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.

Summer Is Coming

 My body isn't quite ready for the heat that nature has brought.  Part of the day I wilted.  It was almost 90 degrees outside so I went back and forth between inside and outside.  A section of lawn got mowed and some of the tomato seedlings have been replanted into pots.  Other happy things for today:

• Gideon was awake and out of bed earlier than me this morning.  He walked around the house happily saying, "Good morning, world!"  This was pleasing to hear as I groggily woke up.
• I finished and submitted a job application today.
• There is an obvious change in the rhododendron bush from yesterday to today.

They are opening.

• There are buds on at least one of the rose bushes.  

Just starting to form.

• So much green vegetation!

☮

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

Stay safe.

Full Heart

 One of the things I was hoping for when I did the YouTube videos over Lent for downsizing my stuff is that somebody else might want some of it.  I had a request for what had been my baby doll when I was a child.  The friend that I used to work with and I walk with sometimes asked if she could have it for her granddaughter.  I got the things that I had together and gave them to my friend last week when we walked through the cemetery.  Today she sent me a picture of her granddaughter playing with what was my baby doll.  The doll's new name is Charleigh.  💕

Nothing can beat that, but here are some other happy things for today:

• When I finish up with the wheelbarrow I turn it upside down onto the compost pile.  Today when I turned it over to use there was a garter snake curled up on yesterday's debris (pic).  It stayed so still I thought maybe it was not alive.  I went and started weeding and couldn't keep myself away.  I went back and there was just two or three inches of the tail and the rest was burrowing into the compost pile.
• Is it wrong that removing as much bittersweet from the garden brings me joy?

I dug deep.

The larger pieces on top are bittersweet roots.

• The rhododendron is getting ready to blossom.

For some reason I just love how this looks.

• Now that a bunch of the cypress spurge has been pulled or mowed there are other things that are seeing the light.  According to Lens the flower I noticed today is called, star of Bethlehem.  It spreads both by seeds and with bulbs so it may not have been there last year.  As with so many other plants I find, this one is also considered invasive in some places (not NH yet).  

This star of Bethlehem is in the yard,
not a garden area.
It might end up mowed,
depending on how I feel when I mow next.

• Our dryer is not working properly (not happy).  However, as we sat discussing the problem Winston decided that he would take the opportunity to check it out.

He liked it, perhaps too much!
😜

☮

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

--two chapters today!  I WILL finish this book.

Stay safe!