Weather, Whether, Feather and ...

Today's weather began with freezing temperatures and sleet. It stuck on the walkways, driveways, and roadways. In other words: A free day with no plans or obligations!!! Yea!

Here's a photo from the front door (indicating the Weather)
It was nearly noon and I heard a familiar "bump." If you feed birds in the winter, you will often hear that same sound... and you'll know that a bird has hit a window. Sure enough, I looked down and saw a nuthatch lying on the walkway in front of the living room window. It scrunched around a bit and then just laid in shock.


I ran to the bathroom for a lightweight towel and scooped him up in it.
This is the Whether...


I brought him indoors for a moment until his little bright eye opened.
Then I set him, still loosely covered in the towel, just outside the door.


About an hour later, when I opened the towel,
this is what I found.


You're expecting the Feather, right?


No, it's the . . . ;-)


Here's a picture of our bird feeder. If you click on it, you'll see a nuthatch.
He's not upside down, as they usually are...


I wonder if it is "mine?"

Rain!

Entry updated 7/23/07
Rain! We received 1.8" of rain late afternoon/early evening yesterday. Yippee - except that it POURED and from uphill neighbors and the upslope of the front of our own yard, run-off happened! Ran a river... right through the SW part of the yard! And it happened again this past week... 2" through the night and early morning.

We received another .7" this morning. And it looks like there will be rain again tonight! (And it happened again... 2" through the night and early morning.) Both nights' downpours were preceeded by high winds, and hail the first night (not always a good sign).

I have a goal of eventually creating a "dry bed" on the south side of our house... which would facilitate the run-off, and look very nice at other times. At least everything looks wonderful out there. And I've been able to discontinue watering for a few days.

Here's a photo of my "Madonna" day lily being nibbled by a kinda-cute little green insect. I was just told that it's a katydid nymph. He's down in the center. Click on the photo if you want to get closer. A tribe of these fellows, all of different sizes, made themselves at home on another bloom, practically denuding the petals of their color. (See the tiny spot where this fellow has been working?)
This is a Blackberry Lily. I first noticed it blooming yesterday. Out back, in the shade . . . hmmm, where's my lemonaide?

It's been a little dry

It's been dry for the past few weeks. So, I watered again. I'm hoping it might rain a bit tonight. I'm operating on the theory that if you wash your car, it'll rain. So perhaps if I water everything in sight, it'll rain. We'll see.

I'm planning to stick pretty close to home for awhile. I miss being more relaxed about working outdoors (i.e., when it needs it, when I want to, etc.) I must paint the shed in the backyard. It needs it. I'm going to add some "funky" trim colors. You'll see it when I'm finished.

I was with my parents last week for a few days. We had a fun visit. We walked through a park that my dad worked in often when he was an active member of the Men's Garden Club. This photo shows where my mom, my aunt, my dad and I crossed a creek, instead of returning by way of the trail we'd just traveled. That added a bit of excitement to the day!After the near-impasse, we continued on the trail. Looking down, Aunt MEA noticed a shoe. We don't know the story behind this lost shoe, but I'm sure I could come up with one!

(This is not my photo.) I purchased a "Strawberry Candy" daylily and planted it right after I got home! I was so excited to find one at a local nursery near my parents' home! I'd tried growing a bare-root baby from a gardening catalog 3 Springs ago. It didn't grow. They replaced it the next Spring, but that one didn't grow, either. I gave up.


However, both bare-root "Custard Candy"plants grew. And they're blooming like crazy this year. They're even extra-sturdy plants. You can sure tell I'm not in control! (Again, this is not my photo.)

Strawberry Candy now resides in the raised bed garden (which is "coming together." Just a few more plans, plants and renovations; then it'll be time to work a bit more in the rest of the yard... back in the shade.

Just a Quick Note

Just a few views of tonight's short-lived downpour. We received .3" last night and another .1" just now. The pan in the second photo hasn't been emptied for two days... nearly full again. The third picture was taken from the bedroom window, looking towards the raised beds (and my compost pile). Note the running "river."

It was a beautiful day, all day, and I was able to mow the lawn(!). It really needed it! I raked the front yard and emptied three, full, five-gallon buckets of grass clippings in the compost pile. If you look closely, you can see the grass in the compost pile! Now the grass can grow again! The forecast for the week is... more rain.

I can't really complain. It doesn't help, anyway. But, the good thing is... I haven't watered a single hanging pot for many days! Everything looks Really Good. And flowers are beginning to bloom like crazy!

A thought . . . I wonder if Oregon and Washington states are receiving their normal rainfall. Or, have we gotten theirs, somehow?

(And it's begun to rain again...)

Your Soggy Shady Gardener

My It's Been Rainy!

On Friday (June 1) we had 2 1/2" of rain by noon! It was an amazing downpour. There were a couple of sharp lightning cracks, but that was about it. The mailman told me there was more rain and severe weather forecast for later in the day. That wasn't the best news I'd heard that morning. (This is generally where I get the weather forecast... from husband, neighbors and the mailman! ha.)

Flowerbeds, lawns, and everything outdoors were already "soggy." There's no sense in trying to garden at this point, but things are most definitely lovely and lush. Here are some photos. This is the front of the house. It does get some sunshine.
At left is the hanging basket of impatiens. NOTE the Giant Swallowtail that's been settling down during the past couple of weeks.
On the right is the front "sunny" bed, looking towards the house. Red husker penstemon, daylilies, cat mint, one lone yellow iris, a hanging dianthus, and some little blue allium behind the hanging basket.

And here's a close-up of a very wet daylily saying, "What happened?"
Last night, from 6:30+ was June's "First Friday Art Walk." Store owners, craftspeople, artists, organizers, (click here)Musicians, food vendors, etc. had put much effort into this month's extravaganza entitled, "All Things Italian." The weather cooperated beautifully. Not a drop of rain. Hardly a cloud in the sky. It was a lot of fun and very well attended.

There was another 1/2" in the rain gauge this morning, which I left in the gauge, from last night's rain. I took a few short treks across the squishy front yard today. The squirrels continue to drop small clusters of leaves as they attempt to make their nests in the branches. Oak leaves are hard on the grass, so I try to keep them picked up and in the compost pile.

Today (Saturday) began high school graduation parties. The day was "balmy" - a relief!

However, tonight as I began to write, it began to rain again. It really poured for awhile. I don't know what it's doing right now (it's raining) there are so many trees. Moving leaves often sound like rain...

Well, I guess it's time to check the rain gauge again. (9:30 P.M. - the total was 1.6" for the day.)

Your Damp Shady Gardener!