Feeling Blue

Well - not really!

It's been a great Memorial Day weekend. I've been off from work for 4 days.  Barbecues, fishing, friends, family, and time in the garden.

The gardens and wildflowers are in their 'blue' phase.  The vibrant oranges and yellows will be here soon.

Okay, maybe these are more pink (or mauve,or lilac..)!

The new salvia in the White Garden is doing well.

The large irises are really doing well this year.

Our rhododendrons are at peak.

The lonely azalea has never looked better (I need to move it away from the holly bushes!).

The late-blooming GIANT lilac was resplendent!

I really like the Dame's Rocket (it changes from white to pink to purple)!  What a great wildflower!  I let great swaths of it have its way in the yard!

Embrace the blue / pink / purple / lilac / mauve!

Contentment

Contentment is . . .


. . .   quiet ponds . . .

. . . perch-colored Rapala crankbaits . . .

. . . and hungry bass!

Enjoy!

Fishin' Hole

If you are lucky, there's a place down a dirt road . . . 

. . . where you can cast a line in peace and quiet.

It's not a big piece of water.  It doesn't  hold trophy fish.  Just some largemouth bass, a few perch, some bluegills.

It's a quiet place.  No motor boats.  People just fish from canoes or from the shore.  More often than not, there aren't many people there.

I'll be there this weekend.  I don't know if I'll catch anything.  

Like the saying goes, a bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work.

Green Spaces

I just returned from another trip to China. This time I was lucky to spend a few days in Shanghai.  I have to say it is my favorite city in China.

I think one of the things I liked about Shanghai was the amount of 'green space' I saw.  There were a lot of parks all around.  Some were very tiny, others quite large.  For someone like me who likes to be outside enjoying nature, they were great spaces to recharge while being in the heart of the city (there are over 20 million people in Shanghai).

I enjoyed the trip, but it was good to get home.  I spent yesterday working on my 'green space' - mowing grass, trimming weeds, and finishing the planting of our vegetable garden.

The potatoes have emerged, the turnip, green beans and spinach have sprouted.  We put in the tomatoes, basil, hot peppers, some herbs and kale.  Our gardens are not as formal and large as those I saw in Shanghai, but they give me just as much pleasure.

I hope you are enjoying your 'green spaces'!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all in the Blogosphere.

And . . .

. . . Happy trillium day (at least its the first time I saw trilliums in bloom this year)!

(sorry for the low resolution - taken with my phone's camera when I was out cycling today)

I suppose I could also call it Happy Marsh Marigold Day as I saw them also!

Garden Time

A few years ago the wife and I had visited Sturbridge Village.  It is a recreation of an early 19th century New England village.  I overheard one of the farmers talking to one the the visitors.

"What are you planting?"

"Corn, beans and cabbage."

"What about tomatoes?"

"Oh - you must be one of those city folk.  Since you can buy staples in town, you must have time to grow tomatoes!"

I guess I am one of those city folk also.  I love to grow tomatoes.  But . . .

. . . it is still too cold to put out tomatoes in (or green beans, basil, lettuce, chilis, etc.).

We did put plant some potatoes, carrots and turnip today.  They don't mind the minor frosts we might still get.  The new raised beds should be great for them.

I put up trellises for the green beans.  

I already put up the tomato cages.  I decided to do something different this year.  Instead of pushing the cages into the ground, I put the cages into the beds upside-down before I put the soil in the raised beds.  I folded the long tangs over to strengthen the cages.  They are super sturdy.  I'll let you know how they work.

Yard Work

We had snow 2 weeks ago.  Temperatures were in the low 20's just a week ago.  I had been away on vacation, and came back to a yard which was in much need of mowing and weeding.

I started by weeding the shade garden.  A lot of grass, dandelions, and maple seedling had taken root.  I pulled a wheelbarrow full of weeds out.  I am glad to see my single trillium was back.  There appears to be a small second plant at its base!  Can't wait to see if it is a second trillium.  Maybe it will bloom this year.

I knocked back a lot of weeds in the white garden and by the compost bins.  There were a lot of fallen branched about.  I then spent a few hours mowing . . .

A little over a week ago it was cold.  Many of the trees were not in leaf.  Now, most of the trees are in leaf. The lilacs are also starting to come out.

It took me six hours to weed and mow.  Some do not like yard work, but I find it relaxing.  Do you like yard work?