Back in a Cemetery

 This morning I was able to get out and mow a little bit of the lawn and thin the bittersweet a little before getting ready for the pre-hire event.  I'm glad I got outside and was a little productive.

This is the before shot looking towards the garden.

Slightly different angle only
about 15-20 minutes later.

What I got out before having
to pause for the day.

The pictures help me see how much I accomplished in a short time.  This might motivate me tomorrow.  Other snippets of my day that were happy things:

• I went to the pre-hire event and survived.  Now I wait to hear from them to find out if I officially have the job or not.  If I do, I'll start work on June 22nd.  
• After that, I met a friend and we walked through the Pine Grove Cemetery.  We walked through this same cemetery a few weeks ago.  The Find-a-Grave app is working on my phone now so we attempted to find some of the grave requests.  Turns out, this cemetery has over 24,000 monuments and we didn't happen to find any of the requests.

Heron.

This lovely cemetery has ponds and a fountain.

This holds plants now but it looks
like it could have been a fountain.

Last time we walked here we
somehow missed the road signs.

• On the way home I stopped for a short walk across the Merrimack River.  I love this area.

Train bridge.

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead, by Carleen Madigan.

Thanks for reading, stay safe.

Bittersweet

 As the end of the month draws near it is time for me to move funds around to pay my mortgage.  With that task and getting my mail at the post office where the house I own is in mind, I did these errands this morning.  Because I also wanted to get out and get a few steps in I made some other small stops.  One of them was just a parking lot but the other was a cemetery.  Having planted flowers earlier this week at family members' gravesites I was reminded of an app that I haven't used in a very long time, Find a Grave.  People request pictures of gravestones to help further their genealogy research.  I was able to find two graves in the cemetery I stopped at.  One was easy to find as she was my best friend from high school's mom.  The other was a common name in the town so I had a good idea where to look.  I spent a lot of time in that particular cemetery growing up as it is very near the house with that mortgage I need to pay.  Helping people with their genealogy endeavors and the following are my happy things for today:

• Last year, after buying strawberry plants so we could have some here, we found some already growing.  They were in the part of the garden that was overgrown with autumn olive trees and bittersweet.  Most of the autumn olive was cut down a few weeks ago.  The bittersweet that I cut last year has grown back.  Some of today was spent pulling up roots and saying goodbye to weeds.

There is still a bunch of bittersweet but
it is coming from the other side of the fence.
Hopefully I will get to that over the weekend.

• In the process of pulling the bittersweet, the strawberry plants came up too.  They haven't seemed to produce anything since we moved here last year, so I moved them.  

The first area, before the rock,
has radishes planted.
The line up the middle after that are strawberry plants.
It seemed like a good time to add the soaker hose too.

• We aren't sure who was driving but this happened...

The taco truck is in need of a body shop.
The cats are fine.
It is suggested that catnip may have played a part.
😀🤣😂

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead Seasonal Planner, by Ann Larkin Hansen.

    Did you know that it matters how fresh the grass is that is growing for the animals that eat it?

Thank you for being a happy part of my life.  Stay safe.

Cemetery Day-Too Many Pictures

 Before Memorial Day every year we plant geraniums on family graves.  That day was today.  Not everyone could join us, but we got the geraniums planted, cleaned off the stones that needed it, and got a much needed visit with family we haven't seen in a while.  Hugs are a wonderful thing.  Other happy things for today:

• Since I knew I would be gone all day, I started by taking a walk around the property and getting the pictures from the wildlife camera.  Here are some of the plants I saw and what Lens thinks they are...

Common Cinquefoil, it is getting larger.

Possibly a blackberry.

This is coming up as either whorled loosestrife or
northern bush honeysuckle.
I'll try to look for this again as it grows.

Ostrich Fern.

Fern.

This is supposed to be Geranium dissectum.

Just trees.

The witch tree.

The rhododendron.

Iris are starting to open.

• I saw some deer tracks on the property.

At least I think it is from a deer.
It looked like it in real life.

• Some highlights from the day...

Fairly new monument at one of the cemeteries.

This is at my aunt's house.
The tree has grown SO much.

Keziah and the reflection on those sunglasses!

Well water for the flowers.

Up it comes!

Beaver lodge.

Goose family.

On the way home a storm was rolling in.

We had a rainbow after the storm passed.

• We went out for lunch and ice cream.  😃
• There is a tiller in the back of the van.  It may not work, but we will find out fairly soon.
• For that 'just in case' reason I brought my pruning shears with me to the cemeteries.  I don't think we have ever needed them and didn't today.  However, there were some people that were planting flowers on a loved ones grave near where we were and they did need them.  Being helpful is one of those things that makes me happy.

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead Seasonal Planner, by Ann Larkin Hansen.

Stay safe.  What things make you happy?

Happy Sunday!

 There were two super things about the rain today.  The first is that when it rained, it didn't last long so there was still plenty of time to do things outside.  The second is that the temperature dropped to something that I would call comfortable.  Other things that I am happy about today:

• It is May.  Every year some of the family get together to plant flowers on family graves at cemeteries before Memorial Day.  This year I tried to grow the geraniums myself so we wouldn't need to spend so much money buying them.  If you read my blog, you know that the seeds were delayed and I didn't get them planted as early as I had hoped.  Eventually I got the seeds and planted them and they sprouted.  They are larger now, but they aren't big enough and have no buds at this point.  So I have an AWESOME headstart on the geraniums for next year (if I am able to keep them alive).  This morning Keziah and I went out and bought the geraniums to plant in the cemeteries for this year.  Wednesday we will meet with some family and make a day of planting the geraniums.

Pretty colors!

• Third day in a row... but rhododendrons!

• Keziah did more shopping today and brought home the El Gato Fish Tacos truck.  Nanni started exploring it before it was completely assembled.

'Hey, what's this?'

Winston heard something happening and had to investigate.
Winston: 'Can I fit too?'

Nanni seems to be the driver.

• A few weeks ago I planted some pumpkin seeds.  I had six left over from last year and they were old then, but I planted them any way.  One came up and I already repotted it into a larger pot.

Pumpkin plant.

Today I noticed that two more of the seeds are starting to sprout!

Breaking through!

• We built Zed's not permanent shed thing today.  With four of us standing and assembling it a bird came down, landed, got the food they wanted and left.  I was only able to get a quick picture.

Where's the bird?

I cropped it.
I think it might be a grey catbird?

• The shed thing got built!  Team work!

Wind blew!  Time to batten down the hatches.

☮

Currently reading: The Burgess Book of Nature Lore, by Thornton W. Burgess.

Stay safe.

Mister Blue Sky

 My apologies on the links from Sunday not working.  I guess I won't try that again.  Each video should be released on a new day.  So as of when I am writing this, the first three should be public.  I thought that with the link, they would be available.  I guess I learned something.  

Another thing I learned is that the zucchini I am trying to grow don't seem to like it outside.  They were out for two days and nights, in the pots, and I may have lost two of them.  They are back inside now.  However, so far, there isn't anything obviously eating the few plants that are in the garden.  Other happy things for today:

• Yesterday when I mowed the lawn, I went right over the dandelions.  Today, mowing a different part of the yard I started mowing the dandelions, then I saw a honey bee.  I mowed around most of the remaining dandelions.  I've seen a few bees this year, but I'd like to see more.
• While mowing in the garden area I saw a garter snake.  I almost mowed it!  It slithered away and then disappeared.  It must have a hole there.  One of the things that garter snakes eat are grubs.  In other parts of the yard we have a grub problem, so this snake can stay in the garden.
• I met a friend for a walk today.  We are both vaccinated so hugs were in order!  It was a wonderful visit. 
• We took a nice stroll through the Pine Grove Cemetery in Manchester, NH.  Here are some pictures (I took a lot more) from that walk.

That blue sky!

Old tree.

A chapel.

A very detailed stone.
I love the way the light shines on it.

A different view of the above stone.

A lot more than just pine in Pine Grove Cemetery.

This section is dedicated to the military.

Itty bitty flowers.

Later, the same chapel as before,
view through the building.

Through the window.

Reflections.

A different chapel that also has offices.

Blooming tree.

Looking at the stained glass
in one of the mausoleums.

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead, by Carleen Madigan.

Stay safe.