Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from May, 2013 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 3:31 am on May 24, 2013 Permalink  

  More Than One Purpose For a Bird Bath 

  I always try to find a use of  what I have on hand and to take care of what I have as I may not be able to attain it again. I have no idea when my Mom came upon the Duck and Ducklings little cactus that she incorporated into her garden. They are similar to the Hen and Chick cactus. Either of these continue to produce off spring with little or no gardening skills.  Mom would share her favorites with me for my garden and then the challenge was on to keep them alive. After I had found a spot in the garden dirt for the Duck and Ducklings the squirrels would also find that area suitable for burying nuts or digging up nuts they had saved from the year before and Ducklings didn’t stand a chance.

  

  The Duck and Ducklings plants, safe from harm and
  from squirrels in their bird bath home

  Thus the bird bath came into the picture as a solution. For several seasons earlier I had been very diligent in supplying fresh water into a clean bird bath for our flying friends. A particular time every spring the Black Birds would clean up after the babies in their nests and dump the mess into the bird bath. This was a nasty business that I and the Robins did not appreciate it.  Shall we say that I decided to kill two birds with one stone? We have a creek two blocks to the south of us so I was very confident the birds would not go thirsty. I felt confident it would take more than me scolding the squirrels to stop their architectural digs that scattered the Ducklings.

  The Duck and Ducklings were elevated into the bird bath and they have loved it now for several years. As they produce more Ducklings and the new ones begin to drape over the side of the bird bath, I do try and save those and nestle them within a pod of dirt, protected by some rocks. Each fall of the year the bowl of the bird bath is taken off of the stand and covered with a blanket of leaves to protect the cactus from winter kill. Gardening is trial and error and I have found this solution to be a winner as it also adds some texture to the garden.

   
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  Noreen 10:26 pm on May 21, 2013 Permalink  

  Mother Nature’s Finest 

  

  Our Bleeding Heart flower

  The most unbelievable of the spring wonders is the Bleeding Heart perennial.  It is the first to come forth and give a show that is amazing.  I am still waiting to see if the White Bleeding Heart made it through our ice age.

  This morning while Dennis was mowing the yards I did  take up some hand quilting to do out in the garage porch, but with one arm in a sling there is a very short duration of manipulating thread, needle and fabric. Needless to say it didn’t take long for me to find my little Canon Power Shot camera to capture these blossoms.

  With the high winds we have had, you can’t take Mother Nature for granted. I have had bushes of these in the past that have had the expanse of three feet, but we are grateful for what we have this spring.  Hopefully, the root system will feed generously for showings again next year.  I have noticed that these little wonders do self-seed.  The trick is to watch your garden dirt for the tiny, but familiar, leaf patterns and allow them to take hold.  The small plants may be as tiny as a shirt button.

  I can’t imagine not being enthralled with gardening. The hard part is watching and waiting to see what will spring forth next.

   
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  Noreen 5:43 am on May 20, 2013 Permalink  

  Some Say Minnesota Winters are Brutal 

  

  So delicate it could appear to be wax

  Some say Minnesota winters are brutal to a fault. This last winter did seem to go on forever. In April many places of our yard were covered with thick sheets of ice and I wondered how many plants were entrapped under these glaciers.

  I am walking the gardens each day wondering what if anything will fill the vacant spots as winter kill seems to be prevalent. In a huge patch of bare dirt sprouted this lone tulip that resembles a peony blossom. I think I will just take the good with the bad and this sole little fellow is for sure the good.

   
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  Noreen 3:44 am on May 19, 2013 Permalink  

  The Increasing Number of Real Beauties 

  

  Fairfax Tulips making their home in St. James

  When you least expect it in the early spring, color pops out. This particular color has a colorful past. In the year of 2011 there was the anticipation that red tulips would be the choice of many for Valentine’s Day. The day after, Kevin and Kersten were out and about and were surprised that so many tulips had not found a home. I am not sure how room was found in the pickup for Kevin, Kersten, Bell, Sophie and a dozen pots of the red beauties. After several days of gracing the print shop with beauty, the tulips began attracting – or even perhaps hatching out – fruit flies. Plan B was executed and the tulips found their way from Fairfax to St. James.

  I knew enough that tulips needed to die back the stems on their own to feed the bulbs, but good grief it took forever. By this time it was the end of May and tulips need to then be stored in cool temps until the ultimate time of planting, which is right before the cold frosts become winter. Dennis’ garage refrigerator had several shelves devoted to the tulips bulbs. In the late fall, the bulbs were tucked into the flower bed and we began the wait and see. That was in 2011.
  In the blooming spring of 2012 there was a showing of about eight blooms compared to the ninety bulbs we put out in two different beds. This year we had a total of twenty four of the the beauties. This project gives credence to the old adage “nothing ventured – nothing gained.”

   
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  Noreen 1:18 am on May 18, 2013 Permalink  

  We had the Most Wonderful Rain 

  

  Our Koi in their pond

  We had the most wonderful rain during the night and early this morning. If this doesn’t tempt the perennials out of the ground nothing will. Even with less flowers than last year the backyard is just a pleasant place to spend a bit of time. If one sits close to the Koi pond with little of anything important on the mind, I can guarantee you will soon be checking your eyelids for cracks. It’s hard to remember how long we have had the pond or some of the Koi. One of Dennis’ grandsons was not yet in school and A.J. just turned twenty one. The area began as my one and only flower bed and a bit late I realized that in total shade my choices of plants were few. On a whim Dennis and three little grandsons began the dig. We keep it simple and the Koi seem to thrive. As the pond is in shade there is no problem with algae but the adjacent Maple tree makes up for it.

  The heavy rain today pushed all of the buds of the forming leaves out and down. Later on there will be the seed pods and of course the windblown leaves love to take a dip as well. The huge yellow Koi is one of the original and when it is time to net him for the winter, he is a heavy one measuring almost 24 inches. Dennis has a horse tank in the garage for them to transfer to in the late fall. Once the temps fall to 40 – 45 degrees, they go dormant and enjoy the oxygen aeration pump from the bottom of the tank. It was a whim that has brought about many enjoyable hours, much like those that have aquariums within their homes. Is it any wonder why we have enjoyed the same cabin, season after season?

   
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  Noreen 5:10 am on May 16, 2013 Permalink  

  One Cannot Deny that Spring is Finally Here 

  

  The pathway to our backyard

  One cannot deny spring is finally here with the smell of the yards being mowed for the first time. Dennis hit the rider lawn mower this forenoon and kept at it as there is a bit over an acre that we keep tidy. I, on the other hand, was spending time in the four season porch that we have added onto our detached garage. We do use it twelve months out of the year. Nothing says escaping cabin fever more than having a bit of quiet time in the porch. Prior to my surgery, I worked hard to get the porch ready for viewing the yards and gardens by getting the windows washed. As I whiled away a few hours in the porch I had a panoramic view to the north, east and west. When I grew weary of being inside I relocated to the patio. The photo I have included shows the porch and patio when it has come into its own.

  These first weeks of spring is all about watching and waiting to see how many perennials have made it through the winter and how many annuals will have to be tucked in here and there for good color. Dennis and I always kid each other that we lease the same cabin for the entire season, year after year. It really is a sweet place to heal and enjoy the sites.