A Puppy No Longer!

 

Lila just had her first birthday today!  It was filled with yummy liver, lots of retrieving of sticks and balls, a long romp in a pasture filled with cowpies, and a new toy.

We couldn't have picked a better puppy.  She's perfect!  Also, sassy and demanding--right now she's letting me know that playing ball with her is a much better idea than a blog post.  

Okay, Lila, I hear and obey!

I Love Bluebells

My favorite vacation was a western tour of national parks on our way to a seminar in Colorado.  One of my favorite places was Maroon Bells. We boarded a bus that shuttled us into the valley, with an informative guide.  

It was impossible to take a bad picture there.  Simply the most photogenic place I've ever been.

On our hike, I fell in love with a true blue wildflower.  It turned out to be in the Mertensia family.  In other words, a bluebell

Let the beauty of what you love be what you do. Share this Quote Rumi
Read more at https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/mary_oliver_381609

I've been on the lookout for one for years, but there was never anything local, just online.  Until this year!  I am now the proud possessor of two Virginia bluebells that I am nurturing.  

They are not the Rocky Mountain bluebells but...they will do! Someday I will have beautiful truly blue (not violet blue, like most) flowers that remind me of a special place.

It was long enough ago that I don't have photos at hand.  But Google Maroon Bells or Mertensia --you'll be glad you did. 

Guideposts (3)

 

 Kindness in words creates confidence.

Kindness in thinking creates profoundness.

Kindness in giving creates love.

~Lao Tse

One Day. Two Seasons

Yesterday

Sunny enough to bask if you're an older doggy like the yellow lab we are dogsitting for the neighbors.

Cloudy enough to need a jacket.

Warm enough to work in the yard but cool enough to need layers to add and subtract.

Springtime enough for the soil to be friable.

Changeable enough to suddenly feel it might rain.  And it does.

Surprising enough to wake up and find that the weather prognosticators were right and it did snow a bit.

Springtime!

I Blinked and It's Winter Again

 "Rain", they said.  Sounded good to me.  Instead...it's snowing.  Again.

It's a good day to put yardwork on hold--actually that's not even an option since the weather gods clearly are not favoring gardeners.  

Still, I can and did plan my next project.  Since the chickens are no more, and there will clearly not be any more if the HOA has its way, their chicken coop can be moved out of the run and repurposed.  After measuring it, I found it fits nicely in an unused space that has way too much shade and cedar duff to be useful for plants.  The coop will become a mini-storage shed.  It's a good place to stash pots and soil and frequently-used fertilizers.  In the winter, I can fit garden hoses, BBQ tools and tools out of the elements.

I'm thrilled I constructed it as a modular coop.  The roof, coop and base are all separate units so it will be relatively easy to move.

My huge old common lilac tree broke in the Sierra Cement snowfall a few months ago.  As soon as it's  blossomed, it's getting replaced by a much prettier lilac named Agincourt Beauty.  I just repotted it into a roomy five-gallon pot and it's funny to think of this little twelve-inch lilac replacing a twelve foot tree.  What a change that will be!

When the lilac branch broke, it also took down part of  a honeysuckle plant that shaded the chickens, provided cover from hawks and kept at least part of the run free of snow.  I gave it a hard pruning--it might stay or it might not.  The run previously was used for vegetables and that's my plan again.  There was too much shade from the cherry tree which is almost completely dead and slated for removal soon as well as from the lilac tree.  There should be plenty of hot sun again and I intend to take advantage of it for pole beans and sunflowers. 

The Sensation lilac (fourth from the left) is calling my name--I love picotee flowers.  Where to put it though?  I'm pondering the possibilities.

Gardens need to be updated every so often.  Rethought.  Refreshed. Revitalized.  

Hopefully we all will soon be enjoying lovely weather outdoors!  Ya hear that, Winter?

I

SPRING!!!

 Hurray! What a wonderful day this was!  The first day of Spring was filled with sunshine and birdsong.  There is only a teensy bit of snow hiding in the shadiest, most sheltered part of the yard.  Drumroll, please...there is finally no snow in our forecast.  Yes, we've definitely turned the corner on all things winter.

Fifty degrees, blue skies and the knowledge that it's going to rain tomorrow spurred me to get outside and do some gardening while I could.

Is there anything better than dirt under your fingernails?!

Yes, going on a playdate with your puppy's best friend and your favorite neighbor.

They played till they could play no more.  A tired puppy is a good puppy.

Enjoy life is their message and I'm taking their advice!

 

 

Guidepost: (2)

 The more man meditates upon good thoughts, 

the better will be his world 

and the world at large.

~Confucius