Catching Up

Oh, my gosh, I haven't posted here since August last year!  I go through these dormant spells on this blog, but it's catch up time now.

First I'll share from our final camping trip at the lake last summer.  Our friend came out to visit (outside, safely) one day and brought his furry family with him.  What a time they had!

The next two pics are wildflowers at the lake 'cause I can't resist photographing pretty much every flower I see.

 

September of 2020 was a tragic month for many in the western US who lost their homes, entire towns, their lives.  We were safe here, but now and then the smoke closed in on us from all directions.  Pictured below is the sun in late afternoon in a smoke-filled sky.  I can only imagine what it must have been like for those much closer to the fires.

Skipping to November for a couple of backyard shots:

The impatiens aren't looking their best by November, but LuLu still enjoys them:

LuLu again, loving a November day out in the wide open spaces...

... and in December, bringing Christmas dog treats home from our friend's house down the street.

My beloved family in our backyard, December:

There's even a pic of me and the dogs.  This one was taken at a favorite outdoor spot in January this year:

The last two photos bring us up to this month -- Wally with his Christmas moose:

Wally and LuLu taking themselves for a walk:

It's been a whole year of living life under the limitations of a virus pandemic, but we've managed to enjoy ourselves.  Thank goodness for our little family unit.  I hope to be here again before too long.  We're working on some home improvement projects that will keep us busy for a while, but that can be fun, too.  Wishing you a happy day!

Little Helper LuLu

LuLu always helps carry in the groceries.  I didn't have a bag small enough for her so I let her carry the cookies.  She's so dang cute and such a good helper!

Isn't that an adorable puppy face?  Eight years old.  She melts my heart!  Love.

Just Checking In

Hello!  I haven't checked in here for a while so thought, perhaps, it was time.  I've been busy on my stamping blog, trying to get ahead for summer, but there's always the garden, as well.  We even went for a two day camping trip in May.  I've been remiss... I don't have a lot of great pictures from that trip, but I'll see what I can come up with for sharing later.  First, this and that around the garden...

My sweet LuLu... we recently learned she has arthritis in her left front leg.  She's only 7 years old, but Dr. thinks it's from an old injury which I can't recall, but dogs never complain.  He says her days of hard running are over.  Sniffy walks and swimming are okay.  We're making do, but I tell you my heart was broken.  With pain management she's doing okay for the time being.

My hydrangea out front is a particularly delicate color this year.  Last year the hydrangeas barely bloomed and one of them even rotted at the roots and had to be dug out.  It appears this is going to be a better year.

The white Foxglove is my favorite.  I'm never certain which ones will be which color.  I let them reseed, pull out those that pop up in inconvenient places and then it's come what may.  I was so happy to see the white this year.

One of several hostas I grow in pots:

A place to just sit:

Thank you for dropping in.  Wishing you a beautiful day!

Garden and Nature

Surprise!  I have some flower photos today.  You like flowers, don't you?  I was looking through some pics and found a few I'd never shared, so let's just step back into the warmer months for a few moments.

The first is Foxglove and Lace Cap Hydrangea.  All the Foxgloves currently in my garden were transplanted from the wild, and they've cross pollinated between deep pink and white to produce some lovely, delicate shades.

The pretty pink Columbine pictured below came from the self-sown seeds of a blue hybrid.

Nature does a fine job on her own with no help from me.  The next few photos were taken on a June day in our local Great Outdoors.  First we have fluffy grass seed heads and a lone dandelion.

Blackberry blooms next.  Love those polka dot leaves.

Wild Sweet Peas:

My Sweet Pea in the Sweet Peas (LuLu):

I need to get out there and look for the beauty in our current season.  I've been preoccupied with holiday card making and a few other things.  It's time to breathe in, breathe out.  Have a beautiful day!

Garden

Now that we're doing all this fair weather motorhome travel I'm having a difficult time with the garden.  The last thing before we leave and the first thing when we come back I spend a good part of the day out there watering and deadheading.  If I'm lucky, the deer don't move in and feast while we're gone.  It's hard to keep deer spray on things that are constantly growing and blooming.

I'll share a few recent blooms that survived, some of which are done blooming now (click to enlarge):

And because the garden isn't complete without a Golden:

When we came home from our most recent trip the deer had chomped down all my Impatiens.  The next day they'd nipped off a few blooms from another plant.  I'm moving more and more flowers to pots in the fenced-in dog yard.  The hydrangeas aren't doing well this year and that's not because of the deer.  Some of them do not have a single bloom.  Weird.  At the rate things are going, the garden will be all evergreens and ferns soon.  I persevere, sigh...

You take care, now, and enjoy the remaining days of summer.  I'm stretching it out as long as possible.  See you here next Saturday!

Spring Potpourri

Hello, again!  We're back in the garden today.  Truthfully, the garden sustained so much deer damage over the winter that I felt like giving up.  Can't keep deer spray on it with all the rain we've had and some of the younger plants just up and died.  I thought, "why bother?"  Oddly, the deer haven't visited us in a couple of months.  I don't know why, but I'm not complaining.  I sprayed deer repellent, but by that time they'd already quit coming around.

So now we've had a little bit of sun and I'm all excited again.  I looked back through some older garden photos and realized I just can't give that up.  It's simply a part of me.

Rich decided to have a landscape service put in a whole new lawn.  Sure, he could have done it himself, but he's the lawn guy and if he wants to have someone else do it, then I'm not going to argue.  Here are the guys out there working under the cherry tree.

By afternoon it looked like this (below), complete with LuLu and her mouthful of socks.  The lawn needs to grow and green up and blend, but it will soon enough.  This is the most dog-friendly way to put in a new lawn.

See the yellow azalea in the background?  Two large branches were broken off the backside by a neighborhood cat trying to catch birds.  Just another garden frustration.  After the blooms fade I'll trim it down and hope it branches out again.

"Hello" from Doug or Dougette on the feeder which could use a good cleaning after our wet winter.

We're waiting for an estimate on another landscape project.  It's definitely not something we'd tackle ourselves as it involves a retaining wall and earth moving.  I'm quite excited about it.  We'll extend our upper level outdoor living space significantly.  I'll have to find a new home for the trillium.  The stone steps will stay in place.  They're one of my favorite garden features.

That's all for today.  This blog had a long dry spell during our long wet winter, and then all of a sudden I'm talking your eyes off.  Please click on a pic to bring them all up in a light box.  It's more fun that way.

Have a happy day, and I'll catch some of you over on my stamping blog!

SUMMER SIGHTINGS

It wouldn't be summer without a picture of a Swallowtail.  They're so beautiful.

 

 

 

This year I "caught" a Red Admiral sitting still long enough to get a photo, too.   They're very elusive and fluttery, so I had to be quick.  Not the greatest photo, but I was happy even for this.

 

 

 

Pictured below are two of my problems in the garden.  These are both three point bucks who've grown up munching on my garden.  I also have a doe and two spotted fawns this year.  This photo was taken in the evening from my kitchen window so, again, not such good quality.

 

 

 

 

The deer will also eat the bird seed from the hopper feeder.  I couldn't figure out why the seed would disappear overnight after I'd just filled it, but on the day this photo was taken I had just filled the feeder and it was empty immediately after their visit.  Now I only put a scoop at a time in there.

 

And check out the action below:

 

 

 

 

Another kitchen window photo.  Well, kitties have to drink, too.  I've done what I can to keep the feeders out of harm's way, but there's only so much I can do.   The birds sound the alarm when one of the neighborhood cats come around, so I always know when they're out there.  Only two of them seem to enjoy bird watching (ahem).  Feeders or no feeders, cats and birds will do what cats and birds do.  I love all the critters so I bear them no ill will, despite how it would hurt my heart should the unthinkable happen.

 

It would be quite another story if any critter -- four legged, two legged, winged, or slithering -- ever threatened one of my children.  No more Mrs. Nice Guy.

 

 

 

 

That's my sweet LuLu, and she wouldn't harm a fly.  Well, maybe a fly...

 

Have a beautiful day!

 

 

A Day at the Park

Thank you, my friends, for a nice welcome back to Goldens and Garden.  It's good to know there are still a few who enjoy visiting, and I appreciate every one of your comments.  I replied to one email response that I like having this place as an online scrapbook of sorts as it's so easy to browse through and see the history, remember good times, and be reminded of the beauty around me.  Since some like to see the dogs and garden on my stamping blog, too, I'll probably mix it up a bit  I sure hope you'll come along when you can.  So, let's get going, shall we?

For a change of pace my friend and I had a picnic lunch at one of our city parks.  No wet dogs.  Just us girls.  I'd be hard pressed to explain to Wally and LuLu why they couldn't jump in the pond...

... or interact with the wildlife.

We had a beautiful walk on a beautiful day.

Just look at this poor little sad-sack LuLu who got left behind:

Poor baby.  Next time, LuLu.  I promise.  Have a happy day and come back soon, won't you?

  --  Leslie