Thurs. June 25, 2020: Dreams of House & Garden

image courtesy of dimitrisvetsikas 1969 via pixabay.com

I’m scheduled for surgery today. In the twilight of anesthesia, I hope I will dream about a place as beautiful as this.

Catch you next week!

 

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Thurs. June 18, 2020: Growth

image courtesy of Conger Designs via pixabay.com

Thursday, June 18, 2020
Waning Moon 4th Quarter in Taurus
Pluto Retrograde
Saturn Retrograde
Venus Retrograde
Jupiter Retrograde
Mercury Retrograde
Foggy and cool
Celtic Tree Month of Oak

Things are growing, and it’s lovely to watch. Summer Solstice this weekend, and then we start losing light.

The morning glories and the moonflowers are both doing well. I think the morning glories might start blooming next week. The pollinator mix and the zinnias are coming up, but the hollyhocks never sprouted, which is a disappointment.

The pansies are still going strong, but with the weather getting warmer, it might become too much for them.

The tomatoes, basil, and other herbs are coming along nicely, and the eggplant and cherry seeds have sprouted. Keeping a close eye on them, for transplanting.

The lettuce is nearly done; not a good year for lettuce this year, sadly. We usually have it going like gangbusters well into August. I might try sowing some mixed greens (today is a planting day), and maybe finally get the beans in. Might be too late, but worth a shot. Someone told me I can still sow the sunflowers.

Everything on the deck was covered in a thick layer of yellow tree pollen. I hosed down the deck and the furniture, but some of the plants will need the leaves sprayed or individually washed, or the pollen will choke it. I do love the pine trees, but the pollen can be annoying.

Neighbors all around are cutting down perfectly healthy trees, which is infuriating. On Independence Drive, in Hyannis, they cut ALL the large gorgeous trees in the median, and most of the trees on the side, revealing so much dust and ugliness. People on the Cape are bound and determined to use the pandemic as a reason to destroy as many natural resources as possible. It’s not progress; it makes the area look cheap and ugly.

Reveals a lot about the people doing it, right?

In any case, I am happy in my enchanted garden. On a typical summer, I would spend most of my time here, avoiding the tourist mayhem. This year, I will particularly do so. I am filled with gratitude for the space, even though I haven’t been able to put in the money to do everything I want.

If it clears up a bit more, I will spend a few hours this morning working on the front beds. They need some tidying up. I did some work on the beds in the back over the last few days, battling invasives, weeding, getting things watered. The lawn guy should be here at some point this week (he usually comes every two weeks, and this is week 3).

One of the things I love doing is paging through garden magazines, reading garden memoirs, and planning gardens for my fictional characters. It’s a way to experiment with gardens on a larger scale, and then, maybe find ways to incorporate some of my favorite things in my own.

I won’t post next Thursday – I am currently scheduled for surgery. I hope to be able to spend time healing in my garden.

Peace, my friends, and I’ll be back in touch in two weeks.

 

Thurs. June 11, 2020: Progress

Thursday, June 11, 2020
Waning Moon 3rd Quarter in Aquarius
Pluto Retrograde
Saturn Retrograde
Venus Retrograde
Jupiter Retrograde
Celtic Tree Month of Oak
Cloudy and humid

Things are growing, which is good, about now. It’s warmer and humid, but still much cooler than usual. Not that I’m complaining for myself, but I worry about the plants.

The transplanted tomatoes are doing well, with their little basil companions. The cucumber now has three blossoms – let’s hope the bees pollinate! Peppers are doing well. Nothing from the eggplants yet – I have a feeling Che Guevara Chipmunk’s been digging.

Morning glories and moonflowers are growing well. Pollinator mix doing well, as are the zinnias. Nothing from the hollyhocks, which is disappointing.

The herbs are all doing well.

I have to scrub the tree pollen off all the surfaces, but other than that, our Enchanted Deck is doing quite well.

Today is another planting day. As late as it is, I’m going to plant some zucchini seeds, beans, and start the peas soaking to plant tomorrow. I know, I know, it’s waaaay late to plant peas. But I’ll try.

I cut back a lot in the front beds and on the side. I have to clean out the front beds, do some more weeding and tidying up around the roses, and get rid of some invasives in the back. The weather’s been a little wonky, so I haven’t done all that much. I’m hoping for a nice weekend, so I can spend a couple of hours every day getting things done.

I’m designing a garden for one of my books – and having such a good time with it. There’s a lot of room in this fictional garden, and it’s set within a wood, so there’s all kinds of fun stuff, with patches of sun and shade.

The lettuce is absolutely yummy, and we love being able to eat it.

The pair of bunnies love the patches of dandelion and clover in the yard. They’re so much fun to watch. The birds are busy, and Che Guevara Chipmunk keeps everyone in line.

Willa loves going outside in the playpen. She’s really funny.

It’s so nice to sit outside and read a book or write or have a cocktail on the deck and just enjoy the yard. It’s always nutty around here in summer because of tourists, so I’m always grateful to have this sanctuary. I’m even more grateful this year, with the reckless re-opening and people running around like the virus doesn’t exist any more.

I’ll just stay and enjoy my sanctuary.

How is your garden doing?

Thurs. June 4, 2020: Watching Growth

 

Thursday, June 4, 2020
Second Quarter Moon in Scorpio
Pluto Retrograde
Saturn Retrograde
Venus Retrograde
Jupiter Retrograde
Celtic Tree Month of Hawthorn
Sunny and humid

The first flower on the cucumber plant blossomed! I’m very excited. There are plenty of bees around, so let’s hope we get actual cucumbers.

The morning glories, moonflowers, and pollinators are sprouting. We lost some of the lettuce when the large peace lily was knocked over by the wind and fell on it, but the lettuce that survived is doing well.

We’re eating lettuce from our own garden. As always, it has more taste than anything in the store (and is safer to eat).

The hollyhock seeds did not sprout, but I think Che Guevara Chipmunk might have something to do with that.

The lilacs have come and gone, except for my lovely potted white Edith Cavell lilac that still blooms, and the Miss Kim lilac that is just starting. The iris are in bloom. We don’t have many iris left, but the ones we have are lovely.

There are two large brown bunnies who eat breakfast and dinner in the yard. I keep patches of dandelions for bunnies, bees, and butterflies. Che Guevara Chipmunk is very, very busy. He comes right up on the deck now to talk to me, and to tease Willa in her playpen. He never dared to tease Tessa, because she told him right off.

The birds are back and happy: cardinals, blue jays, crows, lots and lots of warblers. I hear the mourning dove early in the morning. Bratty Bird is finally back. Tessa hasn’t been out on the deck often; I think Bratty Bird misses teasing her.

I have to replant tomato seedlings today, and plant eggplant and cherry seeds. I might plant some beans, too. I forgot to soak the pea seeds overnight, so they will have to wait.

I might do a run to the garden center (masked, of course) to get more lettuce and some herbs. I bought a big pot of basil that I can break up and plant with the tomatoes, but I also need marigolds.

This weekend is supposed to be nice, so I’m going to weed beds and do some repotting, rearranging, and put out the garden stakes and the solar lights. Just a little bit every day, and, eventually, it will get done.

I also want to see if I can root cuttings from the fluffy pink azalea-or-maybe-it’s-a-rhody and from the big lilac.

How is your garden growing?