September morning and it's raining -----

My baby bunny is growing! I was really concerned we had lost it to the hawk

 who visits the fig tree. Yesterday, while watering, bunny popped out of the

 large pot of ivy - the one on the left of the bird bath and potted hydrangea

 in the photo below. It hopped across the lawn to the acer and munched

 on grass for some time - long enough to get my camera and catch a little

 mouth wiping with a soft paw, so sweet.

As expected, rain arrived today. 

Remnants of Hurricane Ida have reached North Carolina, bringing us

 much-needed moisture, a little this morning, heavier with possible wind

 and storms later this afternoon and evening, so we'll be battening down the

 hatches until around midnight when it should all be over. 

Then a few days to look forward to with sunshine and lower temperatures

 at long last.

Welcome to the lovely month of September.

Amphibians, butterflies and figs. . .

Busy days in the garden again this week. 

The tree guys were back to prune the fig, some overgrown privets, 

and limbing up an oak tree encroaching on our neighbor's tall conifer. 

All looks so much neater now, especially the fig tree which had

 become more like a gigantic shrub!

Before and after. . . . . much better now we can see the trunk again.

Eastern Black swallowtail on asters.

While emptying pots of summer annuals, herbs etc., I also moved the pots

 of asters and was surprised by this rather large frog in the bottom of a planter.

I think my visiting frog is a Carolina gopher frog. 

Very handsome, about 3" long with beautiful markings. . . . . the first

 seen here in my garden!

If interested in frogs you can read more about him/her here.

We tipped him out of the planter near the bee bath as he obviously 

requires water - then he hopped into a pot of ivy. I haven't seen him since

but hope he stays around and devours unneeded insects!

Have a great weekend.

Stay safe - be well.

 . . . . plan a visit to a lovely garden or a pumpkin patch!

Southern sounds and Autumn colors -

I told you recently about these noisy insects - and today I can

 actually share a photo I managed to take of a '17 year cicada' hanging

 out on the back deck. If you touch one of these guys - about 2" long - their

 shriek is quite startling!

Along with donning face masks, some North Carolinians may also be wearing

 ear plugs! 

After nearly two decades underground, a wave of periodical cicadas

 emerged this summer and they are a noisy bunch! 

Last spotted in 2003, hoards of 17-year cicadas, referred to as Brood IX,

 have arisen from the soil and they are deafening. When one whizzes by your

 ear you are startled at the noise it makes. 

Then, when several thousand start 'singing' together in the trees

in the early evening, you really could use ear plugs!

With evenings now starting to cool a little, at the weekend we enjoyed

 grilling outside, then eating supper in the gazebo. . . . . .serenaded by

these creatures!

Sunday, before the heat set in, time was well spent doing a lot of front garden

 late summer chores.  These consisted mostly of working with pots of annuals,

 herbs etc. all of which had seen better days. I've kept a couple of pots of basil

going for a bit longer - just have to have fresh basil outside the door while the

 good tomatoes are still coming!

At Home Depot I picked up a couple of pots of asters for some much needed

 color outside the front door - chrysanthemums will be added a little later,

still too hot for them.

Bees and butterflies found the asters immediately. 

Noticed today Blogger is playing with us yet again regarding font

 and photo sizing - have you noticed? 

Getting the type sized to match in each row of a paragraph is often a pain.

I must say though I do like being able to do a final resize of photos by 

dragging the corners. Do you like this new feature? I wonder if it will

remain. I hope so.

Saturday garden notes - shopping. . . . .

This week has been quiet since the torrential rains of Monday. I've spent time emptying items filled with water - pots, watering cans, garden ornaments - cleaned up the front porch, deadheaded hydrangeas, pulled out dried up petunias who had seen better days.

Yesterday I made a last batch of pesto for the freezer as the basil has been attacked by some invisible nibbling invader. Aphids most likely, but this late in the season I'm not going to spray them as I'm done with pesto until next summer!  

The fig tree still full and green, even some large ripe figs visible near the top where it's impossible to reach, along with plenty of small green ones lower down.  The insects appear to have abandoned the juicy fruits. Soon the waving leaves will start to turn gold and rust and the tree will look beautiful in autumn dress before they fall to the ground . . . . then we will know winter is on the way.

The weather feels different as we are now settling into September. The ridiculous triple digit heat of this week is ending, today just reaching low 80's. . . . . with a promise of much lower night temps. at long last. This being an important American holiday weekend - which is often stormy - is going to be lovely for a change, so firing up the grill and chilling a few bottles of rosé and beer is on the 'to do' list even though we'll be celebrating here at home, alone!

This seems to be a rogue magnolia bloom right at the peak of the tree - reaching for the late summer sun. . . . . a lovely garden surprise.

The thousands of cicadas around the garden are still loud and droning in the humid air. Funny how at first they are so annoying and then after a few weeks one really doesn't even hear them, their sound just blends in with life. . . . . . 

 

Yes, a little shopping on the list for today. How I'd love to visit a row of smaller shops along a little street, supporting independent businesses all whom are struggling these days . . . . . instead it's going to be big box store's garden center in search of a few plants, a hardware store, and of course the grocery store!

To those of you celebrating Labor Day weekend I wish you a good

holiday though probably it will be different this time around. 

Stay safe.

Do you see them?

There are definitely signs of Autumn around us.  

Just a glance into the garden and I see such changes in the past week. A few golden leaves dropping from both the fig tree and the Japanese maple. Opening a new magazine I find things to do such as knitting, home decor and crafting leaning toward Autumn shades of gold, rust, orange and brown. How many more scarves and cowls can I knit?  With 'silvered' hair I suppose I'll have to find new yarn colors soon!

I will not be sad at all to see summer leave this year! It's not my favorite season in the best of times. This year the weather has not been overly generous with what I would describe as "beautiful Summer days."  Rain and heat, oppressive humidity, lots of almost sunless days, heavy grey clouds, and rarely a brilliant 'Carolina Blue' sky which we are known for! 

I did a little baking at the weekend - this blueberry peach crostata, good and somewhat healthy.  

I also had my car detailed ready for Autumn, it's looks like new although quite old! Our long time friend will return on Thursday to do Bob's. 

Although we have no plans to drive far in shiny clean vehicles, we did go for pedicures together on Sunday afternoon. Our sweet Vietnamese ladies are always excited when "Mr. Bob" accompanies me - he made them laugh behind their masks!  

We made travel reservations for a Thanksgiving trip to family in Arizona - in hopes it pans out. We are also making plans to get home to England next Spring - I can hardly wait! 

I stepped outside late on a recent evening. The air had cooled a bit for the first time in months and the shrill sound of the cicadas had lowered a little. Then I heard them in the high trees across from the cottage, a pair of Great Horned Owls. Their conversation was interesting being so close, yet invisible.  I wondered what it was about. . . . . a new romance, what delicacies they might find for supper, flying conditions for that cooler night? Such large beautiful birds, but sadly rarely seen in their natural habitat.

Great Horned Owl

My photo from a visit to the World Owl Trust some years ago.

This tufted, yellow-eyed owl with gravelly hoots that carry far, sound almost like a muffled foghorn from a distance. When pairs chant together the female goes first, followed closely by the male. The second and third hoots in their series tend to be the shortest. Great Horned Owls can be found all over the continental United States, Alaska, and most of Canada. The 'horns' are actually tufts of feathers. The ragged ends of the wing feathers result in silent flight. This large bird doesn't build a nest but takes over nests of crows, hawks and Great Blue Herons, or uses tree cavities. One brood per year with two white eggs, are usually laid here in the Carolinas in December and January. Fearless, it's one of few animals that will kill skunks and porcupines.  Amazing birds!

How is your week going?  Well I hope. I'm off now to water the garden as it's looking parched with no rain in several days. I may pick basil, it's still growing strong and green, to make yet another batch of pesto to freeze.  

Sunday Morning Raptor Visit!

Bob yelled, "Quick, a hawk in the tree."

I rushed to the window, saw who he was talking about, though almost 

hidden behind the dead leaves.

Asked him to grab my camera while I gently pulled up the blinds!

Dive-bombing small, very fast, noisy birds were hitting the young

 Red-tailed hawk's head, but it stayed just long enough for me to get a

 few photos then apparently said to itself, enough of this malarkey, 

I'm off to greener pastures.

I always enjoy unexpected garden visitors!

Grace without glory ----------

  

The storm has passed. Hurricanes batter and damage for days and this one

 is no different as it crawls along the east coast.

We, further inland in North Carolina, were fortunate this time with nothing more

than torrential rain for many hours and wind gusts late last night. I admit, sleep

was a long time coming for me!

No power outages in our neighborhood but many are without south and east of us. 

This morning the sun is already shining. Small debris from trees will be cleaned up 

as they dry out - thank you Bob - and I will return all the possible flying projectiles,

now stored in the potting shed, back in position on the front porch, back deck and gazebo. 

Our thoughts and prayers are now with those still in Dorian's path along the coast, 

and those who have been damaged or injured. The latest news from the

Bahamas is heartbreaking with so many people missing and unbelievable damage

to the islands.

I walked into the back garden and was surprised by this beauty. 

Just one flower on the start of a white Rose of Sharon tree.  

In a pot, planted by a garden bird, not me!
Nature's beauty always phenomenal - but her wrath can be so cruel.

I immediately felt the connection. This is the book I've just finished reading. 

It too was a huge surprise. 

Picked up at the Dollar Store as the cover looked interesting.

What a story of a place I'd never heard of. . . . . in a country that has known terrible
times.  Who knew that massive ships must eventually die, or the horrendous 
story of their dangerous disposal which kills, maims, and impacts the health
of so many.

 A fabulous, but often gut-wrenching, read. 
Powerful writing. 
A history.
A love story like no other.

This one goes on the shelf with my special books, the ones I will read again

 when life is quiet and I have nowhere to go.

Hydrangeas in September, wow!

You may recall my disappointment over no beautiful hydrangea blooms this Summer.  

This was due in part to lousy weather conditions, plus the fact we had to prune

 these two shrubs to the ground last Autumn when re-siding/painting the cottage.

 They did grow back to several feet in height and a Summer season with just

 green leaves was OK - gave the front porch a feeling of coolness on those

 awful hot, dry days. . . . . . . . but how I missed the always lovely blue blooms.

So where did these come from?

Arriving home Tuesday I was amazed to see several gorgeous very blue heads

 being enjoyed by fat bumble bees, and certainly brightening up the fading

 early Autumn garden.

It was almost as if Hurricane Florence left us a gift among the mess of fallen 

branches, twigs, acorns and leaves.

Later I'll probably cut these for a vase then allow them to dry naturally for a

 little muted color over the Winter months. 

Yesterday we spent hours cleaning up the garden, mowing, blowing, pruning, 

weeding, cleaning and refilling birth baths and feeders. It was hot and sticky.

Today I'm off to renew my driver's license - look for some pots of chrysanthemums

for a small Autumn front entry display - and pick up some odds and ends at the

grocery store.

Traveling is always wonderful but coming home again is even better!

Hummingbird days. . . . . and the house project!

I cleaned out and refilled the feeder hanging on the front porch yesterday.
 It will be the last time for this year as these amazing tiny birds will be heading
 further south soon. . . . . also work has started on the exterior of the cottage
 so the feeder will have to be taken down. . . . . . . .more on that later.

We have a pair of ruby-throated hummingbirds flying back and forth - mostly when

 I pass the dining room window without a camera in my hand - of course! No other bird

 is as tiny, or flies backward like this one. It also hovers and flies up and down. I did

 manage to get these few half-way decent photos during the past couple of days.

Sometimes I sit outside on the porch but they aren't too happy when they see
 me and take off. They move so quickly, sometimes buzzing me with a soft
 chatter and whirl of those wings - they do not sing.

Weighing in at just 2-3 grams, it takes about five average-sized hummingbirds to

equal the weight of a single tiny chickadee! The heart beats an incredible 1,260 times

 a minute, it breathes 250 times a minute, and the wings flap 50-60 times a 

second.

Above and below - Mrs. Hummingbird

Iridescent green back among the wet oak leaves.

Mr. Hummingbird - you can just make out his ruby colored throat which ends in a lovely scalloped design. 

I took this photo, one of my favorites, a couple of years ago. This female loved the
 morning glories clambering up the porch, and perched on them often.
  I often wonder if it's the same pair returning each summer, or perhaps their offspring.

Do you have hummingbirds in your garden?
I hope so as they so pretty to watch - if you're quick!

Leaving the September garden. . . . . . . . . . .

Just a few quick clipping and tidying chores, along with minimal pruning of the

 unruly jasmines on the front porch, and that's it for gardening around

 here. . . . . . well at least until the very end of the month. The grass was cut on

 Monday and, as the weather continues hot and dry, should not require any care

 until we return.

Twirling Clematis seed pods.

Bumble bees still feasting on the Pentas, white and pink.

Always sad to leave the garden no matter the season.

It should have much more of an Autumnal feel when we return.