Oh, My!

Rhizomes, pips, seeds, and bulbs were planted today; the tubers were yesterday.*  I forgot to call to see about having mulch and soil delivered. Hopefully I will remember and it can get here before the next frost. I’m so happy that I got so much planted. I still have some more to plant on another day. Other happy things for today:

• 

  Flying turkey.

  
  
• Nanni, the brown tabby, woke me this morning. It may have been so I could hear Aesop, the dog, whining and wanting to go out. For this first short walk we saw some turkeys. Aesop scared them and they flew away. At least one ended up in a tree.

He is still trying to get up.

He's safe up in a tree!

• There are some flowers that I only seem to see blooming when I walk Aesop in the morning. According to Lens they are either white campion or night-flowering catchfly. My initial research says that both of these bloom at night. Maybe I will find the time to get more information before winter.

• Frost covered the ground this morning.

• Sunset set the trees aglow.

It was a good day.

☮

Currently reading:  Mount Washington A Guide and Short History, by Peter E. Randall.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

*Rhizomes---iris

pips---lily-of-the-valley

bulbs---tulips, crocus, paperwhite (narcissus)

tubers---daylily 

seeds---cereal rye (winter cover crop in the garden)

Old House

The to-do list I set for myself today was a little bit long, so I didn't expect to finish it.  One item I gave myself a time limit to only work so long on.  I ignored that and got a small section of the front triangle weeded and then planted.  I moved the wild sweet William and tried to make that the center of the triangle. Around that I planted some of the iris, daylily and lily-of-the-valley from the thinning I did a week or two ago.  I also planted some of the paper white bulbs I got from my aunt over the summer.  There were a few bulbs that I found while taking out the weeds that I replanted and then a few more from the package I bought this year.  Wow!  Hopefully I will do something similar to the rest of the triangle area before it gets too cold.  

It doesn't look like a big area,
but it felt like it!

Other things I am happy for today:
 

• At first glance I thought the bird was a sparrow.  Zed pointed out to me the pretty yellow spots though and I looked up.  Lens thinks that the bird is a yellow-rumped warbler and a small search agrees that it is a warbler.

Yellow-rumped warbler.

• Keziah was hoping to sand and repaint some areas of the house where the paint is chipped.  Unfortunately, there was a bit more rot than anticipated.  The happy part of this is the tiny bit of history.  According to the side of the house, it was built in 1745.  Some old nails have been pulled out!  There is a door that was used as a wall too.

Keyhole in the former door.

Mostly nails made by a blacksmith.

• The sunset and the crescent moon that followed were both lovely.

☮

Currently reading: Mount Washington A Guide and Short History, by Peter E. Randall.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

                                  

Where is the Foliage?

 On days that I don't work and return to what some might consider a 'normal' sleep schedule, I get up real early.  This morning as I make my way downstairs I notice how bright the moon is by the shadows it is casting.  Sometime in the next few minutes I remember I have a new phone, with a new camera, and I could see how it performs in the night.  I step outside in my bathrobe and notice how amazingly fresh the air is and the constellation Orion.  Another step and there is the moon, above Orion.  I take a couple pictures and retreat back into the house before a car drives by.  

As with my last phone camera,
the moon seems to create another light.
Most of Orion is visible,
even with the waning gibbous moon.

Other things that I am happy for today:

• There was to much time spent down the internet rabbit hole this morning.  I was able to find a blog I keep forgetting to follow.  I am happy to have found again, Fabled Practice.
• Another thing I was able to do while in that rabbit hole was to update my Amazon wish list a little.
• Yesterday I finished clearing an area of rhizomes, tubers, and pips.  Today I replanted some.  They have room to grow and I have a bunch of rhizomes, tubers, and pips to plant in other places.  Hopefully this will happen before they go bad.

The irises in the back, then daylilies.
Closest are the lily-of-the-valley
 that are mostly underground.
I put the pitchfork there as
 a rough measurement.

Close up of a pip.

• Aesop, the dog, decided that eating snowberries would be a good thing.  He seems fine and probably didn't get any because the cone he is wearing makes it hard to reach somethings.  According to one website I saw the berries often pass through without the toxins being absorbed.  As far as I can tell, I cut down all the branches from the offending plant.  One less thing to worry about for now.

Snowberries.
They remain on the plant all winter.
Some animals and birds can eat them.

Snowberry flower.

This is the one quince on the bush that the
 snowberries seemed to be taking over.
It will need more work if we decide to try to save it.

• I forced myself out for a walk so I could get my step count.  I checked Facebook while I was out and in my memories was a picture of last year's foliage.  I went out and tried to match the spot to get another picture to compare.  I couldn't get the exact spot, but there is a big difference in foliage.

This is from last year,
September 27, 2020.

This was taken today-
September 27, 2021.

☮

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

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Rhizomes and Tubers and Pips, Oh, My!

 There is a large-ish section by the driveway that has flowers growing there that I have wanted to thin.  The plants came in very crowded and I had no way of knowing when the last time they were thinned.  My plan was to do the section with the irises, daylilies, and lily-of-the-valley.  I haven't measured, but I'd guess around an eight by three or four foot section between the driveway, roses, wall, and shed.  I have managed to pull just about everything out of a section from the roses that is about two feet or so wide to the wall.  Things were VERY rootbound.  I'm thrilled that I got this much done and have decided that this section is enough for this year.  Here are some things I am happy about concerning the thinning:

• I learned a bit about rhizomes, tubers, and pips.  The rhizomes are parts of the irises and can be partially uncovered from the soil.  The daylillies have tubers that look vaguely like carrots.  The lily-of-the-valley have pips and they have so many roots that grow from them and tangle together.
• I set a limit as to how far to go with thinning.  I did this before becoming completely overwhelmed.  
• Once I set that limit as to how much to thin, I realized that if I totally mess up this thinning process, all is not lost, there is still the rest of the section that is overrun with rhizomes and tubers and pips, oh, my!

Rhizomes... and at least one pip.

Tubers

The cleared section.

Other things I am happy about today:

• Yesterday the case for my phone arrived and I put it on the phone.  Today after working in the dirt of the garden and being outside a bunch it was dirty.  It was the coolest thing to be able to take the phone in its case and rinse it off to remove the debri.  Waterproof phone case, yay!
• Plans are under way to invite people into our SCA household.  I hope they say yes.
• Turkeys in the yard!

☮

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


Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

The Walk

 This morning some friends and I participated in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention walk.  This was the third one of these since a dear friend died by suicide.  The cause is good, the reasons behind it are not.  I am very appreciative to the people who donated.  After I had a nice visit with my friend, Amy.  Some other parts of the day that I am happy for include:

• Many people showed up for the walk and the pre-walk ceremony.  

I need to work on taking group selfies.

• Amy and I went for another walk in the afternoon to get our step count in.  Foliage is still spotty, but it is making an appearance.

• I noticed this pretty flower in a wild part of the yard.  ⬇⬇  Lens thunks it is white campion but I don't agree.  For one thing, it is a very light pink color.  I'm pretty sure I saw it last year as well.  Too bad I can't remember what I thought it was then!  

• I tried to thin more of one of the flower garden.  Earlier in the week I pulled out some of the lily-of-the-valleys.  I was hoping to pull some of the iris out, but they didn't want to come.  I got quite a lot more of the lily-of-the-valley pips to transplant.

Before I started today.

After, the bag has the lily-of-the -valley pips.

☮

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

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Order

With many things there is an order of operations.  That was forgotten by me until I had another raised garden bed put together.  What should have happened before putting together the raised beds was for me to create the place where they are going to go.  I still put together more of the raised beds, but they are not at all complete. 

A pile of boxes on the first raised bed I put together.

Together, but not really complete.

Less boxes...
Always a good thing.

 I am happy with my plans for the raised beds, hopefully the execution of the plans will go well.  Other happy things for today:

• Part of preparing the spot for the raised beds is to remove the Egyptian walking onions.  I pulled a bunch out and I am storing them on the porch until the bed is prepared. 
• Since I had out the tools for pulling up plants, I pulled up some of the lily-of-the-valleys that are overcrowded.  Ideally, most of what is in that area will be pulled out and thinned before the end of the month.  At least I have it started.
• Aesop and I had a nice walk this morning on the road and through the property.  Thankfully I didn't fall this time!    

The sun is coming up.

He moved...

• Sometimes snippets are overheard.  The context is unknown, but I heard Zed stay, "Let's be realistic, we're pretty cool parents."
• I remembered to get the SD card from the wildlife camera.  Unfortunately, it went through the wash.  Fortunately, I had already downloaded the video.  I may buy a new card tomorrow.
• Bee.

☮

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


Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Blinds

 Since starting my new job with a different sleep schedule I have been writing this blog in the afternoon, before I go to sleep.  I found that I can schedule when I want the blog to post and have been using this feature so it posts later in the evening.  If something wonderful happens I can edit this until the scheduled time.  I have yet to remember to edit anything when I get up, I just get ready for work.  After writing and before going to sleep last night I made a wonderful discovery.  Perhaps discovery is a bit strong, I knew but had forgotten.  Anyhow, I've been having trouble falling asleep because my room is too light.  I have dark grey/black blinds that are closed, but light still peeks through.  When getting ready to hang a piece of fabric over them I started to take down a 'thing' because I might be able to hang the fabric on what was holding that 'thing'.  That thing is a window shade!  Duh!  I wondered when I moved into this room why anyone would need both blinds and shades, now I know.  They are only on two of the windows, so far that is enough.  I slept way better yesterday with just one of the shades down.  Other happy things for today: 

• One of the guilty pleasures that I sometimes do in the afternoon is to watch "Grace and Frankie" on Netflix.  Keziah watches with me sometimes but I have moved ahead of her in episodes.  Today I got to bite my tongue as something happened with the characters that she was upset about.  It was a little thing that happened, then for comedy a different character came in and fixed for comedic value.  It was grand to watch Keziah, knowing what was going to happen.  
• The milkweed seed pods are looking big and getting ready to burst.  I'm hoping to cut them down before that happens and put them way in the back of the property.  I still need to check to see if there is a butterfly chrysalis on there too.  

• The lily of the valley plants are also going to seed.  There are so many that I hope to thin them out in the fall.  For now I am happy that they are there and that there are less weeds where they grow.

☮

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


Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.