A Story -"Abundance and Scarcity" - White Native Wildflowers Late Spring - Daisy, Yarrow, Solomon's Seal

 Big brother Sam debated whether the next block on his tower would be blue or red. Just as his hand reached for the blue block, little brother Jacob toddled over and send the whole stack flying.

"Aargh!" cried Sam. "Don't do that!"

Grandma, who was nearby, swept up Jacob and asked Sam if he would like her to read the book on construction machines. Sam's anger dissipated and he clambered up on the couch beside Grandma ready to hear about giant dump trucks and complicated paving machines. Grandma settled Jacob on the floor by her feet with a toy with lots of knobs, and musical sounds.

At bedtime, Mom asked Sam if he wanted to sing a lullaby to Jacob with her. Sam gave Jacob a hug and a kiss, and after the toddler was in his bed, Sam joined Mom as they sang a soft song for Jacob.

After Jacob fell asleep, Dad asked Sam if he wanted to go the petting zoo the following day. 

"Yes!" Sam squealed. "I want to feed the goats again."

Kevin was trying to draw a picture of an airplane. It was almost finished. It just needed another wing when younger brother Maverick wandered over, grabbed the paper and tore it half.  Then he started to chew on the corner of the page.  Kevin yelled at him but Maverick just continued. Finally Kevin, smacked his brother on the back.

"Why is Maverick crying? Did you hit him again?" Mom shouted angrily from the kitchen.  "Go to your room!"

Kevin stomped to his room where he brooded about ripping apart Maverick's favourite stuffy .

When Sam got married, Jacob was his best man. They both worked in the same town and often got together for a game of golf. Family barbecues with little cousins playing together were anticipated.

When Kevin turned eighteen, he left home.  He went up north and got work in the oil fields. He only saw Maverick at Christmas and even then they kept their distance. Kevin didn't anticipate ever getting married.  Too much hassle. And who wanted kids? Just an expensive pain in the butt.  A good drink with his work buddies was all he needed. 

I have always loved the native daisies. So bright and cheerful.  Here they are in a scruffier part of the property beside the parking area for our cars. I mowed the grass around them but left this patch so I can enjoy their sunny beauty.  When they finish blooming, I will mow them down and next spring they will come up again, strong and dependable.

I started a small rock garden. When I was mowing the grass, I noticed some native yarrow in the lawn. I dug some up and planted it in the rock garden where it will happily grow in a dry environment. Butterflies enjoy the little white flowers of the yarrow. I also like the feathery bright green leaves. All the plants in the rock garden naturally spread so over time they will fill in all the bare spots between the rocks. I'm waiting for some purple campanula carpatica that I started from seed to get big enough to transplant into the rock garden. I have some rock cress, some hens and chicks, some sedum - short and tall- already planted.

Solomon's seal has a lovely structure to it. The stems are gracefully arched and the leaves are glossy all through the growing season.   It prefers a moist shady spot but is pretty tough. It is best planted where it has room to spread and can form a nice big clump. Hummingbirds and bumblebees like the flowers. Later in the summer it will make dark blue inedible berries. After a frost, the leaves will turn yellow but still stay on the stem for quite a while.

A Story - "Legacy" and Petunias

 A Story

"A hundred and fifty years ago, Mrs. Marshall and her husband moved to their undeveloped land. They worked hard and managed to turn it into a sufficient farm. Mrs. Marshall had brought with her, from England, a rooted shoot of purple lilac and one of white lilac. She planted them near the house so she would be able to enjoy their fragrance.

Last week, Fiona attended the funeral of her aunt. It was a tense affair as the eulogies were forced and no one really had anything very positive to say about her. Fiona had found her to be an abrasive woman, who liked to monopolize  conversations and was critical of just about everything. She only came to the funeral to support her cousin who suffered from anxiety and was feeling overwhelmed at the prospect of settling the complicated estate. It was sad that her aunt's legacy was just more stress for her daughter.

Driving home, feeling rather down, Fiona turned on to the road where the Marshalls had lived so many years ago. Hundreds, if not thousands, of lilac bushes were in bloom in a profusion of pastel beauty. House after house had lilacs on their property. It felt like being in a Thomas Kinkade painting. It was impossible not to smile and feel happy in the joyful landscape.

Mrs. Marshall's legacy would bless people for a long time to come."

Petunias are a popular plant sold in the spring, especially in hanging baskets.

I was looking for an old-fashioned purple because I like their spicy scent.  Only the purple ones are fragrant, and the newer Wave petunias, while very floriferous and less apt to get leggy, do not have scent.

After I bought this basket, I found an all purple basket which I was happy about.  The other day, it was very windy and I brought the two baskets inside to keep them from being knocked around. The lovely scent wafted through the main part of the house. So nice.

My petunias will get leggy and bloom less in the heat of the summer.  To keep the baskets looking better, I will gradually prune them back. Every four or five days starting now (beginning of June), I will pinch a few stems back to about 4". Over time the whole basket will  be pruned but the pruning will be hardly noticeable. Using this technique, I can usually keep petunias looking decent into August. 

Of course, the newer varieties  have a tidier habit so they're a good option with less work.

Petunias are heavy feeders and need to be fertilized every week or two with a liquid fertilizer. They like to be in full sun.

I dead head every day and that also helps with getting more blooms. The whole blossom including the green sepals at the base of the flower, not just the petals, should be pinched off.

This fun petunia is called Starry Night. It's the first time I have seen a petunia with this sprinkled pattern.  Reminds me of fireworks.  It is not a new variety, just new to me.

It's an attractive magenta which isn't a common colour for petunias.

 I'm not sure what it's growing habit will be like but I can pinch it back if I have to. 

Story: "New Land" and Last day of September Landscapes

 "New Land"

The hot-air balloon floated higher and higher transporting James to a fantastic new land.

A pristine stream gurgled playfully as it flowed between lush green fields.  The air smelled intoxicatingly of lilac roses.  Fruit trees boasted rosy apples, purple plums, sunset peaches.  Birds sang beautiful symphonies.  

James called his family, friends.  "It's wonderful.  Come."

They answered:

"The rats had babies.  Can't come."

"Need bucket for leaky roof.  Can't come."

"Picking rocks out of the garden.  Can't come."

"Afraid of heights.  Will stay in basement.  Can't come."

James sent pictures and delicious food, but they, sadly, preferred "Home Sweet Home".

This is the last day of September.  I took my camera with me on my walk and snapped a few photos.  It's always a lovely time of the year.

Starry Night Watercolour

 Watercolour based on Youtube tutorial by Sharon Cullen Art.

THE HEAVENS  DECLARE THE GLORY OF GOD.  Psalm 19:1 NIV

A Day Out

 

We had a lovely day out spending the afternoon visiting with family. We were about 2 1/2 hours drive west of home at a park on the St. Lawrence in the area known as the Thousand Islands.  The grandkids and their dad went for a one hour boat tour around some of the islands on the tour boat in the photo.

The sky and water were incredibly blue.  You can see the clouds reflected in the water. Click on photo for full screen.

The highlights of the clouds were so brilliant. Click on photo for full screen.

This little guy kept hanging around our picnic table hoping for a hand-out but we didn't have any food with us as this is yellow-jacket wasp season and none of us like being bothered by wasps.

A little miniature lighthouse to add to the nautical theme.

Lots of boats of various shapes and sizes at the marina.  We saw quite a few motor boats on the water but no sailboats. It was quite chilly down by the water but we even saw an intrepid man in t-shirt and shorts zooming around on his sea-doo.

The park had a nice playground for the children to amuse themselves in while the adults had a chat.

We may not see the grandkids until next spring if things continue the way they are with Covid so we were very thankful to get in a visit.

Jewelweed, Physostegia and Fungi

 

I was going to have the jewelweed photos at the top but I was having trouble rearranging the photos which for some reason went up in a backwards order.  Anyway, here are the fungi growing on some poplar logs.

We were without the internet for four days as our modem died. The thing I missed the most was the Weather Network and being able to check the radar map!  The news was same old, same old.

Some physostegia. They are a very pale pink which I find rather disappointing but the bees like them anyway.

They have taken over an area that used to have pale purple asters.  I guess that area is destined to be pale. I'm surprised the wild asters didn't put up more of a fight. There are a few plants left but a fraction compared with last year.

This area    also used to be full of asters and now it is primarily jewelweed and goldenrod. Never know what a year will bring.

The jewelweed (impatiens capensis) is quite pretty and the bees also like it.

Interesting shape - almost looks like it has a gill slit.

Lots of lovely spots and streaks. It is native to our area and pops up all over my gardens.. It is an annual and very easy to pull out. I don't really mind it. I have dealt with poison ivy, thistle, stinging nettles in my yard so pretty jewelweed is fine.

Just a Perfect Winter Day

 Click for full photo.
We have such distinct seasons here in Eastern Ontario.  For every season, I have criteria for what makes a perfect day for that season.  Today was a perfect winter day. The sky was brilliant blue, the air was calm, the snow was fresh and sparkly, and the temperature was just cold enough to feel fresh .
I spent about an hour enjoyably clearing snow off steps, paths and vehicles. It occurred to me that winter activity can make me feel much like I do after swimming in a cold lake. I feel tired from the exercise but refreshed at the same time.

Our little storage shed is gradually getting buried. Some meteorologists had forcast a snowy winter. They were right.

 You can see how the bright snow is too much for the camera.

The hemlocks still have snowy branches which makes them look pretty. And a few icicles glisten in the sun.

November-Fading Light

 One of the few advantages of November days is that you don't have to get up very early to see the sun rise.  Tomorrow we set the clocks back so it will be dark at 5 pm.  Every year it's the same and every year I am surprised by how short the days get.

 After some very rainy and cloudy days, the sun came out this afternoon.  Quick get out for a walk!

 There is still colour out there but you have to look a lot harder for it.

 Some very red berries.

 A stylish mushroom.

 Tenacious fluff.

Sumacs against a rocky fence.

Beavers have been at work here. Two small stumps show up in the foreground and a larger tree on the left is half cut through.  In the middle, a dark path indicates where they travel from the pond to the trees.

Distant poplars are a spot of colour in the distance.

The grass is still surprisingly green and this patch was just glowing in the sun.

We got the winter tires on the cars and the propane delivery man filled up the tank that supplies our heater so I guess we are all set for whatever comes our way. I don't mind winter if I don't have to go anywhere but snowy driving can be stressful.  Hopefully, I won't have much of that to deal with.

I hope you have found your cozy sweaters and have some good books to read. Spring is just around the corner :)

Arboretum

 We went to the Arboretum in Ottawa.  We parked at the top of the hill and had a lovely view of the sweeping grass and trees below. It was supposed to be sunny but it was cloudy and humid. Appropriately, when we got out of the truck we heard a pipe band in the distance.

 Where were they?

 Here they are -about half a kilometer away on the other side of the canal. I think that's about the right distance to be from a pipe band to really enjoy it.  It's amazing how the sound of the pipes and drums carry across the landscape.

A nice big droopy willow.

A couple of kayakers in green boats enjoying the canal.

In the arboretum, a couple of smoke bushes give colour to the otherwise green landscape.
All the rain we've been having will be good for the trees.