Hollyhocks And Rat Catching

I've never had Hollyhocks before so I should be grateful.  To the naked eye, these look black.  My iPhone camera found some color.  This is not a color I would have chosen, but it's what I ended up with. Whatever.

Now, I need some advice from my English friends.  In the states, we all covet an English garden.  My take is that for the most part, it is mass plantings and correct me if I am wrong.  I am thrilled with mine, except for one thing.  Besides the gophers and moles, I am now over-run with Norway rats.  Gray with rounded noses, shorter tail and ears and not as large as brown rats, they are adorable, and very friendly I might add.  I have had to move the bird feeders down next to the lake.  The rats eat the seed and try to climb the poles and jump from tree limbs etc.

I have fed birds for forty years.  It is a joy.  Google says I have to get rid of bird feeders and clear out all foliage.  WTF?  I quit filling the feeders, but I'm not mowing/clearing out my gardens.  I've thought about a bb gun, tried traps and even went to buy a humane trap.  I couldn't kill them up close and looking at me.  Poisons are out because of the dogs.  

They've had three cases of plague next-door in New Mexico and with all these rats....  What to do?

What The Heck

I thought I had uploaded/downloaded a video before, but tried everything thrice to get it to work.  Seems like 1 minute and 6 seconds is too long to add to blogger.  

Anyway.... I watched this second hatch of sparrows leave the nest yesterday.  Mom and Dad both joined in to coax them out.  Kind of like potty training - exasperating for them.

This was the last one.  So much cheeping and calling from the family, it finally decided to fly.

Big Small

It is lily time at the city house.  I don't know what these are, but they are HUGE.  At least 9 inches across.  So pretty.  Flowers are amazing.

Perfect for this small porcelain wise man.  Though I don't think you can see it, there were droplets of honeydew inside the flower.  I tasted it.  Sweet. Wonder what lily ice cream would taste like.

This tiny colander is full of pearl sized tomatoes.  Those cookie cutters are the child-sized ones.  I waited for two years to find these teensy tomato seeds.  A burst of flavor.

When I was a child, I would have died with all the miniature things they have today.  Smalls just enchant me.  Happy days...

Sittin' On The Dock Of The Lake

Each morning is about the same.  After coffee and such, I head outside to look about.  My flowers are really taking off now.  The heat and dry season began this week.

My coneflowers and phlox have started blooming.  Love them both.

I feed the birds and waterfowl.  They are usually waiting for me.  The ducks, geese, turtles and fish get a 27% protein mini-chunk dog kibble.  This rather large red-earred slider, along with different sized friends, never miss a feeding.  They make me laugh.

Turtles are pretty smart and have wonderful eyesight.

The baby Canada geese are nearly as large as their parents now.  Only a small tuft of fluff left on the back of their heads.  The turtles get close to them and I've seen the geese warn them away and even peck at them.  It's a free for all.

So, this is how my mornings go.  Just hanging out back, sitting' on the dock, wasting time.

Showing Photographs

Guess who came to visit Nonna this weekend?  Penny Lane, in all her hippy headband glory.

She'll be moving close in July.  Son (her Dad) just finished his internship and will receive his Ph.D.

It has been a long hard winding road and we are so proud of him.

One more year of a post-doc and his little family is over the hump.  And, new baby sibling for Penny is coming before Christmas. 

Notice, she is beginning to dislike posing for pictures.  Precious twos.

The Vase

I cut some calla lilies for the vase I bought, but just didn't want to cut more.  It would be really pretty with three in each pocket, but this was all I could do.  She still makes me smile.

I Got Nothin'

Except for this.  It is a magazine I've purchased from time to time.  Thick, nice paper and once in awhile, it occasionally speaks to me: I think I'm a little old for it actually.

I have always had an affinity for windows.  Bought and sold many antique ones and painted them on canvas.  I love the crackled paint, but could never live with it.  I think heebie jeebies; hold my nose kind of thing.  Love to buy and sell primitives, but don't usually put them in my house.  

This really spoke to me though.  I think is was written for me (though I'm old enough to know I'm not going to change the world.) But, there is hope for the problem child.  And, like Candide, I'm off to tend my garden.

Have a wonderful, magical weekend.