June 15, 2022 -Summer Weather has Arrived

We have waited through the spring for warmer weather. Now it is here and we are seeing things come to life again. The red shouldered hawk is still making it's early morning and mid afternoon rounds. It's high pitched screech reminds us that we should be prepare to look deeply into the sky if we want to catch a glimpse of it's flight.

The hawk is a spirit animal that reminds us to look deeply into our world. To seek with our mind's eye the detail we need to proceed with our life goals.

I have been working on a drawing of the hawk and will be posting the completed drawing soon.

The warm weather has brought our pond fish back to active life. I had seen them earlier this spring. Happy that I had safely over wintered them. But, then they disappeared. I didn't see them for a few days, Believing that perhaps the hawk, racoon or our visiting Mallard duck couple may have eaten them; I purchased some new fish to add to the pond. The big fish returned the very next day. We now have a total of seven fish in the pond. Also, the frogs have returned.

 

 

 

Not only is the pond teeming with life. the flowers have also brought their beauty with this warm weather. We can enjoy our deck, yard and company in the beauty of our little bit of paradise. We were fortunate to share some family time with the grand kids this past weekend. Looking forward to more outdoor activities as we anticipate the arrival of the Germans. Here are just a few shots of the flowers in bloom currently.

I planted the foxglove to ward off the deer. They seem to work and have taken to the shady light of the woods. Hopefully they will keep spreading deeper into the woods.

Planted this Dianthus the second year we were here, it now returns each year.

The Cranes Bill is just beginning to bloom.

Caught this bee enjoying the Bluestar

pretty pink columbines

Deck planter

Bocce Girl loves her Foxgloves

June 1, 2022 Enjoying the Weather

Well, we did very little on Memorial Day. Some yard work and a little putzing around. Mainly just enjoyed the wonderful weather. We did ride out late one night to see if we could catch a glimpse of some meteorites. We think we saw a few but couldn't really determine if it was what were supposed to be seeing. Some things seemed to move in the sky but nothing as impressive as previous observations.

It was nice to be out anyway in the cool night breezes.

Speaking of breezes, the weather here was rather balmy and the pollen from the oaks was everywhere. The pond water seemed to be covered in maple seeds and pollen. The fish didn't seem to mind and seem to also enjoy the warmer weather

I took a few photos of the garden plants to share. Also, there is a video bath time .

Enjoy!

Japanese Maple

White Bleeding Heart in front berm garden

Another shot of the Bleeding Heart

Rhododendron in bloom

A shot of the entrance

View of pond patio from the Bocce court

Pink Bleeding Heart

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                          Pond fish

                              Mrs. Cardinal enjoys bath tome at the bird spa

Memorial Day Weekend

It seems the weather has broken and we are getting a glimpse of the potential summer ahead. It is nice to feel the abundant sunshine and warmer air.

 I've taken a few shots of the yard and garden blooms to add to the blog. 

A little story. 

The cold weather and ducks in our small pond led us to believe the three goldfish that we so carefully overwintered were gone. For five days we saw no sign of them. Thinking the ducks or a racoon may have eaten them I went and purchased some new fish. I got eight more. Added them to the pond. Lost one almost immediately. The weathered warmed and suddenly the three big fish were back. Evidently the cold had sent them back into their dormant state behind the waterlily roots and pot. I now have at least eight fish in the pond. Their may be two more but they are black/brown and the pond has so many shadows they are hard to find. I did see one in the early morning sun two days ago, but not since then.

So what do I do with all this fish if they all survive. Stay tuned to find out.

These are some shots of a few of the visitors we see daily. There are many more and I will try to catch some photos of them as the summer and year progresses,

I will try to catch our house wren singing to add tg the next blog post. They are often referred to as the bulldogs of the bird kingdom.

The Goldfinches come throughout the day singing and eating food I will try to get a photo of them in the bird spa splashing away.

Ajuga ground cover

New addition this spring Poppy Anemone

Deck planter

Allium

View on the pond

Little unknown blue flowers by pond

View of fire pit with Irises and Foxgloves

Ajuga

Irises

Columbines

Hostas and Ferns

MAY 13, 2022 Some Glimpses of Spring

 Thought I would just post a few glimpses of spring around here.

Hope you enjoy!

Many of our daffodils are blooming for the first time from last fall's planting. We enjoy watching as they clump up larger with each passing year. 

The hellebores are at a point that when we have a good rain coming I will need to split and plant in some new areas. Since the deer do not eat them I will start to add them around the exterior of the garden with the foxgloves. I don't know if this will help to keep the deer out of the garden interior or not. But, I will give it a try.

This was our first planting and it is filling in nicely.

Just one little beauty.

Brunnera and hostas - deer salad?

New planting from last fall.

 

Hellebores close up.

Another little beauty

A good shot of the brunnera in bloom

Bleeding heart the deer do not eat these as tender as they appear.

Bleeding heart up close.

View of pond patio and bocce court.

The dahlias will be planted in this area next week.

Hellebore to split

More little beauties.

Second year clumps of daffodils in the back garden.

May 9, 2022 - Well Finally Spring

 The weather has definitely improved. I never thought we would see warm weather and sunshine together. The last posting was in March and I have been waiting to give an updates on the life here in the woods,

The daffodils are finally blooming, the hellebore are fantastic this year, the brunnera Siberian bugloss  are striking with their blue flowers. Sadly we lost our tulips to the deer who ate them as their salad or desert, not quite sure the order in which they ate them.

Speaking of the deer I have resorted to spreading a deer repellent around all my tender plants. Using both a spray and a granular product. I will keep you posted on if it works.

The fish have survived the winter in their full orange and tangerine beauty. Now that the weather has warmed up they are pretty active. We are however waiting to have our pond reconditioned because the deer have used it as a water source pushing many of the rocks into the pond. 

The frogs have also survived and they are very large. Their croaking is very boisterous,

The birds are returning also. The humming birds are actively depleting the nectar. We still do bring the feeders in at night to protect them from the raccoon. 

 Oranges are out for the orioles, the rose breasted grosbeak are also back. returning for color are the scarlet tanager, indigo bunting, and bluebirds. 

We still have a myriad of woodpeckers. 

New us this year are a pair of Mallards who rejoice in the seed left under our feeder. They enjoy an occasional dip in the pond. 

I know that bird flu has been spotted in some lower counties but I sanitize all the perches and so far the only critters to possibly be affected by the ducks visit are the squirrels and deer.

 

March 15, 2022 - Spring seems to be arriving slowly

 It seems that spring seems to be slowly arriving. We are noticing more birds returning. We had a Bluebird at our bird spa, a heated bird bath, that has been a favorite throughout the winter months. Now it is becoming a bathing facility.  

We heard a strange call the other day and using our Cornell Merlin App we recorded the call and quickly identified it as that of a Red Shouldered Hawk. There were two and they seem to be taking residence near by. A bit scary for the other birds but as I am a fan of raptors I want them to hang around. A dilemma, I am sure.

The pond is still covered with the soft layer of ice. A remnant from the winter's cold sub-freezing days so I am not sure how the pond fish are doing. Will keep checking as high temperatures are predicted for the next few days.

As I walk around the yard I see a lot of clean-up work to be done after the weather warms a bit more consistently. Winter winds and snows have left a myriad collection of tree branches, pine cones, and dried leaves. 

Walking around the yard I have also spotted the early Snowdrops and some daffodils finding their way to the warming sun.

I am including a few pictures of birds and snow drops. There is a video of a Red Shouldered Hawk allowing you to hear it's call.

snow drops 3-15-22

Mourning Doves 3-12-22

Bluebird  3-12-22

 

 

Not our hawk but a good idea as to it's call.