Friday, May 14, 2021

Somewhere it's an Irish Breakfast Tea Day with Almond Butter and Peach Jam Biscuits.



It ought to be comforting listening to the purr of my cat curled in-between upper arm and body, snagging his claws as he kneads his little tootsies into the fold of my sturdy wool blanket; but as I lie in bed counting past sheep number one thousand two hundred fifty one, it isn’t.  He seems content, whereas I am lost, drowning in a sea of emotional invalidation from someone who denies what they say invalidates my feelings.  This is destined to plague me until hell freezes over, so on with the loveliness of living.

Instead of a quiet walk through my mushy, waterlogged garden in the aftermath of a hellacious thunderstorm that woke me up with the sun; I’m halted in my tracks by this gorgeous iridescent midnight purple iris, while my inner self has already conjured up five paragraphs of thoughts on the subject to publish. Where’s that shut off valve?

After a bowl of Amy’s Southwestern Vegetable soup to make me feel healthy, I’m polishing off my lunch with a crispy tortilla covered in melty cheese, a square of Ghirardelli intense dark chocolate, and a mug of hot Irish Breakfast tea.  The screen door is in place, as usual, as robin’s loud song plays with the humidity that fills the space around me while the dehumidifier busily hums its own song in the far away background.

A beautiful day to breath in all that fresh air, as a darkness gently begins to lay hold of the land as layers upon layers of clouds begin to snake their way in over the horizon to summon the early warning that another thunderstorm is on its way in… curtesy of an invitingly warm day.

A boom of thunder hurries me along doing bird feeder and bath duties, then the unanticipated silence of an hours wait ending with rumble after rumble of thunder as raindrops begin flooding the already standing water ground.


Garden Thyme


Cumberland Rosemary
 Conradina verticillata








Garden Sage


Type of Crane Fly, I think.





'Corky' Daylily








Blackberry Looper Moth
Chlorochlamys chloroleucaria
3/4th inches wide with fringe edged wings
Lousy photos don't do it justice :(











'Corinne' Large flowered Clematis


Beautiful flowers that don't survive thunderstorms well.





Ladybug larvae





Pigweed Flea Beetle
Disonycha glabrata
Had to look up pigweed (Amaranthus albus).  
It grows in abundance, and young shoots can be cooked and eaten like spinach.


Clematis 'Arabella'
Color of blue shows up more as purple in photos.
This short clematis has no tendrils, 
but will grow up obelisk when guided.














May Beetle - Jung Beetle
Phyllophaga spp.
Scarab Beetle Family
About 1" long












Ground cover weed with tiny flowers


Golden Club growing in the bog-rain garden area.  
A survivor from the pond that was once here.
It grew up through two feet of soil to survive.
Pond-bog plants are no wimps.


Swamp Clematis


Bog-Rain Garden with Copper Iris


'My Mary ' Azalea 


Lyre-Leaf Sage on dry river pathway in backyard.
Becomes a river during thunderstorms.


Type of sedge on dry river pathway.


Columbine and Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea)


Byzantine Gladiolus
From year 1629
Hardy to zone 6a 








Native Mock Orange
No Fragrance, unlike the non-native type











Ninebark





Baptisia (Baptisia australis)
'Purple Smoke'  








Robin's Plantain (Erigeron pulchellus)
with friend
I think this is a type of moth, but haven't been able to identify it.


5/28/21 Finally identified this as a Cocksfoot Moth.





Austin's left hind leg suffered a mishap
 jumping over the gate to my studio.
He was slightly out of it while on pain medication
for a swollen ankle.
It's nice to have the old Austin back again.  






THE


ALMOST

My smart phone hasn't made me any smarter.
Haven't figured out how to shrink my video
to smaller screen view, so.....
you're presented with five short videos
for one little thought.

35 comments:

  1. ...I just. planted a 'Corinne' Clematis. I'm looking forward to seeing it flower.

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  2. To see all this surging inflorescence with its complement of insects illustrates very well the symbiotic relationships of nature. Your garden no doubt brings you great pleasure. And we benefit from your narrative and your pictures. Thank you.

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  3. Hello,
    I would enjoy a walk around your garden, Your flowers are beautiful. Clematis is one of my favorites. I am waiting for mine to bloom now. I hope your kitty's leg has healed. Take care! Take care, have a happy weekend!

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  4. Oh, those gorgeous day lilies, clematis and iris! Austin is a very handsome cat indeed. Glad his leg is feeling better now.

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  5. Your garden is a real ecosystem! It's so beautiful, a little wild, like nature in general.
    The colors of the flowers are bright, as are the green, spring leaves. The green butterfly is gorgeous! It is a delight for me to watch the photos and videos with the garden and your dearest souls with fur. How happy Dustin is when he sees you! The tail expresses his feelings! ❤️ I'm glad Austin is fine now. ❤️
    Have a wonderful weekend!

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  6. Dearest Yvonne,
    oh yeah, purring cats can sometimes be very painful to lie on ... the main thing is that THEY feel good ;-)
    Your garden is so wonderfully natural. I'm impressed because your clematis, daylilies and irises are already blooming. It will all take a while here in Austria. I liked your garden tour - also by video - how nice the birdsong! And there are even May beetles! I haven't seen any of them in decades ...
    It's nice to see Austin feel good again!
    All the best to you and have a nice weekend!
    Traude
    https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2021/05/erlebte-und-erzahlte-geschichten-im.html

    ReplyDelete
  7. Your flowers are beautiful. Having your feelings invalidated is not.

    Love,
    Janie

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  8. Hello, Yvonne
    The bees and insect must love your garden, so many beautiful plants. I love your cute doggie and the kitty. The clematis is one of my favorite blooms, we have three different clematis species growing. I just love them. The video are nice, I like see more of your garden and to listen to the birds. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a happy weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.

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  9. Happy blogging! What a beautiful garden! We treated our cats for ticks yesterday. Such a relief.

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  10. The garden blooms are fabulous, Yvonne. I hope your cat is back in full gear and soon. I hate it when they are hurt.

    Cats are the best secret keepers, aren't they? I love those bedtime moments when they snug in, purr and you can tell them anything.

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  11. What gorgeous flowers and I do love that blackberry looper moth. And the cat, of course. Where would any of us be without our cats to keep us straight.

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  12. Some amazing colour in this post. I really like the moth though.

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  13. That gorgeous purple Iris would be sufficient to turn my day around, Yvonne. I'm envious of your success with Clematis too, a genus I've had only minimal success with (so far anyway). I'm glad the kitty is feeling better.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Those clematis are in large pots with potting soil, and are watered very often. All my clematis in pots have flourished, while the ones in the garden have struggled - except for Polish Spirit which grows like a weed. I use potting soil in the movable planters, but the stationary planters are filled with top soil. Clematis do fine either way as long as they're fed and watered well. I've struggled with some plants in my gardens. If I adore it enough, I'll put it in a pot and it flourishes, but I only have so much space for pots :)

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  14. I enjoyed all your flower photos. I've never tried to grow clementis. As for insects, my iPhone is no good at taking macros. I enjoyed all your short videos and your happy singing robin. I need to learn more about butterflies and moths, too.

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  15. What a marvelous lush backyard garden. It is paradise especially for the pup whose tail can’t stop happily wagging at the sound of your voice. Thanks for sharing your world.

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  16. What a sea of flowers! So gorgeous!
    And it's always good to have ladybugs in the garden!

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  17. Delightful captures of the flowers and insects!

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  18. Beautiful garden you have, bugs, fauna, and close up of course.

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  19. such cute little critters and a very pretty garden, the colors are fabulous!! you have a great way with words as well! i hope you had a nice weekend!!

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  20. Lovely flowers from the garden. That is a very unique moth, it looks more like a succulent plant.

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  21. Austin is so adorable ~ great photo ~ Xo ~ Your nature photos are fantastic! Wow!

    Living moment by moment,

    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  22. Hello Yvonne, I enjoyed your Post, your walk through your own wonderful garden. There are so many lovely blooms, especially the Clematis.

    Thank you for sharing.

    Have a wonderful week.

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  23. Really beautiful flowers, butterflies and beetles.
    Have a nice day
    Gerda

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  24. A wonderful garden to enjoy, as well as a nice cup of tea!
    Love the midnight blue Iris. Wish you a lovely weekend!
    /Irene

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  25. Loving the garden a lot! I never had clematis til we moved to this house last year and now they are a favorite!

    I appreciate your link at 'My Corner of the World' this week!

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  26. The collection of flower plants in your garden looks beautiful with alluring flower colors.
    I was impressed by the color of the bright yellow flowers.

    Have a nice week!

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  27. Such beautiful May blooms. You must be in a warmer zone than me because the flowers you have blooming aren't blooming in my yard yet. Your kitty is beautiful!

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  28. Dearest Yvonne,
    I was so happy about your loving comment. You took so much time to read my blog, even the story of my father and the guinea pig or my short story about the aluminum can! Yes, unfortunately people are too selfish for this world ... That's sad, especially for future grandmothers. I wish my grandchild a world that is better protected.
    And I'd love to take you to one of my picnics! It would be really nice to be able to transport yourself from one place to another just like that.
    Hopefully you are fine! Have days with as little pain as possible!
    All the best from Austria
    the future grandmother Traude ;-)
    https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2021/05/ausflug-auf-die-perchtoldsdorfer-heide.html

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  29. ohh what some beautiful videos and you got such a lovely voice it is like you became real for me and what a nice place to stay..the little cute dog sure is happy no more ticks.I like your post very much

    Thank you for sharing beauty

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  30. Your words and photos are beautiful. Reading your post is like sitting down with a good book that just captures the attention and relays a calm feeling. Thank you for the nice read and tour of your garden at the end of a busy day!

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  31. so much color and life in your post...made my day Yvonne

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  32. An encyclopedic display of blooms and bugs. I have so much to learn about both. Happy that your kitty is feeling better.

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