A Few Things

This morning, I was sitting at the computer with my first cuppa Joe, trying to get my eyes open and make some sense of the world around me, when I heard this sound through the open window. It was like someone had bit into the world's largest stalk of celery. I looked outside and saw a rather large squirrel standing atop one of the older, drooping sunflowers, gnawing through the stalk and harvesting the entire seedhead. Pretty impressive.

What was less impressive is that my camera had just enough to battery to turn on and tell me I didn't have enough power...and by the time I'd recharged fifteen minutes later, the squirrel had fled with the object of his affection.

However, a few minutes later one of our neigh bor hood gold finches showed up to do a little harvesting and munching of his own. The lesser sunflowers are certainly providing a great breakfast buffet to this little guy and his family.

Meanwhile, you might recall me recently mentioning the canna lily and pondering what color it's flowers might be. Red is, I believe, the standard shade for these guys, though I've also seen some nice yellow ones.

But I'm not sure I was expecting such a lovely shade of orange. What a treat!

Now, my friends, I must offer in advance an apology. I'm about to include something a little less pleasant than I often like to...in fact, you may find it downright upsetting. If you don't, I'm inclined to actually be a little concerned that we're friends. But I've learned something about Sarah Palin, the Republican nom for VP who's been ALL over the news this week...and it's too important, too dastardly, for me not to make sure you know.



Again, I'm sorry. I've been hearing about these aerial hunts for a while now, but I never imagined, innocent idiot that I am, that we could be faced with the architect of such barbarism as a possibility to lead our country. As if we weren't in enough trouble already.

Now, take a deep breath, and look at these pretty marguerite daisies I found in a planter outside my friend Jane's office in Chatham.

You may recall my mentioning Jane back on June 12th, when I was celebrating Best Day Ever and treated myself to a massage (it was complimentary, actually) at Jane's new practice, Cloud Nine Bodywork. Hoping to mitigate some of the stress knots that I'd been accumulating in my back the past week, I called Jane and got myself an appointment for today, my day off.

To sweeten the experience, when I arrived, Jane offered me a nice discount if I'd let her practice her new hot stones technique on me. So, a few dollars less and a little minor scarring later (ha ha, only kidding, Jane dear...it was absolutely lovely!), the Midnight Gardener greeted the afternoon a soothed man.

After collecting my paycheck from work and doing some banking, I got myself a nice deli sandwich and headed for the beach. I'd thought to spend my lunchtime in the company of the Atlantic proper, but the beach parking lot at Nauset Light Beach was absolutely packed, and so I opted for my favorite bench at First Encounter Beach, on the bayside.


It didn't take my liverwurst sandwich and I any time at all to be targeted by an assortment of gulls, those seabirds known for having invented the expression, "You gonna finish that?"

They were pretty entertaining, though. I was more inclined to slip a few scraps of bread crust to the little guy, but he was deferring to the big one, who wasted no time in muscling the smaller one out of the way to grab what bits I was willing to share.

The tide was nearly all the way in and since it was a windy sort of an afternoon, there was a bit more splashiness to the bayside surf than we normally see there.

The wind also supported that interesting thing you sometimes see shorebirds doing, where they seem to pause in the air floating on the wind currents. As Douglas Adams once wrote, hanging in the air exactly the same way that bricks don't.

It's a neat trick, that. Unless, of course, they are hovering right over one and one's sandwich. I didn't dally with the sandwich, just to be on the safe side. I've never aspired to being Tippy Hedrin.

It was a beautiful day, for sure. Sunny and bright and clear, a touch of humidity sneaking in at us today, probably a prelude to the arrival of Hurricane Hanna and/or her remains on the weekend. The sun was pretty strong, so I didn't stay for too long, as I had other fish to fry and no sunscreen handy.



Next stop was my new digs, where I wanted to confirm my continuing interest in the place. I was greeted in the driveway by this wonderful hedge of roses.

Just a few weeks back it sported but a single blossom, but now, it's covered with them again. Oh, and the scent from these was quite delightful...just what I might have wished for!!

It was nice to get another look at the place today and start to get a sense of the layout of it all. I measured the ceilings for consideration of moving some bookshelves, and then talked paint colors and gardening opportunities with my friend L, who will also be my landlord.

On the latter front, I was happy to hear that there's plenty of room to play...and a pretty open form to it all. Apparently one of the neighbors also gardens, and has been occasionally discovered planting her divisions in the yard here. Colonizing, I suppose. Sounds like a fun place to bring some plants.

It sounds like this will be a great place for me and the cat, very comfortable and spacious, with lots of light and character. Here's a look at the place--the second story will be the gardener's new nest. To the left is one of several large lilac bushes all around the house and property.

It's also very nicely located for not only groceries and possibly walking to work, but it's also very near the bike trail and just down the road from Rock Harbor...and the nearby marshes I enjoy so.

Familiar Faces, New Discoveries

I hope y'all are not getting tired of morning glories (sorry, Torn...), but I was out in the garden especially early this morning and there's something so lovely about them when they are newly opened. I also like the way the one above is mingling with the frilly seedheads of the clematis vine.

The heat found us early today, which helped get me out into the garden by 7. I had noticed while dead-heading last evening that a few things were looking a little wilty, so I wanted to make sure everything got a good drink before the day's real heat came on, since the forecast promised we'd see 80 degrees once again.

You might remember me making a mental note the other day that next year I should plant the morning glories so that they climb up the very prolific sunflowers.

Well, this morning I discovered there's no need at all to wait for next year to try that experiment, as a great many of morning glories have slipped themselves around nearby sunflower stalks and are twining their way toward the sky.


I'm still enjoying the Olympics, even though Michael Phelps is all finished. There's so much amazing talent. Someone asked the other day if the swimming and gymnastics were my favorite events, but really, I'm kind of fascinated by just about all of it. I mean, those two are "big ticket" draws and there's always some fun controversy about scoring in the latter...but I think it's all pretty amazing.

Tonight, as I'm working on this, I've been watching some of the track and field events. The hurdles - that's just incredible. I can barely run, much less contemplate running and leaping like that. And the pole vault...who was the first person who said "hey, I know, let's run with this big stick and see how high up in the air we can get?" Was it something they came up with on purpose, or did the sport grow out of the surprising result of some early lumberjack accident? Here's a little history.

I feel a little repetitious, since I'm also showing you some more bachelor's buttons...but they are popping everywhere now, it seems...and we can add this nice maroony-magenta to the range of colors from that mixed pack of seed.


Besides, I know the day also brought some surprises and new things, so it'll all balance itself out before long.


Down below is another of those blue guys, with an Early Girl tomato not quite ripe in the background.



James over at Lost In the Landscape has been pondering different chairs for use in the garden recently, as he explores the varying designs and prices the market offers while seeking to accomodate the different needs of both he and John. Since he reviewed a number of options, but not one of my favorites, I thought I'd weigh in and showcase it here, even if it is sort of a retro choice at this point and maybe not too easy to find.

I've always found these basket chairs to be very comfortable and trust me, I have passed plenty of evenings in them around campfires, mornings watching the garden grow or afternoons nestled in them, reading in the shade.

I've grown accustomed to the bright orange color, though I wouldn't mind if I were able to find replacements in green when the plastic baskets eventually need replacing.

A bit of Coming Attractions for you all today: here's the latest of those mammoth sunflowers, which is nearly seven feet tall as of this morning and probably a little taller by tonight. I think these spikey-leaved flower buds are almost as exciting as the huge yellow flowers.
Speaking of exciting, this morning's commute got my heart rate up this morning, but not because of roads congested with tourists (although I suppose that might also have played a role). I am very proud of myself for not freaking out when this creepy mystery bug came flying across the inside of my windshield as I drove along Route 39.

This, I am told, is a robber fly, and as it flew in the passenger window this morning, it had some other bug grasped between its spiny legs. It all happened pretty quickly and I was doing 40 MPH at the time, so I can't tell you what that other creature was, though it appeared to make good its escape when the windshield came into play.

The robber fly makes a pretty intense buzzing sound, especially when its annoyed. Although much smaller in scale, this thing was definitely creepy enough to be one of the things winging through the Mist in the Stephen King short story of the same name.

Since it was unknown to me and nearly two inches long, I was pretty careful of it and took advantage of a handy parking lot to pull over and snap a few photos, before cautiously shooing it out the window with some paper towel. I'm glad I was cautious, since I've learned they will apparently bite humans if they are agitated. I'm sure it wouldn't be dire, but possibly painful, since they inject both a venom to calm their victim and saliva to breakdown the prey's internals. And did I mention creepy?

You can click on this picture for a closer view, if you're feeling brave.

It turned out to be a beautiful day, as the heat of summer returned to remind us that Labor Day has not yet arrived. Eager to enjoy a little of it myself, I stopped for a look around at Rock Harbor on the way home.
These gulls were enjoying their perch high above everything, but didn't seem especially interested in whatever fish it was kept breaking the surface in the harbor. I never got a clear look at it, but I was sort of pleased that I got at least some of the splash in a picture.

The tide appeared to be going out while I was there, though I haven't consulted a tide chart or anything to confirm that.

Actually, I ended up focusing more attention on some vegetation growing across the parking lot from the harbor, where I found a few of these datura plants growing beside some rugosa roses.


These flowers were only just beginning to open up for the evening, so I will have to go back later in the evening sometime. I felt a little teased by the delicious bits of purple I could see down inside.

I did notice those tiny ants on the flower and I wonder if they are as important to teasing open these flowers as they are with peonies.

To the left is one of the datura seedpods, which reveal why some of the other names its known by include Hells Bells, Devil's Cucumber, Thorn-Apple or pricklyburr.

That ingesting the plant can cause mental and physical distress, including the inability to tell reality from fantasy, might have something to do with why it's also known as the Devil's Trumpet. Still, it's a cool plant and I do like the flowers.

When I go back for later pictures, I may harvest one of those seedpods so I may cautiously give this plant a try next summer. Interestingly, it is one of those species which butterflies and moths rely on. Isn't Nature clever that butterflies and moths thrive on plants which are toxic to other species, offering them some protection from being eaten?

The zoom feature on the new camera is pretty sweet. I think so, anyhow, since it helped me get this great shot of these sparrows without bothering them very much.

Ain't No Sun Up In The Sky...

I admit, I had a rather mellow morning, sort of an exchange to having been woken so awfully early by my kitty. I had a nice soak in the hot tub and then caught Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on HBO. It turns out it may've been a mistake to see the movie just hours before getting my hands on the final book in the Potter series, since I had almost NO memory of the movie.

While I was busy at that, the sun was working to thin out some of those clouds, so it was almost sunny when I finally got myself motivated to get some weeding done.

I decided to try the dandelion tool on this nasty witch grass. I should have known better, but on my first few attempts at eradicating this, I was just pulling this stuff out of the garden bed, without being very careful about it. I got lots of roots, but some were breaking off...and that breeds a sort of Sorceror's Apprentice scenario: for every bit you yank out, two new bits pop up elsewhere.

The tool let me loosen the soil down deep around the grass roots without disturbing the flower seedlings which are also now sprouted in this bed around the lamp post. Most of the grass came out pretty effortlessly.

As I worked at the grass removal, there were long, distant rolls of thunder shaking the air. It seemed to be getting a little closer as I finished the lamp post bed (my minimum goal for the day), so rather than continue throughout the bed, I decided to get some more seeds planted: squash/zucchini seeds for the Three Sisters garden[78y87tttttttttttt...as a cat crosses the keyboard]and some California Giant zinnias throughout the fence garden.

While I was working, Sophie's Dad called my attention across the street to a pink lily that'd come into bloom in his yard this morning. Purty, ain't it?

Although I was pretty sure there was a storm headed our way, the grass weeding had caused me to churn up some soil which had then dried in the sun. For the seedlings still in the beds, I watered the bed to keep them growing well...and was just finishing that up when the thunder and lightning got close enough to send me inside.

This was a pretty satisfying thunderer and was accompanied with some seriously torrential downpours, though fortunately none of the hail they were reporting on TV across the bay. But rain we had plenty of; in fact, this was the first time I've seen the garden beds flood seriously in a while.

Fortunately, all those plants are thirsty little green monsters and so within a few minutes of the rain tapering off, the standing water was soaking in nicely.

When the rain started up again a few minutes later, I just couldn't watch any longer and so I drove to Dairy Queen and took a Peanut Buster parfait to the beach parking lot, where I watched the lightning dance across Nantucket Sound as the storm moved east.




Naturally, the best lightning happened while I was nose deep in my ice cream and by the time I had hands free for the camera, the most exciting bit of this storm had passed by.




There was another round of lightning without rain that followed my return home, but after that the clouds seemed to break up a bit and we had a little sunshine shining through here and there.


Big surprise waiting for me there in the spotty sunshine: look what this first sunflower is preparing to do! I can't believe it's going to bloom already. Not only is there this big perfect-looking bud, but there's also no fewer than eight others going down the stalk beneath this first one. Wow!

Several of them seem to be making ready to bloom, actually. I love this one's spikey dangerous look. Looks more like some kind of green spider instead of a sunflower.

Here's what happened when I crumbled some old hot dog buns and set them out in the side yard. A few smaller birds came by, a crow and then later a grackle. And one seagull circled around and then landed on the roof of the house. He seemed to retract his neck, giving himself a squatter appearance. Perhaps squatter is how he felt, since we usually just see this guys flying by high overhead. Maybe he was deferring to the resident birds, though that seems out of character.

He set up a skreeking lamentational sound, that brought the attention of another, who circled and then landed beside him...quickly joined by a third. Two of them resumed the same sound, in unison, as they walked circles over our roof, wing to wing. Up one side of the house, over the peak and down the other side. Reappearing further down along the roofline. Allvery comical, as the third bird and I watched, mostly silently, he from his chimney perch and me from the street in front of the garden.

A fourth gull wheeled by overhead and the other three took to the air. I don't believe they ate any of the stale bread, which seems unusual for them.

Although there were still some serious clouds overhead around sunset, they worked beautifully with the angled light of the sinking sun to create a nice glow in the western sky.

Now, the skies are crystal clear, a million stars glittering like diamonds above. Tomorrow's going to be a beautiful day.

Saturday

Saturday morning began with the first blooms on the Easter cactus, their fuscia tones almost too vivid to look at.

Nearby, my bedroom window is suddenly crowded with green. In the plastic bin in the lower left, you'll see all the cleome seedlings, their more ornate leaves beginning to show. There's also a few recent morning glory sprouts closer to the window ledge.

On the right side you'll see a quartet of tomato plants I picked up at the nursery yesterday...where I also acquired the two sixpacks of tall marigold seedlings you see on the window ledge, flanking the larger morning glory seedlings.

Those older morning glories suddenly put out long whip-like stems today, and I'll be happy to get them out of the bedroom before they strangle me in the night.


With a head full of fond weekend reunions from Memorial Days past, good friends are always on my mind this time of year. So it was great to get the call from Beth and Joe this morning saying they were on Cape and headed in my general direction.

We met at the restaurant and had a great visit over lunch. It wasn't nearly as long as we'd have liked, as I had an afternoon of work ahead of me, and they were staying in far-off Falmouth and had plenty of vacation-type plans. Still, we enjoyed what time we had!

Had to show you the beautiful bluebells of our neighbor in Harwich. I really need to get me some of these!


In was an exciting day in our yard, as Owen's work completing some comprehensive network of fencing allowed Em to wander freely around the yard for the first time in years. She's not what you might call "trustworthy" on the subject of staying nearby, so she's always been on a run or a leash when she's outside, for her own protection and that of the World At Large.

But now she's got some open space where she can roam free (though neither you nor she should think we aren't watching her every move, just to be sure!) and not feel so much like a prisoner. Although, to look at the way she lounges carefree in the sun, you wouldn't think that was foremost in her mind.

That's quite a tongue, isn't it?

This little montauk daisy plant is one of my accidental garden triumphs. When I bought the big plant a few years ago, it got jostled in transit and the tip of one of the branches was broken. The stem appeared to have pre-root bumps (perhaps I mean nodes) along it, so I took a chance and stuck it in the ground not far from where the larger plant was located.

To my surprise, the little stem survived and even bloomed at it's appointed time. Today, it's grown into this. Don't get too excited, though; this doesn't bloom until just before Columbus Day.

Meanwhile, here on Not Wisteria Lane, the irony comes from the fact that I simply chose that as a code name for privacy's sake. However, it turns out there's actually a hell of a lot of wisteria growing on our street, like these vines just down the street from us.

The deeper purple of the buds is a more obvious color at a distance. Once the flowers open up they turn a lighter blue which is one of the most difficult flower colors to read from far off. They're not so much to look at as you drive past.

Fortunately, I wasn't afraid to get right up close.


Down the street in the opposite direction, this treetop echoes with the unison cries of baby birds demanding dinner. I didn't spy any adult activity, so I can't name a species, but it's always an exciting sound.

There's lots going on in the bird world, though. Passionate swarms of orioles and cardinals swirl past through lilac-scented air. A pair of starlings chased each other between us on the back porch this evening.

In a treetop down the street, it appeared the flickers might be educating young ones in things aero dynamic. Bluejays and catbirds rustled around in various thickets of underbrush.

Every now and then a gull or two made a pass by overhead from nearby shores.



As darkness fell, I was out in the garden, lighting some tea candles in the lanterns I've got hanging on the fence and heard a familiar buzzing.

I didn't have a flashlight with me, but the camera's flash revealed the arrival of those dumb thugs of the bug world, the May Beetle...soon to be known as the June Bug.

The graceless way they arrive on the screens of early summer almost always makes me laugh...though sometimes that low buzz can be a little disconcerting.