Muji and the pheasant wake up call

The beating wind of the last 24 hours has settled down to a brisk breeze. The rain subsided in the early morning. Muji trilled and hummed with a mYow for punctuation to get me up. Oh, I so wanted a little more sleep. But then I heard, for the third time, the drumming of a pheasant's wings and it's scratchy cackle so close that I jumped out of bed.

There was a beautiful male in the garden

I was lucky to catch him just in time as he began to leave, still on the search for bugs.

Picking up the pace

Betwixt grapevine and forget-me-nots

a closer look reveals his mock horns or "ears"; isn't that so like a medieval dragon!

and off he goes into the maple and lilac hedge to search my neighbour's garden

The wind had nearly dried the grass already so I headed off in my pajamas to see the lupins, 

just beyond Forget-Me-Not Cabin.

They have come so far in a day

Beyond the trailing honeysuckle, the lupins fill this end of the hayfield

The honeysuckle buds: how odd; I'm sure they bloomed orange and white last year.

We'll see soon enough what transpires.

The windswept lupins

and a last look out back. I dreamed last night a bulldozer had ripped this up for a suburban tract.

It is for sale. We cross our fingers and toes that no one would use it for such a thing.

So I wandered over to the Pink Tulip and found her disrobed. Oh my.

only her pistil and stamens left.

Do you remember the strangely hard purple buds that grew tight to the ground?

 This is what they became. I still don't remember what they are called.

Here are some more blooming by the dead tree trunk in the morning light.

By the composter, the Clematis are in bud

A Harelson apple begins to grow

Hopefully they will survive the deer this year

The poppy, the garlic, and a small row of lettuce beyond.

a poppy bud

Just a little update; we have the pheasant to thank.

holding the light