11.29.2010
Typical
We slowly made our way to the Christmas tree farm, taking in the scenic beauty of the country drive. The owner greeted us with a smile and a hand saw with which to chop down the tree of our own choosing. We drove up the hill to an area planted with majestic Scotch pines. The late afternoon sun bathed the many rows of trees in beautiful golden light. I hastily retrieved my camera from the back seat. Equipped with my trusty 50mm lens, I angled myself for the perfect shot. The shot that would encapsulate the beauty and serenity of this place. One final check of the camera settings and then a quick snap of the shutter. Success! I pressed the button to review my glorious image and...wait. "No memory card." What??! The string of obscenities swirling inside my head were not appropriate for the family friendly venue. I opted instead to take many wonderful mental images of our experience. Now if only I could find a way to develop the film.
11.04.2010
Endings and New Beginnings
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As so many plants are beginning their long Winter sleep, others are just hitting their stride. The goldenrod I planted last year bloomed for the first time. It adds a gorgeous pop of color to the Fall bird garden.




8.05.2010
Dog Days
Heat. Rain. More rain. Bugs. More heat. That pretty much sums up the month of July. So far August has been drier but still very buggy and humid. This is definitely the hottest Summer in recent memory.

Some of the plants in the garden have benefited from all of the rain and heat while others have really struggled. My tomatoes are ripening about a month ahead of schedule but the plants have suffered severely from the excess rains. I harvested the last of my garlic last week and was very pleased with the crop. I am a third generation grower of this particular hybrid. The cloves are super spicy. I've already used some in cucumber salad and in two batches of homemade pasta sauce. As soon as I pick some more romas I plan to make a batch of salsa.
The excess of rain has caused some plants to put on a lot of new growth. The front yard is looking very green and lush. I'm worried that the little serviceberry tree on the front berm has put on too much new growth. Some of the branches are starting to bend downward and others have been breaking in the many strong storms we've had recently. I've pruned it somewhat and time will tell whether further pruning will be required.
The backyard bird garden is a fun work in progress. Some of the perennials that I planted last year are blooming for the first time. I am particularly excited about the butterfly weed. The blooms are such a brilliant orange color and are already attracting butterflies. Success! The joe pye weed and swamp milkweed look like they're both going to bloom for the first time as well. Soon I'll have the thriving butterfly habitat I've been dreaming of.
Earlier this year I made the mistake(?) of filling one of my bird feeders with a mix that included sunflower seeds. Soon after I had to spend a lot of time pulling up all of the little plants that sprouted from the spilled seeds. I decided to let a few of them remain and they just started blooming at the end of last week. They are petite, standing about 3 feet tall with flowers approximately 5 inches in diameter. I am excited to watch the seed heads develop.

Staring at the center of the flowers has a rather hypnotizing effect. Or maybe I just need a nap. ;)
We haven't been spending too much time in the backyard due to the voracious mosquito population. It's kind of a bummer since the area surrounding the patio is so pretty right now. Here are a couple of photos taken from roughly the same spot. The first showcases the russian sage in full bloom. The little crab apple tree in the background is starting to branch out horizontally. I think it will be a really pretty specimen in a couple more years.
This last shot was taken in the evening as Jeremy burned some yard debris in the fire pit. This is my favorite time of day. I love the way the clumps of little bluestem grass are illuminated by the evening sun. Soon they'll develop seedheads and begin to take on the beautiful bronze shades of Autumn.

Some of the plants in the garden have benefited from all of the rain and heat while others have really struggled. My tomatoes are ripening about a month ahead of schedule but the plants have suffered severely from the excess rains. I harvested the last of my garlic last week and was very pleased with the crop. I am a third generation grower of this particular hybrid. The cloves are super spicy. I've already used some in cucumber salad and in two batches of homemade pasta sauce. As soon as I pick some more romas I plan to make a batch of salsa.
The excess of rain has caused some plants to put on a lot of new growth. The front yard is looking very green and lush. I'm worried that the little serviceberry tree on the front berm has put on too much new growth. Some of the branches are starting to bend downward and others have been breaking in the many strong storms we've had recently. I've pruned it somewhat and time will tell whether further pruning will be required.
The backyard bird garden is a fun work in progress. Some of the perennials that I planted last year are blooming for the first time. I am particularly excited about the butterfly weed. The blooms are such a brilliant orange color and are already attracting butterflies. Success! The joe pye weed and swamp milkweed look like they're both going to bloom for the first time as well. Soon I'll have the thriving butterfly habitat I've been dreaming of.
Earlier this year I made the mistake(?) of filling one of my bird feeders with a mix that included sunflower seeds. Soon after I had to spend a lot of time pulling up all of the little plants that sprouted from the spilled seeds. I decided to let a few of them remain and they just started blooming at the end of last week. They are petite, standing about 3 feet tall with flowers approximately 5 inches in diameter. I am excited to watch the seed heads develop.

Staring at the center of the flowers has a rather hypnotizing effect. Or maybe I just need a nap. ;)
We haven't been spending too much time in the backyard due to the voracious mosquito population. It's kind of a bummer since the area surrounding the patio is so pretty right now. Here are a couple of photos taken from roughly the same spot. The first showcases the russian sage in full bloom. The little crab apple tree in the background is starting to branch out horizontally. I think it will be a really pretty specimen in a couple more years.
This last shot was taken in the evening as Jeremy burned some yard debris in the fire pit. This is my favorite time of day. I love the way the clumps of little bluestem grass are illuminated by the evening sun. Soon they'll develop seedheads and begin to take on the beautiful bronze shades of Autumn.
6.08.2010
Wind in the Willows
Today was overcast and windy, providing a good opportunity to make a video of my dwarf blue arctic willow shrubs. They look so pretty when they sway back and forth in the breeze.
6.05.2010
Bird Garden
We recently got a good amount of rain, and now the perennials are really beginning to bloom out in the bird garden. At this point most everything is a shade of purple, but soon there will be white, yellow, orange, and pink.



The young Shasta daisy plant that I planted in late April has it's first bloom. I've had trouble getting daisies established in other parts of the yard so I'm really hoping this one will do well. They are such cheery flowers and their crisp white color really brightens up the garden.
I'm happy to see my joe-pye weed emerging in two different areas of the garden. This is one of the plants that I replanted last year after assuming the first planting had died. Other perennials that will be blooming soon are bee balm, butterfly weed (2 kinds!), blazing stars, echinacea, and moonbeam coreopsis. I am excited about the butterfly weed since milkweed is the only plant that monarch butterflies lay their eggs on. It is also an important food source for caterpillars and adult butterflies.
Each new year brings exciting new changes to the bird garden. It is a pleasure to watch it mature and become a haven for all of my little winged friends.
5.28.2010
5.10.2010
My orioles




3.21.2010
Spring hath sprungeth!

Spring Song
by Robert Louis Stevenson
by Robert Louis Stevenson
The air was full of sun and birds,
The fresh air sparkled clearly.
Remembrance wakened in my heart
And I knew I loved her dearly.
The fallows and the leafless trees
And all my spirit tingled.
My earliest thought of love, and Spring's
First puff of perfume mingled.
In my still heart the thoughts awoke,
Came lone by lone together -
Say, birds and Sun and Spring, is love
A mere affair of weather?
The fresh air sparkled clearly.
Remembrance wakened in my heart
And I knew I loved her dearly.
The fallows and the leafless trees
And all my spirit tingled.
My earliest thought of love, and Spring's
First puff of perfume mingled.
In my still heart the thoughts awoke,
Came lone by lone together -
Say, birds and Sun and Spring, is love
A mere affair of weather?
1.06.2010
Grandma's Roses
Grandma's roses proudly lined the west side of her yard. Their bright pink color and sweet scent were hard to miss as you entered her driveway. My stepdad once claimed they were the loathsome multiflora rose that were known for their invasive nature, but I suspect they might have been some sort of native climbing rose as multiflora roses are typically white in color.
But Grandma didn't just grow roses. She and Grandpa had an amazing vegetable garden that is unrivaled by any other garden I've seen to this day. They grew everything from sweet corn to dill. Cabbages to asparagus. Raspberry vines climbed the fence on the east side of the yard. (My sister was particularly fond of those. Grandma made delicious raspberry jam.) It was a feast for the eyes and the taste buds! I specifically remember the many times I helped Grandma harvest the asparagus. Armed with a paring knife and a pail, I would carefully navigate the patch losing my rhythm only when Grandma yelled, "Be careful, Aimee! You're squashing some!" I liked being her special helper, digging deep into the soil to unearth the tender purple and white spears. Those were always the tastiest.
Grandma's home cooked meals were the best. Ingredients usually included produce from her garden, and she always knew just what I liked. Cucumbers and mashed potatoes were favorites of mine. She'd soak cucumber slices in salt water next to the kitchen sink. A bowl for her and a bowl for me. I'd sneak into the kitchen and grab slices from her bowl, never wanting to deplete my own precious portion. I can still hear her voice echo in my head. "Aimee, don't eat anything. You'll spoil your dinner!" Grandma, in all the years that have passed since your stern warnings, I have never managed to spoil my dinner. My gluttonous appetite has prevailed. You would be so proud.
I believe those early childhood memories of her garden fostered a love of gardening in me that has only grown with time. I think of her often as I tend my own little patch of earth. A hobby that may have been born out of her own necessity has become a labor of love for me.
But Grandma didn't just grow roses. She and Grandpa had an amazing vegetable garden that is unrivaled by any other garden I've seen to this day. They grew everything from sweet corn to dill. Cabbages to asparagus. Raspberry vines climbed the fence on the east side of the yard. (My sister was particularly fond of those. Grandma made delicious raspberry jam.) It was a feast for the eyes and the taste buds! I specifically remember the many times I helped Grandma harvest the asparagus. Armed with a paring knife and a pail, I would carefully navigate the patch losing my rhythm only when Grandma yelled, "Be careful, Aimee! You're squashing some!" I liked being her special helper, digging deep into the soil to unearth the tender purple and white spears. Those were always the tastiest.
Grandma's home cooked meals were the best. Ingredients usually included produce from her garden, and she always knew just what I liked. Cucumbers and mashed potatoes were favorites of mine. She'd soak cucumber slices in salt water next to the kitchen sink. A bowl for her and a bowl for me. I'd sneak into the kitchen and grab slices from her bowl, never wanting to deplete my own precious portion. I can still hear her voice echo in my head. "Aimee, don't eat anything. You'll spoil your dinner!" Grandma, in all the years that have passed since your stern warnings, I have never managed to spoil my dinner. My gluttonous appetite has prevailed. You would be so proud.
I believe those early childhood memories of her garden fostered a love of gardening in me that has only grown with time. I think of her often as I tend my own little patch of earth. A hobby that may have been born out of her own necessity has become a labor of love for me.
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