Like a Disney movie

Over the past six months or so the boys and I have become consistent twice-daily walkers. We take George out very early in the morning and then again after dark for a lap or two around the half mile circle that is our little neighborhood. Partly because of the timing, but maybe in part because we're actively looking, we see so much wildlife lately.

Yesterday I snapped this photo of our neighborhood deer, who are almost tame. (I apologize for the crappy picture; it was my cell phone camera). There were actually three but I didn't notice that until they started to saunter away. George stood stock still and just looked at them, as he's learned to do. We encounter these same three deer (a large female and two smaller animals of undetermined sex) almost every day and we always stop for awhile and just quietly look at each other.  Last night we saw the large one standing in this same yard, close to the road, a big black silhouette under the street lights. Sometimes they'll even lower their heads and graze in our presence! It feels like such a privilege to have them around and to have their trust.

We've been seeing lots of rabbits, too. One of our neighbors has a large shady yard sloping downwards in the back towards a small pond, and the whole grassy hill is covered in dandelions. It's really pretty and that's the yard where we usually spot rabbits. We saw one over there just this morning, in fact. Afterwards we saw a pair of bluebirds flitting around some power lines and pine trees and the male was the most spectacular shade of blue I've ever seen. 

It's also that time of year when we see large turtles all around the neighborhood. The other night we saw one crossing the road and I swear it's shell was at least 12 inches in diameter, obviously an older turtle. It's been a couple of weeks since we've seen an owl, but one night early this week we heard two of them making crazy jungle noises in a tall tree. Sometimes I'll wake up at night and if my bedroom window is cracked I'll hear them calling to each other.

Add to all this the cardinals nesting in our pomegranate tree and the little Carolina Wrens nesting in the attic vent slates on our roof, and as I told Gregg this morning, "It's like living in a Disney movie right now!" I like it a lot. Who knew buying a house so close to the creek would be so perfect for nature lovers like us? We feel very fortunate.

May Day garden update

 Happy May Day! We've been working hard in the garden lately and everything is growing and thriving. I'm getting so much pleasure from working outside this spring!

The mixed annuals are so pretty right now.

The sky one afternoon last week. That beautiful blue.

For the first time, my pomegranate tree is covered in flower buds! And although you can't really tell in this picture, a pair of cardinals have made a nest back in there which we have a great view of from the window in our den.

We took down half of an old wooden picket fence that was leaning and sagging and generally looking bad. This is a trellis we built yesterday from wood that we saved. Waste not, want not, right? This is where I'll be planting the cantaloupes tomorrow. I bought compost and garden soil to mix into the planting holes.

Gregg would not be happy that I'm sharing this picture, but you can really tell how the tomatoes have grown in it and capturing his image was an accident. Shhhh....nobody tell him!

Finally, more repurposed wooden pickets that I put behind the five biggest indeterminate tomatoes this morning. They will serve as stakes to tie the plants to when they start to get tall.

Happy May Day!

Bringing in May

Another week of lockdown has come and gone. The time really flies when you're stuck at home, doesn't it? Our state is slowly opening back up while our positive cases continue to climb and climb. Florence county is leading the way with big daily increases, as well as number of deaths relative to the rest of South Carolina. It's already May so who knows how much longer social isolation will need to be maintained? I'm tired of it all (who isn't?) but since our local numbers keep going up this is no time to throw caution to the wind. I miss normal life so much, though.

Speaking of which, two of my book club friends and I found a creative way to spend time together on Saturday morning! We went through the drive-thru at Krispy Kreme in our individual cars for doughnuts and coffee, and then found an empty parking lot where we parked our cars in a triangle formation and rolled down the windows to talk. It was so good to see their faces!

The back porch and the bird feeder continue to be a daily source of happiness. On Thursday evening, May Eve, we saw two rabbits run the length of our back yard along the property line just before sunset! They appeared to be headed towards the creek. That was the first time we've ever seen rabbits at this house, and it seemed to be an auspicious date for it. Rabbit sightings have always been a sort of personal good luck omen to my husband and me. We started spotting them over and over in the weeks leading up to our wedding (14 years ago now) and during our honeymoon. The Painted Buntings are still visiting our feeder, much to my delight. The male is like a little flying jewel, with all his gorgeous colors, and the female is the most beautiful shade of yellowish green. They're exceedingly rare in this area and I'm shocked that they've stayed around for a full week already. The Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were only here for two days, sadly, but I expected that because they're known for migrating through our state but not sticking around. I feel lucky that we got to see them at all.

We're not the only ones enjoying the back porch these days.

Marco, Ginger, and George all enjoy spending time out there, too. Not at the same time though!Marco can scream so loud that both of the dogs avoid him as much as possible. They dread those ear-piercing shrieks (so do we). When we bring Marco out, both dogs make a beeline back inside the house. Which is for the best, considering that they don't like him much to begin with and if he flew down into their faces something bad could happen. We try to be really careful when he's out of his cage around them.

Today is yet another beautiful day for going outdoors. It's still nice and cool, the sun is bright, and the sky is as blue as can be. I'll be out on the porch watering plants, filling the feeder, and afterwards maybe reading a book. How do you plan to spend your Sunday, friends? Whatever you're up to, I hope you're all well and having a good day!

The beginning of May

Thanks, everyone, for the supportive comments about my fall on Monday. Yesterday I was pretty sore all along my left side, from my neck down to my knee. I felt like I had pulled some muscles, and I may very well have. I hit the ground hard! But today I feel much better. I'm still a little bit sore, and the bruise on my arm is pretty sensitive to the touch, but overall things are much improved.

Gregg is at the dermatologist's office having the small basal cell carcinoma on his forehead removed. I tried to get him to let me drive him, or at least go with him, but he insisted that it wasn't necessary. The nurses said it should be pretty quick and straightforward and he'll only be getting a small area of skin numbed. There were no restrictions on driving or anything else, so he told me to stay home and enjoy the day off. He suggested I might want to ride my bike, since the weather is so nice...ha ha ha! I think I'll let my bruises, scrapes, and pulled muscles finish healing first, thank you very much!

It is a beautiful day outside, though. Blue sky, cooler temperatures, and the magnolias and jasmine have burst into bloom. I knew the jasmine was starting to flower before I actually saw it, because of the sweet smell. We were returning from our nightly walk with the dogs and I caught the barest hint of jasmine in the air. Sure enough, the next morning when I went outside to check, the first tiny white flowers were beginning to open. I knew the magnolia trees in the neighborhood were about to bloom, too, because even after dark all the huge white flower buds are easy to see. It's amazing what all you can notice even after dark if you pay attention!

Here's one of the first blooms on a young magnolia tree in our yard. I went out just now (at midday) to take the picture. This is the only one within reach so far. It's about 2 feet above my head.

I pulled the branch down to get that second picture for you. These blooms are enormous--roughly the size of dinner plates. And oh! The smell is heavenly. It's a very soft lemon scent without a hint of the usual zest of citrus. It's reminds me of lemon mixed with cream and sugar. Lovely.

The perfume of a whole fence covered in Confederate Jasmine, on the other hand, is anything but subtle. It's strong and sweet and unmistakable. Every year this vine takes up more and more space on the fence around the backyard. It's a monster--but a very pretty one.

These are the kind of pictures I meant to share here on May Day (before my fall).  The month is off to a beautiful start here in my little part of the world.

Something pretty to start off the weekend

Flower Mandala made from materials found in my backyard.

I'm off this weekend--yay!--but I also have a to-do list as long as my arm. Exciting plans for the next few weeks are taking shape, and I can't wait to tell you all about them! In the meantime, in the midst of being busy and productive, I plan to stop now and then and admire the beautiful month of May unfolding outside my door. We have fledgling birds and their parents at our feeders, the sky is blue, and everything is lush and green and blooming. What a lovely time of year!

Have a wonderful weekend!

A beautiful Sunday in May

It's my day off finally! Yay me! It was kind of a long week.

My dreaded trip to the dentist turned out to be not too bad. I only had to have a very small filling, and it was on the opposite side of my mouth than where the last ordeal unfolded.
Being a believer in better living through chemistry (ahem!)  I arrived with a Xanax dissolving in my stomach and a lovely mellow feeling of calm. I never thought I'd be the kind of big chicken that had to take an anti-anxiety pill before going to the dentist, but there you are.

I never used to fear dental appointments, when kindly old Dr. Bryce was still my dentist. He was a gentle, sweet, grandfatherly man that took lots of time and care when he worked. While he worked, he would talk about his grandchildren and growing his beloved orchids (many of which were in the treatment room windowsills). He was so careful and, admittedly, slow, that there was never anything to fear with him. Unfortunately he retired rather suddenly last fall, and it was awhile before the ladies in the office explained why. Apparently he was having memory problems and was showing signs of early dementia, and his kids cornered him with his family doctor and recommended he retire. Right away. So he did, and I am sad to see him go. Since then, the practice has been run by a couple of other local dentists who are filling in until a new permanent dentist is found. I've not been impressed with the work they've done so far, but at least this last time wasn't so traumatic. One of these days soon, when I work up the courage to tell the office ladies I'm leaving (ridiculous, I know) I'm going to find a new dentist. I've had several local people make recommendations, it's just a matter of doing it. I feel like I'm bailing on the rest of Dr. Bryce's leftover staff, and that makes me feel guilty. But that's a story for another day.

Right now, it's a beautiful Sunday afternoon. We've had the most amazing cool sunny days lately! It's a real departure from our usual weather this time of year---already hot and humid. This is Memorial Day weekend, and it's turning out to perfect weather for all those people with a long weekend off. Traditionally people cook out over this holiday weekend, and spend plenty of time outdoors.

I've been doing as much of that as possible myself. Gregg and I have been grilling out whenever we can (last night included) and sitting on the patio in the evenings watching the big full moon of May rising, me with a glass of wine in hand. This afternoon will be spent outside in the hammock with the book I'm currently reading (The Mists of Avalon, and I'm enjoying the heck out of it!) and Ginger to keep me company. I have wild white lilies blooming by our back door, and my lavender bush is on the verge of blooming. The temperature is perfect. It's going to be a lovely day to be out there, enjoying some down time and relaxation.

Happy Memorial Day weekend to my U.S. readers, and may everyone have a beautiful, happy day. Get outside and soak up some sunshine if you can!