07.04.2023 Happy 4th of July - Rain and a little sun!

 O the plans that we had for the 4th of July celebrations. We were going for a nice long morning walk, followed by a cookout. Then after a little gardening, I was going to the boat to work on her and spend time awaiting the firework display. But alas, plans are just that. It rained in the morning, so no morning walk. Then in the afternoon it poured. So not much gardening and no working on the boat and no cookout! But I did finish a book and cleaned a closet. Always feels good to get some chores done. Also feels good to just chill. Maybe I will just watch the fireworks on the television!

A few lilies from the garden. The rain has been a big help, so no complaints. Last year we had a drought and just a little snow this winter. So the rain is most welcomed, even on the 4th of July!

Blossum from a very tall tree behind the house. The tree is beautiful when in full bloom, but the
rains had dislodged many of the flowers.

 

Here is my Shorty. He seems to be slowing down a bit, getting old like the rest of us!

Gunnarr and Fionnegan after a spa visit and haircut.

Before the spa they looked like little sheep dogs!  They looked cute. I am amazed they could still see to run!

The spa date a couple of weeks ago did give Shorty and me some walking time alone.  He does so well on the walks and we do have a good time. He doesn't bark at other dogs and is just happy sniffing and marking and exploring. He is so much easier than the twins! He also does not accept treats from strangers! Good boy.

A new dawn rose. The bush is lovely.

Hope you all had a nice 4th of July, rain or sunshine! It was a good day. Now to get ready to see the fireworks.

Until next time..............

07.02.2023 Visit to Plum Island

 Do you ever have one of those days when you just have to "get out of here"? Well one day I just had this strong urge to get out of dodge, so to speak, So I let the boys out early, gave them a nice breakfast, and said, see you all in a little bit. I grabbed my bag and headed off to Plum Island, one of my favorite places to visit at any time of year. 

There is a lot of peace and quiet there. One can walk along the beach for miles and watch and listen to the rhythm of the ocean. It is also a good place to look for shore birds in the marches. As I was walking along the road, I heard the faint call of a willet. With a bit of patience, I found her! This is the first time I have found one on my own. Felt pretty good. She was in view for quite a while so I was able to observe her foraging along the shore. Wonder if there are little one hiding somewhere in the eushes?

There also was a bobolink calling from the field, so I took a little time to watch him in all of his glory. 

Do you see him in this photograph?

There are a few purple martin nesting boxes at the main entrance. In and out they went through the openings to the nests. This is an odd looking bird house.

Here is a kingbird on a branch. He was sitting there singing as loud as he could. Hard to miss him.

But my favorite place to walk is along the shore. It us now nesting season for the piping plovers, so many miles of beach are closed to protect the nests. There are always a few people who test the limit of the signs - settling down just at the edge of the boundary. They always make me chuckle.

The walk along the shore was just what the doctor ordered. The water was cold, but I did have to step into it. There were only a few people on the beach so the walk could be spent just enjoying the views. A young man did ask me to hold the leash for his dog while he needed a quick escape. With luck, my own dogs could not smell the new pooch on my clothes!

It was a great break and I returned home refreshed - the whole point of an escape! So close to home yet worlds away. Now it is time to return to the ole routine and tend to the gardens and the pups and everything else in the house. 

And yes, my girl Mimi is now in the water! She was launched 2 weeks ago and I still have a little more work to do on her. That will be my plan for the 4th of July. But she is on her mooring and looking good!

Getting her ready for the trip from Crystal Cove to Cottage Park. I do get alot of exercise going back and forth from the car to the boat carrying her gear.

Here she is on her mooring. Just as happy as can be! It has rained a lot recently, so once it clears, I will be back on her. A day on Mimi is also a nice break in the routine!

Do you ever need a break from the daily routine? What do you like to do to chance pace a bit? 

Hope you all are well and enjoying the summer- rain and all!

Until next time...... 

And Greetings from my boys!

06.17.2023 Spring gardens

 There seems to be one week in the Spring when the gardens are a magnificent display of color. We had many different plants and flowers in bloom all at once - rhododendrons, mount laurel of a variety of colors, old fashioned roses, irises, white and yellow and purple lilacs, peonies, large blue bachelor buttons, and mock orange among others. The fragrances of the lilacs by the entrance and the white peonies in the front garden were delightful. Then came the heat and then heavy rains and all of the blooms from the lilacs were gone, the peonies and mountain laurels are drooping, and the rhododendrons are almost all devoid of flowers. 

But these are succession gardens, and soon the lilies and new dawn roses will be in bloom. One stella d'ora lily bloomed, so the rest will not be far behind. Herbs have been planted in flower pots and the stargazer lilies look like they will also bloom in the pots. Still time to plant a few more flowers - hoping to get a few black eyed Susans in the garden this year.

One of my favorite peonies. They only lasted a week,but wee thoroughly enjoyed.

The white peonies are very fragrant.

 Mountain laurel in the early stages of blooming.

Here is a friendly bee pollinating the flowers. 

White mountain laurel, one of my absolute favorites. There is a bush just be the front of the porch.

Mock orange flowers. 

Fragrant white lilacs.

Orange iris. Only one in the garden.

Purple iris.

Old fashion roses. One bloom each year but a very thriving variety. This one plant is huge and has offshoots all over the gardens. Need to do a trim this year.

The boys are doing well. Fionnegan recovered from his operation after a long post-op course, Gunnarr also recovered from his illness and Shorty remains my loyal sweetheart.

Happy boys. All tails wagging.

Hope you all are well and enjoyed a snapshot of the late Spring gardens. With so much rain this week, there is promise that the summer gardens will also have beautiful blooms.

Until next time.................

04.30.2023 April showers.....

 ....... bring May flowers. Or so we are hoping! 

What a month this has been for our family (human and canine). We have had some incredible sadness with the loss of a special family member as well as a dear friend of 25 years and a favorite neighbor's teenage daughter was seriously injured in a car accident. We are all praying for her recovery. And all three of my pups have had one health challenge after another. When it rains it pours. We went well beyond things happening in threes. 

My dear little Gunnarr has been ill all week, including having to go outside every hour during the night for the last few days. He was seen by the vet and is on medication for an infection and crystal bladder stones and with luck he will get better sooner. If not, then back to the vet for more tests. And my dear Fionnegan now has bladder stones too and lots of bleeding and will be having an operation just like Gunnarr did last year. Shorty has new gi issues but he seems to be recovering. I suspect it is because they eat the sorel weeds in the yard along the fence causing them gi distress. And I am back to doing multiple loads of laundry per day! Let's hope the washing machine keeps working. And I need new brakes on the car. Maybe May flowers will bring better luck!

But we are still having fun. The boys went to the spa (Petco - where the pets go!) for their haircut and look really cute when they came home. No new pictures of the haircut as they were not interested in going outside in the rain and I was not interested in white clean paws getting muddy! Maybe new pictures tomorrow if the sun shines. Shorty and I had a few hours alone and he just looks at me and wags his tail. And I do give him some special treats. He has been left alone twice this week and he seems to just roll with it. He does initially get excited when he thinks he is going too and is disappointed when his harness is not readied for him, but of course he does get a special treat when I have to take the twins to the vets or spa. I normally like to take him out for a special walk while the twins are at the spa but it was raining again today, and he had no interest in going outside for any reason! I also did not feel like trying to wash his paws even though he does not get as dirty as Finn and Gunnarr. So we just had treats and watched television and read a book (me not Shorty).

Some of our azaleas are in bloom. We had very few daffodils and no tulips.  Maybe I should plant some bulbs this fall. I say that every Spring but when Fall arrives I am generally too busy. But maybe this year I will make it a priority.

    

Every year I but a few hyacinths for their beauty and fragrance. Then I plant the bulbs in the garden. We had a lot of hyacinths blooming this year. 

  

  

    

The boys posing for the camera - as happy as can be. Photo taken before their haircut earlier this week.

How have you all been? How is your Spring? Do you have a garden with flowers? Have the flowers been in bloom? Our bunnies are back and I suspect they will enjoy a few of our flowers. Just hope I can keep the pups away from the bunnies, but there are signs of them all over the front yard. No more carnage, I hope.

With such a big smile, it is hard to believe Gunnarr is also sick.

Same for Fionnegan. He is mostly running and playing and doesn't seem to have any pain from the bladder stones. And I can say this, they both are tired of my watching them empty out their bladders. I have to observe them for blood and other signs of distress. So now they go right next to the lily plants, and it is hard for me to watch them!

Shorty.

Until next time................. Stay well.