osprey94's Blog

bambi
Jul 19, 2008 | 4:48 PM PST

So this little guy and his/her twin were in the meadow behind our house today. They could not be more leggy and fuzzy and adorable. They smartly ducked down low in the tall grass when they saw us coming and were completely invisible from afar.

They and their momma ran through the yard this morning, too. So much fun having baby animals around. Reason number 5 million that I love summer.

 

Another day in paradise...
Jul 16, 2008 | 7:36 PM PST

I'll try to be modest here, but I really do think I live in the prettiest darn place!

After dinner, I went out on the porch to eat a popsicle and a five point buck was wandering through the pumpkin garden right in front of me!

Here he is:

Then, I walked to the front of the property, by the road to check on the wildflowers. Oh my...they are amazing.

Here they are from a distance:

But, close up is where the beauty really becomes evident.

Check out these close-ups:

Ahhh...I love flower close ups!

I went to the back of the house and right off the deck, I saw my buddy, the turkey. He's been out here all day waiting for me. If he could serenade me, I think he would. That's not conceited. I think he'd be attracted to a pinata to be honest. Can you see the love in his eyes?:

Then, out by the veggie garden, I watched our swallow feeding her young in their birdhouse we put in 2 years ago. It's the first family to use it! I got her just flying back out again, so she's a blur:

I haven't gotten a good enough look at her to tell but I think she's maybe a tree swallow. It almost looks like she's got white patches on the rump area, which might mean she's a violet-green, but I don't think so. I'm going with tree swallow.

The herbs in the veggie garden are wonderful. I've been using the basil (my all-time fave) on caprese salads:

And nasturtium blossoms for a garnish.

And the cilantro (a little bitter from going to seed a bit) in a corn and avocado salsa to eat with enchiladas tonight:

Delish. I love summer.

Speaking of cooking...soon I'll be able to make those caprese salads with my OWN tomatoes. Here are some early girls that will be the first I'll be eating if all goes right:

I just saw the buck running through the woods at the edge of the yard. Man, I'm lucky to have all this beauty around me.  

turkey love
Jul 13, 2008 | 8:12 AM PST

So, my neighbor's turkey is in love with...wait for it...me.

He had 3 female friends, but they died and now, he hangs out in our yard all day. He'll follow me anywhere until dusk and then he goes home. Last night, however, he spent the whole night on our front porch. The cats are FREAKED out. They sit in the windows and watch him suspiciously around the clock.

Here he is when I got up this morning:

 

And here is what he left me to clean up:

Wonderful.

As for the garden, other than killing 2 barberry  plants when I transplanted them, everything is going well. The stewartia seems to be making a comeback from the weird brown-crispy-leaf problem it had. The peas are gigantic and very tasty. The broccoli is all done. Leaf lettuces are still mostly okay, but some have bolted. The runner beans are growing like crazy and the asparagus looks great. We've harvested blueberries a few times now, and some raspberries are ripening. Pictures to come.