A Story - "A Caring Word" - Fall Bouquets, Asters, Prickly Ash, Sumac , Wild Grapes

 A Story

A Caring Word

"The evenings were drab and oppressive. Mindless TV kept his brain in neutral until he finally fell asleep on the couch. His girlfriend had left him, tired of his grumpy moods and inertia. It didn't matter, he thought, because he was sure his job was going to be gone any day.

The weeks grunged on. It was five months before the pink slip came.  His benefits would continue for a month until the final day at work. As a final spit in the eye to the world, he decided to use as many benefits as he could before they ran out. He booked appointments for various health care providers.

His final appointment landed on a Friday. 

He gave his health history and the provider began her examination.  At the end of the appointment, she strongly suggested that he return in a couple of months so that she could provide more treatment. It had been clear to her that he hadn't been taking care of himself.

He hesitated knowing the next appointment would have to be paid out of his own pocket.

"I really recommend that you come back fairly soon, Matthew," she said. There was concern in her voice. She actually seemed to care.

When she checked her appointment schedule later, she saw that he had scheduled another teeth cleaning in a couple of months. She hoped he would follow her advice about daily brushing and flossing.

When Matthew got home, he checked his polished teeth in the mirror.  He tried smiling and it felt surprisingly good."

A wildflower bouquet.

I planted these asters this spring. They are shorter than the native purple asters in our area and make a pleasant little clump.

During the summer, we saw Giant swallowtail butterflies every day. I was a bit puzzled because I wasn't aware of any plants on the property that the caterpillars would like. However, more recently I encountered some prickly ash (should be called thorny ash) on the edge of the hillside path. Insignificant rounded green leaves but nasty rosebush like thorns. Prickly ash is a host plant for the Giant swallowtail caterpillars. Although it is named "ash", it is a member of the citrus family. It can be an aggressive plant so I guess it will battle it out with the common buckthorn which is also on the property.

The wild grapes make surprisingly big clusters. Unfortunately, although they are edible, they are not pleasant to eat.  I tried making jelly with them years ago but it really wasn't tasty at all even with all the sugar added.

The fall colours are starting. I always really like the tropical look of the changing leaves on the sumac.

Last weekend, we went to the Brighton Applefest. Although there weren't many apple themed booths (238 booths in all), there were lots of very nice handmade items as well as delicious food.  This sweet little bouquet came from Field and Florist, a farm nearby.  The white gerbera daisy is really striking and the miniature zinnias are so cute.  That type of zinnia is available from Johnny Seeds ( Jazzy zinnias) and also William Dam Seeds.

I really like the pompom bicolour one in the back of the arrangement.

The days are cooler and shorter.  Back to knitting some socks. Planted some fall bulbs.

A Story - "Rewriting The Story" - and Butterflies and Insects in the Garden - ( Monarch, Giant Swallowtail, Damselfly, Praying Mantis, Baby Grasshopper, Mud Dauber Wasp, Bumblebee)

A Story

Rewriting The Story

"Amanda, the hospice nurse, arrived at Margaret's home and, as usual, found Margaret settled in her bed with a cozy hand knit shawl draped over her shoulders. Margaret's daughter, Julia, was helping her to drink a nutrition milkshake.

"Good morning, Margaret," Amanda said cheerfully.

Margaret didn't answer as she had become nonverbal as the dementia had progressed.  She did, however, glance at Amanda briefly before going back to her drink.

"Anything new I should know about?" Amanda asked Julia.

"She seems about the same. I got some new lotion which is helping with her dry skin. I've been making sure to turn her every two hours, even at night. So far no bed sores."

"You are taking such good care of her, Julia. You're a real blessing to your mother."

Julia smiled at the compliment. Her mother no longer recognized who she was, had forgotten her name almost a year ago. That's when the story began to be rewritten.

The relationship between Margaret and Julia had been contentious over the years. Margaret was so often critical of Julia, and reminded her regularly that she was disappointed in Julia's life choices. Julia had moved to the other side of the country to get away from her and spent decades building a life without her mother but it still hurt that they were estranged.  When her mother developed dementia, Julia felt sorry for her mother and came back to help with her care. At first the destructive patterns of behaviour were present but slowly as her mother became more confused, the conflict lessened. Her mother forgot her old grievances as her memories faded. When finally she no longer knew who Julia was, the tension was released.

Margaret had enough money to pay for full-time care givers in her home but gradually Julia took on more of the care herself. She imagined that she was taking care of a mother who had loved her and that she was just returning the love. Sometimes Julia just sat in the recliner in her mother's room as her mother slept and she reinvented the past. A trip to a beach resort that had been ruined by her mother's constant badgering was transformed into a story about them both having fun in the surf and shopping for souvenirs. She pretended that her mother was proud of her career as a teacher and that she hadn't disparaged her for not becoming a doctor.

Julia spent extra time making her mother look well.  She brushed and styled her hair each day.  She made sure Margaret's nail polish was well done. Even as Margaret became bed bound, Julia picked out pretty clothes for her to wear spending extra money on adaptive clothing that were easy to get Margaret in and out of.  Every morning, she gave her mother a massage with lotion soothing her skin and relaxing her muscles. 

Sometimes her mother smiled at her in a way she never had before and she let Julia hold her hand, and gently rub it. In those moments, Julia felt she was in a loving relationship with her mother. She was able to block out the nasty years. A part of her knew that this was a fantasy but she didn't care. She wouldn't have much time left with her mother and she needed to create this new story while she could."

I've been happy to have some monarch butterflies visit the garden. They always like purple coneflower. A few feet away there is some young milkweed. I'm hoping that next year, I will see some caterpillars, as well, as mature monarch butterflies.
 

Viewed from the side, the monarch's colouring is more subdued- more light brown than orange. 

Several Giant swallowtail butterflies have been flying around the yard. They are the largest butterfly in Ontario but aren't much bigger than the Eastern tiger swallowtail.  They also like the coneflower but I have seen them sipping nectar from the marigolds and coreopsis, and even pansies as well.

Viewed from the side, the colouration is the opposite of the open wing colouration.  It is mainly pale yellow with black markings instead of black  with pale yellow markings.

The Giant swallowtail also has a small red and blue accent in the middle and near the back of its hind wings.

Another visitor to the garden was this bright blue and black damselfly.

For about three days, this brown Praying Mantis hung out in the half-barrel planter among the pansies and carnations.  Such an interesting looking insect. I really like his pointy fingers on the front legs. Mantis are not good fliers so I have no idea where he came from or why he left. They are a good insect to have in the garden as they will eat other pest insects.

This is a young grasshopper. Not generally viewed as a positive inhabitant of a yard as they eat various plants.  However, he is pretty cute and possibly he will end up being lunch for one of the larger birds that frequent the garden.

There are many kinds of wasps.  This one is a Mud Dauber wasp.  They are generally a quiet wasp and do not bother people, unlike the yellow jackets or hornets which can be very aggressive.  Wasps can help with pollination and also eat garden pests.

This pink agastache is very popular with the bumblebees.  Any agastache (hyssop) will attract bees and other pollinators. Agastache is a sturdy plant and can survive winter in zone 4- 6 if the fall and spring weather isn't too wet.  Otherwise it can be grown as an annual.  I started these plants in mid March.

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 to 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 - "Attack" and White Rose, Columbine, 3 Iris, Early Lettuce

A Story

This story is about how our immune system fights off infection. Inspired by Covid but based on research. Quite amazing really.

Attack

The scouts came back with alarming news.  The enemy had infiltrated their territory.  Quickly, elite first responders spread out, stealthily searching for and swiftly attacking the foe.  Messages zinged throughout the area co-ordinating the operation, and special coded signals were dispatched to confuse the enemy.

Reinforcements struggled to replace the injured and dead, so chemical warfare was released strategically lethally.  Special sharp shooters stalked and eliminated fortified pockets of the hostile force.  Massive units arrived to surround and destroy entrenched enemy strongholds.

The battle feverishly raged on but finally, victory.

The Covid-19 test was negative.

Blanc Double de Coubert is a hardy rugosa rose with a lovely fragrance.  Plant habit is kind of scruffy and the flowers are delicate but they are so elegant and smell so nice.  I have found a new Youtube channel for all my rose questions :  Fraser Valley Rose Farm. Very good presenter with clear advice. He also grows some perennials. Some of his plants can be ordered through the mail but most are only available in his location.

I got this columbine last summer when the plants were on sale.  I have already had both the blue and pink version of this double Winky columbine and found them to be durable and bloom well.  I bought four of them but one mysteriously died.  Not sure why. Maybe something ate the roots. The bees like these columbine even though they are double. They are best in a part shade location and are hardy to zone 4.

So I have three different kinds of iris blooming right now.  These ones are Siberian iris in two different colours. They like to be wet. I wanted them in a drier location so I just kept giving them a good drink every few days, plus we did have quite a few rainy days.

This little iris, Bristly Iris, is native to some parts of North America.  It is only about 16" tall.  It can deal with wet or dry locations.  This one gets rain off the roof and is in a partly shady spot.  I was surprised to see a bumblebee go to each of the three petal areas and then later a swallowtail butterfly was feeding at it.

Here is a standard bearded iris.  An old variety so it's not as flashy as some new cultivars.  Bearded iris like a hot, dry full-sun location with their tubers partly exposed.  If they are not in a suitable location, they may still bloom but will likely flop over.

 The first planting of lettuce is doing well.  I started it inside in April. The challenge for me is not to start too many plants.  Do I need twenty lettuce at any time? No.  The seeds germinate so well and you get so many in a package  I find it hard to restrain myself. Fortunately, Pepper, my horse, will eat over grown lettuce.  I have made a new planting as lettuce gets bitter once it has reached maturity. Successive plantings are the way to go with lettuce and allow you to have fresh lettuce up until frost.

Luna Moth, Polyphemus moth, White Admiral Butterfly

June is a good time of year in Ontario to see moths.  This is a polyphemus moth.

The White Admiral butterfly doesn't look very special from a distance, but up close it has interesting details in blue and red.

I was happy to see that we had a luna moth.  In fact, we had two luna moths. I like the positioning of the little white moth with the big luna moth.

 The velvety textures of the edge of the wings and legs are wonderful.  What a dramatic face with the black eyes and thick antenna.  A very special moth.

Dreams - Flash Fiction

Dreams

 "I keep having dreams of flying. Soaring on the updrafts and gently floating down as the breeze wanes.

 

But alas, at daylight it is back to work in my striped suit. Grinding, plodding through my days,  until evening when I fall asleep, dreaming of wings and freedom.

 

Today is particularly constrained.  Perhaps I will take a few days off work.

 

The dream tonight is especially vivid.  When I wake up, I stretch and breathe deeply. I feel peculiar, my back is prickly. Astounded but delighted, I gradually realize the change. Joyfully, I spread my gorgeous orange and black wings. "

Butterflies - group shots Museum of Nature- Ottawa

 Bowls of fruit were popular with many of the butterflies

 If you click on this photo, you will see the whole image.  I counted 15 butterflies (not counting the blurry one). Perhaps there are even more.

I think I only saw one blue and white butterfly.  It looks like a pretty piece of china.

 In this photo, you can see the colour of the blue morpho when its wings are open, and the muted brown design with eyes that shows when the wings are closed.

The swallowtail butterfly on the left and the center one are very similar but not quite the same. Likely one is the female and the other the male.

Butterfly Delight

We went to the Museum of Nature in Ottawa to see the butterfly show. It was wonderful. So many butterflies! And lots of gorgeous Blue Morphos.  They are very active and when they rest they fold their wings and just show their brown outer colouring so I tried to get a short video of them.
Photos of  lots of butterflies coming soon.