How Does Our Garden Grow?

Posted on June 23, 2020 by TJ

Hannah Joy is totally enjoying the new living room arrangement. The recliner was less accessible and more crowded with both of us sitting in it, and she had been very vocal about her complaints. But now that I’ve moved the couch next to my computer, she can stretch out while cuddling–and I like that she doesn’t kick me in the stomach every time she leaps off to check out a noise, smell, or sight. Now her only complaint is when I stop petting her. Here is a slideshow of photos of her enjoying her cuddles.

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Sunday I went with EJ to a farm store–one that we rarely go to–because EJ was searching for fertilizer to put on his corn. We were going to leave Hannah Joy home because we didn’t want to leave her shut up in the Xterra on a hot day while we were in the store. However, she pleaded so much that we gave in and took her along. She hates being parted from us. I stayed with her–with the windows down–while EJ went into the store. But first, EJ and I walked to the plants that the store had outside, not far from our vehicle. I put in the cart sweet mint, spearmint, two oregano, and two rosemary plants–all plants that weren’t growing well (or at all) in my garden. EJ put in a few plants too–I think he bought thyme but I don’t know what else. Then I went back to the vehicle while EJ went into the store. He was unsuccessful at finding the fertilizer he needed, but we did get the plants so the trip wasn’t fruitless.

When we returned home, EJ went out back to work in his garden (pictured at the top of this post) while I eagerly carried my new plants to the herb garden. It was then that I discovered that on the way home, the rosemary plants had magically changed into lavender plants. Ok, that’s probably not exactly what happened. I probably accidentally grabbed lavender instead of rosemary plants at the store. Although I love lavender, I was a bit disappointed because I had really wanted rosemary since my seeds hadn’t sprouted at all. I use fresh herbs during the summer but also dehydrate some for winter use. I have to laugh because a couple of months ago, EJ rearranged my herb jars so four of them were in the order of parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme like in the song Scarborough Fair.

At twilight on Sunday evening, we saw a Mama deer trot past the house with her two fawns. They were tiny and very adorable. I didn’t get a photo of the deer, but I did get a few of the beautiful scarlet tanager that I saw in the trees on Saturday morning. I love living here in our very Enchanted Forest.

Later Sunday evening, Hannah Joy suddenly leaped with a sharp bark off the couch, ran into the kitchen, and caught a mouse that Little Bear had been watching. Then Hannah ate it. Yuck. Dogs are sometimes gross. Hannah is a better mouser than our indoor cats although our outdoor cats have been successful at killing rodents.

I knew that it was going to begin raining on Monday afternoon so I went out during the morning and mowed the lawn. I got most of it done before the first sprinkles started to fall and I had to stop. I only didn’t get the little bit on the other side of the garage, around the propane tank and underneath the clothesline. I can do that when it stops raining–or even wait until the next time I mow the lawn. I have felt a bit out-of-sorts over the last couple of days. I would blame the rainy days except rainy days tend to make me feel cozy. I suspect the real reason I am out-of-sorts is because I haven’t been sleeping well and I am more tired than usual.

Once it started raining, it rained and rained. Hannah didn’t want to go out in the rain. When I tried to put her out, she just gave me a pathetic look so I brought her back inside, knowing that she’d probably wake me in the night to go outside. Which, of course, she did. EJ had just gotten home from work and he was still awake so he came outside with Hannah Joy and me. He said he encountered a bit of flooding on his way home.

We’ve had so much rain that the chicken pen is very muddy so last night I carried Theo and Mille into the coop and I carried them out again this morning so they didn’t get their fur muddy. I would have left them in the coop but they need to have access to their food. In the morning I always carry their food dish into the doghouse in the garden. If I leave it in the coop, the chickens eat it. The cats have plenty of shelter from the rain.

On his way to work yesterday afternoon, EJ stopped at another store for the fertilizer he wants. They didn’t have it either but he did buy me two rosemary plants. YAY! Even though it’s still raining today, I got the rosemary plants from the Xterra this morning and planted them in the herb garden. My mistake at the store turned out well because I ended up with both lavender AND rosemary plants.

It has rained steadily all day today. Sometimes it rained sideways in huge waves, which is always interesting to see. I saw the roses in our flower garden covered in jewel-like raindrops. It was so pretty that I took photos.

We actually have a lot of milkweeds that have planted themselves in our flower garden. We almost now have more milkweed than anything else, but I’m not taking them out because the Monarch butterflies lay their eggs on them. So now I’m calling our flower garden “the butterfly garden.” I’m pretending I planned it this way.