As we get ready to finish this month, I have been asked about Snuffy who had surgery for a tumor on the underside of his tongue. He is still eating baby food (at a buck a jar!) and is finally gaining back a bit of weight (at 3 jars a day!)
He still has trouble getting the cat food down, even when it is in his specially elevated dish. But, he is happy and still with us, 10 years longer than we ever expected.
He still has trouble getting the cat food down, even when it is in his specially elevated dish. But, he is happy and still with us, 10 years longer than we ever expected.Out in the yard, a new peony has opened. I am real excited because I have not had much luck with red peonies here in Virginia. We have TONS of peonies at the house in PA, but I will miss them this year as we will not get up there in time. I will be studying with the Dalai Lama in July and so will wait to go to the Poconos after I have finished at the University. So I am thrilled that this one opened!
The shed is done. I still need to find a latch for the doors, but am not going to drive 60 miles for that! It will wait.
The Mountain Laurel is open.
The climbing rose is blooming
as is the Peace rose. 
The clemetis is beautiful this year. That is St Fwankie behind the clemetis.
The robins have fledged. Look carefully. How many do you see?
There were 3 of them in this tiny nest! You can see 2 of them in this picture. I scared them yesterday when I went out to fill the feeders. They blasted out of the camellia, one went up into the tree, one ran to a bush, and one ran out into the road. Now most of you know I can barely walk, let alone run! But I went out in the road after the littlest robin. OMG! Have you ever tried to catch a baby robin? But, I kept going finally scooping him up about a mile away. Well, that is what my knees and back said... and put him safely back in the nest. The feeders remain empty. sigh.
The Mountain Laurel is open. The climbing rose is blooming as is the Peace rose. The clemetis is beautiful this year. That is St Fwankie behind the clemetis. The robins have fledged. Look carefully. How many do you see? There were 3 of them in this tiny nest! You can see 2 of them in this picture. I scared them yesterday when I went out to fill the feeders. They blasted out of the camellia, one went up into the tree, one ran to a bush, and one ran out into the road. Now most of you know I can barely walk, let alone run! But I went out in the road after the littlest robin. OMG! Have you ever tried to catch a baby robin? But, I kept going finally scooping him up about a mile away. Well, that is what my knees and back said... and put him safely back in the nest. The feeders remain empty. sigh. It is Memorial Day week-end. Pray for Peace. Pray for healing. Pray someone will find a way to bring our troops home. Pray the killing will end. Pray for healing, for all of us. Have a safe and thoughtful week-end.
I took my trusty little Nikon outside to get the picture while the sun was right and looked around to see what else was in bloom so I could get a few more flower shots. As I was focusing on an iris out front,
there was a sound I have learned only too well living on this street – metal on blacktop. My road is a narrow, bumpy turtle back road. People drive by here much too fast, many of them hauling boats. If you are a regular on this blog, you have seen pictures of boats that have come loose and jumped the drainage ditch, slid up the bank, and have landed up in my yard. I am trying to understand why people forget to put the pins in or fasten the chains or in some way secure their boats – but it seems many of them do not. Anyway, I heard the metal on road sound and looked up in time to see a boat dragging on the road, the truck stopping, and the boat run into the truck. Smack!
If you look closely, you can see the tree with the “arm” right behind the boat. After they got the truck and boat out of there and on its way, I ventured out in the road to get a closer pic of the “arm.” Good thing as it is now covered with leaves and tiny white flowers. 
The iris took a beating, but a couple of new ones have managed to come out and are upright.
The Siberian iris is amazing this year.
This all started with just one plant. They are tiny but ever so sweet. 
I think I enjoy the buds as much as the blooms! 
Hopefully mine will be finished this week. Out of sight, out of mind. At least that is the plan. 
but this shot shows how big the wings have grown on the older chick.
And then, there is the arm in the tree... can you see it? Sleeve rolled up almost to the shoulder, see the elbow, hand????? 
If it ever stops raining, I will take this shot again and get closer to it... Among my favorite creatures in the Hobbit series were the Ents, remember them? I am sure this is one of them! 
The fringe tree is even prettier - hard to imagine.
A new iris, strange colors...
and the white iris could have its own blog this year - plus, it is so fragrant! 
Said she like formal gardens allright, but my gardens were "so comfortable,
the kind of gardens you can dream in." Whatever that means.
Mostly I dream about having all the weeds pulled... The grass cut... the mulch moved... no poison ivy (or piesin ivory as the old folks say.) She said my gardens smelled so sweet! Well, the holly is in bloom. I assume you know girl holly from boy holly. The boy holly smells real sweet right now.
Then there are the Locust trees - super sweet!
Sorry, it was real windy when I took these pictures, but you get the idea, and this was shooting up into the tree in the evening. The digitalis doesn't seem to have any fragrance but it sure is pretty. It just pops up wherever it feels like it.
I just let it grow.
. A number of years ago I found this old fashioned rose growing wild out in the woods behind my house. 
I moved it just before they cut all my pine trees down. It smells like roses used to smell at my Grandmother's house.
The Columbine just pops up wherever it wants to also.
Azaleas and Iris,
iris,
iris. This is a young magnolia tree my dear friend Jackie gave me. 
It is now taller than I am. They say it takes 15 years for them to bloom. I am counting. Spook is giving it a pep talk here. This was a shot of Spook, so it is not a great shot of the tree, but I decided to include it anyway. Also, in apology or explanation for the darkness of some of these shots, it was evening, and it was very windy. The cats followed me and my visitor all around the gardens. Great company, cats. 
We have had enough rain to make the weeds grow and whatever that stuff is that passes for grass out there. Hey! It is green......... I have figured my body will not let me do all the cutting in one day, so I am working on it. The yard is looking awesome (from a distance) as the azaleas bloom away.
The lilacs were beautiful,
the pansies have perked up
and the late camellias are still looking good. The redbud has faded. The Lily-of –the Valley is blooming and the big peony has buds. The little peonies are up. I hope I live to see them bloom. The first iris has opened.
People stop out in the road when they see me working out front
and compliment my yard. Funny, none of them ever volunteer to to help weed or shovel mulch.
I bought the tomato plants and a few squash and cucumber plants on Wednesday. By Thursday afternoon, I had all the seeds in the ground, 2 rows of Le France string beans, 2 rows of wax beans, a row of Ford Hook limas, a circle of pole beans, a row of carrots, 2 rows of flat Italian string beans, and 12 tomato plants. I also got some seeds started. On Friday, I planted the cucumbers, watermelon and squash. Believe it or not, several rows of beans are thru the ground and have a couple of leaves on them! Is that fast or what?
So do I.
