Chores Are Done: Let It Rain!

I’m proud of myself. I actually got the cannas dug and hydrangeas planted late Sunday afternoon. Now Mother Nature is watering the hydrangeas in with a deep soaking.

We’ve had 2 inches of rain since yesterday afternoon and its supposed to continue raining all day today. My timing was perfect.

Of course, I’ll be even happier after I recover from the stiff, sore muscles I have as a result of all that digging and bulb carrying. I was more out of shape than I thought!

There is still some tidying up to do in preparation for winter: containers and pots need to be stored away for next year and leaves need to be collected for the compose pile. Those will have to wait for better weather.

The best thing to do this morning is to enjoy another cup of coffee and watch the cats nap while  listening to the rain.

Be blessed!

Looking for Deer and Planting Shrubs

Every day as I drive to work, I hope to see that beautiful deer again. I want to see him and I want to avoid hitting him if he doesn’t give me as much time to stop.

My husband and I are both spending a lot of time in the morning and evening looking across the creek into the field beyond, wanting to get a glimpse of “my” buck or the doe our neighbor saw.

We keep thinking we will see them down at the pond getting a drink. So far, no luck.

I did notice this morning how thick the frost was on the grass around the pond. That will be commonplace for the next months. Winter is roaring in.

I am running out of time to plant some hydrangeas I’ve been holding in containers since last spring. If I don’t do it today, next weekend will be my last chance. Stay turned for developments on that project.

I’ve let myself get so out of shape that I almost dread shovel work and moving those big pots. It will be a step toward getting myself back in shape though. I have to look at it from that angle.

I know I’ll be happy next year when these shrubs leaf out and bloom. They are a variegated hydrangea with blue blossoms. My plan is to plant them across the front of the cottage.

Some years ago we pulled out a row of ancient azaleas that had been in that spot since the cottage was built. Since then I have used annuals in that flower bed. I think these hydrangeas will look really nice in that spot. They will also cut the amount of work required to make it look nice. That’s a good thing, as my time to garden seems to diminish a bit more each year.

Surprise Sighting

I was rounding a curve in the road, taking my time and thinking my own thoughts when he leaped down the bank ahead of me. Stopping at the edge of the road for a moment, he then pranced across. Big and beautiful, sleek and well fed.

I slowed to a crawl as I watched in awe.

Prancing across the road, he looked at my approaching car and it seemed he gave me a nod. Then with one smooth flowing leap he cleared the road side ditch and a rail fence that blocked his path.

I watched as he ran across the field. Strong. Happy. Free.

I know sighting a buck isn’t unusual in the mountains, but he was the first to ever cross my path.

I will never forget that beautiful sight. I feel blessed to have had a glimpse into a moment of his life.

Be Blessed.

Leaves

The leaves have almost all fallen. It seems to me that there were more leaves this year. The shade was deeper this summer and the layer of leaves deeper this fall.

The green grass lies covered in a blanket of brown. Moving quietly across the yard takes all the training my daddy gave me as a child.

I remember our walks in the woods vividly. He taught me the names of trees and plants. He taught me to love the woods and the creatures that inhabit them.

He taught me how to walk quietly in new fallen leaves. (I frustrated him no end, however, for it was much more fun to kick them and hear the  crunching, swishing sounds as they flew skyward.)

I did learn though; and could slip up on rabbits, squirrels and other creatures with ease by the time I was nine.

Hmmm. When I was nine. Oh, what a long time ago that was! I try not to think about it very often.

Daddy was my age when he was teaching me woodland stealth. Maybe I could teach my great-grandchildren. Of course, they may think I am crazy if I show them how to walk “Indian style” through the woods. In the days of computers and video games, walking silently through new fallen leaves is not very exciting .

It was fun half a century ago though, walking in the woods with Daddy. That’s what really matters to me.

Strange, isn’t it? The small everyday events and actions done by a parent can, in the future, become so strong a memory in the child turned adult.

Blessed Be.