Knock Knock

Knock Knock

Who's there?

Armageddon!

Armageddon who?

Armageddon ready to fix this door!

I love everything about our new (to us) front door except for one thing.  It won't open.  That's right.  The wood door swelled up enough in the warm heat to become completely stuck.  It won't budge.

It's a great excuse not to answer the door to salespeople that ignore my No Solicitors rock.  But, I'd like to be able to open my door.  So, now we are waiting for the wood to shrink back down so we can get it out and fix it.  Any guesses on how long that will take?  In the meantime, I can amuse My Pirate with knock knock jokes.

A Frog in My Bathroom

This morning, as I was putting the final touches on my hair before I shoved a garden hat on top of my head, I noticed a tree frog watching me from the bathroom floor.

I carefully closed the bathroom door to keep Barnaby out and I snapped a quick shot of the frog on my phone.  

tree frog on my bathroom floor

Then, I carefully moved the traumatized frog covered in hair and fuzz into my front garden.  I released it on my new pollinator watering station.  Just in case it wanted to rinse the fuzz off, take a sip of water, and snack on an insect.

And the frog seemed relieved.  We both moved on with our day.  And I'm left wondering, how did the frog get into the bathroom?  Any ideas?

An Enchanting Evening in Anna's Garden

Almost a full month has passed since I spent a warm July evening with Anna in her beautiful garden, sipping ice-cold wine that smelled crisp like grapefruit.  (I recommend reading Anna's blog, The Creative Flux.  Check it out!)

Anna introduced me to her garden explaining what plants still needed to be moved where and I knew in that instant that she was a kindred spirit.  All the plants in my garden have moved around on the tip of my shovel, at least once, except for the large fir tree.  My Pirate won’t enable me (his term) anymore, so it felt wonderful to share this quirk with another gardener.

The scent of vanilla wafted down onto us from her massive blooming magnolia tree as we explored and I took pictures.    

Anna pointed out all of her favorite bits of beauty in her lovely Irish accent; she’s from Sweden and her former Irish boyfriend taught her English.  

Anna stepped up on a retaining wall to show me a dark inky clematis bloom.  I enjoyed all the different clematis winding their way through her plants.

I loved her use of rusty metal.  It added dimension and interest.  

She even had a cardoon in her front parking strip like me! 

Her garden was filled with beautiful blooms.

Can you see the bumble bee?

I admired her artistic combinations of foliage.  Her plants were huge and happy.  I felt her garden surround us like a hug.

And her Podophyllum is gorgeous.  Now I'm excited to see mine grow in.

Look at those huge leaves!

The seed heads contrasted nicely with the new blooms.

And Manneman supervised our visit.  Such a cool name for a cat.  

Thanks for the wonderful evening, Anna!

Barnaby's Itchy Teeth

I woke up this morning to the sound of Barnaby ripping the stuffing out of my comforter.  I'm soo ready for this whole teething phase to be over.  Only one more month.  That's right, Barnaby is five months old tomorrow.  He looks like an old man without his dentures right now because all of his front baby teeth have fallen out.  And his gums are itchy.  He continuously begs at the back door to go sit on the patio furniture and chew on sticks.  I even splurged on a twenty dollar chew toy made out of saw dust, so he can chew on at 'stick' inside.

Barnaby chewing on a stick this afternoon

The only difference from two months ago, is that I have to push the two foot rests for him to fit!  He weighs over seventy pounds now.  But, he still thinks that he weighs ten pounds because he tries to fit on my lap.  

Two months ago

I've been surprised by the amount of muddy slobber he produces.  The Assistant and I look like we're covered in muddy slug trails by the end of the day. The (poor) Assistant...she has a puppy that is bigger than her.  But, they still cuddle up and he licks her ears.  And I'm happily counting down the thirty days until his adult teeth are in. 

Poetry Post Poem: Fecundity

Here's my first original submission in my poetry post.  Enjoy!

Fecundity

By Laura Heldreth

Fecundity beckons…

In the life and cycle,

Seed. Root.

Sweet oblivion of

bud and blossom.

Then fruit. 

Another season. 

     Another dance.

           Another chance.

The mystery beckons…

How the muck and

the shit incubate seeds,

Sprouting life.

I celebrate my garden

beginning to end. 
Again and again.