Saturday was wild!

 

As I mentioned in my 'foggy' Monday post, last Saturday was quite a

 crazy day around here, or at least it felt that way perhaps due to all the

 hundreds of quiet, mediocre days of this past year!

I brought home extra flowers to enjoy over the weekend - the ranunculus

 (above) because I thought them so beautiful and don't often see them so

 reasonably priced as these were at Trader Joe's.

Tulips are available everywhere right now so I mixed three bunches, white, 

yellow and double orange. They will not last for Easter this coming

weekend so I may have to buy more.

Saturday early, made my way through the fog to pick up farm eggs at the local 

outdoor market just minutes from home. Because I fancied a walk I put the

 eggs in the car, grabbed my phone and took off around the Midtown shopping

 area. Most people were masked so I felt safe (and of course I've been

 vaccinated). Some shops were open............including a favorite which I hadn't

 put a foot in for over a year, Anthropologie!  I took a look, mostly at home

 decor items, not clothes, and bought a wedding gift for friends who will be

 married this month.

Great feeling - a brief, colorful shopping trip. . . . . . . 

. . . . sad feeling, one of our favorite restaurants now closed due to COVID.

Back at home the day proceeded, did a little Easter decorating, just simple

 with my always pleased to see white rabbits who hopped out of their attic

 storage box. . . . . . . and colorful faux eggs.

As Saturday was our anniversary we decided it was a good excuse for a

 restaurant visit - just our second in this past year! More places have 

opened back up with distanced seating both indoor and out.

It clouded up as we left the house just after 4:30 pm and then torrential

 rain started. As we parked the car then hurried across the parking lot, the

 loudest thunder clap ever with terrifying zigzagging lightning scared the

 you know what out of us as we made a mad dash for the restaurant. 

 Clinking my glass of rosé with Bob's beer, and enjoying the first bite into

 my shrimp wrap with side Cesar salad, my phone rang and our neighbor

told us that a huge oak tree had fallen at the end of our street, bringing 

down poles and live wires. It was likely we wouldn't be able to get home

 in the car for some time (we live on a cul-de-sac with only one

 way in and out). The other news was our power was out!

Long story short, the tree thankfully caused no property damage, just

 blocked the road for hours until cut up and removed. 

The power company arrived and worked diligently to restore power under

watchful eyes of the Police keeping the area safe, and we got home

from the restaurant, parked our car nearby and walked through the woods

to get to the dark house! With nothing to do at home but sit with candles 

and flashlights, we later walked to the end of the street, met a bunch of 

neighbors doing the same, and all had a good hour of distanced chitchat

 as the chain saws and bucket trucks worked their magic to get us back

on the grid a few minutes before midnight.

Yes, a day to remember with a little 'entertainment' which we are missing 

during this long, very different way of life.

A freeze expected tonight and again tomorrow - will be covering the

 hydrangeas as buds are forming. Hoping damage to plants and now

 blooming shrubs and trees will not be severe. Nature and weather are  

not always friendly!

Another day, another tree coming down -

Sadly, the very tall white oak, high above the back of the house, with

 its trunk starting to impinge on the foundation of the deck, and high

 branches dangling over the roof, needed to come down.

You know how much I love trees, both my own and all the others on this 

beautiful planet. However, among all the handsome, sturdy, tall, and healthy 

trees there comes a time when safety dominates and old, huge, too tall trees, 

need to come down with help of professionals rather than be felled by 

disease, rot, strong winds, even tornadoes and hurricanes which do

sometimes visit this part of the country!

Today was such a day and we welcomed back our great tree guy Jesus

and his crew.  Fortunately the weather has been perfect, cool and sunny, 

no wind at all. Yes, the January sky was really that blue today.

  

Jesus is the climber and made this dangerous job look like an aerial dance

among the bare winter branches.

I'll leave you here. The tree is down and the stump was ground.

A full day's work, a lot of dollars spent, but peace of mind.

Meanwhile we continue trying to get appointments for our initial 

vaccines - what a frustrating thing dealing with long phone waits,

crashing websites and such. We are on two different wait lists - it took

 a 1.5 hr. phone wait before my call was answered for one, the other

 we did online - and we hope at least one will come through with an

 appointment for us soon.

We live in a heavily populated county and our group has been changed 

from age 75 and over to 65 and over which encompasses thousands

 more people in the same boat as us  - guess that says it all!

Green thumb . . . . . . . . . .

Somehow I missed celebrating Earth Day yesterday, so today I'm sharing the

view from the front porch this morning looking out across our little quarter acre.

My feeling is that every day this amazing planet Earth should be celebrated,

 whether you have beautiful sprawling country acreage, or just a small plot

 outside the city.

Yesterday morning we sat out here in brilliant sunshine with our coffee, and by

 late morning is was hot. Today cooler weather has returned with a vengeance

 and it will stay a couple of days with the possibility of heavy rains. . . . . . there's a

 light rain just starting now.   

Personally I am embracing this cool Sunday morning. I don't enjoy heat - especially

 when the air conditioning system is on the blink which ours is at present! 

With rain dampening down the pollen - enabling me to throw open the 

windows - and refreshing all the shades of green, I took these few photos early

 today to show you how green it is around the cottage.

The small oak tree, snuggling up to the fig, I've mentioned often.

This is 'Bob's Oak', growing from an acorn that sprouted here several years ago.

"Leave it" Bob would say when I showed up with the weeding tools.

 "Let's just see what it does". Well here it is, already a substantial tree 

with a pleasing shape which seems to be growing about a foot annually.

The birds love it, using it as a perching place for the feeder and bath.

These three trees were all started by us - the red maple, Celeste fig, and

 of course the some day 'mighty oak' perhaps to be enjoyed by generations to come!

New Boston ferns are now hanging on the porch - always a favorite here in

 Summer months. In Winter they become nighttime roosts for our family of 

Carolina wrens who snuggle in the pots, making small 'bedrooms' when the

 plants are brown and ugly. . . . . . .but I don't have the heart to take them

 down until I replace with new ones come April. I must admit, any birds 

trying to nest here in Spring - usually finches who adore hanging baskets but

 are so messy - get shooed away because the ferns can't be watered if they move in!