a hot time in the garden

It's been a hot time in the old town (tonight). (That's a take-off on an old song my mother used to sing to my sister and I as she bathed us when we were little ones. Imagine two little babes singing in the bathtub as you hear Bessie Smith sing her rendition of it:

                                

But really, it's been SO hot. 90F in the shade doesn't work for me.

After a rain ( one of several through last week) on Sunday morning, I finally ventured out to roam the garden.

Here the Hollyhocks seem to be photo-bombing my picture of the garden.

so I gave them the attention they deserved

one of their exotic blooms unfurling

Next to them, on the Composter Trellis, the purple Clematis are a happy profusion

"reach for the sky!"

on the other side, the Echinacea is doing is Fibonacci Spiral

These seed centres are amazingly hard. The Spiral mesmerizes me

An Echinacea Bud unfurling

You'd think the Hydrangea were done for

They don't handle that heavy rain well, but amazingly they're back up today!

The vegetable garden in a nutshell

Dissecting it, we find the Scallion in bloom to the left

Next to it, the Garlic Scape's graceful swirl

(perfectly delicious, the scape is the flower bulb of a garlic plant

that must be cut in order to create a larger garlic bulb below the ground.)

Dance of the Seven Garlic Scapes

Actually I think I can see eleven in this shot.

The poppy seed heads are kind of creepy to me,

but we leave them in hopes of more seeding themselves; we had 5 new flowers this year.

Next to the poppy grows a huge Oregano bush.

Fresh oregano is so much more aromatic than dried, with a hint of cloves to it.

Just wonderful in almost any dish.

The Kale grows just beyond the oregano with the Swiss Chard in the foreground.

The Chard is so happy. You may see the carrot leaves peeking through.

,

The Beets, with a very similar leaf to the Chard, grow beside them.

See how the leaf is less lumpy looking?  The leaves are every bit as delicious as Chard.

An Arugula flower. I can't seem to stay ahead of the Arugula bolting

( bolting means it's gone to "seed" and the leaves are small and bitter.)  Lettuces like cooler weather.

The line-up next to the Beets and Chard, houses the tomatoes

with Beans and Peas, each with their own trellis.

a lovely tomato flower, so small, will grow into a huge tomato

The Purple Pole Beans flowers will make  purple beans that will turn green when cooked

Such exquisite blooms, rather like miniature orchids

The tendrils of the Snap Peas seem to be reaching everywhere but their trellis

They have a gorgeous little bloom

too small for a bouquet, and too precious not to eat

(why do I always feel so ferociously carnivorous around these darling babies???)

So much intense beauty in the world!

There are a few more surprises in the garden, believe it or not. For such a little garden, Wally has found room for Zucchini, Cucumber and Eggplant, but they went in late, so we'll see how they develop. In the meantime, there is dill and cilantro growing in odd places which are wonderful in so many dishes.

On the far side of the yard, Peppermint is growing along the fenceline.

I use it instead of mint in our quinoa tabbouli, a summer staple.

The little Peach tree has held onto all its fruit so far with nary a deer in sight.

Tart Red Currants

and black ones too

next door neighbours to our Raspberries

Raspberries ripening quickly

The neighbour's Cherry tree hangs into our yard where I share its fruit with the starlings.

The Harelson Apple tree is heavy with fruit this year

Our best crop in its 3 years

As I stand on the hill overlooking the garden, I can see the misty vista beyond the hayfield

I walk back to the side of the garage. In the middle ground you can see where Wally staked our messy Gogi Berry bush. It was sprawling in an ungainly 5 foot circumference and wanting to grow bigger. Wally will move it in the fall. The old tree stump in the foreground may very well have been another Ash tree planted over 80 years ago and slow to break down.

The Hostas will have to be transplanted as well as they are crowding each other.

Did you know that Hosta is a lily? It's flower bud about to unfurl.

In the Hosta bed there is this unusual flowering plant...

Darned if I remember its name

Then there is this monster with the prehistoric flowers that will open next month.

I found this startlingly beautiful visitor on one of its leaves. I did find its convoluted name:

Condylostylus, caudatus group

Wanting to title these photos, I finally learned that this ubiquitous weed

with the pretty purple flowers is called Selfheal

Buttercups are weeds too I guess, but they never fail to delight

I look across the driveway at the magnificent Ash growing out of our Maple hedge

 the bark swirls like a river around its branch

Just to the left, the teeny wild white Roses have died off

and left their little seed pods- rose hips- behind

In the corner, a gift of Day Lilies among the ground cover

Now I turn toward the house where we seem to have but one Asian Lily left

Note the seeded berries at the base of the leaves.

Instead, wild pink mallow have taken over the lily garden

That was Sunday.

Since then we have had a full moon.

I will often stand on the deck in the peace of night and take in the fresh cool country air and the quiet.

This morning, I mistakenly still had the flash on from the full moon night and Muji took the hit.

It didn't faze him though

This boy will do anything for a cuddle

"Plee--eeaze?"

The Muji paw flex,  mostly held up for a "high five"

but there are those times when I'm working at the kitchen counter,

 that he gets on a chair behind me and gives me a pat, startling the hell out of me.

60 pictures later- I think that's a record- I leave you with a morning shot of the black Hollyhocks

and wish you the gift of nature (when she's kind)

Because, after all,

it's Kindness that matters most,

to each other

and to ourselves.

Babu's Boo Boo

Saturday Evening's sky was so beautiful

Looking towards the SSE

Forget-Me-Not Cabin and the Hydrangeas in the evening's "sweet light"

On Monday the 4th, I had no idea that this was a foreboding

of things to come

as Babu often likes to listen to the birds sing

On July 5th he pushed out the loose screen in the bathroom window and was gone for about an hour before I realized it, judging from the noise that I dismissed as I wrote a birthday message to a friend.

I spent the better part of the day outside despite the heat, calling Babu and intermittently checking the neighbour's garage. Muji called too from the bedroom window sure, I think, that I was calling him. But somewhere along the way, I began to suspect that he knew Babu was gone.  I closed that window to encourage him to sleep, but I don't think he did. At one point I thought I saw Babu, but it turned out to be the neighbour's shy black cat that lives across the street who promptly ran home.  I parked myself in the shade of the ash tree that afternoon to do some branch clean-up  and continue calling.

It was a long day. I was sure, somehow, that Babu hadn't gone far but was just hiding somewhere. I had lots of time to think- beyond my self-recrimination and anxiety- and remember how Muji would probably suffer even more than we would without the comfort of having Babu to cuddle with, wash each other or play tag with before breakfast as Babu taught him to do.

In the evening I thought I saw Babu out of the corner of my eye in the mown hayfield, but it was a crow. It's amazing how your senses become heightened. Of course I was disappointed and exhausted by my self-imposed endurance test, but as dusk approached I walked up the street calling. As dark fell, I sat at the kitchen table when I thought I heard the sound of a cat. I ran outside in time to see a streak of black followed by a white streak go racing by. Within seconds I heard a scream and then another and ran first to the front of the house, calling, and then back inside to grab a flashlight.

I ran to the back of the house and, momentarily, Babu came leaping up against the wall of the walkout basement, close to where he first escaped, a feeble 4 foot jump. Upon missing, he crouched under the heat pump fan wherupon I tried to calm him with my voice, Babu growling all the while. Eventually I left the light shining on the wall that reflected onto both of us and went to wake up Wally, knowing I was taking a chance of losing Babu into the dark of the night.  From the open bedroom window, I told Wally I had found Babu whereupon he went flying out of bed and out of the room. I called him back to put his shoes on. I went inside to help him focus, but by then he actually had the presence of mind to suggest I bring a blanket (I brought a sheet) to throw on Babu.

Babu loves Wally, just dotes on him and as Wally spoke soothingly to him while Babu continued to growl, I came up alongside and patted him from behind with the sheet in the other hand. When he budged only a little, I took him by the scruff and pulled him into my arms where he lay, not struggling, sweet scared little boy that he was. Then I had to ask Wally to pull me up as I was in such a precarious position with my arms full. Wally struggled with my mass, but eventually got me up. We could finally laugh.

Except for a bloodless cut on the nose, I could see no damage. I knew that the morning would tell if he had any infections. Babu made strange with all of us and hissed as Muji came up and ran to hide, but eventually touched noses with Muji who sat quietly, waiting for Babu to come around.  Muji seemed to know it was alright and seemed genuinely calm for the first time all day. By the time I came to bed, Babu came to lay on the floor beside me, the safest place to be.

We all did a lot of sleeping the next day which was, fortunately, Wally's day off.

 

Muji looking beatific (with Wally's feet)

The two sweethearts slept together again

brothers of different mothers

nothing could make me happier

outside a small family of starlings, who have been nesting nearby,

gathered on the cabin roof

they all left, and then, this one did too

(our poor shingles- yes, Wally has plans to reroof the cabin)

Babu's Boo-boo the morning after

and for a Friday update, here is Muji after breakfast, where he sleeps still as I write this

Babu's cut is healing nicely and thankfully he has no infections

He must have run awfully fast

a morning repose, back to normal

It does make me wonder what animals retain in the way of memory and pain.

How quickly Babu seemed to forget how much we love him-

and yet, again, how quickly he seemed to come back to centre

as if the whole thing never happened,

playing, and cuddling with us and just being his normal self.

how grateful we are

not everybody has a happy ending

I hold that thought through happy times

It's all so fleeting

and we must be grateful for what we do have that is in place

and know that at this moment

there is peace.

Hay Baling on Canada Day

It's Canada Day, formerly Dominion Day, a holiday for most people in Canada,
but not the Early Bird.

Yesterday I woke to the hayfield mown, and today I woke to the last of the hay baled.

There is a makeshift wood shelter at the back of Forget-Me-Not Cabin beyond which I can see a goodly portion of the hayfield, looking due south.

The Honeysuckle perfume was intoxicating but the scent of hay had already waned.

I think this must be a new hayer, judging by his work style: the Early Bird.

As I turned back towards the house, there was Muji, squinting in the morning sun, waiting for me.

Turning towards the garden, one can see how high the hydrangeas are.

Our Canada Day garden

A row of Broccoli, looking like a totem pole with Oregano for a head

Just a little catch up on a most beautiful day.   While we're still waiting for rain, we are lucky to be able to water our little garden and keep it "together". .

Remember to hold this moment