hen and her brood crossed my path.  I'm hoping that's a good sign.  It made me smile anyway.

Blackberries!

It's blackberry time again!  A bit early, but no one's complaining.  These grow on the other side of our backyard fence.  We went running back to the house for containers as soon as we saw them today.  There's a skunk that lives somewhere underneath all the bramble.  We've never actually seen it, being a creature of the night, but he's hard to miss if you know what I mean.  We step lightly so as not to disturb him -- just in case, humming softly (and nervously) to convey, "we mean no harm--just passing through".  Nope.  Not even a skunk, poison oak, or those wicked thorns discourage us.

 

I found out the basket on my salad spinner is a great container to use for picking.  When it's half full I can rinse and spin the berries very efficiently.  And we are all about efficiency in the kitchen, are we not?

 

The first few bowls get gobbled up pretty fast. I like mine with a few spoonfuls of plain yogurt. I'll pick more later to make jam when it cools down again.  There will also be a blackberry cobbler or two.  And hopefully, more of these.  And some of these.  Yum.

 

Rogue Roses

 

Remember the garden 'fortress' we built a couple of seasons back?  Well, in one corner, we discovered an old abandoned scrubby (dead-looking) rose stalk.  It was left alone, with hope and a prayer--and just surprised us with this fantastic show. 

And more surprisingly, these peachy beauties appeared, growing from the same stalk.  Apparently when plants are stressed (due to lack of water), the grafts that create hybrids, can separate like this.  After a little TLC we now have two varieties instead of one.  Hard to see in this photo, but the peach flowers have bright pink "freckles". 

  

Welcome summer!

Also...it's nice to know I'm not alone when it comes to my "deep rooted" feelings about trees.  It was nice reading your comments about that.  A few days have passed now, and we are all getting used to the big empty spot where the tree
once stood. 

The light is wonderful in parts of the house though, and that's been a really nice surprise.  (Cats have a way of claiming that perfect sunny spot, don't they?)  BTW, Lily isn't FAT, she's a husky breed--and at ten years old now--solid as a brick.  Except for that jelly-belly thingy, due to the spaying.  Seriously funny, as it flaps from side to side when she trots. Poor darling.  She's wearing that, "I'm tolerating that camera in my face as I wait patiently for my treat", look.  Our morning ritual.  If I forget, or dawdle, she stares me down, sending telepathic messages.  Oh she makes me laugh! 

Just noticed that 'Does Anybody Hear Her', was playing on Pandora as I wrote this: a sweet bit of synchronicity.  I'm addicted to Instrumental Folk lately.  Love it.

 

Looking on the Bright Side

Yesterday was hard.  We had to have an old tree taken down.  A honey locust, planted too close to the house, when it was first built.  My lament about this tree has always been; if only it had been planted 20-feet further out.   I've lost count of how many times we've had it pruned back to keep it off the roof, out of the bedroom windows and the rain gutters, only to have it grow back in the exact same place the following season.  Hardier than ever.  Unfortunately, woodpeckers and insects feasted on it a little too much, which only added to the never-ending fallout of pollen, pods, leaves, twigs, and a host of creepy-crawly things that got sprinkled daily (and liberally) over the deck, chairs, tables and anyone who sat under it.   This year seemed worse than ever.  Looking closer we noticed stress-cracks in the bark and began to worry about the integrity of the branches (perhaps one falling), and the overall health of the tree.  So, taking everything into consideration; a hard decision was reached.  We'd been discussing it casually for years though.  I suppose, getting used to the idea.  Knowing eventually, this day would come.  There were a few tears and a bit of angst during the final showdown.  To be expected.  We could hear and feel the thumps of tree parts falling heavily to the ground.  No one could bear to watch. 

 

I bravely opened the back door, snapped this one picture, then ran away and hid during the rest of it.  (I'm sure the tree men thought I was bonkers.)  Gosh.  This picture makes me sad.  It's hard to look at.  Change is hard sometimes.  We'll surely miss the song birds perched at the windows in the morning and the dappled shade under its feathery branches.   That's the sad part.  But looking on the bright side, we most certainly have more light in the house.  A new view of the mountains.  And there's the ease of sitting under an open sky. 

Which has been quite lovely under big patio umbrellas.  (Sarah and I have been reading Bread & Butter Journey by Ann Colver c. 1970.  About pioneer families crossing the Alleghenies to find a new homestead.)  The strawberries...we picked early Tuesday morning.  Both the girls and I visited a local farm and picked 15 lbs. of strawberries in 30 minutes.  Those professional berry pickers have nothing on us!  Already made 8 small jars of jam; making more today.  

Dessert last night; a spruced-up "hot milk sponge cake" with strawberry jam filling.   

 

Served up with more berries and a dollup of whipped cream on the side.  Truly a sweet comfort after a rough day.  Like a wake for the sad poorly tree.

Hey! Thank you for the garden love; it's day 5 and the roses are still with us!  I appreciate the great suggestions for improving the weed situation too.  I'm just cringing at the sight of them all at the moment. We seem to have every variety under the sun.  BUT I think I'd much rather save any back-bending efforts for...picking more strawberries.  

We do have our priorities. 

 

 

And speaking of flowers...

An update on the frontyard landscape project.  For years, we've puzzled over the treatment of this huge lot--with the goal always moving toward using less water, less fertilizer, less weed killer, and acheiving low maintenance.   To reach that end, we reduced the size of the lawn last year, basically cutting it back by two-thirds, which was a bit too much we now realize, as weeds are filling in the bark-covered areas at an even more unmanagable rate.  So we're rethinking that, figuring things out as we go along.  The grassy slope is gone now though, and the new retaining wall and walkway are awesome.  I love it!  Especially the little round "courtyard".   Still need to do something about the BIG dirt piles.  They were left behind because we thought we could use the extra dirt somewhere else, in the new garden plan perhaps.  However, this type of soil expands when you dig it up.  It's crazy how much dirt was excavated from this relatively small area.  

So.  After the weekend, we've gotten this far planting the new garden area.  Dwarf boxwood along the path, (a pair of Japanese Snowbells planted last spring--on both sides), and um, a few rose bushes.  I know!  I'm such a glutten for punishment.  They've been thoroughly sprayed; like three times in about 48 hours now.  Heavily doused.  Heavily.  At this rate, I'll probably kill them myself without any help from the deer! 

OK...meet the new kids on the (chomping) block while they last.  This is sweet 'Kimberlina'.  A mildly scented flower with a hardy reputation.   She'll need it.

 

Sunny 'St. Patrick', a hybrid tea bush, slight fragrance, matches color of my house.   

 

And this one, appropriately named, 'Double Knockout', from same wholesale grower, that knocks out both your eyes when you stare at it too long--this pix was not photo-shopped--the color is blinding! 

None of these have a particularly strong scent, which is what I was looking for, ya know, so as not to invite trouble.    Keeping my fingers double-crossed now. 

Who's Watching Who

 

View from the kitchen window this morning.  Rinsing dishes... 

 

Ever get the feeling you're being watched?

Zooming in.  Sweetness!  Times two.  The other was hidden in the grass, except for it's ears poking out.  Mama Doe was no where in sight.  Probably parked them here while she checks out the neighbor's flowers. Which taste much better than mine.  (Thanks to the magic concoction.)

Crazy Daisy Cottage

Love the life you live.   Live the life you love.

 

After a little rest, thanks to a teensy thunderstorm that passed through yesterday, I think I am fully recovered enough to pick up where I left off in the garden.  I'm happy to say, that I now have a plan for the comfrey, thanks to Kristy's suggestion to make fertilizer from it, and directing me to green wellies for the know-how.   I so appreciate the other suggestions too and am thinking them over.  Thank you ladies!

The playhouse (above) has taken on a new look this summer.  These field daises surprise us in new places every year.  Actually had to mow down that one side to find the stepping stones.  It's so pretty and magical right now.  I almost expect to see a little fairy or gnome peeking out somewhere.  Just for fun, click on the image to bring that idea to life.  There might be other *surprises* around too.  Hint, hint.  Oh, and the frontyard landscape project is done!  We just couldn't be more pleased with how it all turned out.  (Pictures soon.)  Now to don my apron and roll up my sleeves...

But the bees love it...

"Thinning out, is one of the many tricks of the trade, not an invention of nature; it is entirely the invention of a good workman." 

My Friend the Garden by Fernand Lequenne

 

Though acting on the above advice, there are still days, I must admit, when my garden seems overwhelming to me.  Like, um.  Now.  This is the comfrey that grew back double, from the very same spot I'd moved it from last season because it was getting unruly and crowding out the chives and the chicory and generally wreaking havoc in the small raised bed it was planted in.  It was shy and demure the first year.  No trouble at all; then took off.  Always it seems, there are things to be done, in every corner, and before I knew it---there were three huge bushes.  Now, in two locations.  No doubt waving to each other from  across the yard and secretly plotting their next move.  I asked one of my daughters, who's studying and practicing herbalogy, "What's this one good for again?"  Mainly, abrasions and bruises, she tells me.  (oh)  Naturally.  And for good reason.

 

Pink & Blue

And...continuing our backyard garden tour...in another corner we find Iris in bloom!  I shared these beauties last spring.  They were gifts from a friend's garden. I love them so.  Definitely worth showing again. 

 

Pale pink Rhodie's share the plot and make a perfect backdrop.

 

I turned around and noticed the sky matched too!