Monday, April 14, 2008

Sunny Monday


At the feet of the arbor vitae (I think that's what it is...I'll look more closely in the morning) by the back yard gate is a nice spread of creeping myrtle, or vinca. Over the past week, blue flowers have been quietly unfurling from its carpet of shiny green leaves. Here they are in the early morning sunshine.

I found this tiny spider in the box of dryer sheets and shook him out into the garden this morning. I'll probably need a clearer shot for identification, but I'll see what I can find out and get back to you.

Here are some of the chewed tulips. It looks like they've not begun to show their flower stem, so perhaps that's not been short-circuited. I have some fresh ideas about how I might go about discouraging this. I'll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, you can see the daylilies towering over the nibbled tulips, with some sword-shaped siberian iris leaves shooting up near the feet of a rose bush. I'm not entirely sure from this vantage what that unfocused stuff is, sweet William, maybe.

Don't be too sad about the tulips, though. Many more things are being spared by the mystery muncher(s). The hyacinths are coming into bloom finally and adding a nice splash of color here and there in the border. Some of the crocuses are still doing their thing, too...and I spotted the first signs of some grape hyacinth flowers poking up.

I met up with Mom and Dad for dinner again tonight and we enjoyed some great Chinese take-out, before enjoying a walk down to the beach and back. We were a little late for full-on sunset...but the angle from that particular beach isn't quite right for it, either. Still, it was nice. Very peaceful.

Too peaceful, in fact, to only tell you about it.

I dedicate this to anyone who's Monday maybe treated them poorly, or anyone who's looking to find a moment or two of serenity as they make their way through the week.

Take a deep breath, make sure your volume's on...and enjoy!

10 comments:

misselaineous said...

Thanks for the beachin' waves...spent several years living on Cape, and do miss that ocean. My Monday did not treat me THAT badly, but your little video just may start my Tuesday off on the right foot. Thanks *elaine*

Greg said...

Happy to share, Elaine! Thanks for stopping by the garden...

Butch said...

Those rabbits can be the baine of many a gardener.

I must have missed the picture of the wee spider and was looking for it in the next picture.( I thought, he must be kidding. I don't see any spider in that terrain. ) I realize my mistake and sure enough, there it was on the bounce paper. ( slightly embarrassed... )

What a perfect ending to your entry and an evening walking along the beach at the ocean. The wave sounds were especially nice.
Thanks.

Cooper said...

I envy you your beach walk so much! Even though I have never lived near the ocean, it calls to something in my blood. I could sit for hours watching its fluid sculpture. Thank you.

Your garden grows glorious, Greg!

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for the peaceful surf! My Tuesday did not go well, but this was a nice antidote!
- Heather (Pence that is)

Greg said...

Butch, I want to be more annoyed with the bunnies, but its really not their fault. I am going to experiment with a jalapeno spray I'm working up, to see if that discourages them. Barring that, I'll set out chips and salsa.

Coop, I've always needed some sort of water in my life, either a lake or a stream (when I was little even a puddle in the driveway!), or a riverbank...but that was all just practice for the ocean beach walks, which I love.

HP, sorry to hear about your Tuesday. Glad to hear the waves did their job, though, too!

***********

We saw whales tonight (well, last night now), great bunches of them off the tip of the Cape in all directions!

I've got pictures, which I'll post soon. I fear they are of a Loch Ness/Enquirer quality, however.

dykewife said...

lovely sounds. i love beach sounds but i've only ever been to land locked lakes and never seen any of the three oceans that border canada.

you know, speaking of mysterious animals noshing down on you plantings...at the old place you never mentioned deer being a problem. were they not? my sister-in-law lives just outside ottawa in a small bedroom community. her house backs a nature preserve and every year the deer come and eat the garden they think she planted for them. drives her nigh on crazy.

Don Dousharm said...

I'm sure the cold water adds a chill in the air but the sound alone can do wonders for the soul.

Thanks for the view, it's been a long time. I'm not near the ocean anymore, only the Delaware River.

Greg said...

DW, happy to share the ocean with you!

As for the mystery dinner guests out front...I haven't ruled out deer, though we've not seen one on the street. Owen saw one in our old yard...but as soon as we set-up a special feeding station (NOT the garden) to welcome them, we never saw another. Go figure...

Don, you're right about it being a little chilly by the water's edge, still...but not enough to keep me away!

Anonymous said...

It is unfortunate what happened to your tulips, but thank goodness you have back-up beauties. Can tulip bulbs get "too old" to the point where only the foliage grows but no buds appear?