Tag Archives: gardening

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What’s blooming today?

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Salvia, geraniums and New Guinea impatiens are blooming in my little stone wall garden bed, but unfortunately now and then I find a hole.

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See the empty space on the left? Thank you Mr. Woodchuck, please tip your server. 😡

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Happily my strawberry shortcake foxglove is on the list of woodchuck avoided plants.

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It’s also rhododendron time.

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And this year, they’re glorious.

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Every season I tell myself to cut them back, then they give me a riotous bloom and I cave.

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This year I planted three tick weed (coreopsis) behind the marigolds. Sadly, they must have been on the ‘favorite woodchuck snack’ list because one morning I looked out and they were munched down to nubs. Solution?

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Giant headed yellow marigolds. They’re not my favorite flower, but they’re not a woodchuck’s either … so that’s a win.

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As is this pink cosmos. Such a happy flower. I smile just looking at them.

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I love my town

11 Comments

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What passes for news in my little corner of the world might seem silly to some….

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But I like to think of our Facebook page as the New York Times of happy living.

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You’ll be glad to know this crisis was averted.

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I’m not sure if this a thing in your area, but in Maine late spring means it’s time to thin and divide the perennials. Some people sell them in their front lawn, but more often than not the bounty is simply shared.

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Go home Freyr. I don’t care how tasty the tuna is down the road.

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That’s one fluffy little cock.

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Damn. No one ever drops roosters off at our house.

🥴

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It’s exhausting, but oh so satisfying.

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When you have a lawn as big as ours, mowing can be a two day affair. The husband and I tag team it… me on the push mower for the front lawn, sides, upper back and around the barn…. him on the tractor for the large expanses. Did I mention we have a veritable mowing fleet?

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While his sections are bigger, mine are actually harder because I make a point of never blowing grass in the flower beds.

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That mulched section under the tree used to be filled with perennials…

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Until the husband flung so much grass in there all the flowers got choked out and I got tired of breaking my back weeding. But I digress..

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After mowing comes trimming.

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And trust me, there’s a lot of that. I just added these two beauties to my stone wall bed…

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And filled the baby barn’s bed with its annual marigolds. I added some tickseed (coreopsis) as well, but I’m afraid it might get too much sun… so it’s success has yet to be determined.

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Yup, it’s exhausting.

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But when everything is freshly mowed and trimmed?

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I’m a seriously happy camper.

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Though the same can’t be said for his Lordship….

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Who gives me the evil eye from the back of the couch.

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A good old fashioned shopping trip.

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Being fully vaccinated, I’m starting to feel safer venturing out with a friend for some long over due retail therapy. First stop? A nursery.

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Because as I’ve said previously, you can never have too many flowers.

Second stop? Goodwill… where I saw this.

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Although I had no idea what it was. At first I thought it was a cat with big tatas wearing a cape and waving. Then I figured out it was a cape wearing kangaroo with boxing gloves and an open pouch. The question is… why does such a thing exist?

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We visited a gift store with strange mossy things…

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But I did like the upside down air plant stuck inside a dried urchin.

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And if you ever want a suede comforter with barbed wire?

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Complete with turquoise stars and fringed pillow shams? I can totally hook you up. ( Although I won’t be spending the night in your guest room. Uh uh. Nope. )

I had to laugh at the rainbow coalition of Crocs.

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Does anyone even wear those monstrosities anymore?

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And finally, this was the one that got away. I’m filled with regret for not scooping that little gem up when I saw it. Ice cubes in 8 minutes? I totally should have bought that for our man cave bar.

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Ooh la la lilac….

22 Comments

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In the continuing saga My Air Smells Better Than Yours, Neener Neener, I bring you…. lilacs.

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I will forever be grateful to the previous owner of our house for planting lilac bushes 40 odd years ago.

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Lilacs are slow growers and take a long time to come into maturity.

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But when you have some that reach the height of your roof?

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Life is good.

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And it smells even better.

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Because you can never have too many flowers….

18 Comments

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The weather is warming, the grass is greening and the danger of frost has passed… we hope. (I live in Maine, it can snow on Memorial Day) So now it’s time for blooms!

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There’s nothing I love more than going greenhouse shopping. Being surrounded by bright flowering plants probably drops my blood pressure by 20 points. It also drops my bank balance considerably, but we won’t talk about that.

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I came home with this interesting shrub.

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A weigela florida. Fingers crossed it does well in the spot I picked.

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Two boxes of pretties for my front garden bed…

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Which turns out wasn’t nearly enough. Damn, I’ll have to go shopping again.

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A hanging geranium for the back deck… and for Lord Dudley to stare at. That’s him in the window directly behind it.. plotting revenge on me for keeping him in the house.

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And finally, a bouquet for the kitchen.

Flowers. They always make me smile.

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Well, almost always.

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Last minute Christmas gifts for the weirdos on your list.

25 Comments

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For those friends who like to play in the dirt?

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Pencils. They’re not just for chewing anymore…

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I thought this next one was cute.

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But realized I might be attacked by that hungry red squirrel bitch and had to pass.

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Yoga dice?

How am I supposed to play craps if a winning roll is downward facing dog.

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I see the appeal here.

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We’re building a barn bar and the husband has been known to tick me off.

Hmmm..

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Because an internal kind message will take the sting out of an F Bomb gift.

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And finally there’s jewelry.

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Because no woman can resist a man who gives her turd themed bling.

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What the flock?

22 Comments

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Birds.

You never know who’ll show up.

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Turkeys on Thanksgiving Day? That takes balls.

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They’re even pushing the envelope by ripping up every scrap of weed block landscaping paper I laid under our tree.

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And blue jays.

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All of a sudden, a large flock of blue jays.

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There were blue jays everywhere.

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And the greedy little devils wiped out four feeders in no time flat.

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Birds.

Sometimes annoying, but always photo worthy.

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