Tag: Gram

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This week’s events… Busy busy

Got winecup (Callirhoe involucrata) seeds in the mail from prairiemoon.com. This species gets boiling water then 30 days cold in fridge. They also kindly sent a free seed packet of Dalea purpurea which we immediately planted.
The straggler roots of Maximilian sunflower are everywhere. Paula and I lifted up this stepping stone to find more. We’re potting them up to give away. The big colony that we transferred over to edge of shade is sprouting too.
Glass gem popcorn now in the raised beds!
Judy gave me these delightful frog stepping stones for my birthday! Thanks Judy!!
The Phacelia leaf in the rock garden is very similar to the invasive geranium leaf I am holding, but isn’t as round.
In the very middle, you can see a single Datura pushing up. The other seedlings look like what I hoped was honeysuckle, but is now coming up everywhere.
This seedling is in the Two-Leaf Senna pot. We’ll see.
Human, you must rest.
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Field trip of spring

Happy dog heading home from Saxon Park
I think this is a Mexican plum.
Leaves of same tree.
A falcate orangetip butterfly visited this plant!
Mom suggested an identification of Cardamine parvifolia. Thanks Mom!
It is apparently a host plant for the orangetip.
Chickasaw plum blooming!
Paula gave me a combination garden tote/seat/knee pad. Pets investigate.
Briar displays the seat mode.
Gram examines the knee pad mode.
Gram refuses to go for a ride in the rolling tote part.
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Bounce (back)

Brr!
Snowy is fun for fluffy.
The ground is warm so the snow was slushy below, but the air is cold so slush refroze on Briar’s long hairs.
She didn’t mind a bit. Her thick undercoat keeps her warm and dry by her skin. We wiped all the ice off for human preference though haha. It melts!!
Would rather frolic.
Buds. We’ll presumably see some plant buds when it turns warm again tomorrow.
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Dwarf fruit grove additions

Quality assurance inspector
Paula found a loofah deep underground while digging one hole. How?? Why????
Four new trees all dwarf or semi dwarf: Liberty apple, Seckel pear, Kieffer Pear, and McIntosh Apple. We’re supposed to be on the edge of conditions for those apple varieties but with three other well adapted types already planted last year, I figured why not try. I really love McIntosh and they’re so rare around here.
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Earth movers

Gram pretends to be a plant while all the plants are outside.
We stopped to visit Shackleton on the way to compost facility. He likes to smell car bumpers while on his leashed walkies. Cars have been places!
We were told we could self-load from this pile.
Paula and I self-loaded.
Thanks again to Dad for an excellent set of giant cardboards. We used all but two for this load of compost. Briar supervising.
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Thinking of summer yesterday

Tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos, and chard and roman chamomile in all the rest. We need a lot of chamomile starts as I want to use it as a ground cover around the vegetable raised beds.
Sitting on the saffron leaves.
Gram’s not sure about outside leash time but he’s getting more confident.
He always perks up and feels safer when big sister comes by to check on him.
“Hello big sister”
Maybe he could do without getting groomed. She nibbles him.
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Low 19 F forecast tonight

Leaves to insulate the baby bok choy
Leaves to insulate the baby lettuce
The screen (made to keep rabbits out) holds the leaves in, in case there is wind.
Apparently one should blanch small round fruit before attempting to make raisins. Regular ground cherries.
A chironomid fly adult chilling near garage door.
Some sort of cutworm, on collard greens, the previous night. I threw it out in yard where hopefully the mockingbird will find it.
I touched another dog!
The Chef successfully made honey mead! We tried it. Was good. He says it needs to age now.
Crabapple jelly central.
Hanging out in his haunted mansion.
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Last bits of vacation last week

Common persimmon tree. A native with edible fruit! Yum! I will try to sprout some.
Yum. Gracie likes to eat fallen ripe persimmons.
Mom served blackberry cobbler with homemade no churn ice cream too.
A different day: leftover juice and berries from the cobbler with shortbread and whipping cream.
Judy gave me this Mexican sage which Paula helped me plant as soon as I got home last Saturday.
Good vacation but time to hit the road!
Reunited!!!! I am informed the cat was profoundly lonesome, clingy, and annoying in the absence of his big sister.
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Exciting visitors of many species

A katydid on the pineapple sage!
A mantis on the zinnias in the rainbow garden.
Gracie brought her humans to visit us today!!
Waiting for Gracie to play again.
A very blue bee!!
Front of the blue bee.
Gracie is fun!!! She liked our very exciting frisbee except it was harder to pick up than her usual tennis balls and pine cones.
Gram liked we have the rare side door open to let in a sunny spot!