Saturday, 23 June 2018
Train and…reflections.
Fern and…forest-floor floral friend.
Waterfall and…reflection.
Stars and…you know.
Lovely day to take a long, slow train trip, a slightly hustling walk (The Foot, of course) during…intermission(?), and the same long, slow train trip back. Not a loop; instead, an up-and-back.
In a foreign country!
Great fun!
Thursday, 21 June 2018
Pretty sure this is the Heracleum that is not friendly to the skin–sap makes the human skin photosensitive, causing blistering and burning (wild/cow parsnip).
A couple of years ago I saw one flourishing over the hill, but this one is by our beach!
Pondering how to carefully remove the plant with no…downstream negative effects…no burns, skin blistering or brown streaks that can last over a year!
Moon over Whitefish Lake. Which used to have whitefish in it, I have read. Most people don’t call it that anymore…because? no whitefish? I prefer the old name to the modern one: South Manistique Lake.
Wednesday, 20 June 2018
On a quiet evening, a stroll can be so rewarding. The lake was quiet. [Last night we heard a loon.]
But not too quiet. Doe and fawn also out for a stroll….
And the peonies are beginning to open. Just yesterday they were closed buds.
And the lupine field remains gorgeous. Look at the color variation. I think this year my favorites are the dark purple-blue ones and the bicolor variants.
Tuesday, 19 June 2018
We began the Plant-the-Enchanted-Basil-Forest-Project in earnest today. We got the plants, three big pots, yesterday. Today, we removed most of the floral flotsam and jetsam that had reoccupied the Botanist’s garden mound. And the quack roots. Many quack roots. Given how dry the soil was (need rain!), I also dumped half the rain-barrel water that’s accumulated since we arrived on the mound, to de-dustify the soil. It’ll wait overnight for completion of prep, then….
Tomorrow we will plant!
Because the plants are so lush, we pruned them back to allow the roots to develop when they get in the Real Earth, and used the “clippings” to make pesto for our (dry) mini-raviolis.
Life is darned good.
Sunday, 17 June 2018
Yeah, pure Michigan. Like the idea, but I haven’t yet been willing to put this stuff in my gullet. Not likely to change that opinion, either.
Moving on, yeah, the fish-flies are still here, and this one wanted to be my best friend. Pooooooooof, I exhaled, and it was gone, off to find another sponsor in this hard, hard world.
Droney captured a lovely, still-sunny moment. Lordy, lordy, the lupine are lovely. We are enjoying them to the n-th degree!
And, we reunited with our good friends (sigh; love them!) who have looked after our place through the winter doldrums and captured-and-eliminated many rodents who sought to reside in Our House (aka cottage), against Our Wishes, through the winter quiet. We reoccupied The Cottage without much competition from Rodents or Bats, in great part thanks to the efforts of ukelele-playing Puppet-Woman, whom today we recognized as Saint UPPW….
Wednesday, 13 June 2018
Our lovely neighbors have a super porch, and sometimes we join them for “porch-time.” You may call it cocktail hour.
Tonight was a porch-time evening, and we listened to distant thunder-booms and enjoyed the relative coolness. And the company, of course, especially the company!
Thanks again for the hospitality!
Monday, 11 June 2018
Someone thought this lone, highlightable, benefit might cinch a deal—fast. Turns out maybe the rate’s too high or something else, as this sign has been posted for a while.
Yeah, and a flower photo. Interesting color. Light plum? Blushing orchid? Rosy something?
Friday, 8 June 2018
One of the things I loved about buying veg/fruits at the markets in Mexico was that if you wanted avocados, the market lady (almost always a lady) would ask when you intended to use it. You could be very specific, like seven this evening or three this afternoon, and the avocado she offered in response would, invariably in my experience, be perfect at that time. Yay!
Now I see that today WholePaycheck had two piles of four-to-a-bag avocados, one with this sign and one with a 3–4 day sign.
I bought a single from the regular pile, and it was perfect in our salad. Didn’t need four avocados, so I don’t know if their system is as good as the market ladies of southern Mexico.
Tuesday, 29 May 2018
Our plantings include two kinds of gardenias. These are the sockets of the blooms I’ve posted a time or two recently. They are done done.
And, at the other end of the planting, are these…blossoms with more layers of petals. Are they “doubles,” “more complex,” whatever is the term? Their scent is different, still gardenia, however, and still intoxicating.
Sunday, 27 May 2018
I saw these blooms poking through this fence, and I thought, aha, there’s my post photo.
Then, I came across this hydrangea, and I thought, hmm, which is my photo?
When I later came across this delicate bloom, I thought, well, it’s not so easy to choose.
So, here’s a trio, and you pick your fave. I sure couldn’t.