Front spring garden

I keep telling myself that there are almost 4 more weeks of summer. This is factually correct because September 22, 2012 is the first day of fall this year. I have to remind myself of the date because so many forms of media want to rush the season in order to get all of us to purchase goods for that season.

I put a lot of energy into building up my front and back yard gardens. I learned a lot about myself in the process. First, I learned to be more patient. Sometimes you just have to wait for a seed to grow or a plant to emerge from the soil before you can enjoy the results.

Second, I learned that preparation is helpful in most situations in life. The more I prepared the soil or area that I was working in before I placed a plant in the area the better the plant fared. Many of my plants are in containers so preparing the soil was extremely important.

late spring deck

Now that we have entered late summer, my family and I are enjoying the fruits of my labor. We are picking tomatoes every day, enjoying the birds that are attracted to the yard and enjoying all of the flowers.

mid summer front yard

midsummer tomatoes

midsummer lilies

I will not be rushing into fall even though I love the season. I will take my time and enjoy each day as much as I can. Fair warning: that’s me in front of you going slow on purpose. Enjoy the rest of the summer if you can.

Kim

It takes a wheelbarrow

It may be hot enough to fry an egg outside but I am happy with the results of warm dry weather on our garden. I have worked on our backyard/garden for a number of years now. My goal has been to create a space in which friends and family can relax and retreat. My tastes are eclectic and I believe that they are reflected in the way our yard appears. The other benefit is that there are plenty of items for my husband, Lars ,to photograph when he likes.

summer backyard beginnings

When you read any of our posts you can see many of the photos that he has taken. You also have the opportunity to learn some of the techniques that he uses in his photographic pursuits. Take note however, that for this post all of the photos are mine. For that, I apologize…

This week we are starting to harvest some of the tomatoes that I planted. Our perennials have been growing and our annuals are providing lots of color. Of course to keep all of this going, I have to do a lot of watering, feeding, and pruning. I don’t like it but I like the results. I collect rainwater and try to conserve water as well.

Last week we had to get rid of some poison ivy that was growing along our fence. I thought I had killed it all a few years ago but nature proved a formidable foe. Some of it came back! After some very careful, limited, spraying and pulling up roots- I believe the problem is solved. Right now I am hot, content, and itch free…

I hope that your summer is enjoyable. Let me know if you need some tomatoes.

Kim

a few summer flowers

a summer visitor

The weather was wonderful. It was sunny and in the seventies  most of the time and here it was early April. My husband was home sick and I ran out to the bank. Unfortunately, I left my wallet home. Fortunately I had the check and deposit slip with me. I went to the teller that I visit most often and was able to deposit the check without a problem. Since I didn’t have identification with me, I quickly went back home.

I looked in on with my sick husband and told him that he should spend 10 minutes out in the sun. The warm sun and bright sky would make anyone feel a little better. I went out first onto our deck and proceeded into our garage. When I returned, I noticed one of our outdoor cats lying next to a planter. That’s an odd thing for this cat to do because she is deaf and usually does not lie out in the open. She usually sleeps in a bed that we made for her or up on a concrete wall that borders our yard. By now I’m sure you know where I am going with this- she had died.

Well, I handled the situation the only way I know how- I felt it. I cried as though I lost someone I love because I had. Despite being sick, my poor husband consoled me and helped me to bury the cat. I prayed and thanked God for letting me love that cat.

It’s ironic, I never touched her but I watched over her for a couple of years and I fed her. She thanked me by hissing on occasion ( I told you earlier the she was deaf) and lying around where I could see her and take pleasure in that. Her final gift was to bring her last set of kittens into my back yard last year. I saw that as a sign of trust. She trusted me to give them a hand out and to not hurt them. Her trust was well placed…

So I  learned another great lesson in life. You don’t have to physically touch to love and what a gift to be touched by love. I feel good about that…

What is it about the warm rays of the sun that make you smile? I find that even when the weather is cold, the warm rays of the sun make me smile. Believe me, I have many things to be concerned about in life right now but I appreciate any opportunity to smile.

This winter was cold but relatively dry and we had very little snow. I live in an old house and it gets quite cold in the winter. I have turned up the heat (very expensive) more often than I like in order to stay warm inside but a sun beam coming through the window makes me happy. I anticipate the good times that come with warm weather.

Over the past few days our New England weather has been incredible. Most of last week consisted of sunny days with temperatures in the 7o’s and even low 80’s! Plants are blossoming earlier than ever, birds are chirping and pairing up and I am thinking about my future garden.

Today I found some hyacinths growing up from under a pile of mulch behind my garage. I bought the plants last year and they were labeled as annuals. When they expired, I took them out of the pot and threw them in the mulch pile. Imagine my surprise when my husband and I were working in the back yard, looked behind the garage,  and two beautiful purple hyacinths were sticking out of the mulch pile! When I thought that things couldn’t get any better, my husband noticed one of the neighborhood cats sleeping in a pile of leaves near the flowers. Come on, you know that image makes you smile…

I’m sorry that I neglected my posts for a while but I’m back along with the spring. I will continue to muse and amuse if I can. Right now I’m feeling warm and happy and I hope that you are too.

Bye!

I don’t know what the weather is like where you are but here in Boston it is really cold. There is nothing unusual about cold weather in January, in Massachusetts, but it is unusual to have not suffered through a number of snowstorms by now.

Many would say, hey be happy – you don’t have to shovel, or try to maneuver your car over ice or worry about falling down into a slushy liquid mess. I am happy to avoid those negative aspects of winter but something is missing. I do believe that familiar weather patterns are just like other things that are familiar to us all, they make us comfortable because we know what is coming or what to expect.

For months now I have been posting photos of some adorable feral kittens that live in my neighborhood. They come through my yard frequently. I have never touched them but I observe them and draw pleasure from their existence. When I think they and their mother are having a hard time, I sometimes leave them food. The mom has lived in this neighborhood for at least five years and seems to be deaf. She also appears to be pretty old. Those of you who have observed or enjoyed the company of cats know that they don’t have wrinkles to tip you off to their age, but they do have a “look” that says I’m no kitten! I have never touched the mom and she hisses at me on occasion. She’s a tough kitty raising her litters on her own. I believe that I saw one of her kittens 3 years ago. I have never seen the others until now. For some reason in 2011 she let me see the last pair of kittens that she had. Note that I said “see” not “touch.”

Well, I was happy with this stand off. I knew that if I touched her or her kittens that I would be a goner. I would care too much. I would have one more thing to worry about. Guess what? It has happened anyway. What I am dealing with now is observing this family as it grows and observing more about their lives. One kitten is male and the other is female. They are now 7 or 8 months old. I expected the male to leave and look for a partner but the family has not separated yet. I sometimes see the 3 of them sleeping together in a pile of leaves.

Yesterday, on a very cold day, I observed the kittens sitting on a concrete wall near the side of my house. They both had blown up tails and were very still. I couldn’t see the mom and I tried to see what is was that had frightened them. As I continued to view them from my window, I observed a very large grey male cat on the other side of our fence looking very mean and hissing. I ran to put on a jacket, charged outside with a shovel and saw the large male and the male kitten (who is actually a good size himself) run off. They were growling and hissing as they disappeared from my view.

I could go on forever about this and I am sure that some of you already know where I am headed in this story. Let me end it this way:  I know that the cats can take care of themselves, all cats should be spayed or neutered, no I can’t own or protect every animal in the world, why didn’t I bla, bla, bla…

Listen, I am grateful to have the opportunity to love people and animals. I am happy to love these kittens from afar. The male cat will be chased away eventually, that is they way it works in the animal world. I am happy that they haven’t not be adversely effected by deep New England snows but you know what? That is cold comfort to me…