Sunflowers, seeds and squirrels at Summer's end -

 

Some days back, in heat, but not too hot, in sunshine shaded by clouds in the Carolina Blue sky, we gathered our garden tools, put on gloves and hats, and went on a mission in the garden. Taking down the last sunflower was quite a job. Even with the last couple of feet bent and bowing to the earth, this fading beauty was still quite a monster, the huge head of seeds very heavy. The stem required the big loppers, no basic pruners could make a gash in it let alone cut through it.  Bob is almost 6 feet so I'm guessing the sunflower was around ten feet.  Why I never thought to stretch it out on the ground to measure it before cutting it up I don't know. Blame it on two older gardeners' just wanting to get the job done and the mess cleaned up! After all, there were other things waiting, the fried hydrangeas to clip, potted plants to toss, bird baths to clean and replenish, feeders to fill, and watering to do.

I've saved some of the seeds from this huge sunflower.  I made sure the seeds were clean and dry and have stored them in a glass jar.  There's no way I desire to plant an entire field of sunflowers next Spring. . . . . . . so I will be sharing these seeds with neighbors and friends who might enjoy them.

The sunflower head I left tucked into the garden bench - as I did with the former ones we cut down - and of course it didn't take long for the squirrels and birds to discover a feast!

We are currently under a severe flood watch here in central North Carolina.  Early this morning Hurricane Ophelia made landfall at the coast. Winds have been gusty bringing power outages and fallen trees - fortunately neither here at our home - but fingers are still crossed! However, the rain has been torrential and will continue another 2-3 hours.  Yesterday Bob mowed the brown dried out grass, and blew the newly fallen leaves and acorns. Today brilliant green grass has returned and he'll be out there again tomorrow with the leaf blower once things have dried out.

Autumn has arrived - I'm happy - but hurricane activity is always worrisome.

Stay safe if you are being impacted by bad weather.

Beat the heat - if you can!

The garden is suffering after many days of really oppressive heat. This is the time when I start pulling plants out, especially annuals which I know will never regenerate now that August is here. Spring is definitely the best time in the garden here in the southeast. Biggest disappointment this year is that the morning glory and moonflower seeds just didn't flower well at all - yesterday I cut them all down as they looked really untidy struggling on the front porch. 

Luckily, I still have a few great pots of healthy basil so pesto making will continue for a couple more weeks and there will be plenty of little pots stashed in the freezer for the winter soups etc.

The Celeste figs are now ripening fast. Bob picked a lot yesterday and we've started sharing with neighbors who enjoy them. Today I'm planning to bake a fig and peach crisp - or crumble as we call it in England.  Served with a scoop of good quality ice cream (I'm loving Talenti Madagascan Vanilla Bean Gelato) it will be perfect after a mixed salad/grain bowl which has become my daily meal in this heat.

As you can see, the squirrels really love figs. The ones they drop under the tree are then nibbled by what have become our live-in bunnies. . . . .the baby one below and a larger one who might be its mama!

This little guy actually comes up on our front porch now and

 doesn't appear to be afraid of us!

Canna lily above, Rose mallow hibiscus below, blooming but requiring a good

 watering every day in this heat.

We visited Raleigh's local sunflower field before leaving on the New England trip. The blooms were just opening and were lovely. Today we're returning to see them once more and hope to take some photos before wet weather arrives tomorrow. Sunflowers bring back wonderful memories, especially of summer visits to Provence.

Hope you are enjoying your summer days.

Hanging out with wildlife. . . . . . .

Male cardinal in the Magnolia liliiflora tree, already budding.

The weather here is typical for January, rain one day, sunny the next, but always

 chilly with murmurings of possible snow which either never shows or surprises

 us when we least expect it.

Little happenings in the garden excite me. Last evening, in the quiet of dusk,
I looked out the window at three young deer standing motionless on the front lawn.
Then the smallest came and started nibbling at my pansy/tulip pots - a no-no!
 I grabbed the camera - sorry a bit blurry - then tapped on the window and he
 trotted off to join his family.

Northern flicker on fig tree suet treat.

I've been out of commission, and may continue to be, when it
 comes to blogging or much else regarding computers.

Just seem to have lost my get up and go since the holidays.
I still have shoulder problems . . . .  .but I shouldn't complain 
as other family members and friends have much more to be 
worried about where health is concerned.

The squirrels are looking fat, healthy and bushy-tailed. 
The females are now pregnant and should have their babies in February.
This one I noticed this morning, perhaps a mom-to-be.
Wildlife all around lately. The fox wanders through the side garden and
crosses the street to the little wood, same one where the deer hang out.
Today is warmer with sunshine and I've just wandered around, pulling a
 few weeds, trying to decide just where to prune the Japanese maple and
fig in late Winter ready for Spring.

As my little sign outside the front door reminds me. . . . . . . 

"A garden is a thing of beauty and a job forever"

Problems with Google, Blogger, and now big changes with
'new' PicMonkey have just caused me to lose interest in my 
computer. I'm too old to learn new tech stuff. I was happy with
 what I had and was used to. Why do they do this . . . . . okay, 
okay I know why, we all know why, but that doesn't help sort it
 all out unless you live with a smart IT person! 
 I used to tell Bob I wish I'd married a plumber or an electrician - a
general contractor would be even better. . . . .I can see clearly now,
 I should have tied the knot with a computer genius!

Meanwhile, I'm enjoying time reading some great books. . . . .I'll
 share those with you in another post.

Love to all. . . . . . . .especially any of you Google+ people where 
I've been unable to leave comments for some time now - sorry!

Monday garden and thoughts. . . . . . . .

Wow, time flies!  Here it is Monday again and this will be a crazy, busy week for me.

I managed to prepare a few posts over the weekend.

 I was fed up with trying to decide what to pack for Patagonia. . . . . and how to fit 

it all into a large rolling duffel . . . . . so took short breaks from looking at piles

 of layering clothes and tons of toiletries all over the bed, shot a few photos 

around the garden, and wrote some posts to share this week. 

Last evening I collapsed in my chair with a glass of red and two chocolates!!

 To hell with the prednisone weight gain, I'm tired of fighting that issue for

 the past year. 

Absolutely loved watching that hour and a half series finale of VICTORIA

 which I thought amazing! Did you see it?

NO, your acorns are not buried here! Guess they'll continue digging in my pots of tulip

bulbs and pansies whilst I'm gone.

The saucer magnolia continues to brighten the February garden.

Plenty of garden chores will have to wait 'til April.

The daffodils and jonquils brought 'sunshine' to a somewhat cloudy weekend 

with a few showers.

So here's to the week ahead. Know you are freezing in the UK - even the

 English Channel is turning to ice along the Devon coast where my family lives, 

and severe storms caused by Siberian winds with snow and ice are heading

 across England from north to south for much of this week.

So take care wherever you are. . . . . . and do stop by tomorrow as it's a

 special anniversary for me!

From the December garden. . . . . . . . .

. . . . . a few pretty things caught my eye outside yesterday.

Prior to more leaf raking - never ending until into the New Year - I spent 

time cutting evergreens for the mantel and, as always, taking photos of the 

visiting birds and squirrels. The greenery consists of Southern Magnolia,

 red-berried Nandina, Camellia and English Ivy. All have been rinsed clean and

 are soaking in water before being bought into the cottage.

~ Beautiful female Eastern Bluebird - her mate was close by ~

~ Gentle rummaging Mourning Doves ~

~ Handsome male Northern Flicker in the now leafless fig tree ~

~ Burying acorns - a grey squirrel's busy time of year ~

. . . . . . and I found these dried seed pods which I brought inside to use in the

 dining room Christmas decor - I love a touch of Nature such as this.

I'm never finished with the holiday decor, always adding, tweaking or
 moving something to a new spot - do you do that?

Scribble Picnic. . . . . . . Curly

I'm guilty of being missing in action for the past couple of weeks on Wednesdays! 

Life threw things at me which stole creative time. It continues this week,

 but I decided to make more of an an effort today and share something, anything.

I've missed you - did grab a few minutes to see all the neat things

 you shared although there was no time to comment, sorry!

So, continuing the 'sunflowers and squirrels in my garden'  current blog theme,
 here's a photo I took a few years ago when the little curly-tailed cutie actually
 managed to sit on a fading, curled over sunflower head and feast on the seeds
 for quite a while!

Some editing via PicMonkey - I added color with my precious watercolor pencils.

This week's 'Curly' theme is fun.
Do head over to our SCRIBBLE PICNIC host Michael's blog to see 
some great curly art by members of our group. 

August Nature Notes and a tough nut to crack!

 Yes, I know, it's a love/hate thing when it comes to squirrels in your garden.

Personally I love them because they are incredibly smart little guys who

 don't scare me. 

As long as they have food available, thanks to nut bearing trees, bird feeding people,
 and fruit, seed, and berry growing gardeners, they don't really cause a problem.

They don't hurt the garden birds, just chase them around a bit, and do a good

 clean up job under the feeders. If you really don't want squirrels near your 

house just discontinue feeding the birds - but to me that's sad because every 

garden needs beautiful songbirds.

Yesterday morning, on opening the blinds, who did I see but this messy guy. 

He/she was well into what looked like a lengthy feast on a hickory nut breakfast,

 and leaving a real mess. Stayed such a long time and didn't mind me snapping

 away through the kitchen window allowing me to get some nice closeup shots.

Not long after I took these photos I saw a young fox trot across the back garden. 

My little chipmunk has been showing up to nibble under the bird feeders so I'm a bit

 nervous for 'Chippy'. Fortunately he runs a mile a minute!  

Circling above is the screeching red-tailed hawk, and the accompanying crows

 cawing at him. Some birds who seemed to disappear during the heatwave,

 such as chickadees, are showing up again. Sadly, butterflies are few but there is

 a beautiful Black Swallowtail laying eggs on my dill plants. . . . . . . .and, always a thrill, 

two ruby-throated humming birds are showing up at their feeder on the front porch.

What's up in your garden?  

Are you, like me, awaiting cooler weather so the garden becomes more hospitable

 to work in and enjoy?  For me that really doesn't begin until after the first frost

 (a long way off, usually around first week of November here). Then, thankfully, we will

 see an end to mosquitoes as Autumn leaves start to fall. . . . . . and spending time

raking will be pleasant in cool temperatures.

My thoughts and prayers continue for all in Texas who are impacted
by the continuing effects of Hurricane Harvey, a truly devastating storm.

Snow and ice day outtakes. . . . . . .

. . . . . . . it wasn't all about the birds. I promise.

Front porch - jasmine still hanging on, old bird houses and lanterns rusting out,

 paint peeling. . . . . not much new or rearranged so the birds loving hanging out here.

Dried hydrangea heads dangle with a covering of ice crystals.

Potting shed awaits Spring - a cleaning and reorganizing chore ahead for me!

Garden plants take on a Winter disguise.

Fire wood being used each evening - gathering by a crackling fire on these cold nights

is so comforting.

Here's to the next snow day - hopefully with soft, fluffy white flakes

 for snowballs and snow people!