Welcome back to the garden -

The usual suspects were waiting!

Our return and activity in the garden doesn't seem to bother them one bit.

Robins and rabbits!

They obviously get along well.

There are dozens of robins, adults and juveniles (spotted breasts) all over

 the lawn visiting the fig tree, filling their faces and tummies with the now

 ripening figs from the gigantic Celeste fig tree. 

Fruits knocked to the ground are being gobbled by a mama rabbit and

 her baby who has grown quite a bit in the time we were away.  

Today we rehung the bird feeders - as always the cardinals arrived first followed 

by the squirrels! The weather is unbearably hot, heat index reached 105F 

yesterday, thankfully a little cooler today.

The garden is parched and much is very sad looking despite my kindly

 neighbor's watering efforts. After a week loving the gardens of cooler

New England, I'm wondering what the heck I'm doing here in the south

trying to be a 'gardener' in summertime!  It's just not worth the effort once

the heat and humidity arrives.

 

Heading to the farmers market this morning for fresh eggs and veggies.

Must admit that I truly enjoyed not having to cook for over a week. . . . . 

having done so almost every day since the pandemic reared its ugly head!

Have a wonderful weekend friends.

Red Robin keeps bobbing!

I haven't done a bird post for a while so thought I'd share a few of the

 American robins hanging around the garden now.  

It's almost as if they watched me from a distant branch on Saturday, 

scrubbing the bird baths - we have four - with a metal brush, rinsing

 numerous times, leveling the wonky ones so the fresh water was level,

 and cleaning the stones which I add for the tiny visiting birds to

 stand on when they drink. I try hard to be a good garden bird stepmother!

"Splish splash, I was taking a bath"...............I'm sure many of us

 remember that lively Bobby Darin song!

The American robin is quite a large bird, compared to the European one.

I recall last Christmas almost every one of the cards I received from overseas

 had a photo or illustration of a small, pudgy, 'robin redbreast' as we called them

 when I was child in England.  

The robin always makes me smile.

Flying and figs. . . . . . . . . .

 As I prepared to fly away to New Hampshire, the garden birds continued

 to fly in. . . . . . to the the fig tree which is still producing a lot of fruit. 

Most of the sweet, ripe, juicy figs are up high though and beyond our reach.  

Yesterday while checking the figs I heard a rustling just above my head.

Looking up I saw this beautiful Brown thrasher, a large but somewhat timid 

bird, the size of an American robin, making a meal of the ripe fig. 

We actually made eye contact, then I headed to the house to get my camera, 

never expecting the bird would still be there when I returned, but it was, 

and I managed to get a couple of shots before it flew off.

Special moments in the garden like this make me so happy.

 An American robin also paying a visit to the fig tree recently.

Calm before the storm. . . . . . . .

Today we await the visit from Hurricane Florence. She continues a path

 toward the North Carolina coast to make her landfall tomorrow at a

 beach town we often enjoy, the one we always visit in Autumn which is our

 favorite season at our beautiful coast.

I know I've been overly stressed and short tempered for the past couple

 of days as the media bombards us with a mishmash of

  'end of the world', 'fire and brimstone' destruction stories, and yes perhaps 

that's what will happen. It's all in the hands of a greater power from hereon.

This morning when I read the words 'we are in peril' somewhere on my screen

 here, I realized only too well that a huge part of our area is in imminent danger 

from winds and rain, structural damage, and massive flooding, during the coming days.

Juvenile American robins on the front porch.

Even our birds have disappeared from the garden. Do they know 
something is amiss and have 'evacuated' further inland to a 
safer place?  
These young robins, and other fruit eaters, have decided the fig tree no
 longer looks like a place for breakfast.

Our cottage almost looks unlived in today - bare porch, no more hanging 
baskets and feeders, furniture stored away, pots moved. . . . . . just
the grill left out on the back deck in case we lose power and have to 
cook outside. Bob was able to get propane yesterday after three days
of trying, and we also managed to find gas for the cars. Tomorrow we'll 
 park in a deck at the nearby shopping center as we have so many huge
 trees around us - nowhere is safe for the cars even on our street - and as
we are on a cul-de-sac we only have one exit which could be blocked 
by fallen trees.
Memories of the damage we sustained in Hurricane Fran (1996) from trees
 falling on the house, one destroying my car in the driveway, no power for
 10 days, then months of clean up, remind us how we take modern day life
 for granted until those 'perils' arrive. . . . . . and of the mighty power of Nature!

Thanks so much for all the good wishes that we stay safe in the
days ahead. We too are hoping the best for our family, friends and
 neighbors both here locally and scattered across North Carolina.
 I'll be back here as long as we have power. 

. . . . . . still hanging out in the potting shed.

I've just realized that the potting shed is now 17 years old!

For those who've followed me a while, you will recall I've told many stories

of its life in the garden. . . . . . and the hours of enjoyment it has brought

me over all those years.

After repairing the door with our good neighbor's help, I did a 'Spring cleaning' 

 and also made a little purchase for my comfort when bird watching/photographing. 

On a recent trip to Charlotte with the usual look around IKEA, I found this folding

 wood chair which is now my 'perch'. I can see the feeders and bird baths 

without the visiting birds, squirrels and rabbits seeing me!

View from potting shed.

American Robin : Turdus migratorius

This female came for an afternoon bathe on a very hot day 

last week. I've noticed robins seem to enjoy a dip more than any 

other backyard songbird.

Gray Catbird : Dumetella carolinensis

A secretive bird that the Chippewa Indians named Bird That Cries With Grief

due to its raspy call. The call sounds like a house cat's mewing, hence its 

common name. It will only nest in thick shrubs and is more often

 heard than seen. . . . . . except it does seem to enjoy coming to my feeders

and the birdbath!

I plan to spend some my holiday weekend out here as more rain is forecast

 and this is a shelter where I can enjoy the backyard visitors.

My painted/stenciled floor has held up quite well all these years -  I recall

the hours I spent on my knees completing that project.

Oh for the days of a strong back and pain-free kneeling again!!!!!

 Mourning Doves : Zinaida macroura

A gentle pair enjoying their perch on the potting shed roof.

Enjoy your Memorial Day, USA and Bank Holiday, UK weekend.

Enjoying the Secret Garden. . . . . . . .

We've worked very hard on the back garden these past couple of 

weeks. . . . . at last we feel it's looking good for the coming Summer

 months and we hope to spend time outside relaxing, watching Nature, 

eating, drinking etc. with family, friends and neighbors.

Our front porch and garden area are looking good too. . . . . . . . 

there's only one major problem, especially for me, the mosquitoes!!!!

Trees, shrubs, plants, all encourage Nature's creatures to the garden,

and tiny biting creepy crawlers and stinging winged ones are unforgiving. 

American Robin drying off

Female Cardinal - she has a nest with babies nearby!

BUT. . . . . . . and I know many people will not perhaps agree, MJoe showed

 up Monday to treat our garden and hopefully make it possible for me to at last

 enjoy it in the Summer months! I've seen the signs in front of many homes in our

 area over the past few years. We are an older neighborhood with many trees

 and thick, mature shrubbery, even small creeks running through many gardens

 and a couple of ponds, so mosquitoes and ticks abound. Apparently they use

 a natural compound which does not harm birds and bees. No contract is

required, and we can stop the monthly treatment at any time. 

I am deathly allergic to mosquitoes and I swear every one within 1/2 mile

 finds me, even when smothered in smelly, sticky repellent. Each bite swells

 into a huge raised lump, like a hive, with terrible itching, and I scratch constantly

 for many days - I am not a pretty sight, or a fun person to be with.

 Enough said!

Wet Sunday in the garden. . . . . . . . . .

There are no trumpets welcoming the imminent arrival of a new

season, just a quiet pushing through the ground of bright green tips, the

 silent opening of buds, then pops of unexpected color as one looks out

 at the early morning.

Doesn't seem possible that well over a week of February has already

 disappeared into history! 

The days fleet fast for me at this time of life, how about you? 

Some people complain of days such as this one when the weather

is not to their liking. . . . . . whereas I gather each day around me thankful

it came and that I'm here to enjoy it.

February can be dreary, but this morning in my garden, I spy little things

 Nature is sharing to brighten my spirit, to be thankful for, to smile at, and

to know there is another Spring on the way.

 ~ Raindrops on daffodil leaves ~

~ Tufts of bluebell leaves pushing through garden mulch ~

~ First daffodil bloom of the year ~

~ Buds are opening ~

Today was already 60F at dawn, rain fell in the night, pansies are happy. . . . . . 

. . . . . . and the robins are back searching for worms - here's just a few of perhaps

 thirty who gathered on the front lawn!

Later today it will reach the mid-70's with perhaps some thunder.

The rain is light and intermittent - typical of February here in the 

southeast.

My thoughts this morning:

A Sunday in the cottage makes sense - there is much to do with our 
leaving home drawing closer.

I should bake something - or perhaps make a trifle! 

I need to clean the front porch as the beastly cute squirrels pulled the 
birdseed bell down, gobbled it up and left a mess!

Speaking of plants - we so enjoyed Raleigh Little Theatre's rendition of 
Little Shop of Horrors last evening!

Great cast as always, and special guests seated at the end of our row were 

North Carolina's Governor and First Lady, laughing along with the 

rest of us. I was happy to see them supporting this always fabulous local 

amateur theatre group.