Thoughts of Spring

Spring is definitely here.

Tomatoes are planted . . .



butterflies are in the yard . . .



and Bentley is adamant that it is time to go outside - NOW!



I hate to deprive him of time outside, but he's been sick lately - so sick that he had to stay at the vet's. He can see the yard from our front window and the screened porch, but it just isn't the same.

Today I picked up a couple of catnip plants and I'll replenish the containers of wheat grass so there'll be a little more green stuff inside. It's not "outside", but it will have to do.

In the midst of Bentley's illness, Luigi got sick, too. Luigi didn't make it. Now he and Muffin and Gordon are gone. It's one of the disadvantages when litters are adopted - everyone is old at the same time.
(Luigi is gray, Muffin is the tabby and Gordon is the "blonde".)



A walking iris was blooming the day we brought Luigi home.



Now I think of him and the other cats who are no longer with us whenever I see one.

Summer rains

Since the summer rains have begun, the daylilies, sunflowers and cosmos have begun to flower. The grass now requires a weekly "haircut" and the frogs are singing on a daily basis as they celebrate the returning moisture.



Another result of the rain is mushrooms. Several have popped up along the driveway.



The tomatoes continue to grow, some successfully, some not. There are people who have so many tomatoes that they give away bushels and bushels. I am not yet one of those people. As a matter of fact, the tomato plant that has produced most successfully so far, was a volunteer!



Still, I look forward to my annual tomato adventure. As with many other areas of my life, each year I learn a little more and make a little more progress.

It's tomato time

Well, not exactly tomato time . . . It's tomato planting time.

I'm experimenting with container planting this year.


The container looks like this




I filled it 3/4 full with soil



added tomato plants



and herbs





and a plastic bag barrier to hold in moisture and keep out pests --



Now all I have to do is wait for tomatoes!

Instructions for making your own container can be found here.

Summer is here

I know that Summer doesn't officially begin for a few more days, but my garden says that it's summertime.

My "garden guardin' goddess" is ready for her second season. She could stand to have a bit more spanish moss hair, and her garden twine dress has seen better days, but she's happy to be in the yard where she can enjoy the sun, breezes, and growing things. This summer I may make a sister or two to join her.

Now that the rains have returned, the yard is starting to fill up with plants and flowers.

The tomato plants have reached the point where they present a ripe tomato each day when I come home. That may not be a big deal to a lot of people, but my tomato growing history is not a happy one.



The first tomato plants I grew were taller than me -- and had no fruit. They had spent all of their energy growing green stuff, not red stuff.
The next time I tried, I did have some nice tomatoes ripening on the plants, until the bugs and animals got to them before I did.

This year I decided to try grape and cherry tomatoes . . .

Success at last!

I think they're too small to catch the attention of the critters, so I've been able to enjoy my tomatoes this year.


Meanwhile, the flowers are flourishing.

Seeds planted several weeks ago are sprouting and starting to bud and bloom.


The sunflowers, while small, are continuing to grow, as are the cosmos, marigolds and zinnias. The garden is full of splashes of yellow, orange, and red.

The bees and lizards and dragonflies zip around the yard using my bamboo stakes as launching and landing pads.

I really enjoy seeing the wild creatures enjoying the garden.

Excuse me, I think I hear my garden calling . . .