Living on the edge
Hubby planted some sunflowers at the end of our veggie garden. The seeds were a Valentine’s Day Gift!! So different and thoughtful. Well the sunflowers are at full height and the blooms are opening. Only the yellow ones are open now, the red ones (shorter) are yet to open. And the photo illustrates just how tall they are. I’m looking up at them to take this photo and am zoomed in a bit on my iPhone. They are about 4 feet taller than me. But OH SO PRETTY!
There are lots of bird sounds coming from the West yard. In the nearly-devastated Kousa dogwood hangs the wren house. The wrens had started a second nesting when the micro-burst hit our property with 80+ MPH winds that knocked down a 50 foot maple. It hit the Kousa dogwood dead center and totally broke all the limbs. Somehow, the wren house was not knocked down and, four days after the storm, the arborists came out and removed the maple. They first pruned the Kousa with a chain saw then carefully pruned the Kousa remnants. I had the bird house in my hands for a while and hung it back up in the tree where it had been, mostly because I had no where else to put it. The next morning, the wrens were in the tree remnants singing and soon the male was bringing the female food while she sat on the eggs. I cannot believe that they did not abandon the nest. These are determined bird parents.
So, the eggs hatched and the parents have been busily feeding the babies in the nest that are becoming more and more noisy as they clamor for food. I am hoping that they are ready to fledge – in fact early tomorrow morning would be a good time. The landscape project is beginning here tomorrow — demolition of the sidewalk that runs right by their nest. I’m sure they won’t be happy with all the activity, but I’m guessing they won’t abandon the nest either.
Here are photos from my viewpoint at the table pondside.
The materials for the front walk and the dumpster arrived on Thursday, July 30. Demolition of our outdoor landscape is supposed to begin on Monday, so I’m calling this Day-4 of construction. 15 yards of sand, two pallets of portland cement, 2 of concrete blocks, and 3 of granite and that’s only for the front steps, sidewalk, and front door step. Wowza!
Hubby is supervising and I’m up on the deck and in the kitchen taking photos.
Yes, spring is here! Spring is (finally) here!
There are indications all over our yard.
The PJM azalea is in bloom. Beautiful purple right outside my kitchen window. I call this my “thermometer plant” as I can tell how cold it is in the winter by how curled up the leaves are. This past winter was really hard on it and leaves and blooms are scarce, but it is still alive
The marsh marigold plants are in full bloom in the pond — beautiful yellow.
The forsythia is solid gold up on the hill and by the driveway.
The daffodils are also in full bloom.
Oh yeah, and I’ve played 2 rounds of golf so far. Lots of bogies, which are good for me. Don’t know where this good golfing is coming from, but not worrying about it too much less it go away. 😉
Yes, at last, spring is finally here
(photos to be added later)
And it’s a big one! Thursday was a beautiful day for a walk. It turned out to not be really great exercise as I was enjoying the weather too much and stopping too many times for photos. But, at least winter appears to be gone and it’s good weather for long walks in town.
Here’s Ridgefield’s largest sugar maple — from a 2008 survey and contest.
If you go back about a year in this blog you will find a large empty room with construction photos as a wall of windows was being replaced. Well, after a summer of trying to contract a painter, we found one at the end of the season who is now in with his “guys” and painting this room. It’s going to be fantastic when it is done. In fact, it is already looking much better as the paint goes on. But the smell of the oil based primer is driving me out of the house today. Hubby will be here to supervise!
So, it snowed about 2 inches here today and I’m enjoying a day where I don’t have to go anywhere or do anything until tonight. Decided to do a little blog work and so some postings with reflections on the holidays just past.
This photo is from our day trip to Peddler’s Village in Lahaska, PA with our good friends from Jew Jersey. There is a gingerbread house contest there every year. One of my favorites from this year is the leaning tower of pisa represented in gingerbread. And guess what is keeping it from falling down? A bunch of Santa’s reindeer have joined forces to hold it up from the right side. There are also several in the sleigh cheering them on. Close up photos will reveal a strained look on the face of the reindeer who is the bottom of the group holding up the tower and a couple of them in the sleigh with their “arms” raised in cheering. So cute!
Photo taken on almost the last day of the year (Dec 29). Where did 2014 go?
Yes, it’s time for those resolutions again. Blogging is among them.
Future post — more info on how running alters time./
It most certainly must, because here we are in 2015 and I haven’t posted since October of 2014.
But life is good.
Today, two minutes seemed way longer than two minutes. Or maybe, since I was running in my hilly community, my timing was just off and the uphill portions were in the wrong part of my splits. Running uphill is a bit challenging when you are just starting out after not running for about 30 years. Where are those endorphins that everyone keeps talking about? I could have used a few of them today. But day 2 is under my belt, so to speak.
Started training for the Turkey Trot today. Did a 55 minute workout with 9 five-minute splits in it (2 on 3 off). Not really a hard workout but by the 5th split, the three minute walk was sooooo short.
But I was running in a beautiful resort community in Westbrook CT – great views of Long Island Sound.
So it begins.