Cat Sitting

I lived at daughter Miki's house in Bloomington this last week, cat-sitting while she and Kevin went on a trip. Much of the inside of the house enjoyed a recent renovation, and it is lovely. While there I read and watched movies and slept a lot, went for walks and sat outside in the sunshine with nothing to do but just "be". There were no shoulds and oughts (other than feeding the cats) so I just let my mind and body float through the days.




The cats, Maurice and Kahlo, were very entertaining. Their personalities are quite different, and I found it amazing that they were able to communicate so well, non-verbally, with one another and with me. Part of the charm of my stay was that those cats generated a lot of laughter, and there's much balm for the soul in laughter. Of course, I couldn't resist generating a little stress by working on an impossible puzzle that I had spread all over their dining table.


Home now and all caught up with the bookkeeping and laundry and emails and phone calls. I find that I am completely relaxed and contented... well, almost comatose, after a week of quiet ease. Of course, it is always nice to be back in one's own home, but I hope Miki asks me again when she needs a cat-sitter.

Roses, Roses

Whether walking south down the pathway, coming in the front door....


or walking north, going out to the car or the garden or the shed....

...these rose bushes are there to please you and bring joy to your day. Their tiny, tiny blossoms grow in clusters like miniature bouquets. The blooms continue all summer, whether you "deadhead" the old blossoms or not, but the bushes look much better, of course, if the old blossoms are removed. Under the bushes is a thick mat of Ajuga, one of the best ground covers around. It keeps the weeds down and helps hold moisture for the roses' roots.

This has been a week of new flowers showing up. The daylilies have started, too, so we're in for quite a show. Hurray for June!

Summer Smiles

Looking out the west window from the kitchen this morning (working at the sink, as usual) I saw this cute little mini-sunflower that apparently shot up overnight. It's one of the wildflowers I planted a year ago that did not show up last year and so I had given up hope that any of them ever would germinate, let alone bloom. I'm sure I'm not the only one who buys those large bags of wildflower seeds that are supposed to turn 100 sq. ft. into a mass of flowers. This one little flower made my day, and a closer look revealed several buds that will be opening soon.

My Mother's Day hibiscus finally found a permanent home, and it is very happy to have root-room to grow. I'm expecting great things because I've been told that these plants get huge and bloom all summer. Since this is a "tropical hisbiscus", I doubt it will make it through the winter, but then sometimes I wonder if I myself will make it through the winter, and I always do!

I liked the contrast here between the dark green, fern-y things at the bottom of the picture and the pale green and pink of the shrub behind them. Last fall I chopped all of this vegetation nearly to the ground because it was leggy, past its prime, and ugly. It's possible that I threatened them with certain death if they didn't perform this year, because look how they responded! :-)

I took another picture of the same bush, because I am so impressed with the delicate pastel leaves and blossoms. The rains followed by a week of warm weather seemed to bring out the best in this year's growth.

These are several small evergreen bushes that keep insisting on working their way out into the pathway along the front of the house. Last fall I realized that moving them would be a major chore, probably involving more energy and more tools than I could manage, so I pruned them way back. Now look what I've done! They are back with a vengeance. (Aren't those little green fingers cute?)

Every now and then a catalog purchase pays off. This is the result of just a half-dozen tiny starts. They got stuck in the ground with not much hope that they would survive, and now they're spreading like crazy... and blooming!

The north side of the house doesn't get much sun, winter or summer, so shade-loving plants, grasses and ground covers have an area where they can survive beautifully (as you can see). We intend to fill the area with a variety of hostas and maybe some bleeding heart plants. There is already a significant amount of moss growing there on its own initiative, so I get a good laugh out of seeing instructions on "how to grow moss"!

Blimey! They're Bloomin'!

These old fashioned climbing roses bloom all summer long at the southeast corner of the house. I did have to spray them for mildew a few days ago, because of all the rain we've been having, but they'll survive.

One of the plants that Marty and Laura brought me for Mother's Day was this hibiscus, and this is its first blossom. As soon as the ground is a little less soggy, I'll plant it and wait for a multitude of blooms, which will appear on this blog later on :)

I promised a picture of the first peony bloom, and here it is, bowing down before the onslaught of day after day of rain. Now that it's drying up a bit, there are many more blooms, and larger ones. I'll get a picture of them tomorrow to share here.

This is my sturdy mock orange that I ordered through the mail several years ago. Naturally, it didn't look anything like the picture in the catalog, being only about 6" tall and severely straggly... but look what it's become! I am disappointed that it has no scent, but the profusion of blossoms makes up for that.

Now competing for space, these clematis vines have so many huge flowers that they're struggling to be seen. Come late fall, I'll split the root ball and put half of this profusion somewhere else for next year's glory.

This poor, overgrown sage plant is literally flat on the sidewalk, completely overcome by the continuing deluge of rain, but it struggles valiantly on and will be standing up straight again after a couple more warm days. (Reminds me of those awful down days that occasionally lay me flat, but I always come back!)

I AM a Valentine!

What a lovely surprise! After sending "Be My Valentine" wishes to bunches of people, it turns out that someone actually wanted to be mine and wanted me to be theirs. I'll let you all guess who it was, but the clue is that my valentine's name starts with an "M". You know who you are, and I hope you know how much I love you. I can't remember the last time I got flowers. Do those daffodils we buy in early Spring count?

Be My Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day! Help yourself to a piece of this yummy cherry cheesecake :) Mike and I made serious inroads on this dessert last night, so if you don't hurry, it will be all gone.

Will you be my Valentine?

My "Fairy" Name

Always interested in things that I find "delightful" or "charming" or "extraordinary", I was surprised and pleased to find something on Mike's blog that fit all three categories. In the ethereal world of wonders, the possibility of the existence of fairies is enchanting, and very nearly believable, because how could one possibly disprove it? Here is my own personal "fairy name". Go see if you have one... I'll bet you do :) Go here.


Your fairy is called Oak Icefilter.

She is a bone chilling bringer of justice for the vulnerable.

She lives in forests of oak and lime trees.

She is only seen on midsummer's eve.

She decorates herself with leaves and berries. She has icy blue butterfly wings.

This was just what I needed this morning as I begin to come out of a week of misery. My headaches and congestion and coughing have been successfully passed on to Mike. (my bad) Another day may even see the disappearance of dizziness and aches, which will signify immense progress. Hearing from Eric that his Lucas has Type A flu and a possibility of pneumonia (!) makes me realize how mild my symptoms really are in comparison. It will be marvelous to go outside and enjoy the sunshine and warmth that is promised today.