Bloom beauties
Friday, 23 June 2023
We’re in another hot and dry spell. I’m glad I watered these beauties earlier, or I don’t think the blooms would be as substantial as they are. Now I’m back to watering to maintain them—fingers crossed.
Musings
Out the window
Tuesday, 13 June 2023
Let’s stick to a hyper-local news cycle: we got more rain, and it lasted a while, but it was so light I wouldn’t call it a soaking rain. That surprised me; on the other hand: what do I know.
Pink/red
Sunday, 11 June 2023
The lupines are just so lovely. I like this bicolor specimen, and I’m not a huge fan of pink. It’s okay, even lovely, but not usually a favorite. Perhaps its the pairing with magenta that sparks this for me….
The BBC published this map showing wildfire data from NASA and “firms” data from the first eight days of June. There’re far more fires than I gleaned from news reports…they’re all over…well not ALL, but many scattered places.
I wanted to dance
Saturday, 10 June 2023
Finally, we got morning rain…not much and not a soaker, but more than nothing…enough to cover the bottom of the rain barrel a couple of inches deep.
[Note that the barrel is indeed tilted, so that overflow will be on the side opposite the cottage.]
By afternoon, the “wild”flowers seemed to have renewed energy to push toward more than two leaves.
And the black raspberries are in bloom, and the bees busily visited (not pictured). I admit I’ve been watering these, hoping I’ll get a couple of ripe berries before the birds take them. Time will tell.
Germination 2023
Friday, 9 June 2023
Yesterday, the Guru captured a drone photo of this year’s version of the basil ringfort. This variation has a “palisade wall” of cardboard, a new development, and an inner ringfort with at least two dozen two-leaf basil plants. Between the ringfort and the wall along the upper edge is another row of germinating seeds, “wildflowers” from a seed packet I was given at the baby shower two weeks ago. [Was it two weeks…?]
In addition, there’s a daisy plant in the lower left, and a line of rhubarb in the lower right.
Lotsa product coming along this year! […enabled by frequent watering in this dry dry dry spring.]
Green elements
Thursday, 8 June 2023
Grass, lupines, and apple trees—these are obvious. The grass is bent because of wind…which is visible in videos from the same drone expedition, but you have to use your “seeing” brain to find it here.
We’re back in a cool phase again—lovely. I see rain will visit Saturday through Tuesday. We need it badly; I do hope it does arrive, and it gives us a thorough soaking.
Wind shifts
Saturday, 3 June 2023
Smoke north of us in Canada (in Ontario, pretty sure) has been reported for days, along with fires much farther out west and out east in our northern neighbor’s territory. That smoke finally arrived today, traveling on a gentle north wind. It smelled like a distant garbage fire…and fortunately faint. We also could see a very light haze.
By this evening, the wind had shifted to coming from the south, and the smoke smell was more ephemeral. The haze, however, seems to have intensified.
Despite such environmental conditions, and the dry dry soil, the lupines really busted out today.
Breathe deeply
Thursday, 1 June 2023
Despite how dry-dry-dry it is, the lilacs are lovely and, oh, the aroma…I’m so happy to be here to enjoy it, although today’s high is something like 86°F, and that’s way too hot for these parts, especially at the very beginning of June.
Cloudland
Thursday, 25 May 2023
We live in an orchard (here). The apple trees are in bloom. Last night and tonight both, the meteorological minions indicated below freezing temps in this area, and possible frost. I believe the blooms are when the crop is most vulnerable to a freeze. Last night, we had no frost, and I think we skated on freezing temps.
In any case, the blooms look fine. And huge IMHO.
May shower
Tuesday, 16 May 2023
Today’s front came through with audio drama…wind and noisy, plopping raindrops.