The Hummingbird Hilltop

There's a restaurant on the west side of town called The Hilltop. It doesn't matter when you drive by, if they are open, they are packed. Always. My hummingbird feeder is almost as busy, so I've dubbed it The Hummingbird Hilltop.

There is one itty-bitty hummingbird that comes to the feeder. She's about half the size of the others. She has a white band around her neck that looks like a string of pearls, so I've named her (what else?), Pearl! There are other hummingbirds with pearls on that visit, but baby Pearl is my favorite ... and the only one I can distinguish from the others! I call the other birds with pearls Mrs. Cleaver (as in June Cleaver). I haven't gotten Pearl on video, but I did take a short video of a Mrs. Cleaver and one other. I love hummingbirds!

Weeding the Bird Girl Bed

On my to-do list for the week was to weed Bird Girl's flowerbed. I tried, but there was so much grass, wild strawberries, and several wood-stemmed weeds with deep roots that it was impossible. To get the roots of all of these, the only option I had was to completely gut the bed. I hated doing it because I loved the phlox that was there. It was established and mature, and filled the bed. But, to get the weeds out and make sure they stay gone, I had no choice.

Bird Girl's flowerbed, half-way done.

After I got everything dug out, I covered it with black plastic (held in place with brick bats) to kill anything that I might have missed, and to keep anything new from taking root while I decide what I want to plant there. I figured it would take most of the day, but it only took a few hours.

Today is my last day off before I go back to work and I still haven't tackled the side bed. With a little luck, I can get that done today. There are still plenty of things on my to-do list, but getting the flowerbeds weeded, planted, and mulched was top priority. I can work on the side bed while Thing 3 works on some of the other things that need done. I've got all summer and fall to whip my yard into shape ... I just hope it doesn't take until fall to get everything done. But honestly, has anyone ever finished all the projects on their to-do lists? I still have unfinished to-lists from my old house ... and I lived there for over fifteen years!

My Memorial Day Project

I have been looking everywhere for something like this. I found all kinds of things that say "Land that I love" or "Home of the brave" or "God bless America", but I specifically wanted "God shed His grace on thee". I couldn't find one in a store, so I searched online. The few I found (very few) were ridiculously expensive (overpriced) ... so I made it ... and I love it! 

Even as I was buying the supplies to make it, I had no idea where I was going to hang it. I wanted it hung in a place where I'd see it all the time, but I've got the house decorated and there wasn't a good place to hang it without removing something else, and I like everything where it is. Then as I was walking down the hall, it hit me! I've got it hanging in the bedroom at the end of the hall, but I'm not quite sure I'm going to leave it there ... it deserves to be someplace where everyone who visits can easily see (and read) it. I love seeing it as I walk down the hall, but I have one other place in mind. So, its home for now is the bedroom, but I think before it's all said and done, it's going to move to a more prominent location. The only thing stopping me is laziness ... the bedroom already had a hook in the wall and the other location doesn't! 

Note: The thing leaning against the wall in the picture below is going to hang on the blank wall opposite it. It's very heavy, and after I butchered the kitchen wall trying to hang something (you can read about that fiasco here), I don't dare attempt to hang this! I've learned my lesson ... this time I'll wait until someone who will do it right the first time can hang it.

Raindrops on the window, there's a storm movin' in ...

I took this picture yesterday afternoon while out running errands. It rained pretty hard for just a short time, then tapered off to a gentle shower.

We typically have wet springs and dry summers, and this year is no exception. I'm okay with a wet spring ... it gives everything a good drink of water as it wakes it from its winter sleep, but it makes keeping up with the grass a challenge. It's rained a lot this spring, just a little more than usual, but it's been kind in that most ... not all, but most ... of the rain has been during the week while the weekends have been generally warm and sunny. 

There's a 20% chance of rain today, and a 60% chance tomorrow, but Sunday will be beautiful. I guess I'll need to get my gardening done this morning to avoid any potential rain. Tomorrow I'll tackle all the floors inside. With all the yard work we've been doing this week, we've tracked in a lot of dirt. Sunday I'll be back outside again ... which means I'll be mopping the floors again Monday!

Guess Who Likes Chocolate Ice Cream?

If you guessed this little guy, you're right!

Not All Vacations Are Fun

I took vacation this week. It hasn't been restful or fun, but I knew that going into it! I bought a bunch of flowering plants last week in anticipation of this week ... which is all about working in the yard.

This (below) was the yard last fall, right after I moved in, and before I trimmed the bushes on the far right. Once I trimmed them below the window, they looked really sparse, so I trimmed them close to the ground to force them to bush out lower. I'm sure my neighbors wondered why I trimmed them so low, because they really balance out the house ... but they'll grow back ... and they'll fill in lower to the ground when they do. 

I wanted to have something along the front of the house  between the bushes, to give it interest. All of the perennials in my yard flower in the spring, and I wanted to fill the yard with color all summer. So, I bought crepe myrtles, hydrangeas, daylilies, and a ground cover called "Stonecrop", that I found at a local garden center.

Stonecrop is a bright green/yellow throughout the spring, summer, and early fall before turning to red and orange during the winter.. I'm excited to see the explosion of color all winter ... and I pray it won't look like I need to rake my leaves!

I'm planning to plant daffodils, tulips, and hyacinth this fall so that it's filled with color in the spring ... and maybe a variety of mums to fill the yard with color in the fall. But, with all the trees around, my yard has plenty of color in the fall.

I spent all day Tuesday digging out ivy and grass. It was hot and humid and slow going. Thing 1 and her husband came over that evening and helped ... a lot ... (THANK YOU!!!) 

Yesterday, Wednesday, Thing 3 and I were tolling in the hot sun to get the grass out ... and then I saw my neighbor tilling his garden. I asked if we could borrow his tiller when he was done, and he came over and tilled it up for us. He easily saved us an entire day (or more) of digging! (I think some homemade treats are in the future for him and his wife!)

Thanks to my neighbor and his tiller, we were able to get the plants in the ground and get the bed mulched. I still need to add the stone border and I think it could use more mulch, but I was pleased with how it turned out. I can't wait for the crepe myrtles to grow tall and visually fill the empty space on the house between the windows.

With the front flowerbed mostly done, I can move on to other projects outside. My weed eater wouldn't hold gas, so the edges of the yard are in desperate need of trimming. After we finished the front bed yesterday, we bought a new weed eater ... so guess what is on the agenda today?!

After that, I guess I'll tackle the weeds in the side flowerbed, and then there are all the small trees to cut down in the woods so that I can expand the backyard further, but I'll need a chainsaw for that. And, of course, my chainsaw won't start! I'm hoping it just needs a new spark plug, because I really don't want to buy a new one.

By the end of the week, I hope I can declare the yard finished so that I can start on the other projects ... like painting the shutters and garage door. My life is just non-stop fun, isn't it?!! With all the outside projects done, maybe my next week of vacation will be relaxing and peaceful ... but it will most likely be filled with more projects! One day, however, I will run out of projects and will get to rest ... right?!

Speaking of Wildlife

A deep rut formed at the edge of my drive last fall. It wasn't a problem until the spring rains came. The hole filled with water and wildlife moved in. Every time I walked by the puddle, I could see the water ripple where something was jumping in it ... but they were so fast, I couldn't see what they were. I didn't know if it was frogs or bugs. I stood by the puddle for a while and one of the tiny frogs that call the puddle home surfaced (below).

I was going to put some bleach in the water so that mosquitoes didn't use it as a maternity ward, but once I saw the frogs, that idea had to be nixed. I don't mind killing future mosquitoes, but I don't want to hurt the frogs. So, I ran to the garden store and bought five bags of rock and dumped it in. It fell to the bottom of the hole and disappeared. I ran back and got five more and dumped those in. I can at least see the rock now, but it really didn't make much of a dent. For the cost of what I spent on bagged rock already, I could have gone to a gravel company and bought enough rock to fill the hole and have some left over! My driveway needs more rock anyway, so I guess I'll just have to live with this hole until I get my whole driveway rocked. I really wish the frogs would just move so that I can pour bleach into it, but they seem awfully happy there. I don't think they're going anywhere while there is any water in that hole.

I Have an Owl!

He's not actually mine, of course, he just lives in my woods ... but I called dibs :)

We had an owl at my old house. The kids named him Hootie I only saw him occasionally, but I often heard him (and another owl) calling out to each other.

I have heard an owl here at my new house on numerous occasions, but until the day before yesterday, I hadn't seen him. When I walked into the kitchen Sunday morning, he was sitting on the corner of the garage roof. He flew away before I could take a picture. I've named him Barnie ... Barnie the Barn Owl.

Later, I got online to look at owl species to see what kind he is, and it appears he's a barn owl. The outside of his wings are mostly an orangish, rusty brown. (The picture at the left is not Barnie, it's just the closest picture I could find.)

Yesterday I was sitting on the back deck having coffee when he flew up. He started to land on the garage roof, exactly where I had seen him the day before, but I guess he saw me and got spooked, so he flew off into the woods.

I'm so happy to have an owl here! I think I'm going to set up a motion-activated camera and attempt to get a photo of him. I'll probably get a lot more birds and bugs than owls, but if I'm patient, I'll capture a picture of Barnie. If I aim the camera at the right angle, I can get photographs of hummingbirds at my feeder, too.

I don't know why, but seeing owls and hummingbirds makes me immensely happy!

Memorial Day Barbecue

We went to an annual Memorial Day barbecue yesterday. When we prayed before we ate, we thanked God for the veterans for their sacrifice, particularly those that made the ultimate sacrifice. I hope as everyone gets together, they remember to thank those that fought to allow us to live our lives in freedom.

Sometime today, I will go to the cemetery and put a flag on my father's grave. He was very proud of his service to our country ... and so am I.

A Day With W

I had my little grandson yesterday. He looks so much like his father it's uncanny However, even as chubby as little W is, Thing 3 was chubbier! After breakfast and playing a while, he ran out of steam and took a quick power nap.

After his power nap, we played with him until lunch time. I gave him his bottle and he fed himself (mostly).

Then it was time for fruit. I gave him a spoon to play with, which was a bad idea! Apparently he can only do one thing at a time ... eat or play ... but not both ... so the spoon had to go.

With his little belly full, we ran to the landscaping store. I figured he'd love all the colorful flowers, and perhaps he did, but it was the fountain that caught his eye!

Thing 2 wearing her nephew.