June 16 2013

Finally the rain has stopped long enough to check on my little green buddies - but not before all the beautiful blue Japanese iris came and went. You'll just have to take my word for it, they were particularly lush this year, as was the yellow Siberian iris I got from a calligraphy student a few years ago. But the bearded iris, usually the queens of the garden, barely set any blossoms at all. I'm not sure if it was the cold snap or just how things go ... gardening is always a bit of a mystery.

We've added an extra little wing to our garden cage, just for Brian to grow potatoes and strawberries. We've been warned that strawberries are invasive and will take over, but the idea of too many strawberries doesn't seem to upset Brian. We can always do giant smoothies!

We did have really impressive rhododendrons this year; here's a shot with me next to one of our larger bushes just to give you an idea of what can happen when one doesn't trim things regularly, at least around here!

We also had our yearly get-together for Brian's birthday. Unfortunately multiple health problems made attendance much less than last year, but it was a quality (not quantity) gathering and we all had a really good time. Especially me, as our friend Jerry brings this "special" beer from Rochester, which much to my surprise I actually like, so usually drink my yearly quota of one while people are around in case I need help navigating. Here are some party shots:

We also went to our first "Bark in the Park" event this past weekend. I never could go with Sadie, who as you may all remember REALLY REALLY didn't like to be around other dogs, and always felt too guilty to leave her home and go without her. So this year I finally got there. Not quite as many dogs as I hoped (never too many for me) but here are some shots of dogs attending. I guess I just have to get some dog shots into everything, even if I don't know the dogs!

This last little girl had a front leg that was so much like dear departed Liza, the Great Dane, that I stopped and chatted with her people. She has the sweetest face, and they reported proudly she is so smart, dosen't even realize there's anything amiss and just is having such a great life. It did my heart good to see dogs with people that really love them. And yes, all those sweet puppies got homes that day - seems like they always do!

And now I'll close with one of my favorite shots of me and Sadie - gone but never ever forgotten.

That's it for now. Soon we should have something more visible of our just-planted pumpkins, now only a few inches high. But I have great hopes for a pumpkin patch in the former dog run. I have never tried pumpkins before so this will definitely be an adventure! More anon...

NEWS FLASH!!! Our neighbor kitty Irish, who has adopted me since Sadie's been gone, just went after an enormous "whistle pig" (groundhog) out in our triangle! I wish I could have gotten a photo, but it went so fast! I noticed another cat sitting at the top of our stairs looking north, so went to a north facing window to see what she was watching. I saw Irish's tail in the tall flower stems, and thought she was just after another bird/chipmunk/vole as she's a dedicated hunter. But then I saw another very big brown blob in there, and before I could even figure it out, she ran right at it and scared it back under the art shed where it apparently wants to take up residence. It was three or possibly four times her size! This was a big fat male (she's a very small kitty), and yet she didn't hesitate for a second. And then once it disappeared under the shed, I called her over to praise and pet her, and she came running right back to me. My hero!