Blog Archives
The return of the ducks
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I guess the ducks enjoyed their afternoon tea at our pond yesterday, because promptly at five today, they returned. One good thing about their visits is that they seem to have a taste for the string algae. It has bloomed with all the heat we’ve had the last three days and I was ready to go buy an algaecide, which I do hate to use. However, since the pond is in full sun it does become necessary from time to time. The female in particular seems to relish the flavor. Yesterday she climbed to the top of the waterfall and cleaned most of it out of there. If they keep to this daily schedule, I think we can accommodate them without any problems from the pups.
Neither one of the dogs has spotted the ducks yet. Moreover, since I know they are there I take the pups out into the yard on leashes and direct them to the front of the yard. There’s no sense in tempting fate.
I can picture Patty having an encounter with those big birds. She’s used to robins, cardinals, finches, and mourning doves, and ignores them, but ducks? She’s never met one. She’d likely take a flying leap into the pond after them. Gavin would probably bark at them while backing up to get closer to me, just in case.
Posted in Dog related, My blog, my garden
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Pond, Ponds, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
I stimulated the economy today
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Boy did I ever. There are two things I can’t resist buying, books and plants for my gardens. Today my friend, her husband, and I went to a garden shop. I couldn’t help myself. I was like an addict pulling out plants and putting them on the wagon. Someone should put me on the wagon.
I’m sure I drove my friend crazy because right now I have a cold and can’t smell a thing—this place carries herbs by the tons and I love growing herbs. Every time I found something, I thought I might like to add to my garden, I’d call her over to smell it for me.
“Hey, G. Come here and smell this for me, please. How does it smell?” I would wave her over from one end of the shop to another.
She would then rub her hand over the leaves and waft the scent to her nose. “Oh, that one’s nice.”
“What about this one?” I’d shove another plant under her nose.
One particular one almost made her gag—wish I could remember the name of it now. She took a sniff, gasped and said. “Ew, you wouldn’t like it.”
It’s a good thing I trust her judgment and our tastes run the same. I can imagine what a stench I’d have in my garden if that were someone else.
Our next stop was the pond garden shop. Yep, blew some bucks there too.
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Pond, Ponds, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
Yippee for lots of sun and warm weather
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Wow, two days of glorious warm weather! We had plenty of sun and temperatures in the mid seventies. I managed to plant the flowers left over from the planters on the front porch. I worked on the pond—the magnolia is dropping petals like crazy now so I’m skimming the pond every time I turn around. I would stay out in the yard all day if I could. It smells wonderful out there with the tree in full bloom.
The birds are fun to watch right now, they are arriving by the dozens to take baths in the waterfall. The robins are real clowns in the water. Each one has a unique personality and method of bathing.
The pups collapsed into a deep slumber after romping in the yard all day. Maybe it’s a good thing that tomorrow is supposed to be cloudy with possible rain. Gavin is sore after two days of tons of activity. Poor baby, it was a long winter and he spent most of it as a couch potato.
Then, didn’t we all? I know I paid for it later after I spent a few days weeding the gardens back when we had our first hint of spring weather.
Posted in Dog related, My books, my garden, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Fish, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Humor, Koi, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Pond, Ponds, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
One in seven
Posted by doggonedmysteries
It seems as though we are only going to have one day of sunshine in seven, hello April. The song isn’t kidding. I wish I’d taken the time, to plant in the garden, the left over flowers from the planters. Now it looks as though I’ll not get a chance to until Sunday. If I miss Sunday’s clear weather, I’ll have to hold off for another several days where the weather people have forecasted more rain.
At least today was mainly just a brooding sky and we didn’t really get any rain until after ten tonight. However, I didn’t get out planting because the sky looked as though it’d open and pound us with torrents of rain any minute. It was also a chilly enough that I wasn’t eager to go crawling about the garden. The flowers I’d put in the planters on the porch looked perky today so I do believe they’ll thrive there.
Posted in my garden
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Pond, Ponds, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
Sun and flowers
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I couldn’t resist the tug of the sunny day we had today. I bought some potting soil and flowers for the planters on my front porch. The planters had been alongside the driveway for several years. However, last year, when we had new, very nosy, and noisy neighbors move in directly across the street, I removed our chairs and moved the planters to the porch. I can’t wait to see how my petunias, pansies, and snap dragons will look once they begin to grow and fill out the planters. (I didn’t get them planted last year so this should be fun.)
While I was filling the planters with soil and flowers, a pair of mourning doves decided to work on their nest above me. Mourning doves aren’t the greatest nest builders, but this pair tries. They’ve been nesting in the same spot for a couple of years now and are used to us coming and going. I enjoy hearing them so they are welcome additions.
Even though we lost the neighborhood camaraderie we used to have while sitting out on our front porch, we’ve found something special. We have our own sanctuary in the yard on summer evenings and enjoy the pond along with the wonderful peace and quiet.
Posted in hobbies, Misc, my garden
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Pond, Ponds, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
A tangle of topics
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I finally got outside with the camera today and took some shots of the gardens and pond. I posted 3 of the best ones on our garden and pond page.
The pups and I enjoyed the gorgeous, warm day we had today. They played circus dogs and jumped through the Hula-hoop until I ran out of cookies to give them. Then they ran about until they were near collapse. I did some more cleaning out of the gardens, once again over filled, and emptied the wheel barrow four times.
Yesterday, Dear Hubby’s best friend cleaned out all the gutters on my MIL’s house while DH played gofer on the ground. This was a job that hadn’t been done in years and it took most of the day. The high winds didn’t help much. Yes, it’s a real friend, who will climb on a roof for you when the wind is gusting at 48 mph and all you can do is stand on the ground and watch. DH is fortunate to have such a good friend.
My cousin, Carol has posted a new painting on her site, Carol’s Art Blog. I am so impressed with her work. The gal has talent.
Posted in Dog related, Misc, My blog, my garden
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Pond, Ponds, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
Wild weather for the beginning of April
Posted by doggonedmysteries
We had plenty of crashing thunder, wild lightning, and monsoon-like rain today. The pups weren’t thrilled with being inside but neither were they particularly thrilled with being outside. Patty hates rain, she thinks she’ll melt or something. Gavin doesn’t mind it too much but the drenching we got, was not his idea of fun either. The rain battered the heck out of my daffodils but they might stand back up after they dry out a bit.
Tomorrow the weather people are predicting wind gusts of up to fifty miles per hour. I spent what little daylight (with no rain) we had left, battening down the hatches. I’m sure I probably missed a few things and will find them moved tomorrow. With my luck, they’ll be sleeping with the fishes in the pond and I’ll have to run a salvage operation. Is Jacques Cousteau’s son still around? Maybe I’ll give him a call.
The poor magnolia will probably lose many of its not yet opened buds if the winds get too high. I don’t remember ever having as much wind as we’ve had this year. I do hope this will be the last of the high winds or I’m going to have to take some more bungee cords out into the yard to keep things from blowing away.
Posted in Dog related, my garden
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Pond, Ponds, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
Oh, my aching back!
Posted by doggonedmysteries
We had such a sunny and warm day today I couldn’t resist doing some yard work. I cleaned out the garden surrounding our pond. Four over loaded wheelbarrows later, I was feeling it in my back and my knees. It was worth it though, that garden looks a lot better.
By this evening, we had clouds and rain again. We’re getting more rain tomorrow so the rest of the gardens will have to wait. Down the side of our yard, I have this one-hundred and twenty feet long by four feet wide flower garden that I have to clean out. Then there’s the twenty feet by three feet garden across the back of the yard and two small circular gardens under the magnolia and tulip poplar trees. The way I figure it, if we keep getting rain like this, it’ll be sometime in June before I have them up to snuff.
The magnolia is beginning to bloom and if I ever get around to dragging my camera out, I’ll have some new pictures to post on my pond and garden page. The pictures I have up don’t show how the privet hedges are gone (I dug them out—all 135 feet of them) nor do they show the new fencing we put in last year. Sunday is supposed to be sunny again. If I get the rest of the gardens cleaned out so they look nice, I’ll take pictures.
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Pond, Ponds, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
Frost and squirrels in the forecast
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I’d hoped to squeeze another week out of the nice weather before I had to dig out some of my more delicate plants. It didn’t happen. Last night we had frost. Now I have to find the time and energy to dig out all my black elephant ears and calla lilies.
Today I had planned to move some of my tulip bulbs to another part of the garden. However, after discovering a trail of bulb crumbs that led to the base of the magnolia tree, I found that the squirrels had beaten me to them. They had not only dug up and eaten the tulip bulbs, but they’d buried peanuts in their place. Someone is feeding the tree rats again. Not only have I found buried peanuts but also there have been walnuts, hazelnuts, and Brazil nuts. The squirrels raided my tomatoes. They absconded with all we had left on the plants. All of them still green, but we’d looked forward to having those fried. They even sampled one of my jalapeño peppers. The blasted tree rats are eating better than we are.
The pups keep trying to catch the squirrels but have found gravity doesn’t help them when it comes to climbing trees.
We’ve begun to prepare the pond for the winter. Sometime this week I’ll drag the netting from the back porch to cover the pond and keep out most of the leaves. I’d better hurry because the leaves are dropping faster than the temperature. We found out that we have to keep the netting raised about three or four inches from the ground, so the frogs can move about until they go into hibernation. Last year the bullfrogs were not amused when we had some temperate weather and they couldn’t leave the pond to hunt. I had to raise the edges of the netting to allow them access.
Posted in Dog related, My blog, my garden
Tags: Author, books, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Disability, Dogs, Fiction, Fish, Gardening, Gardens, Koi, Life, Multiple Sclerosis, Mysteries, Mystery, Pond, Ponds, Writer, Writing
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