greenputterer's Blog

Mr. Pheasant and a couple of his friends came to visit one day this week. You wouldn't believe the close relationship between deer and pheasants.  Twice this week as deer were coming down a trail, a pheasant would cross the path. Then the pheasant would back up, and kind of bow to the deer, and then go back into the tall grass. I had seen this once before and the pheasant actually bobbed his head a couple of times at a deer and deer also bobbed his head at the pheasant. I could hardly believe it the first time I saw this happen a few years ago. So this time I wasn't suprised.  All nature has a close relationship that we don't see driving down the road. You really do have to get out and inspect nature closely to see the woven fabric of the interaction of animals, their respect for each other, and tolerance in other species.  I for one, am looking forward to the day when lions lay down beside lambs and each can rest in peace.

Here is a picture of a little guy, that played in front of our deer blind yesterday. Nice today, 74 degrees. Showers and cooling forecasted for the rest of the week, which is a blessing.  I am sure some of you don't hunt for meat, and buy yours in the supermarket. So this is not meant to offend anyone. We don't hunt fawns.  Also the DNR only allows hunting when there is a surplus of deer on the refuges. If the deer get to thick, they do get diseases, just like anything else that is overcrowded. It is also a way for hubby who is in a wheelchair to get outdoors. He can provide some food, and enjoy nature.  For able bodied people this is something most you all take for granted. Again, you really don't appreciate things in life, until they are lost to you.  It takes a lot of living to learn all the lessons life has to teach us, and learning patience is one of the hardest lessons for all of us. It comes up everday, and it has new disguises everyday. Thanks for listening. I sure wish for you all a very wonderful day.  Yes, YOU too.

Out doing some garden chores last evening,  and found a new garden mate. I am very happy to have this little toad move into the Blue Flower Bed.   I had a large toad in the dwarf evergreens the past few years. Now I have a smaller one, hope there are more. Kind of hard to see them if you aren't looking right at them.  52 degrees this a.m. and for the past 4 mornings. Very heavy fog. Makes you realize fall isn't far off. Only 2 doves on the driveway for breakfast this a.m. There used to be about 20.  We did not see any hummingbirds yesterday, I have a feeling they have moved south too.  Have a great day in the garden of your lives. Plant something nice for others to enjoy: a flower, a smile, a helpful hand, a wave or a Hi.

Wow are people pathetic, especially the lady who put us in here. Does she like to sit in the sun? Are her feet crowded into this planter, or shoes? Nope, she goes around in barefeet, plays in the water, puts the water on trees. Well, what about us, we didn't ask for this? She doesn't know a parched petunia from a pinching planter. Next year, I for one am going to scatter my little seeds all over and go where I want.  They like to put us flowers in these planters and oogle us for bugs. Then the hummers are always sticking their noses in my face.  Bee's, have you ever had a bee stop and nuzzle your face?  For one, I just want a little more room to sprawl, maybe over a rock,  maybe a little shade.  And another thing, who wants planted next to this anemic looking one. I think creeping charlie has it right, he goes where-ever he wants, spreads his little seeds around, and when she isn't looking he moves onto some new turf.  Go Charlie go.

My it's been a great summer out here in the garden. You wouldn't believe the hummingbird numbers that came to visit us out here.  We zinnia's sit here sunbathing all day, and watching things from under our jaunty colorful caps. It's kind of funny watching the people come out and look around. They miss so much.  The hummers play hide and seek with them. The butterfly's just laugh and float around them in circles making the people dizzy who watch.   The slugs come out at night and crawl around, and leave their slimey trails all over, yuk.  Now we flowers are a colorful group, we add that something extra to summer. You can't quite put your finger on it. But people are happier when they see us.  They  pray, sing, hum little songs when they are digging in the soil and I am telling you,  I really don't think they do that for the bugs. See you all next year, right here in the ground from 2010.

Good morning and welcome to autumn.  A time of rich colors in flowers, shrubs and trees.   These are a few fall welcoming flowers I put in front of Mother in laws house along with the one tomato plant I left, which fits right in. Still has some patio tomato's on it. 

Fog again here this a.m. or maybe it's my eye sight.  I cut off the last of the iris's in the yard last night.  Have other plants that need a chop so may as well work on that today.  There are always things to do in a garden. But if we ignore them, they seem more like chores. If I tackle them early while the weather is mild, it makes gardening a whole lot easier and much more pleasurable.  Enjoy the end of summer, for we know what's lurking in the cold months to come.

 Wow, fog everywhere this a.m.   You know,  like the pea soup people talk about.  Very quiet outside, no birds, no crickets, no people.  Is anyone out there, or does the world fall off at the end of the yard?  No sound of crunching leaves, I know, the grass stuck to my slippers when I was out looking around.  I could go barefoot, but then there wouldn't be any extra laundry. Oh my, a dove, a sign from God. There are birds. Wonder if there are any people beyond the fog. I know there is a gremlin named Hack N Chop. He visited me at the computer this a.m.  Maybe he is part of the fall decorations?  Wow, warm 65 degrees this a.m. after a summer of 60-64 degree days. We are heading for 85, maybe our warmest day yet.

Yesterday, we ate the tastiest melon. As you can see in the picture on the left, it was about baseball size.  The struggling plants in the drought of summer survived and still produced something to eat and maintain the plant seed wise.  We had one about an inch larger last week, but I neglected to get a picture of it. So here's a little laugh for all of you melon lovers out there.  It looked very nice on the fruit plates for lunch.  Have a great day all of you, and don't forget your vitamin D treatment today.

Wow, did you all see the lovely harvest moon the past couple of evenings? It has been splendid in it's appearance. 

Yesterday after lunch, I said to hubby, we really should go see your Ma, Tuesday is too long to wait. I can make spaghetti there as easily as here. He thought it was a good idea. So I packed up the makings, fresh tomatoes, buffalo hamberger, bread, bars and away we went.  When we got there, she looked at him and said, "it isn't Tuesday, you were coming Tuesday." He just smiled and said, that was too long to wait to go home. She smiled and said "come anytime".  She ate lots of spaghetti, and had a nice lemon bar as well. She asked me if I knew the other "pieces to the puzzle" or had the "key to the puzzle". I told her Jesus never locks the door, and it's always open. "Can I go now?" I told her she can go when ever she wants, that we would be ok.  She said to me, "maybe I will see your mom soon".  My mother passed away in April.  She only met my mother once, due to distance and my mother's poor health. I was suprised she remembered her. Her senses seem so acute now. She told me I was a good daughter in law, and asked us to hold her hands, and then she took a nap. So we had a good visit.  Every visit is hard in some respects, and a joy also in that we still had some special time with her.   I am not sure what Labor Day means to everyone else, but we found that we'll probably remember it as a Labor Day of Love. God Bless you all this weekend.

Here is the Big Guy Sunflower. He is going to be bird food this winter. I put some wheat chaffs around him for the birds to land on and eat.  There are some moss roses in the flower pot keeping the mums happy at the moment. The little sweat bees seem to love the flowers this time of year. The gladiola's are opening finally. They are a bit slow this year, possible because of being on the north side of the pole shed, they get about 3 hours of sunshine a day, but then it was a cool summer too. Hope you all are enjoying this labor day week-end. Enjoy the gardens of your life this weekend, take a walk, visit somebody new, just smile at the clerks who are working. God bless you all.

Remember the Big Guy who guarded the flower patch? Well this is his head, 12 inches of seed head, not including the petals, a regualar field flower for harvesting those sunflower seeds we all love to chew on. You will see him again later. I have him hanging around drying at the moment. Yesteray I havested one row of white potato's. About 50 pounds worth of very large potato's, and about 1 meal of small ones.  Today I will try to get the row of  Red Pontiacs done.  Then I have a row of gold potato's. One row at a time, after digging, hosing, drying them, puting them in the pole shed, one row was more than enough work for this old lady.   I put down straw between the garden rows, after getting rid of any weeds. So any straw that sprouts, I let that be. Yesterday I finished cutting the wheat heads and tying them in bundles for my fall decorations.  It was a lovely day to be outside, and we are hoping for the same today with a gentle warm southern breeze. 49 degrees again last night so summer has really cooled off here. Hope you all have a great day in your gardens or at  work away from home.