I Love To Go A Gardening
Growing Our Life in Northern Michigan
Plants. And Chickens. And Binoculars.
Yesterday EJ had to have his blood drawn in preparation for a doctor’s appointment tomorrow morning. We had an enjoyable 30 mile (or so) drive to the lab. Afterwards we stopped at the nearby farm-market type store because EJ had had to fast for the blood draw and he was starving. We picked up sliced roast beef (which I always call roast beast), bread, and cheese and had yummy sandwiches when we got home.
After I moved the birdhouses further apart, I saw the sparrow from the blue birdhouse chase away a sparrow sitting on the other birdhouse so I assumed the houses were still too close to each other. Bummer. I went to my computer and googled how close to put birdhouses and learned that they should be about 25 feet apart. Seriously? I can’t believe that all the birds that visit our yard are building their nests 25 feet apart! However, I have seen the sparrows fighting over territory so….I pulled up the middle post with the birdhouse on it and moved it over near my strawberry patch. I had envisioned birdhouses all over our yard. Spacing them 25 feet apart means that I will not be able to have any additional houses. Sigh. Hopefully the houses are now all far enough apart so the birds don’t fight.
Yesterday I weeded the strawberry patch and herb garden while fighting off swarms of mosquitoes. I really need the bug net hat-thing to arrive soon and I really need it to be effective.
Today EJ and I drove to the meat market for some ground beef and a chicken. We haven’t had chicken for a while because the chickens from the grocery stores are’t very appealing. We hear there are all sorts of unappealing stuff done to them. EJ has a co-worker friend who will sell us some of the chickens he has raised, but until we can get them we bought the chicken from the meat market. Their chickens are better than the grocery store ones. We cooked it when we got home, but it wasn’t done before EJ had to leave for work so I made him a roast beast sandwich instead.
One problem JJ and I are having is that food is not appealing to us right now. Everything seems “bleagh.” JJ, especially, says he just can’t eat anything that he ate while having Chemo. Even when I make something that sounds good to him, he doesn’t eat near as much as he did. That makes fixing meals kind of difficult. So I told EJ, “WE NEED CHICKEN!” to give us more recipes to choose from. Even today, though, JJ said the chicken was “meh” to him. I think this lack of appetite is a “side effect” of his cancer battle.
A few days ago, EJ came home from work with a gift catalog in honor of his 15 year anniversary at his company. He can choose any one gift in the catalog. He looked through the catalog and said that he really didn’t want anything in it and I could choose the gift. I told him that I felt as if I was stealing his anniversary gift, but he insisted. I immediately knew what to choose: A couple of weeks ago I was looking at the birds at our feeders through EJ’s small binoculars that he is letting me borrow. I thought, “Too bad I can’t take photographs of what I see through binoculars.” Then my friend told me that there really are camera binoculars. I thought that was amazing. So when I saw one in the gift catalog, I knew that is what I would choose. It’s not going to be a really expensive, high quality one, of course, but it might be good enough to enjoy using around home. And it’s free. I think it will be fun.
This morning I took a couple of pictures of some of the herbs in my herb garden. I also took a picture of a flower that I noticed as I was walking Danny today. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to walk Danny because it’s supposed to rain today (and tomorrow and the day after). However, when I looked at the radar for our area at the Accuweather website, I see that the rain is breaking up before it gets to us. That happens to us quite often. Sometimes it will look like a storm is going to hit us directly, and then it either dissipates before it gets to us or it splits and half the storm passes just to our north and half just to the south and we slide through the break. It must happen because of the geography of our area or something?
Squirrels, Mosquitoes, and Stuff
Oh, my goodness, it’s been a week since I have written. I didn’t realize it had been that long. We have all been tired and unmotivated this week. JJ said it’s been really hitting him that he had CANCER and that he could have died from it.
Besides planting various vegetable and fruit plants last week, EJ planted some vegetable seeds. I am not sure exactly what he planted. I forgot to ask. Oops. Last week we had days of sunshine mingled with days of rain. I was glad for the rainy days that gave our “crops” deep drinks to quench their thirst.
I checked the other birdhouse to make sure it was empty, and then I moved it a few feet away from the blue birdhouse. I’m hoping to move the birdhouses far enough away from each other that the sparrows don’t have turf wards. I am not really sure how far apart I should place them. I suppose I should do research but I keep forgetting. I saw a wren singing on top of the birdhouse in its new location, but the sparrows always seem to chase the wrens away from the houses. Poor wrens.
I bought a bag of fruit and nut bird food last week and put it in the big tray feeder near the pine tree. The nuts enticed a squirrel. He (or she) eyed it for a few days and then learned how to access it so the tray has become a squirrel feeder. I decided that rather than battle “nuisance” birds or squirrels, I’d consider them all part of the community and let whoever comes enjoy the food. At least I will do this unless my feeders attract birds like in Alfred Hitchcock’s old movie “The Birds” or huge populations of squirrels invade or something. If my yard becomes a horror-movie type setting then I will definitely make changes and fight back.
One horror-esque thing in my garden are the mosquitoes. They swarm me whenever I go outside, making working in the garden more of an ordeal. Consequently, I didn’t work in the garden much last week. I can wear long sleeves and gloves to protect my body but then they go for my face. So I sent away for a insect bug net to protect my head. It should arrive in a few days. It cost less than $5. I hope it works….
The peonies in my peony garden are beginning to bloom. I think they are such beautiful flowers. My wild rose bush (at least, I think that’s what it is) is blooming too. It has beautifully fragrant little flowers.
Our Little Micro-Farm
EJ and I had a tremendous day together.
After waking up with a cups of coffee and the Internet, we decided to go out for breakfast. JJ didn’t go with us because his days and nights are all mixed up. He stays awake most of the night and sleeps most of the day. We drove to the city and ate at Denny’s. Whenever we go to Denny’s we always joke about the “Denny’s” scene from the movie, The Santa Clause. “I’m going to have chocolate milk,” one of us says, and the other replies, “They’re out.” Actually, the food was delicious.
On the way to Denny’s we came upon adult geese escorting their babies across a busy street. There were several adults and many babies–maybe 40 or 50 geese in all. I had my camera with me so I was able to take a video of them through our dirty windshield.
After we ate breakfast, we drove to a nearby store that is sort of like a farm market. They have a good selection of bird seeds so we bought a large bag of mixed seed, two bags of fruits and nuts, a box of twelve orange suets and a box of twelve peanut butter suets. Then we went to their plant nursery and bought two grape vines and another blueberry bushes. Afterwards we drove on to the grocery store to pick up a few groceries.
When we got home, I made some bread dough and got it raising (and then baking). I took Danny for his walk, and then EJ and I went outside to work in the garden. We planted the two dwarf cherry trees that we bought the other day. We now have a small orchard of six cherry trees. We planted the new blueberry bush near the other three, and we planted the two grape vines. Then EJ planted the rest of the veggie plants that he bought the other day.
We have a relatively small yard in a small village, but our yard is filled with all sorts of veggies, fruits, herbs, and flowers. We have sort of a micro-farm. We are growing:
Veggies: tomato, Bell and hot peppers, celery, cabbage, cucumber, butternut and acorn squash, and cantaloupe, leeks, parsnips, and others.
Fruit: Rhubarb, Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, grape vines, cherry trees, and a couple Alberta peach trees.
Herbs: Sage, Oregano, Basil, Chives, Coriander, Winter Savory, Golden Marjoram, Lemon Thyme, Caraway, Lemon Grass, French Tarragon, Bay Leaves, Bronze Fennel, Borage, Rosemary, Pennyroyal, Peppermint, Spearmint, Chamomile, Sorrel, Lovage, Lemon Balm, Garlic, and maybe a few others that I am forgetting.
Flowers: We have Lilac, Peonies, Roses, Sunflowers, Morning Glories, Phlox, Lilies, Lilies of the Valley, Black-eyed Susans, Lavender, Hyssop, Lamb’s Ears, Iris, among others. We also have many shade plants such as Hostas and Ferns and Creeping Charlie. I also planted flower seeds to attract hummingbirds and butterflies this year. And, of course, we have tons of birds. And quite a few cats. And a dog.
In addition, we also have a lot of maple seedlings which I am trying to pull up. Yesterday I saw that millions more maple seeds were raining down from the trees. We also now have a blooming population of mosquitoes that attack me when I go outside. I could do without more maple seeds and mosquitoes.
EJ and I had a tremendous day together. Now we are tired, but it is a good tired.
Houses & Gardens
Yesterday EJ and I worked in the garden for a bit. EJ planted his tomato and pepper plants in his veggie garden and then he planted his blueberry bushes in the area of the yard where the birdhouses are.
While EJ planted, I planted the two cherry tomato plants that our neighbor gave us in a hanging basket. We’ve heard about doing this online and thought we’d try it. I hung the basket on a hook on our front porch.
Then I decided on a location for the second new birdhouse and dug a hole with the post-hole digger and installed the post. I put it inside the fence near the lilac bush. When EJ finished his planting, he attached the birdhouses to the posts for me. I haven’t yet decided where to place the third new birdhouse. Unless we go buy more posts, I will have to put the birdhouse someplace where there’s already a post.
There were sparrows in all three of the birdhouses outside my kitchen window, but I noticed that they were having turf battles. Mostly they just warned each other off, but we saw two sparrows fighting fiercely in “hand-to-hand combat” the other day. After that, I no longer saw sparrows at one of the houses. I figured the houses must be located too close to each other, so after peeking inside to make sure the one house was really empty, EJ helped me move it to where we can see it from the other kitchen window on the other side of the house.
Today we’ve had a quiet day of rest. We are studying and discussing what we are learning. EJ is on call today so he doesn’t have to go to work unless there’s a problem. I hope he gets to stay home because he is exhausted and needs the rest.
The news reported that Thursday morning there was a murder/suicide in a city not too far away. A man murdered his wife and then killed himself. The bodies were found when a neighbor heard the couple’s (now orphaned) 6-year old boy crying in the street at 1 a.m. and called 911. The boy was unharmed and is currently in Child Protective custody while waiting for his mother’s relatives to arrive. I mention this very sad story because EJ worked with the man for about ten years. This has been a shock to him (and other co-workers) and he is trying to process it. This is the second tragedy within the last year that involved a co-worker. Last autumn a co-worker friend of EJ’s was severely beaten up by her son. She’s still alive, but she’s not expected to live much longer. This has been a rough year.
The Trip to the Nursery
This morning, after a pot of coffee and a trip to the bank, EJ and I drove to a plant nursery near his company. On the way we passed a garage sale and we decided to turn around and stop at it. I saw three birdhouses, $7.50 for all three. They were made by kids, the lady said, but they looked pretty good so I bought them all. Then we continued on the way to the greenhouse
They have lots of big greenhouses filled with plants. I got a big cart and went immediately to the greenhouse filled with herbs and veggies. I got a flat of strawberries and a flat of assorted herbs: Golden Marjoram, Lemon Thyme, Caraway, Lemon Grass, two French Tarragons, Rosemary, Hyssop, Pennyroyal, Peppermint, Spearmint, Chamomile, Sorrel, Lovage, and maybe one or two others that I am forgetting. EJ and I filled a third flat with tomato, pepper, celery, cabbage, cucumber, butternut and acorn squash, and cantaloupe plants. Then we added two cherry trees and two blueberry bushes. Our car was bursting with plants and trees and birdhouses.
When we got home, I carried the birdhouses and two flats of plants to the table on the front porch, and the flat of strawberries near my strawberry patch while EJ carried the cherry trees and blueberries to a shady area in the back yard, all to be planted later. After EJ left for work this afternoon, I took Danny for his walk and then I mowed the lawn so it would look nice for Shabbat. Sweetheart (my new mower) started on the first try.
After the lawn was mowed, I planted all the strawberry plants in my strawberry patch, adding the new ones to the ones already growing there. Then I planted the herbs that I want to bring inside over the winter into pots. I put some of them on the front porch and others on the little child-sized park bench under the lilac bush. Then I planted the rest of the herbs in my herb garden. I don’t know how to use all the herb plants, but I will have fun learning.
Eric will plant the veggies in his garden soon, and he will plant the cherry trees out near the bird feeders. We are making a little dwarf cherry tree orchard there. We are not sure yet where we will plant the blueberry bushes. Tomorrow we might go to a different nursery and get some climbing rose bushes for the fence and some grape plants. Our yard is little, but it is packed full of good veggies, fruit trees, berry bushes, herbs, and .flowers.
When I finished all the planting, I got out EJ’s post-hole digger and dug a hole. Then I dragged a post over and set it up for one of the new birdhouses. I set it up so we will be able to see it from the living room window–the one in which we put the air conditioner in the summer. It is on the same side of the house as the other birdhouses, but further down. EJ said he will put the house on the post tomorrow. I’m not sure where I will put the other birdhouses. I will discuss it with EJ and he can help me decide.
After I got all these tasks done, I was very tired and my feet hurt very much. However, I took time to fill up all the birdfeeders, fix JJ some supper, and wash the dishes. I am going to relax for the rest of the evening. Although I am really tired, I had a lot of joy buying the plants and then planting them. There is something deeply satisfying and joyful about working in gardens.
Pulaski
Yesterday EJ, JJ, and I went to visit his sister and her large family. We stayed all afternoon and had barbecue steak, chicken, potato salad, tuna salad, chips….all the foods families have when they get together during the summer. The best part of the day was visiting with everyone. This is the first time we’ve really got together with people since JJ was diagnosed with cancer. Toward the end of the visit I could see that JJ was getting really tired. He said later that he thinks he overdid it a bit. But we had fun.
On the way to EJ’s sister’s home, we drove through a little town called Pulaski. It’s really just has an old general store and a few houses. I think it’s really just a township and not a town. Every time we drive through Pulaski, we have a debate about how to pronounce its name. JJ and I think it’s pronounced PulaSKI with the ending pronounced SKI like the water or snow skiis. EJ says he’s been told it’s pronounced PulaSKY like the blue sky above. Without fail, as we pass through the town, we always say “It’s PulaSKI!,” “No, it’s PulaSKY!” “PulaSKI!” “PulaSKY!” We always tell each other that one day we are going to stop at the little store and ask the cashiers how to accurately pronounce the name of their town. They’d know, we figured, since they live there.
Yesterday on the way home, we were all three very tired so EJ decided to stop at the little store for some Coca Cola to wake us up AND to ask the cashiers how to pronounce the name of the town. I went into the store with him as a official witness. After EJ paid for the Cokes, I said, “Can I ask you a question? How do you pronounce the name of your town?” The older woman (the owner?) replied, “It’s PulaSKY.” EJ was getting ready to gloat in triumph when the other woman said, “No, it’s PulaSKI.” They had a lighthearted argument: “I’ve lived here all my life. You are a foreigner. It’s PulaSKY,” said the older woman. “I’ve lived here a long time. I once asked a Polish man who stopped in here, and he said it’s PulaSKI,” said the other woman.
EJ and I groaned. “You are no help,” we said. We went out to the car where JJ was waiting. “We asked how to pronounce the name of the town. Guess what the answer was?…One said PulaSKY and the other said PulaSKI.” The debate rages on.
This morning we drove to the city to pick up JJ’s laptop which was getting repaired at the computer shop not far from the Cancer Center. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful drive. JJ was overjoyed to get his “precious” back. When we got home, I fixed lunch and then EJ and I fell asleep for a bit. All three of us tire easily.
After EJ left for work, I walked Danny and worked a little bit in the yard. I didn’t do much outside because there were scattered showers–mostly just light sprinkles with a rumble or two of thunder. Also, it was very humid. I also brought the air conditioner downstairs and put it in the window. EJ’s company is always much hotter (20-30 degrees hotter) inside than it is outside, so it helps him to be able to come home to a cool house.
Sparrow Videos
Today the weather has been absolutely beautiful: sunny, warm, with a slight breeze.
EJ and I enjoyed a leisurely morning. (JJ is a night owl who stays up late and sleeps late.) After we drank several cups of coffee and ate breakfast, I went outside and filled up all the birdfeeders and put fresh water in the birdbath. Then EJ and I decided to drive to the home improvement store for fencing. Part of our wooden fence was crushed last winter when a dead tree fell on it. It’s been a trial to get it fixed because we were exhausted from JJ’s cancer battle and then EJ has been working a lot of overtime. But even though EJ’s back continues to really hurt, he thought he’d try to get at least some of the new fence put up. We aborted the mission when we saw that our neighbor had fixed the fence for us. It felt sort of like the story of the Shoemaker and the Elves, though our “elf” was our neighbor. EJ went over to thank him and stayed to chat for quite a while. He still has to put up gates and finish the woodshed, but now he doesn’t have to rush. He can do it here and there when his back doesn’t hurt quite so much.
While EJ was gone, I did dishes, swept the floor, and began to wash the windows. We have windows that we can slide down and out so they are easy to wash. I got three windows washed (the ones I watch the birds through, of course) before EJ returned. He asked that I make potato salad, so I stopped to make it for him and then we enjoyed a summery lunch of hot dogs, potato salad, coleslaw, and potato chips.
It’s difficult to take photos out the window because the screens get in the way when I try to zoom in. However, while EJ was talking to the neighbor, I decided to try to take videos of the sparrows in the birdhouses. They turned out really well so I wanted to share them here. This first video starts out with the baby sparrow looking out of the birdhouse. Then the Mama Sparrow arrives to feed him:
This second video shows sparrows in the birdhouses. They are just moving in and building their nests.
The birdhouses are located just outside my kitchen window so I watch them whenever I am working in the kitchen. It’s a joy.
Tomorrow we are going to visit EJ’s sister and her family.
Let Me Call You Sweetheart
Last week was difficult for EJ. He has been very tired from working so many hours and his back pain has flared up, causing him great pain. Poor guy.
Thursday I insisted we get a new mower that works because I hate to have to keep asking EJ to fix the Stupid Lawn Mower when he is so tired. We went to a hardware store in the next town and bought the cheapest mower they sold. Our lawn is so small that it really isn’t worth it to get a more expensive one. This one doesn’t have the mulch bag that Stupid Lawn Mower had, which is a disadvantage, but it is lighter and it’s yellow, which is my favorite color. I thought of my friend Simone naming her roomba and imagined her telling me that I ought to give my new mower a nice name. I decided that maybe I should call the mower “Sweetheart” because the song “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” kept running through my mind.
Thursday afternoon I mowed the lawn. Sweetheart started on the very first pull of the cord, and I was able to mow the WHOLE LAWN, all of it, without it stopping. The grass in the back yard had gotten quite long so it was an effort to mow it, but Sweetheart was a trooper and tackled the job without protest. She even mowed the long grass in Danny’s pen. After I mowed the lawn, I was able to do other tasks, such as weed EJ’s garden areas for him. I worked all day until after 8 p.m. taking breaks when I got tired. Even though working in the garden is physically tiring, it is soothing to my spirit. I love working in the garden.
Since JJ was diagnosed with cancer, I have not prepared a big meal with all the trimmings for Shabbat because we have been so tired. At most we bought Challah bread and had a simple meal. Even though we haven’t always make Shabbat as beautiful as we wanted, we always rested, which is what Shabbat is all about. But yesterday I finally got up early enough and had the energy to make Challah bread. I used our beautiful tablecloth, picked a bouquet of flowers from my garden, and made a special meal. It was very wonderful to gather around the table and say the blessings.
Space.com posted that “On Friday night and early Saturday morning (May 23-24), Earth will plow through debris shed over the years by Comet 209P/LINEAR. The result likely will be a new meteor shower, and possibly a spectacular meteor storm of 1,000 or so shooting stars per hour, experts say.” We’ve always loved going outside to look at astronomical events such as meteorite showers, eclipses, and comets so we set our alarms for 2 a.m. and went outside to enjoy a spectacular meteor storm. Although the night was clear, we saw nothing. We walked down the street hoping to get an unhindered view of the sky, but still saw no meteorites. Still nothing. We wondered if there was too much light pollution drowning out the stars, but reports from other cities were that not many were seen. Oh, well. The stars in the sky were still beautiful and we enjoy the night walk.
Today we rested, rested, rested.
Two sparrow couples have moved into my bird houses, one in each of the two “apartments.” It’s fun watching them bring grasses and sticks for their nests. Sometimes I see a long piece of grass sticking out from a house and then it’s slowly pulled into the hole.
We are now catching glimpses of the baby sparrows in the blue bird house when the Mama brings them food. Sometimes I see a little mouth opening. They are cute, like all babies are. I was able to take a picture of one baby sticking its head out of the hole:
Our balloons continue to make life interesting. I found one balloon in the back porch and don’t know how it got there. I moved it back into the house without getting a picture of it. However, here are a few more pictures:
Birds & Balloons
Yesterday I did not get out in the garden. Instead, I stayed inside and paid bills and reconciled the bank statement. Bleagh. I dislike both jobs, but they need to be done.
The forecast predicted bad storms overnight with high winds so I brought my two cacti back inside. I raised them from small nubs and I didn’t want them to break off. I also brought in all the bird feeders because I didn’t want them to blow off the hooks and get damaged. Through the night I was periodically awakened by loud booms of thunder. Usually we all get up when there are thunderstorms because we enjoy watching them-and we also keep alert for tornadoes. However, these days I am so tired that I just groaned and went back to sleep.
We had a lot to do this morning. We had to stop at the bank to deal with a problem. The student Amazon Prime had automatically billed JJ for another year, which caused an overdraft in his account. He was really worried about this and didn’t sleep well last night but our sweet friends at the bank assured him that it wasn’t a big problem, he has an option so the bank covers overdrafts and his credit rating wouldn’t be harmed. He was very relieved that it wasn’t exactly his fault and that he wouldn’t end up eternally shamed or in debtor’s prison. It was a learning experience for him.
After the bank, we drove to the city to take JJ’s laptop to a computer repair shop. The fan in his laptop isn’t working. The day was beautiful and we really enjoyed the drive. We had a lot of fun conversing with each other. We always talk about stuff whenever we are in the car together driving somewhere. Today we mostly talked about history, which we all enjoy.
We dropped JJ off at home, and then EJ and I went shopping. Our water isn’t all that good so once or twice a week we have to buy jugs of drinking water. We also had to get pet food and a few other things. I bought one more bird feeder pole to hang the suet on away from the other feeders because the Starlings mob the suet and I’m concerned that they might be scaring off other birds. After we had eaten lunch, I put the pole together and hung the suet on the other side of the garden path. I can still see the Starlings through the window, but they won’t disturb the other birds as much in this new location.
As soon as EJ leaves for work, I always take Danny for a walk. It was very hot (80 degrees) and humid today and I felt as if I was melting. Sometimes I think I am part snowman because I really do melt in hot weather. I could never live in the South. At the end of our walk, I dropped Danny off at home and then walked to the post office to mail some things.
While I washed dishes this afternoon, I noticed new sparrows building their nest in one of my birdhouse apartments. I think the wrens must have been scared away because I haven’t seen them lately. I miss the wrens, but I enjoy the sparrows too. I also saw a Robin land on the other birdhouse apartment. He had a worm in his (or her) mouth.
Later, I went outside and pulled maple seedlings from a section of the garden. It was hot, but there was a slight breeze so it was somewhat bearable. Annie and Rikki-Tikki-Tabby joined me and I patted them as I weeded. They usually join me whenever I work in the garden.
On April 1, the day JJ had his surgery, my friend sent him a bouquet of helium balloons fastened to a toy cat with ribbons. When I noticed that the cats were eating the ribbons, I cut the ribbons off, and the balloons floated to ceiling and stayed in one place. Over the weeks, as the helium began to slowly seep away, the balloons sunk a bit. Then they began to wander through the house. We find them everywhere, in all sorts of places: floating near our computers, at the kitchen window, in the shower. Early this morning EJ fell asleep in his recliner–or, rather, he tried to sleep. A balloon kept circling around him, repeatedly dragging itself across his body. The balloons seem to have a mind of their own, and we theorize that they are becoming sentient like in the 1956 short fantasy film, The Red Balloon that I enjoyed as a child. I began taking pictures of the places I the balloons wandered to. (Click on a photo to make them bigger.)
I don’t think we have ever had so much fun with helium balloons. We are going to really miss them when they finally deflate.
I Love My Garden
I woke up feeling crippled by yesterday’s gardening. In spite of my aching body, I spent all day working in the garden today. It was just too beautiful to be inside. It was sunny and the temperature was cool enough (around 70 degrees) that it was very pleasant to work. I love my garden.
I started out the morning by pulling up several million maple seedlings. I am making progress, I think, although it will probably take several more weeks to get them all pulled–and even then I’ll find ones I missed all summer long. I had a scare when I put one hand on the ground to balance myself as I reached to pull up some seedlings. My hand started to buzz and vibrate so I lifted it and a bumblebee flew away. I had accidentally put my hand down on it. Fortunately it didn’t sting me, but I was so scared that I screamed–not a loud horror story type of scream but more of a shouted “AHHHH!” of surprise. I came into the house for a while to give myself and the bumblebee time to get over our scare. I didn’t want him to sting me in his fright.
I chatted with EJ for a bit. When I had calmed down from the bumblebee scare, I decided to take all the inside plants out to the porch again. First, I checked the forecast for the rest of the month to make sure there would be no more frost. I don’t want to have to bring all the plants inside again because the pots are big and heavy.
Then I used to hoe to clear the weeds from my garden path. I had considered letting the grass grow in the path and mowing it, but with the mower not working I thought it would look better to simply clear the path. EJ is exhausted from working so much, but he joined me outside for a while. He fixed the mower just before he had to leave for work. The wire to the handle had broke. While he fixed it, I pulled maple seedings nearby. After he left for work, I happily began to mow out in the part of the yard where the birdfeeders are. Then the mower died again. I am beginning to hate that stupid mower. I have named it “Stupid Piece of Junk.” I am thinking of murdering it.
Since I couldn’t finish mowing the lawn (again), I did some hoeing to level where the bricks outline my garden in the birdfeeder area. That was hard work. I pulled more seedlings. Then I moved the birdbath because I was afraid that in the peony garden it was too close to the front porch where the outside cats like to hang out.
By this time, I was utterly exhausted and crippled. My feet hurt. If I am not careful, my plantar fasciitis will flare up. So I stopped working in the garden and took Danny for a walk. Then I dropped him off at home and walked two blocks to the gas station store for milk. Then I came home and washed dishes. And began laundry. And fed the birds.
Tomorrow it is supposed to storm. That is probably a good thing because I won’t be able to work outside and I will be forced to rest more.
I love my garden.
In The Garden
It rained all last week but Friday was not rainy so I mowed the lawn. I always mow the lawn outside of the fence that can be easily seen from the road first in case I have trouble with the mower. I think the mower hates me because I often have trouble with it. Sure enough, after I mowed the “seen” areas, I moved the mower into the back yard, filled it with gas, started to mow, and the mower died. I couldn’t get it started again. I eventually gave up and set myself to pulling up more maple seedlings.
Saturday was Shabbat so I rested all day. Poor EJ had to work. He is working a lot of overtime, which is a blessing in many ways but really tires him out.
At least he didn’t have to work today. I had hoped EJ could fix the mower so I could finish mowing the lawn, but he was so tired and suffering from back pain that I thought he needed rest more than I needed the lawn mowed so I told him to relax and rest today. There’s always tomorrow…
The sky was blue and the temperature was around 60 today. It was a little cool, but it was just perfect for working outside. It’s hard to work when it’s too hot. I pulled up about 50 million maple seedlings. I only have about three zillion left to pull up.
I also weeded the herb garden behind the rhubarb and I planted some sunflowers there next to the fence so they can lean against it when they get big.
Then I used what EJ says is a vineyard or orchard hoe to dig out a bunch of plants in a garden area next to the front porch. I decided to make the garden a little bit smaller than it was. When I had that area cleared of unwanted plants, I sprinkled some shady area wildflower seeds there. It will be interesting to see if anything grows there and what birds it attracts.
Our lilac bush is now blooming. I do not think any flower is as beautiful or fragrant as lilacs. It’s too bad that they do not last longer. I keep wanting to cut a bouquet to put in a vase in the house, but I was too tired to do it when I finished working today.
The peonies are growing in my peony garden although it will be a while before they bloom. My peonies don’t bloom as early as others in town. I think it’s because they don’t get as much sun as others, although they seem to grow well enough. I recently put a bird bath in the peony garden. We can see it from one of our living room windows. We have four living room windows. From two we can see bird feeders and from one we can see the bird bath. We put our air conditioner in the fourth window during the summer.
By the time I finished working outside, I was exhausted and very sore. We had a very simple supper because I was too tired to make a bigger meal. I washed the dishes and then I cut up an orange for the orioles. I absolutely love watching them. They are so beautiful.
Then I took a hot, soaking, relaxing bath, put on my PJs even though it was only 5:30 p.m. Now I’m relaxing, feeling too tired and crippled to move. I did too much today, but I don’t care because it was wonderful to be out in the garden.
Hot & Cold
It has rained all week. At the beginning of the week it was very warm and humid, and there were several thunderstorms. One crack of thunder was so loud that poor Little Bear leaped up from the window sill where he was sleeping and dashed out of the room. In between thunderstorms, EJ put up a fence post or two, and I weeded the strawberry patch. I also pulled up millions of maple seedlings, but there are zillions and zillions more seedlings so I barely made a dent. Every fall I love our maple trees because of the beautiful flaming red colored leaves and every Spring I hate the trees because of the zillions of seedlings.
Mid-week the storms ceased but the rain continued and the temperatures turned colder. I had turned off our heat because of the warm days but turned it back on today because it was so damp and cold–in the mid-40s. When it was hot and humid I ordered a couple pedestal fans from Amazon. They arrived today but now it’s too cold to use them. That’s Michigan for you!
I continue to love the bird feeders and houses. I enjoy the lemony yellow of the goldfinches, and the beautiful Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks and Baltimore Orioles. I haven’t seen the Grosbeaks in several days but the Orioles visit the feeders every day. I love watching them eat the oranges I put out for them. In the last couple days I’ve seen the first hummingbirds this year visiting the feeders. I think Michigan only gets ruby-throated hummingbirds, but they are a thrill to see. The Sparrows have babies in the blue bird house. I can hear their faint chirping whenever Papa or Mama flies near. I believe wrens are building nests in one of the bird apartment houses but they seem to visit different holes each time I see them. I don’t know if that means that we have several wrens building nests or one couple can’t make up their mind about which hole to select.
EJ bought some hot peppers the other day. He saved a couple so he can plant the seeds but gave me the rest. Now that it’s cooler again, I set up the food dehydrators to dry them. The dehydrators put out a bit of heat so I didn’t want to get them going when it was so hot. Now my house smells like hot peppers.
House and Gardens
This morning EJ and I went grocery shopping together. I’m glad he came with me even though he had to go to work this afternoon because shopping is always more fun with him. We have shopped together ever since we got married. I mostly wanted to get bird seed because I was almost out. I bought a bag of mixed seeds and a bag of sunflower seeds. We bought other groceries too.
After we got home, I put the groceries away and then made lunch. I was starving because I hadn’t eaten any breakfast. Usually I eat breakfast but I wasn’t hungry when we left home. As I was preparing lunch, I looked out the window over the sink and noticed a tiny wren exploring one of the birdhouses–the one on the left. I was beginning to think no bird would move into the house this year so I was excited. The wren went from one hole to another to another as if it were house hunting. I felt like telling the wrens how wonderful these houses were and that I’d give them a discount if they moved in today. Later I saw a wren try to take a stick into one of the holes. The stick was too big so it had to drop it. I didn’t see the wren while I was doing dishes. I so hope it is really building a nest in the house. Sparrows built a nest in the blue house that we put up last Spring. I suspect they have babies now because Mama and Papa Sparrow are very busy and I think I hear faint chirping.
We had bought a few herbs today which I had to plant, which meant I had to find a pot for them, so after lunch I decided to carry all the indoor plants out to the front porch for the summer. I think it is warm enough now. I planted a couple of the herbs in pots whose plants had died over the winter.
I decided to clean out my herb garden. We have two maple trees that are gorgeous in the autumn, but in Spring I always have zillions and zillions and zillions of maple seedlings growing EVERYWHERE. They are easy to pull out when they are tiny, but the bigger they grow, the more effort it takes to yank them out. And if they get too big, we would have to saw them down. If I don’t pull them out, we would be fenced in by a forest of maple trees in just a few short years. The young woman who took care of our cats while JJ had his surgery in Indianapolis said she was bored and she offered to help me. I think that if she is willing, I will ask her to pull out maple seedlings.
Anyway I got most of the herb garden weeded. I kept telling myself “Don’t overdo! Don’t overdo!” because I tend to get focused on a project and work at it until the project is finished or I’m exhausted, whichever comes first. I left the part of the garden where the rhubarb is for another day because I started to get too tired. I am feeling better, but I tire easily. I wonder if all the hours and weeks sitting in hospital rooms has weakened me physically. Probably.
It was very beautiful out today–sunny with temps about 81 degrees. Everything is bursting out with Spring. The tulips and daffodils have bloomed. I noticed that our lilac bush is beginning to blossom and the peonies nearby are growing but not yet blooming. The little Cherry trees near the feeders have blossomed. Working out in garden is very soothing even if it is hard work. It was really nice to work outside even just for a while.
I came inside, sat down, and drank some iced tea, and rested for a bit. Then JJ wanted me to come upstairs with him while he walked on the treadmill. He wasn’t able to do it as long as he had planned–he also tires easily–but it’s a good sign that he felt like walking. EJ says he is beginning to feel stronger. He thought about going to the home improvement store for fence pieces tomorrow, but it’s supposed to storm. The forecast says it will storm for the next two or three days.
When we came back downstairs, I did dishes. The I emptied the bags of birdseed into kitty litter containers. We use empty kitty litter containers for a lot of things, like storing birdseed, cat food, and dog food, or for buckets, and so on. EJ said on the way home that if we bought just three or four more bags of birdseed, we probably wouldn’t need to buy any more until next Spring. I said, “Ha! These bags won’t last long. The birds are pigs.” But they are also very fun and relaxing and educational to watch. I have never had so much fun. After I filled up the containers with birdseed, I took one out and filled all the bird feeders. Then I sat down with a glass of ice tea and I will rest for the remainder of the evening.
Visitors
We were successful at getting JJ’s CT Scan at our second try yesterday. I thought wouldn’t it be terrible if we got there and found out that he was supposed to have fasted? I didn’t think he had to, but the last six months are now a blur–like fast forwarding through a movie. Having to cancel a second time would have been awful. However, everything went smoothly.
Our sleep patterns are all messed up. JJ had stayed up until 6 a.m. Friday morning and had only had an hour of sleep, I had had only 3-4 hours of sleep, and while EJ had slept well Thursday night, the night before that he had gotten only 4 hours of sleep after working a 13 hour day. So when we got home from the CT Scan, we all scattered to take naps–JJ on the couch, me on the love seat, and EJ upstairs in our bed. About 30 minutes after I laid down, I suddenly leaped up and shouted, “OH, NO!!!” I scared JJ so much that he leaped off the couch and exclaimed “What’s wrong?!” I realized that I had dreamed that we overslept for the CT Scan. Oops. JJ said, “Don’t DO that!” After my heart stopped beating fast in fear, I went upstairs and napped in the guest room.
I thought that was funny.
Every day I tell myself it’s ok to rest and that there will come a time when I am not so tired. Yesterday I came across a story about a couple anonymous students who create inspirational quote designs which they leave in a classroom at Columbus College of Art and Design every week. One of their designs quoted T.T. Williams. It’s sort of hard to see in the picture, but it says: “An Individual doesn’t get cancer…a family does.” I thought that was very accurate–not just of cancer, but of any illness or tragedy. It affects the whole family.
So every day I tell myself that it’s ok that we take time to rest. The world won’t end if projects don’t get done NOW. I am practicing patience. It does no good to be frustrated and to work myself into more exhaustion.
I continue to enjoy watching the birds outside my window. It is very enjoyable, interesting, and relaxing to me. Putting up bird feeders was one of my more excellent ideas. I’m trying, little by little, to learn the names of the birds. It’s not easy (for a beginner like me) because a lot of birds look very similar to each other. I’m finding that the birds I lumped all together as “sparrows” are different types of sparrows and different kinds of birds. The other day I identified house sparrows and white-crowned sparrows. Today I saw a house sparrow carry a strand of rope to his/her nest. I love knowing that they are building their nest and will soon lay eggs.
I’m also noticing that the birds have different habits. For example, there are days when the Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are frequent visitors to the feeders and days when I don’t see them at all. I also haven’t seen the orioles for a few days. I wonder why some days they are here and some days they aren’t? Where do they go when they are not here?
We haven’t had any squirrels at our feeders since I began putting the feeders up last autumn. However, last week I noticed a squirrel noticing the feeders and since then she has returned to eye them. Today she keeps climbing the pine tree and looking at the feeders near it. I think she is calculating and plotting and soon she will figure out how to access them.
I know a lot of people try to prevent squirrels, starlings, hawks, or other “nuisances” from accessing the feeders. Maybe I will do that at some point as well, but right now I figure they are part of life, and they all have to eat, and it’s interesting watching the drama unfold. It’s more interesting than a series on TV. I can see why people become avid birdwatchers.
Here are photos of some of the visitors at my feeders. The pictures are not as beautiful as the ones my friend Sandy takes. I don’t have the skill or the camera that she does. Also my windows are dirty from cat noses and a winter’s accumulation of dirt (I do NOT have to wash windows right now….!). It’s also a challenge to take good pictures when cats are trying to get lovings at the very moment I am trying to take a photo. But I do the best I can with what I got. 🙂
Oops
This morning I woke up just before 7 a.m. That is the time I prefer to wake up, and which I used to wake up, but my sleep patterns have gotten all messed up so I’ve been not able to sleep until the wee hours of the morning lately and then I sleep until late in the morning. So it was sort of nice to be able to wake up earlier.I spent the morning watching the birds. The beautiful Rose-Breasted Grosbeak was a frequent visitor to the feeders today. It especially liked the feeders under the pine tree. EJ lent me his small binoculars so I could see them clearly. They are such beautiful birds. I can’t believe I’ve lived in this area all my life and have never seen this bird before this year.
I learned to identify a couple of the sparrows: The House Sparrow and the White-Crowned Sparrow. There are a lot of different types of sparrows and sparrow-like birds that look very similar, but I am trying to learn to identify them.
I was amazed to see an Indigo Bunting this morning. It is another bird that I have never before seen. I thought it would be the size of a Baltimore Oriole or a Cardinal and was surprised to discover that it was only the size of a sparrow. It was a very pretty blue color, although not as vibrant as the one in the photo. I wonder if I was seeing the female? Next I want to see a Scarlet Tanager. I’ve never seen one of those before either.
This morning JJ had a CT Scan scheduled for about 11:40 a.m. We drove the hour to the imagining center and then discovered that we were supposed to have been there an hour earlier so JJ could drink the solution. I do not know if it was their mistake or mine, but I assume it was mine. With all the many appointments I have scheduled for JJ over the last few months, I never made a mistake, but now that we are mostly done, I did. They said he could drink the solution and have the scan done at 1 p.m., but EJ would not have had enough time to make it to work, so we had to reschedule for tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m. They gave JJ the drinks so he could begin drinking them at 7:30 a.m.
The thought of returning for another appointment is tiring, and even at the best of times an 8:30 a.m. appointment would be difficult for EJ because he works second shift. What makes it worse is that EJ had to work late last night and didn’t get home until 4 a.m. so he was really tired today. He didn’t know before he left for work if he has to work late again tonight. He said that he has to work without a day off–not even weekends–until Memorial Day. With his grueling schedule, I am especially dismayed that we have to go back for a CT scan so early tomorrow.
The day is warm and beautiful so I decided to try to work in the garden. We have two maple trees that drop zillions of seeds every year, and in the Spring the zillions of seeds start to grow all over our yard. I have pull them our when they are small and easily to uproot. The bigger they grow, the more effort it takes. I worked on it for a little while but my goodness it’s awful how quickly I tire.
I took Danny for a walk not long after EJ went to work. I encountered my neighbor and thanked him for taking down the dead tree a couple of days ago. He said, “No problem” and then said that if we don’t get our new fence up by this weekend, he will do it. I commented that we have wanted to get the fence up but we have been so exhausted by everything that happened this winter…He said that he has a clematis that is on the ground and needs to climb so the fence is going up this weekend. I do not know if he means he will put up our fence or if he will put up lattice like he had before the tree fell down. I hope he just means the lattice because I don’t want him doing what we should be doing. Our yard is higher than our neighbors’ yards so the fence is on the retaining wall and is absolutely ours and not merely shared. I feel so frustrated because we have wanted to get the new fences up, but with EJ working so many hours and with our lack of energy, and with the CT Scan tomorrow, there is no way that we can get it up by this weekend.
I finished walking Danny and then I came home and cried because we have to drive back for the CT scan again tomorrow, and we can’t get fence up, and I do not know if our neighbors understand our exhaustion or if they think we are merely being lazy. I would think that by now we’d be recovering, but I feel more weak, tired, overwhelmed, and unable to handle things now than I did through all the cancer treatments. It’s very, very frustrating. I keep telling myself: “We will get through this….We will get through this.”
Battle cancer with my son has made me so much more compassionate towards those who are suffering from a debilitating illness. And now my compassion has deepened for those who are emerging from a difficult time.
I Love To Go A Gardening 
