I write every day. Sometimes I even blog.
Nothing says summer like heat waves, thunderstorms, and raccoons tearing up the bird feeders at night. Between the raccoons and the squirrels, that feeder takes a beating. And after the hordes of sparrows are done, it’s a wonder that there’s ever anything left for the blue jays and cardinals. There will be, for a little […]
Read More Raccoon alertIt’s not much, but it’s nicer than the demised peonies. And it means tomatoes are coming.
Read More Smallest tomato blossom everAll good peonies must come to an end. Peony week lasted a whole eight days until the rain came. And what rain it was! We had a bit of rain a few days ago, but the peonies held on; it took some serious thunderstorms to shake the flowers down. The weather came in last night, […]
Read More Rain 1 Peony 0Got a couple of mystery plants. One is new, one is old. I have a guess for both, but I’m never sure. The new one is a several ones all sprouting near where a small sunflower grew last year. Is it another sunflower? Or a Black-Eyed Susan? It might even be a coneflower. Or something […]
Read More Mystery PlantsIt’s easy enough to find beautiful flowers, now that the weather has warmed up, but you need to look really close to spot one of these beautiful little syrphid flies. There’s a whole range of these predatory flies, often dressed in beelike yellow and black. Some like this Allograpta obliqua are hover flies. You might […]
Read More Syrphid SundayWhen the cat comes in as you begin Some weeding, And the clouds turn gray and far away They rumble, It’s time to quit your private bit Of Eden. Don’t watch the trees or vines or bees Or bumbles. They buzz and flower no matter how It swelters. If you get caught you’ll be doing […]
Read More Cloudy with a chance of showersThe volunteer strawberries that turned up last year really are strawberry plants! Not only did they spread out in a generous swath under one of the pear trees, they are ripening much earlier. It’s still May, and yesterday I picked a handful of fruits and today another handful and tomorrow…
Read More Strawberries in MayLike so many other perennial weeds, curly dock first reveals itself as a rosette, then rises up as a towering, magnificent bastard. Check out this one, already taller than my rain barrel. Supposedly it’s edible, but I never find them before they’ve already turned bitter. Slugs are more likely to eat it.
Read More Weed patrol: Curly dockThe first peony is open in all its magnificence. This is one of the landmarks in the garden year. It’s a grand week, peony week, and it’s a week earlier this year. Interesting. Gee, I wonder why?
Read More Peony SundayToday’s bread came out all pretty and plush. It’s as plump as a peony.
Read More Why a bread like a peony?
Writing Every Day 