Mighty Monday..........

This hardy geranium remained in bloom all winter inside the house.  When I took it outside the plant  just stayed in bloom.

The oxalis is regrouping now that it is outside.  It really had a rough winter with most of its foliage leaning off the side and never really putting up any new leaves.  Now it sprouted out from the middle of the pot and I bet flowers will be showing in the next couple of weeks.

We have extreme humidity this morning.  It really didn't cool off in the night so our area is in the middle 70's with 80 plus percentage of moistue in the air.  I need to go out to work today and am waiting for the storm north of us to move out so there residue clouds will move out.  We are dark this morning it would seem strange to be outside in it.

 On Saturday I forced myself to go out into the heat and  plant my two bargain hostas.  Instead of coming in I went ahead and stole some new starts off of large hostas to plant in this row.  As of  yesterday everything was still standing and I had no wilt anywhere.  I will be glad when these three plants mature and help fight off the weeds.  Also I transplanted some morning glory plants to another planter.  I really didn't think that it would work and the plants did wilt immediately.  The next day those plants were standing up straight to my surprise.

As of Saturday morning I found this nest empty.  The mourning dove makes the flimsiest nest and I really don't know how they kept from falling out.  I remember the robin's nest was the same way.  The birds were grown and gone overnight.

I have more than one nesting set of  wrens in the area.  I can't find the one nest but the ones in the bird house are busy feeding baby birds.  I can see them come and go with insects all day.

The two boys called on Sunday to wish me happy father's day along with AJ.  He didn't last long on the line but he did chatter away about things.  He had been at a party on Saturday and he was helping in the yard when his dad called.  The son in Maine called pretty close to the same time of the other and they are doing well out there. There are so many trails along the Atlantic Ocean. He and his wife had been out hiking the day before with there two dogs. I was able to see photos on facebook.

My wife and I went to a Bonanza for a late meal as the Sunday school activities kept us later than usual.  We did use to take the boys to the place years ago but we had not been there since they grew up and left home.  The place had changed a lot with their buffet being their draw to the place.  You can order steak at a price on top of the buffet charge.  That is a big change. We had a good time and came home to rest. Yes my steak tasted good.

Typing today has been a struggle with my left hand not cooperating. I guess it is arthritis and as I keep missing letters as I type.  I can do it but it so much slower when I have to go back and replace lost letters.  I write words like trail and it comes out as tails.

Speaking of tails, I was asked about what I had used to help Barney get into the backseat of our car.  I had a cardboard box saved backed to use for shipping paintings but I needed to use it for Barney.  The box is about 22 by 18 on top and the height was 5 inches.  I filled the box up with packing that was tight enough that when the lid was shut the box would keep its shape and not sag in under the weight of the dog.  I then duct taped it tightly so the dog's weight would not squish it down either.  Barney was able to use it as a large step for his front legs and then have enough room for his back legs to help him jump up into the car.  The problem with his back legs is he can't jump up with them.  The added step made it easier to get that weight up into the air.  With a few fails without any help the dog lost confidence and would not try to go up anything.  He doesn't like our side porch steps as he isn't sure he can make it but the back door steps he finds ok to use.

I will close this blog down for the day.  We are getting severe storm warnings for the county just north of us right now.  Our storm radio goes off with a loud beeping to startle the whole house.  The county next to us is just north of us about 3 miles so when Boone county is threatened we too get the warning.  It is so dark that we need to turn on the lights.  I hope all had a good weekend and that the week will be a good one for you.  Thanks for taking time to visit.

Close and not so Close......

While out and about trying to take photos of the nest with the mourning doves, I looked up and snapped this. It was not talent but a lucky shot.  Yesterday afternoon there were two of them flying around and declaring territory.  I could not get a single photo of them.

When I buy moss rose, my blogger friends get to see photos of them almost every day.  I am into color and this flower has the neatest pure colors.  Even the whites are so pure and clear in color.

Hardy geraniums always seem to have one leaf that isn't happy with the world.  They either turn a bright yellow or they shrivel on the edges creating a great red color.

The white that dominates over the lighter green makes this a unique leaf marking.  I moved some hostas on Saturday when it was really hot.  I knew the hostas would survive but I didn't think I was going to do so.  One works in the heat and as it gets hotter and the body gets hotter one just keeps on moving to do that one more simple thing.  I had to come in and crash in the living room to cool down. I figure the headache will go away if I take a nap.

Yes the apples are on there and this one already has a good blemish.  They have done well and the crop should be good this year again.

I have hope that the raccoon or raccoons will stay away this  year.  I have had evidence once earlier in the spring that there was one around. I am thinking that these fish are so small that they could swim around in there and never catch them.

It is Sunday and I hope everyone has a great day.  I appreciate your comments or that you stop by without a comment.  Either way thank you for stopping by.

Saturday Stuff........

The very first coneflower to bloom usually is a beat up one.  I don't know why but the parts of petals are missing and its color isn't very strong.

I would never recommend bush cherries.  They are too small to use for pie.  They do juice up nicely in order for us to make jelly.  It takes a lot of time to pick them as they are half the size of a real cherry.

I am ready to see some tomatoes on my vines.  I don't have a lot of blooms yet but there should be some small tomatoes starting very soon.

This is a mystery bird.  I think we are looking at the back of it and I can't really tell what color that it is in the front.  It did sing some great melodies but I could never get a good sight of it,  The bird is at the very top of a very tall tree.

I will finish with a little bit of silly.  I did find my granite ware pan in which I plant moss rose.  I didn't get that done last year but I did get to it this year. I had forgotten, or tried not to remember, that I was not well last spring for the whole month of June.  I am not getting things done as quickly this year but I am trudging along.  I have a large trash pile of volunteer tress and weeds that came from a few slow weeks of trimming and pulling.  So I am having a better summer.

I found the garden guy in the basement yesterday and he was still laying where I had placed him two summers ago. I have one other I will probably share later on but for now the watering can man is on show for today.  Rain is being promised today but I think it is not going to develop.  Everything goes north or south and we hear about it later that we were missed.  I hope everyone will have a good weekend.  Thanks for stopping by today.

Final Day of the Week.......

It is an abstract shot for the first photo today.  The water in the pond reflects everything above it.  As I went out to feed the fish I found the container that I had left out there on a fence ledge had been opened and eaten by some creature.  I rinsed out the remains into the water and all the small fish that I bought last weekend were up and ready to eat.

I didn't ask for specific colors of fish when I bought them so the helper could just run her net through the water and drop them into the plastic bag.  I ended up with ten instead of eight and that was a nice bonus.  I like having different colors of goldfish otherwise they all just look alike. The spots you are seeing are created by fish food floating on the water.

I am glad that one of the fish is yellow gold.  I saw a koi for sale there that was metallic yellow but I resisted buying it.  I like having koi but they tend to jump out of the tank and die on the floor when I am not watching. I guess I did have them jumping out of the water onto the ground and that is when I declared them off limits. 

In the bird world today is this photo of a young cardinal.  I have young bluejays showing up at the feeder also.  If I had an adult eating at the feeder at the same time you would be able to see the size difference.  I don't know how long it takes them to be full size but I bet it won't take very long.

Also in the bird world in my yard I have photos of the mourning dove family.  I saw two eyes up there yesterday and ran to get the camera.  The zoom helped me to see what was up there as it is pretty high in the tree.

I also ssw the second chick as I walked around the tree.  I shared these photo on my photo a day blog. It was amazing to see how two days ago the adult was hovering over these two.  It was funny looking and i  still didn't have any idea how big the chicks would be.  This afternoon while I was out there, the adult was gone and only the two youngsters were home.




We are all back from the vet visit.  A bridge was being worked on when we got part way there so we had to make up a gravel road bypass of our own.  Some poor lady's cat was very sick so we had  a long wait to see the vet.  Button went first while I stayed in the car with Barney.  I did invent a platform to help get Barney in and out of our backseat.  He can't jump that distance anymore.  He liked it and liked it more when he got out of the car.  Barney always flirts with the help and gets treats.  Barney had lost some weight, that was good and Button lost two pounds and that was bad.  All in all the visit lasted twice as long even though we were very glad that the sick cat got the attention that it needed. Button only had one shot today as the vet thought he was too thin to take both shots at a time.  We will return for his rabies shot next month.  Barney took both shots and was glad to be outh of there.

The hardy geramium really did weather over well in the house.  A few rain shoers and this planter is looking great.  I did get out and cleared a weed patch this morning.  It got too hot so I had to quit and will finish tomorrow. I am hoping by the end of them month that I will have the major messes cleaned up on the property.  I did notice that the bush cherries are ready to be picked.  We make jelly out of the juice.  It is time consuming to pick them so that may happen tomorrow.    I wish everyone well and thanks for stopping by today.

Fourth Day of the Week.......

My zebra finch is living the good life having his cage placed in the window. He crows a neat sound when ever I am around and am feeding him.  I suspect it is a warning sound.  He has been around for a long time living longer than any of other finches that I did have.  He is a nervous type and when he lived with other birds he would pull his feathers off of his neck.  I found that his living alone in a cage for the past 5 years or so has kept him from doing that.

I have read that finches and cockatiels could be in the same cage but I don't want to even try it.  Instead I keep his cage always right by the cockatiel cage and he seems happy with their company.  I spoke of back lighting yesterday with my photo and in this case it isn't really a good photo of him.  The big window gives me great back lighting if I wanted it but I don't.

I don't think there is ever a time when this rose has a pristine first great look.  The petals of it are so flimsy that it looks like it has been rained on when it first opens when it has not been bothered by weather.  i still like it as it is a historic old rose.  It almost died out just like the wild prairie rose that I have in the back yard. Both roses came back with rain, with small growth sprouts. I know that it will all return and invade the area again in a couple of years.

I shared a similar photo on them Photo a Day blog today.  The bishop's weed, (snow on the mountain or goutweed) has bloomed this year.  I think it is the first time ever that I have seen it bloom.  I have had the plant 15 years or more. It apparently likes a lot of spring rains in order for to put out flowers.

The new garden area which is planted on the ground that a giant spreading juniper once stood is looking really good.  It is a lot of unplanned planting and it still seems to look good.  The hosta got so big I had to pull bucket boy away from behind it so I could photograph him.  I was wrong yesterday about the dog's having a vet check up today.  It will be on Friday.  It worries us as I have a very difficult time getting Barney into the back seat of our car.  He is hesitant to  try to jump up into the car as sometimes his back legs don't work so well.  I do dread all of that.  My wife worries about Button as he gets so excited that she thinks he will give himself a heartattack.  He is being treated for heart problems anyway as he is 16 plus years old.  We will have to deal with that as it comes up in the morning.  It would be nice if we had just the right vehicle to carry Barney.  It would be nice if a vet would make house calls to give shots.

I have the same old stuff to do as I did yesterday.  I will keep working on it all until it all goes away from me.  It is cool this morning so a long sleeved shirt will feel good as I work in the gardens.  Thanks for stopping by today and do take care.

Wednesday is a Wash..........

Barney's coat is still thick from the winter.  I need to brush him out more than I do. He is liking the good weather and is getting a lot more exercise as he patrols his back yard area.  On a good day he will forget his fears and just lay out there next to the fence waiting for something to bark at when they come too close. He is over 12 years old now. He will visit the doctor tomorrow to update some of the shots dog need.

The weather has been great for the flowers in the garden.  I have many blooms coming with all these buds that are showing here.  My ditch lilies had only three stalks come up last summer but this year I counted 14 or more stalks.  I was standing outside waiting for Button and counted while I had to kill time. I normally don't go around counting everything.  Button takes his time when he is outside and we have to lift him up that first back step to get him into the house.

It is lush also out by the corner where the ditch problem exist.  Work is not done yet on the ditch as they had to order a new culvert for the intersection at the next block. They tried taking out the old one and tried to lower it but it was broken in places when they lifted it out.  Again my culvert being too low has cause a lot more work and water still is not going uphill. We do see that our road going east and west is slated to be hit with new asphalt in the next couple of days.  The do need to warn us so we can get our car out of the drive and park across at the neighbors to the east.

They had to dam up the ditch so they could repair the area down hill a block and water continues to stand at the corner.

I had forgotten about how fertile Iowa dirt is and won't stay put when there is a rain.  My deep V-shaped ditch has sagged and shifted back into the ditch.  The ditch was a direct drop from the edge of that road to the bottom and now you can see it has all sunk back into the ditch.  I am not sure that they will ever get what the originally wanted from this project. I am certain that I will always have a pond now.  I am glad the town is spaying for mosquitoes.

This newly transplanted hosta looks good among all that grayer green.  I need to get more of that moved around as I have some pretty boring looking hostas, all being the same kind in some areas without any different values of green with them.

I have lots to do again today but getting the dogs cleaned up and trimmed a little is high on the list.  The two both go in tomorrow to the vet and they should have their hair combed and be presentable. I can finish mowing the yard but we will see how the time works out for me.  I still have framing jobs laying around half done and some not even started.  I will just peck away at that until I get some things done.

We have rain coming in this afternoon so we won't stay dry for very long.  I hope everyone is doing well today.  Thanks for stopping by for a visit.

Tuesday with No Rain...

The hydrangea started blooming a couple of days ago.  This  photo is one that is late in the process and has not turned white.

 It is the old fashion hydrangea that can be seen at all the old farmsteads in the country.  Also a lot of the older towns have it at many of the older homes. I am sure it was shared from farmhouse to farmhouse in the early years of our state.  When I was a kid I would admire them but our farm did not have the plant.  I dug a part of this from a vacant house up the street a few years back.  The next buyer of the house removed all of it and it does not grows on that property now. The view you see here is of blooms that are not completely opened yet.

White in certain light it is hard to photograph.  I think this shot is almost in focus. This shows that they are not full in bloom yet as they are very round in shape as of yet.

I think the eggs have hatched as you can see she is sitting very high up out of the nest. I guess I need to spend some time out there, now that the rain has stopped to see what she is doing.  I don't know how long it takes for the eggs to hatch but I do know from my  past photos she was sitting way down into the nest like she was sitting inside a saucer. I had a hard time getting any photo with her full face showing as the leaves or limbs seemed to always be in the way.

The past month the tomatoes have really rooted in and are growing. This is a before shot.

This is the after shot of the same tomato.  The continue rains seem to really encourage them to grow as most of mine are now double in size.  I have bunches of blooms ready to open so there should be tomatoes on the vine by next week. I have two varieties of tomatoes in this pot and the one on the other side of the pot is a tall skinny one which I need to tie to the stake to keep it from falling down. 

Our grandson AJ loves trains.  He loves to watch Thomas the Train on television.  His parents took him to Union, Illinois last weekend and his dreams came true.  He still is a little guy being 2 years 4 months, but he still had a great understanding of what he was seeing.  He is riding the train here and is waving to someone as they ride down the track. Our son sent us a lot of photos and I think his dad likes trains too. I was thinking that when AJ watches Thomas now he can understand what it is like to ride in one of his passenger cars.

Today is our 31st wedding anniversary.  The time really has flown by for us.  We will go out to eat at the Cheesecake Factory restaurant early today to beat the evening crowd.  It would be nice to go to a movie but we are not seeing anything on the bill that looks like we would want to see.

I will go mow my hayfield this morning and probably have to wear a coat.  It is cold this morning but I warm up while pushing a mower.  The neighbors all mowed three days ago when there was a break in the weather but I am going to do it today.  The boy's backyard is getting a  little long too.  I don't know what the weather will be like tomorrow but I usually break up the mowing into two days.  Thank you for stopping by today.