Tuesday, July 06, 2021

I spy with my little eye

I've been taking garden photos for a planned post, but it's taken me so long that my title no longer fits! That's zucchini for you; it goes from blooms to 'boom' in practically the blink of an eye:
I picked this yesterday – after finding the last few strawberries

This was just one day earlier!


Lots of other zukes on the way!

We have blooms galore on the tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers, and eggplant, the snow peas and bush beans are beginning to flower – and the cucumber plants have finally gone from lackluster to gangbuster!






I spy with my little eye from our bedroom window, bluebirds in our nest box. Since early spring we've gone from bluebirds to swallows and now back to bluebirds again; each pair has been in residence long enough to raise a clutch, I think (and hope).

As for my chicks, I got this update from friend Kate today: "Chippy is quite the beautiful bird and came over to see what I was up to when I wanted to take photos. Getting back far enough was a challenge. Dot and Lottie really like the 'sand pit.' Kate is curious but cautious. Dot will be smaller than Chippy [they are the two Whiting True Blues] I think but very similar to Lottie. So it looks like three regular girls and the homecoming queen." It is hard not to be able to spy all this with my own little eye!

I spy with my little eye . . . bleepin' TOUGH weeds. Tim suggested letting Brian use a propane torch to kill the weeds in our driveway when I mentioned that I can't keep up with them manually and don't want to use poison. Being a boy, he decided to mix used oil and gas to really scorch them (leaving a black, probably toxic mess...). 🙄 Yesterday I noticed new growth:

I spy with my little eye – my little spy:

I had pulled some hay down off the stack to feed horses and sheep, and Poppy had to check out the newly uncovered hidey-holes. She didn't find anything there, but the next morning managed to catch a gopher. Yay; a new TOY!  😝


I do spy with my little eye a few flowers around the place. My lemon yellow daylilies are in full bloom; my deck geraniums are trying to put out some color, and the Queen Anne's Lace blooms where it can (one weed I don't mind too much).




Finally, I spy with a teary eye just two horses out on pasture this evening. Poor Oliver was struggling to move around on broken-down legs and wasn't eating well; it was past time to end his suffering. Still, it is sad.

That's it for now from . . .

10 comments:

thecrazysheeplady said...

{{{hug}}}

Tim B. Inman said...

Never give up! More fire required! Cheers

Michelle said...

I know you know, Sara. Thanks.

Tim, ha! But have you noticed the cost of propane?

Mama Pea said...

RIP, Oliver. He had a wonderful home with plenty to eat and loving care.

Jeanne said...

I nearly panicked when you mentioned Brian using fire to kill weeds. Many mind automatically thought of big problems! What a relief that nothing went wrong!

Your garden is looking really good. And your flowers, too! We have hydrangeas that are damaged by the high temps. And my lovely lace leaf maple looks like it's been fried! :-(

What a character your sweet Poppy is!!

I'm so sorry for the loss of Oliver. How old was he?


Debbie said...

The garden looks great!!

So sorry about Oliver.

Sending hugs

A :-) said...

I'm so sorry about Oliver . . . :-(

Michelle said...

I like to think we gave him 20 years he wouldn't have otherwise had, Mama Pea.

Jeanne, I only let him use it on the weeds coming up in the gravel driveway, well away from the pastures and other flammables. Oliver was 21.

I'm please with how the garden is doing this year, Debbie, even with the scorching it got in that hellish heat wave.

Thanks, A. It needed to be done for his sake.

wyomingheart said...

Your photos are stunning! Sorry for your heartbreaking loss😔.

Florida Farm Girl said...

I'm sorry you guys had to let Oliver go. He'll be missed. Sometimes weeds can be demons to get rid of.