Cinco

An old friend surprised me this spring. This is ajuga, which I am happy to say hitched a ride with this clump of shasta daisies. Also known as carpet bugle, this plants diminutive flower spires stand three or four inches tall. And just look at the deep blue of those flowers!

I'm pleased to see it's happy in this location, which I can tell by the way it has already put a finger or two of a runner out into the garden bed. Ajuga's a nice ground cover that plays fairly well with others. I like the idea of a little colony of them filling in some of the space between other plants, particularly around the various bulbs I've already planted.

Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, I also spotted one of the neighborhood cats perched on the roof of the neighboring house. I imagine it must've been nice and warm up there as the sun worked its way through some clouds lingering from the weekend.


This single cream- colored daffodil has also appeared alongside the house by the old hyacinths and the money plant.

It was nodding on the breeze quite a bit this morning, which I offer by way of explanation that the photo isn't more sharply focussed.

Right nearby, the bleeding heart has reached a height of about two feet or so, and lots of sprays of those special blossoms have sprung out on all sides now.


Outside the restaurant, the single pink tulip I photographed last week has a number of companions now, who were all on their best show this afternoon as the bright sunshine returned.



By this point in the afternoon (around 4 pm), our temperatures had climbed back up into the high 50s...with a forecast/promise of cracking into the 60s tomorrow.


Across the path, a quartet of red tulips added to the show.


I was at work a bit later than I'd anticipated, but I still got out in time to catch this terrific sunset at Skaket Beach, before making my way home for the evening stroll around the Hood with My Girl.

By the way, I did get to the Brewster in Bloom parade on Sunday, and it was awfully fun, if you are a fan of parades(which I am). I'm working on a presentation of some of that for you all, but it's taking a little longer than anticipated. Soon...

Daffodil House

On the way to work this morning, I noticed that my favorite house for daffodils is in full swing just now. What a lot of work it must've been to plant all of those, but certainly worth the investment.

Not much to say about the work day, really...but I can tell you I'm very relaxed this evening, since My Other Half has more or less completed his work on restoring the aging hot tub that came with this new rental (okay, don't everyone bust down the door at once, but soon, we'll be inviting...).

It's still a work in progress, as I'm sure the neighbors will agree, as an insulating cover for the various pumps and motors will go a long way toward making it a more soothing experience.

But hey, it certainly was a sweet way to wrap our Friday.

Birding the Parking Lot

In between afternoon appointments and tonight's concert, I managed a little break to get outside. Although the morning carried on the last two days theme of dull and dreary, the afternoon was starting to perk up.

Over at the "daffodil house", I found the blooming still a bit patchy, so resisted a long shot as yet. But this new variety, with its thinner, pointier petals and more nodding demeanor, this to me is a narcissus. In mythology, Narcissus was the boy so beautiful he couldn't look away from his own reflection. Eventually he died, and the flowers sprung up where he'd been.

(Actually, there's three or four different, great versions of Narcissus' tale, as a few mouse clicks have shown me. You can check 'em out here. I think the one with Echo is my favorite.)

I can totally picture these guys planted along the bank of a stream, where they could gaze down into their rippled reflection in the passing waters.

When I got back to the parking lot at work, I found the robins were having their run of the grassy hill below the powerlines.

They are so much fun to watch, the way they duck and dash, then stand tall, listening for worms. They can hear the worms. Amazing.

And you know, for such ubiquitous birds as these, the American robin is quite striking, appearance-wise. Of course, I say that about all the birds.



As I headed inside, I heard a rustling in the bed of Jeff's truck, and this white periscope head popped up as I drew closer, and then this Great Black-Backed Gull was flying up. I'm always impressed with how big these guys are...and I never fail to hear the voice of Ivan (was that his name? I have to find time to read that again!), from Watership Down in my head: I come from Peeg Vater...

Anyway, this guy hopped up onto Jen's truck so we could better regard one another and I managed to get off a few shots with my camera. Obviously his white front caused a little over-exposure from the angle of the sun, but it was still a cool moment.

We studied one another a bit, as I moved a little closer to him. Maybe he was surprised that I wasn't shooing him away. But first, I figure live and let live. Second, do you see how big he is? Until I grow a beak like that, he can do pretty much whatever he wants to.

Friday This and That

This nose never fails to bring me a little joy. Whether Em's pushing me to get out of bed and let her out, or pushing me off the couch she wants on the couch, asking for another cookie or just coming over to say hi while we're outside exploring the yard, she can always get a smile out of me.

Em's little brother, Badum, is the same. He's an agreeable dude who can usually be found lying around the house on his back, showing his belly to anyone who will rub it, or looking at the window at the birds (or Sophie, the little dog across the street) or, alternately, tearing around the house like a lunatic. From his big sis, Badum has also been learning some tricks about "requesting" treats when the mood strikes him.

The two of them always put on a show of competition when we're home, vying for our attentions or the snuggliest place nearby. Despite their sibling rivalries, we've also caught them curled up together a few times...so we know they get along well, and probably order up pay-per-view movies together when we're both at work.

Together, they make our lives a little sweeter and definitely more amusing.

On the way from the bank to work today, I discovered that the annual spring show at what I call the Daffodil House on Rock Harbor road had begun, with a few early season daffodils, and couldn't resist stopping for a closer look. I've taken pictures here before (once I get around to tagging all my old entries, you'll be able to find them in the archives...)



The owners of this place may be fans of the musical Brigadoon, if the heather on the hill by their driveway is any indication.

The first half of the day was really quite delightful, bright and sunny with temperatures soaring to around the 50 degree mark.


Clouds were filling the sky at the far end of the day, as we prepare for another rainy weekend. Here's a couple shots of Cape Cod Bay I took from Skaket Beach in Orleans, after I left work, assuming this was the closest we'd get to an actual sunset.

However, the sky changed a little as I made my way back to Harwich, enough that I was able to capture this glimmer of orange to the west, as seen from another beach parking lot.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Run For the Roses

Another beautiful day today...and such a lot to it. First off, it was Cinquo de Mayo, though I never did get around to a celebratory Margarita.

I'd have preferred a Mint Julep, but I wasn't in Kentucky...and anyway, our mint has only just started unfurling from the ground in the last 24 hours.


Here's a closer look at the blossoms of the money plant. Pretty, eh?


Out in the back garden, the sun had the latest tulips open wide in invitation of pollinators. I haven't seen any bees out here yet this year, though am keeping my eyes open for them.

I saw a pretty little orange butterfly the other day, and there are assorted other insects flying around, though.


I even got in about half an hour of tugging out more errant clumps of grass from the winter, in preparation for adding some fresh topsoil to the back garden beds in the coming week.


But pretty quickly, I had myself organized and on the road to Hyannis, for assorted errands and what turned out to be my own "run for the roses."

First, there was a visit to Le Mart de K for the purchase of the afore-mentioned top soil and a package of crocosmia bulbs, for blooms later in the summer. I'm a little disappointed that I was distracted from picking up a package of cannas in matching colors, but oh, well, all in good time.

Then a visit to Borders and also Newbury Comics--it was Free Comic Book Day, so impossible to pass that up.

And then on to Ocean State Job Lot, where I found two promising looking roses...a pink hybrid tea and a deep red flowered shrub...and a nice assortment of flower seed packets, to put that new top soil to work once it's been added.


And then off to work, where the cherry trees are in full-on bloom, and alive with bumblebees. Really nice to see them, as it is the first sighting for 2007.




This evening at Churchill Downs, there was the usual musical remem
brance of that Old Kentucky Home, a great thundering of hooves, and a dark bay colt named Street Sense and a jockey named Calvin Borel came from next to last to win this 133rd Kentucky Derby by two and a quarter lengths.

Good show, old chaps!

There's a frost warning for us tonight, so the roses (and a six pack of dianthus I made the acquaintance of last night) will stay in the relative safety of the car for the overnight.

Frost isn't such a bad thing, though, as I contemplate other weather alternatives, and spare a thought tonight for the folks in Greensburg, KS and Sweetwater, OK, who've suffered great losses in tornados there today.

Time to count those blessings!

Friday

Nothing especially new to show you today, so I thought I'd focus a little more on this little daffodils.

I had thought to actually tell you something about them...but I'm a little annoyed with myself to see that I did not hang onto the packaging that they came in when I bought them at Christmas Tree Shop last fall. So, we'll just have to be content to enjoy the sight of them, and not worry about their identity.

Here's a nice pear and cherry tree combination found over on Edgewood Road here in Eastham. The cherry is closer, and to the right in the photo, and has a slight pink cast to its blossoms. The pear tree is taller, further away, and more of a true white. I also dig the way those dwarf evergreens have grown around the split-rail fence.

On the way home from work this evening (around 11 pm), I caught the moon rising over the Atlantic, in this view from Fort Hill. I've tried to find out what the planet is (it seems too bright to be a star)which you can see in the upper left hand corner, but to no avail. Anyone know? While I wasn't able to track that down, I did find this notice of a possible meteor storm at summer's end. Mark your calendars now!!

I wish my camera was just a little better. The moon was certainly lighting up the whole area pretty nicely...but little of that reads in the actual photo.

Which brings me to a technical note. Apologies may be in order. Recently I've had the opportunity to look at the garden blog on other monitors than mine at home, and I've come to realize that my monitor (which is a replacement from the original, and difficult to adjust) seems to be set brighter than others...which means some of my photos look a little dark when seen on other monitors, when they look spectacular on mine. SIGH. I'll try to remember to keep things a little lighter when I'm "developing".

Working In the Garden

Ah, a gorgeous day in the garden today. It was cool this morning, but we eventually had 63 as a high temperature.

A delightful day for working outside in the garden. My back's sore this evening, so I know I accomplished something.

By the end of the afternoon, I'd raked out all of the beds in the back garden, as well as some other areas I'd not yet raked in years past. Every year I expand the reach of the garden a bit...bwa ha ha!

I was feeling brave and strong, and so I decided to take on the wilds of the raspberry and blackberry canes. It was definitely a case of "This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you", as far as the relationship between me and the thorny bastards. But I think I made some progress.

I also got a yucca plant transplanted, and then, so it wouldn't be lonely, I planted some creeping phlox at its feet and a nice big columbine plant nearby. All three were the first to be planted into a bed I still have to properly dig out...but having jumped in to do this corner will now (theoretically) encourage me to get the rest of it in shape.



Here's a nice look at that new orange-cupped daffodil out there.

Towards the end of the afternoon, I discovered that the fruit trees I gave a hard pruning to are all doing very nicely and starting to bloom, too.

I'd thought this one was a peach tree. It hasn't done much in our two years here, so I'd only be guess. It sure was nice to see the blossoms today!

But the peach tree is also coming into bloom today, and the blossoms aren't the same...so now I'm assuming the one above is a cherry tree.

In any case, all the blossoms are beautiful...and the peach tree is about to be covered with them. Perhaps we'll have a nice crop of juicy peaches this July!

Monday's Happy Conclusion

We had a rainy start to the day, with showers from dawn. It all reached a fairly heavy finish around lunchtime...and as the hours passed, the sun appeared...and in fact, we're ending today with our high temperature of 60.

On the way home from work, I detoured up to Fort Hill, for a look out over the Atlantic. It turned out the view was being carefully guarded.


This pretty gray bird was perched in some wild roses and singing a very sweet song.

I had thought, from my quick inspection, that it might be a mockingbird, but the picture isn't as clear on the details as I might've liked...and my memory doesn't quite match up with any of the photos in my bird book.

Anyway, it flew off after only a moment or two.

Ah, but what a view remained!

The leftover clouds from the morning's storm really accentuated our big sky...and well, what do you need me to say anything for. Just look at it!


In the distance to the north, you can see the Eastham Coast Guard station.

Meanwhile, back in our garden, another new daffodil has joined the fray.

Our peaceful pond at the feet of evening.

Enter Daffodil

The best day yet! Which is funny, because I just looked back and our high temperature today was only 57 (I think it was warmer Sunday)...
but damn, it felt so much warmer(which might be a byproduct of it having been a workday). I guess the sun's just moving through all the right parts of the sky lately. I do love this spring thing.

Here's another one of those tiny daffodils, joining in the song started by this blue primrose waaaaaay back in January.

And the old daffodils under the bedroom window are now enjoying their days in the sun, as are hundreds of others around these parts. It's quite something to see. I'll try to have some pics from further afield tomorrow.

Earth Day

Another lovely day to get out and celebrate the world around us!

No, I didn't play with the color saturation here. This blue hyacinth was getting some sideways lighting from the setting sun this evening, and really popping out some fantastic colors from this beauty. And oh, la la...the fragrance...