Stay Calm and Breath...

Summer is moving right along now it's nearly 4th of July...and it's hot.  Birds are hard to find, in fact I had only one new bird in my 5 mile in June.  I already reported that to you nothing since the Cedar Waxwing, (#112) did see more waxwings today.  I am still trying to bird as often as I'm able but the humidity is UP there now and by 10 am it's too hot to enjoy being out unless you're swimming! 

her suit did resemble his pattern....

We went swimming again and this Zebra Swallowtail fell in love with my sister's swimsuit!  He spent the entire day with her.  

---

Then somehow he fell into the water; we missed him then saw him flopping in the water!! We were able to rescue him and he flew up in a pine tree to recover...he is such a beautiful creature glad he was not injured in his swimming accident...

My growing containers are producing some goodies: today's haul...

Butternut squash

...a new addition to my Plate collection YUM!! Thanks Sis what a surprise. 

Bad news....2 of the clear cut areas (300 acres) have been poisoned by the owner it was  sprayed to kill off the new vegetation to clear the way for more pine trees to be planted..it was inevitable as the wealthy must continue to be wealthy, no matter the cost to the natural world.  I have no idea how this will affect the birds that are nesting there and were feeding their young from those patches. Birds such as: Yellow Breasted Chat, Summer Tanager, Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Eastern Kingbird, Prairie Warbler, Yellow Billed Cuckoo, and so many more...woodpeckers, wrens, chickadees, vireos, the list is endless...and yet does this land owner have any idea that any birds are there trying to survive? Birds and mammals that he is helping to destroy?  I saw a coyote running for his life out of one patch this morning... It's just like a run away train, that I have no power to stop.:o(

This beautiful Summer Tanager (Female) has young in one of these patches...

and this sweet fledged Blue Grosbeak...also lives there

Some fool ran over this beautiful Timber Rattler

damn why???

I have to try and stay positive as this type thing works negatively on my mind...it makes me despise all the people who live around here...

For people out there who care about and love birds, I spent a little time with a beautiful Black and White Warbler, he lives in one of these patches too....I put together this short vid of the time I shared with him a couple weeks ago and I wanted to share that with you!  (for best quality click on the title and go watch on youtube.)

Have a great week!

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

Free and Not so Free.

Today the girls had to go meet the Care-A-Van, the mobile vet, for their shots, blood tests and heartworm pills.  I got a yrs supply cause its always a pain running around trying to get supplies..so they are set for a entire YEAR! AND we were first in line...I got there at 10 till 10 and no one was there yet.  I go to the IGA parking lot, they are there about every 3 weeks so its a great thing for the community..and dont you know that the DVM's are trying to stop the mobile vets from providing some services! I swear soon the under priviledged and ME are not going to be able to make it in this wealthy society where only the well to do will be able to afford anything!!! Can you tell Im a little fed up? As it is it cost me $212.00 for the 2 dogs, blood test, heartworm pills which I cant get without the bloodtest result of negative.  Then the yearly booster shots, and their vaccine tags.  IF I had to go do this at the VET's office I would have to pay an additional $40 for an office visit per dog! So I hope the DVM's are defeated with this latest attempt at making life harder for the majority of us!

I've never successfully grown a watermelon or cantaloupe in my garden, it generally gets too hot, BUT this yr...a volunteer came up in the compost pile...I dont know what it is yet what do you think? It could be a squash of some kind too....medontknow!

I may see some slight ridges and that may mean cantaloupe

Been getting a few of the small tomatoes for the window ledge along with a sunflower and a dahlia flower broken over by the hard rain so they had to come inside so I could continue to enjoy these Beautiful faces, OH the birds planted that Sunflower for me :o)

So I got a nice melon on the vine, and sunflowers all thanks to the efforts of mother nature..OH and in my compost pile are more avacado trees! ONE did live that I transplanted last yr.  I thought they all died but then I found it...Ill have to keep you posted on that one...and I will try transplanting the two new ones.

I love my rooster plates got these in the "dime store" for a buck a piece! They are just cheap plates but for everyday they make me smile!

and Im not working on the inside of the "windows" room.  The old sunroom.  Im putting up new paneling on the walls I had to remove and putting the trim around the windows on the inside..

Ive got the inside casing & ledges done and have the small one finished...just the finish paint needs to be put on. I primed the wood already...the paneling I like it the way it is, but I didnt tear down the dividing wall so I will paint that wall I'm gonna go BRIGHT more on that later.

Im going to put a shelf the length of the wall in that space....a great spot for starting seedlings....I created a LARGE ledge for the South Facing Lower Window I figure plants will want to sit there and enjoy that window! This end of the room will be the new potting and winter plant storage area..and who knows what else.

IM waiting for the finale of HGTV Design Star, comes on at 8 pm... this is the first time I've watched it...fun to see what ideas other have...some are outrageous--- others are pretty dang cool!!

PEACE

Fall is a good time...

TO Plan for the Future!

I'm a big believer in growing my own herbs and so outside my back door I have rosemary, parsley, sage, and I always plant lots of basil in pots.   I save the seeds each yr from the basil and use it to start a new batch in the spring... and bring at least ONE pot indoors before frost, to eat fresh basil until it finally gives up and begins to die back...which can sometimes be well into December!  I think its a good idea to buy an extra packett of seeds when I buy, just in case THE unexpected happens, who knows?  SO while the shelves of retailers is crammed to overflow with cheap Christmas decor, I can pull out the seeds I tucked away and get an early start on my gardening for next yr.  I normally buy extra arugula, spinach, and parsley seeds so I can get a jump on the growing season...you're supposed to start indoors 6 weeks before your last frost, well for me that means I need my seeds to be in the dirt and on the window ledge by March 1.
I dry the herbs and grind them up to use through the winter...

So I save the shaker bottles when I run out of Ms-Dash and other spices...and I fill it up with my own dried herbs, I put a letter on top such as an S for sage, P for parsley, etc!

sage

Rosemary 

I dry the herbs in old baking pan, just let it sit around in a dry location and once the herb is dry enough I use the Magic Bullet to grind it up....

FLICKR ATE MY PHOTOS

Then in the storage containers it goes....

It makes me feel good to know that I CAN grow some of what I eat and I can preserve and save some for the future..its not exactly gonna save me if 12.21.2012 is the last day of civilized life as we know it but I can at least sprinkle a little flavor on my cardboard if it comes to that!

Another way to plan our future is to get out and vote on Tuesday, I voted early with my Mom, people over 65 can vote early and so can their care givers...so my vote has already been cast and counted!! I believe our governing system needs to be completely revamped but UNTIL that happens we have to go with what we have. 

 

PEACE

Slow Grow?

Did you ever get one of those weekends where its all work and no play? Well thats what this one ended up as-LOTS of grass to cut, stuff to move, plants needing attention, housework, All that Have to--Stuff-yuk...but finally I'm relaxing now!! Noticed a few things...out in the garden...

Last yr this shot (left) of my basil crop was taken in mid to late June, The plants were not big but they bloomed assuring my seed for next yr. This yr I planted the basil EARLY started it indoors..
Its growing
But its not
blooming yet
AND I didnt save Seeds for next yr!!!

The tomatoes are getting big but taking so long to get ripe!

and my pepper plants

have plenty of leaf,

bloom, and yet only little pea sized peppers!

THE CUCUMBER
IS SMALL

THE DILL WENT
TO SEED

                                THE ONIONS?

THE STRAWBERRIES
DRIED UP ON THE
STEM

AND THE FIG TREE
all seem to be growing at a slower pace..I didnt do anything differently than I normally do..Last yr this fig tree was eaten by deer so it didnt quite recover--

This was amusing...one of the new female hummers feeding on the other side of the bottle...can you see her?

And look who is up to his old tricks..Watching me do all the work while he does all the relaxing!! He really has the life of Riley!!

And this Female American Goldfinch stopped to pay us a visit this weekend...In summer we dont generally get these finches but I guess she was passing through...and needed a drink of water!

How's your summer going so far?
 

PEACE