Refreshing the front porch -

Yesterday I went shopping. 

No, not grocery shopping which seems to be what I've done mostly since

 the pandemic started. This was real 'go with a girl friend' shopping to a

 store well known here in the USA, HOMEGOODS!  

We had a ball - the type of fun one can only have with

 a true friend of many, many years.  A friend whom you know so well

 and are so comfortable with, you can share all and anything, laugh,

 giggle, shed a tear, and on looking back you've done it all and more in

 thirty five plus years. . . . . . that's how I feel when with Loretta. 

She has been an awesome friend in so many ways and I love her dearly.

Our small house has a small front porch. It's nothing spectacular but it is
 a place to enjoy the outdoors. Bob and I sit out there a lot, especially in

 the late afternoon at this time of year - usually with a drink, sometimes

 a snack, and something to read. People stop to visit now and then. 

With distancing of the past months we have felt safe entertaining

 one or two at a time with a cup of tea or glass of wine in the open air.

We do a lot of waving and have short chats with passersby - usually the 

younger neighbors who pull off their earbuds and pocket their phones

for a few minutes which is appreciated. The cul-de-sac stays busy 

enough with turning delivery vehicles, dog walkers, a few younger

 children on trikes, and some runners usually in the cooler air of

 morning.

So did I buy anything?

Just this all cotton, woven in Turkey, casual mat. I like the pattern and

 blue and white colors, and think it just brightens up the concrete floor

 of the porch for these summer afternoons. It's machine washable

 if necessary, however I think I'd probably just hose it off and let it

 dry in the sun. It's a bit hefty and might finish off my aging

 washing machine!

Have a feeling the hydrangeas may require a major pruning soon - or we'll be 

invisible on the porch - or rather too secluded and will miss all the action 

in the street. . . . . . .or perhaps be forgotten about, lol!

Do you have a front porch?

Do your neighbors stop to chat?

What would you enjoy drinking on the porch on a

 hot summer afternoon?

A nice French rosé is chilled and waiting!

 

When you grow a garden.............

This past week you would have found me in the garden every day.  

Not sitting a lot, mostly working, but now and then taking a quick

break and making time for a little dreaming.

The weather held with plenty of sunshine, quite hot and no rain.

The felling of the three large trees along with stump grinding and

pruning of smaller trees, left a lot of areas requiring clean up, 

tidying and mulching. 

Today will be really hot, 95F and all I plan to do outside is some

watering on the plants in pots - mostly herbs - as the next several

days show rain off and on which the garden really needs.

How special it is to have flowers one has grown and can then

cut and arrange to enjoy inside. The hydrangeas are starting to 

fade fast from so much sunshine, their beautiful cobalt blues turning to

dusty shades of pink, grey, green, lavender . . . . . . pale but still lovely.

Have a great weekend.

Monday again and it's Flag Day!

 

Last week never stopped or slowed down despite rain and workmen.

Neither did we!

Tree felling consisted of removing three trees, two more very tall oaks - one

 hit by lightning and dying, one smothered in ivy which had been cut at the

 base but also looking near death's door!  The third, a smaller hickory, was

 growing into a large oak and blocking the sun. We need to keep that area

 drier. . . . . . and hopefully this will enable us to add more grass around the

 potting shed and deck areas.

Between feeding (baking muffins and cookies) and watering the tree crew of

five for two days - which BTW included a lovely young woman - I picked the

 tasty Genovese basil and made the first batch of seasonal pesto. 

There were other firsts, dahlias opening - a glowing Grandpa Ott

 morning glory. . . . . . . .

. . . . . .. and Ms. Deer, beautiful and gentle but enjoying siphoning off the

 bird seed three days in a row, so the feeder is now remaining empty in

 hopes she'll move on to another garden!

 

The rains have left and we are due to have a dry, sunny, and quite hot week.

Still working outside and, as I write, Bob is mowing the grass. I'm off to clean

the sawdust covered windows in back of the cottage.

Life is busy at this time of year. . . . . . actually any time of year

 around here.

We have a chipmunk problem!

 

Be careful what you wish for! 

There's a population explosion going on here.

 

We had just one chipmunk for years. 

We named him/her Chippy and always enjoyed seeing that cute as

 a button creature emerge from hibernation each spring. 

Chippy must have found a mate somewhere underground this past winter!

We now have several scooting about the garden, coming up on the

 front porch to drink from the fountain, gorging and filling their pudgy cheek

 pouches with fallen birdseed, and digging in some of my potted

 plants. That's definitely a no-no!

But it's not just our garden riddled with chipmunks, neighbors near and

 far in our area seem to be experiencing a gigantic explosion of cute 

chipmunks in their gardens this spring. There have even been news

 articles about them showing up in eastern North Carolina toward

the coast, a place they never called home before!

Size comparison of the Eastern grey squirrel, of which there are millions 

and are a real nuisance when it comes to eating the birdseed, or anything

 else they can get their greedy little paws on, and the smaller chipmunk.

Yes, adorable, cute. . . . . . . and now also becoming a nuisance by 

causing holes all over the lawn and garden.

A few days ago I actually caught this chipmunk - perhaps Chippy or

 an offspring - in the pot of heliotrope, rolling around in the soil 

making a real mess and causing the plant to go sideways.  

I chased it off and had to repot the plant deeper.

Any new creatures sighted on your garden this spring?

Many neighbors are finding cute 'Bambi' fawns, often twins,

 tucked away for safety in their back gardens. Mama deer 

leaves them while she does other things but always comes back

 for them later.

Early in the week the most unexpected visitor seen in our 

neighborhood was a fairly large black bear! Several people were

 able to catch it on video running through their yards, crossing a street,

 and one woman filmed it climbing over her fence. It was last spotted

 heading toward a shopping center - wildlife officers are tracking it. 

We all hope it's not a mama bear who has been scared off and

 left babies somewhere!

These lovely animals are losing their natural habitats in this area

 due to the tearing down of older homes and clearing of wooded

 spaces for the construction of larger than life million dollar plus

 houses, apartments, office buildings etc. 

With Google, Apple, Amazon etc. set to move into the area and

 the population growing by leaps and bounds, we will see more

 changes in the months and years to come.

Called 'progress' but really more like destruction. Very sad!

On a happier note - the Carolina wren and Black-capped chickadee

 enjoying the seed wreath hanging on the front porch. We just bought two

more of these wreaths as the small birds are really loving them.

I told you . . . . . . . .

. . . . . more garden stories would be shared soon!

Parsley & Nikko Blue hydrangea

So, this morning after heavy rain yesterday afternoon and through the night

 hours, I woke later than usual as it was dark and dreary outside. I had

 nothing planned which required more than a good mug of fresh coffee, 

waterproof shoes, and my phone. I stepped onto sopping wet grass - 

looking much greener and healthier for hours of rain - and just walked 

around the house snapping away at what I considered pretty and colorful,

 though most plants and shrubs were dripping and bending. . . . .especially

 the heavy mophead blue hydrangeas.

This is my one lace-cap hydrangea, named Twist and Shout. 

Several years old now, it has pushed through the split rail fence into

 my neighbor's garden - fortunately he doesn't mind!

The big bright green tree centered in the background, is my Celeste fig.

Many of you already know the story of this tree. Planted from a gallon pot 

many years back, and now after several major prunings - including a

 professional one last year when it got totally out of hand - is still huge and 

always the talk of the neighborhood! Looks like plenty of figs now popping

 out for later picking, usually in late July into August.

I so love this beautiful tree. It holds bird feeders, nesting boxes, now and

 then a woven nest is cradled in the branches, lanterns glow in the evening

 hours. It's massive circumference shades a bird bath, azaleas, and a new

 hydrangea will be planted under it soon. . . . . and bluebells and daffodils

have a happy place to thrive in springtime.

Endless Summer hydrangea - huge again despite a good pruning late last winter.

Pots of herbs are coming along well - above the early planting of basil, 

parsley, sage and dill seeds, below the later planted small pots of the

 same seeds alongside an old pot of mint. Pots holding Morning glories

 and Moonflowers already climbing up the fishing line I tied to the

 porch to give them a leg up!

Another Endless Summer - far too big really - but loaded with blooms

 some of which I'll cut and dry later perhaps. The acer is also in need of 

a professional pruning, removing some lower branches to open it up and

 make it look more ornamental  - we've been awaiting our tree guy for

 weeks - so hopefully he'll show up soon.

Have a great weekend everyone.