He was back yesterday. . . . . the little green gecko who seems to have taken up
residence on and around the front porch. I think he lives in a large pot planted with ivy.
It's snugged up against one of the huge hydrangea bushes under which I've placed
a shallow 'bee bath'. He probably drinks and bathes there when the bees are off
doing what honey bees do.
Why Charlie?
Who knows. It was the first name that came to mind as I watched him move silently
across the porch rail in the heat of the day.
The garden is quiet under the blazing sun, but I do hear baby birds - mostly cardinals
who now are raising their second brood. The parents seem to keep them underneath
the shrubs in the shade.
Such sensible birds.
Today Bob has gone out early - 8:00 am - to mow the lawn as it will be another scorcher.
Thunder showers are possible this afternoon and evening but I'll be out there
watering the pots this morning to keep things going until/if rains do arrive.
This will be a sandwiches and soup day. I'm just totally burned out regarding
cooking and need a break from the kitchen.
I'm thinking a picnic for the weekend. Just a little drive somewhere with
a change of scenery as we've not been anywhere for so long. Throw down a
blanket, open the plastic bottle of rosé - actually French believe it or not - and
munch on something simple, cool and summery.
Do you have weekend plans?
Have a good time and stay safe.
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Wow Mary, What a beautiful photograph! A picnic and little drive is such a perfect idea. Have fun and please take me with you.
ReplyDeleteI have a grand kitty named Charlie. Works for me. The photo is not loading for me today and I know I'm missing out. The only thing that I have planned is a baseball game where my grandson will be pitching. It will probably be the one and only of the summer. Stay cool! 🧊🧊🧊
ReplyDeleteI see it! Just took awhile. Charlie is adorable!
ReplyDeleteCharlies is quite handsome! Our son who lives in Charlotte is coming for the weekend. He has been really good about being safe, so we feel comfortable. Have a fun picnic!
ReplyDeleteYour gecko is so cute! That's a creature we don't have here in IL - lizards. I'm afraid of those big ones like you see in Mexico (now I can't remember the name of them), but I think geckos are cute.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about needing a break from the kitchen. It gets tiring cooking day after day after day. Sometimes I tell my hubby that "I've had it" and we just put together a big salad or sandwich, or we've ordered out a pizza. The other night we had take-out Thai food, which we hadn't had in ages. There was enough for leftovers, too.
This weekend...celebrating the husband's 60th birthday! :-)
It got horribly hot here too this week. Dreaming of cool places like Scotland and Ireland. Charlie looks cute. We're having a barbecue this weekend. Hope it gets just a little bit cooler. Your picnic plan sounds like a great idea.
ReplyDeleteIt was wonderful to get up this morning and see your comment. Happy belated Birthday Wishes to Bob! That's a milestone I will keep praying for! 🙏😊
ReplyDeleteThat gecko (Charlie-perfect name by the way), reminds me of our honeymoon in Kauai. We were having a romantic dinner outdoors under a canopy of gorgeous palm trees. The entrees were brought to us and as we began to eat, Al jumped up suddenly, gesturing toward his plate. Hidden in his mixed vegetables was a baby gecko! He didn't really see it until it moved! I think that's one thing we will always remember about our honeymoon!
I feel for you with your temps. Sounds very steamy. A picnic sounds like a wonderful idea though, and very much needed to get put into the world, albeit very changed. I'm spending more time putting thought into our afternoon boat rides. Usually I just plop in a few cans or bottles of beverages, adult and non-adult(!) in our vinyl cooler on wheels! Plenty of water bottles, some fruit, and something salty and crunchy. I'm now on to small sandwiches you might make for tea, Cucumber or egg salad, maybe a bit of rare roast beef and a dab of horseradish. I can make them the night before, refrigerate, wrap them in waxed paper, and I guess it's sort of a picnic on the water! How I wish you and Bob could come for a visit. A few days in Chicago and then off to the country! Sounds impossible with the pandemic and the possibility of it getting worse. Very frightening, I would never survive with the damage to my lungs. Sorry--that's very ominous. But I play it safe and I'm glad you are as well. And you need a lawn person! A high school boy or girl to cut your grass. Bob has better things to do, like having a cool beverage on the gazebo with you!😘😘😘
Jane xxxx
Our weekend plans may very well include some rosé, too - you know O.K.'s area is big wine country, what with the sun-kissed slopes along the Rhine Valley, and France just across the river. But in plastic bottles? I've never seen wine in a plastic bottle!
ReplyDeleteCharlie is sweet and I guess he does not mind the heat, as long as he can have a drink of water every now and then.
I love the idea of your picnic! Although in reality, I am often very much put off by wasps and other flying things trying to get to my food and zooming about my face.
Your gecko is a lovely shade of green Mary. Sadly ours are a dull brown, but they scamper around here just the same. It is just about impossible to control where they decide to wander, inside and out. Fortunately, only occasionally. I hope you have a lovely picnic, we have been doing a lot of that, with a long walk included. It is a good way to see something new but keep ourselves isolated. So sorry for your country which receives a lot of air time over here. There are Covid flare ups again in Australia too. This weekend we are walking around a lake with my sister.
ReplyDeleteOur weekend treat will be a nice dinner on the porch. It got a well needed cleaning and updating this month. It's not going to be sweltering here this weekend. My potted plants and fern are doing well. I have the best luck with the large leaf begonias and Boston ferns. They both can take the shade and the wind. I love my porch which is about 24' X 10', big enough to accommodate ten seated. So it will be an evening in Porchville and a movie later, a simple weekend.
ReplyDeleteThat's a beautiful photo. Charlie would be pleased, I'm sure. We are planning a boating trip with our local kids and grandkids on Sunday. The temps are creeping up, but nothing like what you are experiencing. A little getaway sounds like a good thing for you.
ReplyDelete