lobb

Today is mostly sunny and warm with a light breeze, a beautiful spring day.  :D

I fed the birds.  I've seen several sparrows and house finches, two brown-headed cowbirds, a mourning dove, and two fox squirrels.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 4/22/25 -- We went out shopping.  I picked out roughly 5 flats of plants at DeBuhr's.  We found a garden hose, nozzle, and reel plus a gas can at Home Depot.  Also at Home Depot I spotted a modular garage storage system that looks very promising.  It has mounting rails for shelves and a wide variety of hooks.  That ought to combine well with a pegboard.

EDIT 4/22/25 -- I planted a 'Sugar Snack' cherry tomato and a 'Yellow Pear' tomato in the large pots by the septic garden, each with 4 marigolds around it.

As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.








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Today is cloudy, breezy, and cool.  It rained for hours last night.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a few sparrows and house finches, plus a brown-headed cowbird.

I put out water for the birds.

The single yellow violet (which might be a hairy yellow violet) that I planted in the forest garden has seeded a whole new plant!  :D 3q3q3q!!!!  I am so excited.

We measured from the spigot to the old picnic table and the new picnic table.  We'll need to acquire a 75-foot hose.

EDIT 4/21/25 -- The plumbers have come and gone.  We have a working outside spigot!  \o/  It has low water pressure for reasons that are not feasible to fix, but at least water comes out of it.  

We dug up the old hoses.  The yellow ones were in pieces so we threw those away.  The green is still attached to a different spigot that it won't come off.  But at least the yellows are gone.  Progress.

I started working on a new cookie jar terrarium for the potted fern, but other things intervened so I haven't gotten very far yet.

I've seen the tufted titmouse!  :D  I haven't seen him in weeks, so I'm glad he's still around.

EDIT 4/21/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 4/21/25 -- I picked up more sticks for the firepit.

As it is now dark, I am done for the night.

Today is cloudy, rainy, and cool.  It started raining yesterday evening and is still going.

I fed the birds.  Not much activity today.

EDIT 4/19/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

It is not currently raining.

EDIT 4/19/25 -- I took out one of the big self-watering pots from Family Dollar.  I filled the bottom half with American Countryside composted manure and the top half with American Countryside potting soil.  Then I planted a 'Mr. Stripey' heirloom tomato.  I put the pot on the new picnic table.




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Today is cloudy, breezy, and chilly. Rain is forecasted but not yet falling.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 4/17/25 -- I planted 2 Queen of the Prairie in the prairie garden.

I saw a brown thrasher.

EDIT 4/17/25 -- I mulched around the Queen of the Prairie.

EDIT 4/17/25 -- I planted 3 red plum seeds in pots.

EDIT 4/17/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 4/17/25 -- I spread a bag of Better Earth Premium Organic Compost over the telephone pole garden.

I've seen Nipple Squirrel at the hopper feeder.

EDIT 4/17/25 -- I covered the telephone pole garden with a plastic mesh fence.

I planted a cinnamon fern in the forest garden.

EDIT 4/17/25 -- I watered the newly planted things.

EDIT 4/17/25 -- I watered plants on the two picnic tables, plus the pansies on the patio and some other stuff.

EDIT 4/17/25 -- I filled two trolleys with dead weeds from the south side of the house, and dumped them in the firepit.

As it is getting dark, I am done for the night. 

Today is mostly sunny and mild.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a grackle, and a blue jay.  The blue jay sounds odd, more like "cheerup" than "thief" but I saw it fly and there's no mistaking that color.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 4/16/25 -- We cut brush along the path toward the east edge of the yard.

EDIT 4/16/25 -- I planted a Pagoda Dogwood in the forest yard, covered it, and spread topsoil around it. 

EDIT 4/16/25 -- I put mulch around the Pagoda Dogwood.

I've heard more blue jays and think there are several around currently.

Crabapples are blooming in the forest yard.

EDIT 4/16/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I've seen a blue jay, a brown thrasher, and a robin in the forest garden.

In other news, we're getting the outdoor spigot replaces, so we'll have an outdoor water source again. :D 3q3q3q!!!  I'll need to research what kind of hose I want to get.

EDIT 4/16/25 -- I planted the American plum along the north edge of the prairie garden.

EDIT 4/16/25 -- I put mulch around the American plum.

EDIT 4/16/25 -- I planted a downy serviceberry along the north edge of the savanna.  I spread topsoil around it, covered it, labeled it, and mulched it.

I watered the newly planted things.

I've seen a fox squirrel at the hopper feeder.

As it is now dark, I am done for the night.

Today is partly cloudy, chilly, and blustery.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a grackle, and a brown-headed cowbird.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 4/15/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

The first wild strawberry is blooming in the trough pot.  :D

EDIT 4/15/25 -- I planted 2 pots with red plum seeds and 8 pots with sycamore seed balls.

I've seen a flock of grackles and a flock of mourning doves.

EDIT 4/15/25 -- I finished transplanting bergamot from the telephone pole garden to the streetside edge of the savanna hedge.

EDIT 4/15/25 -- I planted 25 gladioli bulbs in the telephone pole garden. This concludes the order from K. van Bourgondien.  Yay.  Yay.

EDIT 4/15/25 -- I built the core for the next bonfire.

I saw the chevron skunk again.  He was ambling along the west edge of the ritual meadow, ignoring me and going about his business.  It's nice be able to recognize him as an individual.

As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.

Today is cloudy, windy, and cool.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 4/13/25 -- It's too windy to plant above-ground things, but I can plant underground things.  I planted 3 black hollyhock roots in the telephone pole garden.  Then I watered them and some other plants.

I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, several brown-headed cowbirds, and a female fox squirrel with nipples showing.

I also saw a red admiral butterfly.  :D

EDIT 4/13/25 -- I planted 6 mixed hosta roots, 2 in the forest garden and 4 in the log garden. Then I watered them and some other plants.

More hostas are sprouting in the forest garden. \o/

EDIT 4/13/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

One potted ramp and one potted horseradish are sprouting.  :D

I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, several grackles, and two mourning doves.

EDIT 4/13/25 -- I started clearing off the telephone pole garden, where I'll be planting some bulbs later on. 

EDIT 4/13/25 -- I did more clearing off the telephone pole garden, 

EDIT 4/13/25 -- I did more clearing off the telephone pole garden.  It's pretty well cleared now, except for copious amounts of bergamot that I need to move elsewhere so it won't take over the whole bed.

EDIT 4/13/25 -- I started transplanting bergamot from the telephone pole garden.  I'm moving it to the streetside edge of the hedge along the west end of the savanna.

EDIT 4/13/25 -- I transplanted more bergamot.

EDIT 4/13/25 -- I transplanted more bergamot.

As it is now dark, I am done for the night.

Today is mostly sunny and cool, a beautiful spring day.  Yesterday it drizzled on and off in the afternoon, then rained thoroughly last night.  There's a freeze warning for tonight, though, so I'll need to bring in the seedlings.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a flock of assorted blackbirds, a male cardinal, and a fox squirrel.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 4/11/25 -- We spent much of the day out shopping and erranding.

I did a bit of work around the patio.
 
My Breck's order arrived.  I have soooo much backlog from getting rained out repeatedly.

EDIT 4/11/25 -- I brought in the seedlings and the pansies.

As it is now dark, I am done for the night. 

I took some pictures around the yard today. These show the house yard. See the House Yard, South Lot, Savanna and Prairie Garden, and Back Toward the House.

( Walk with me ... )

Today is cloudy, windy, and cold.  It rained a little last night, leaving small puddles in the road.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 4/9/25 -- We went out shopping and picked up various garden supplies among other things.

EDIT 4/9/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I picked up a new wide, flat pan today that I'm going to use as a birdbath.  I scraped the label off the inside, set it atop an old can, and poured in a gallon of water.  Then I added a brick to keep it in place.  Hopefully the birds will like it.

EDIT 4/9/25 -- I took the trays of pots back outside.

I refilled the birdfeeder since they had drained it.

EDIT 4/9/25 -- I started clearing the space where the greenhouse will go.  I filled two trolleys with dead stems and hauled them to the firepit.

As it is now dark, I am done for the night.