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Friday, April 30, 2021

Bits and bobs and bluebirds

 If you love bluebirds like I do, you can imagine that seeing this outside my window yesterday was a welcomed surprise. I actually screamed and scared the life out of the cats. 

                                                                           "PLEASE STAY"

Now, if only she will stay. The last few years have been disappointing because the tree swallows chased them off and they never returned that spring. The only positive thing was that the swallows stayed and filled three of our houses with families. It was fabulous to have them around all summer. They can eat hundreds of mosquitoes in a day and that's fine with us. Plus if you haven't watched swallows swooping through the air you've really missed something. They are exciting to watch.

We had rain and snow but it's already disappeared. Thank Goodness! The temperatures are to warm up again tomorrow and that's good because I have lots to do outside. Once you start your spring cleanup it's hard to stop abruptly for a snowstorm. I still have a couple of million leaves to compost and a new garden to build.

Here's a few photos of what's been going on at Fox Grove this spring. It's been like summer weather and I've been potting up dahlias, sunflowers, daisies, zinnias, cat grass and pansies. Out go the pots on the warm days and then back in the shed at dusk. It's a bit like work but no complaints here. I enjoy every second spent with plants.💚 It's been a very long winter.

The shed is bursting at the seams with plants and potted tubers and bulbs.
It was hot enough last week that a sun hat was needed and this one from my son and family was the ticket. :-)

My big handsome boy, Wilson.💙

Meet KIA
This is the lone wild turkey that lives in our woodlot, roams all day and sleeps in a maple tree on our property.
I read that they can be shunned by their flock for numerous reasons. Last summer she had a friend with her and now she's alone again. 
Seriously, I think she needs to do a 'personality check' on herself.
But you know me...I'll feed her, I've named her and I'll try to keep her out of harms way.



Gold finches are plentiful here. Aren't they pretty.

Wilson has staring contests with the many black squirrels around here. This went on for ten minutes.
 Then the squirrel remembered that it hadn't chewed and pulled apart the wreath on my shed door today so off it went. :(

I get a few visitors throughout the day in the potting shed. No humans...just chipmunks. 



I'm obsessed with dahlias this year. I want to learn everything about them and ordered tubers from a local dahlia farm. Imagine living on a dahlia farm...wow!


The tubers are hilarious. 



I'm so impressed with the order I got from The Dahlia Experts. Beautiful, big and healthy tubers with growth starting on them. 



I potted half of them up and will finish tomorrow since the weather sounds promising.
Today...not so much.

I hope everyone is keeping well. We are still in lockdown#3 and miss seeing our family and friends. 
Fingers crossed this will be the last one.
Get out and enjoy your spring.

Be kind,
Deb






11 comments:

  1. Beautiful shots!

    Hopefully the turkey feels at home.

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  2. You've got some serious gardening to do!
    I've got more plants to pick up in a few weeks, as we just passed our last hard frost date. Everything is greening nicely, and when the wind blows, the air is full of petals and maple tree florets.
    And Sweetie just won't sleep at night; she's so busy watching out the windows, due to moonlight and the critters that live under the neighbor's porch: skunk, groundhog. She keeps her eyes on those, and cares not that a human would like to sleep straight through the night...

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  3. It's always so wonderful to hear from you Deb! The growing season seems to be going strong there and I know you're loving it. Wilson sure looks good and he seems to be showing a bit more maturity but still as cute as ever. I do hope Cora is doing well. She is such a sweet and pretty little girl. Your new potting shed seems to be working out very well and looks wonderful with all the greenery. It's also good to see there is no shortage of all the wonderful critters around already. I hope you and your loved ones are all well and the lockdown will soon be history!

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  4. I rejoice with every sighting of a bluebird. Tree swallows took over an existing birdhouse at our first Kentucky property--they were good tenants. Shelby-Kitten's parades on the porch railings seem to have frightened the resident hummingbirds--I'm hoping they will return if I limit her porch access. So many gardening tasks all at once when spring finally settles.

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  5. Wonderful to see spring your way. It is slowly warming up in northern
    Ohio too. Lots of my winter birds are now your way and I've got the
    southern ones stopping here to nest. Hope the dahlias do well and you
    take lots of photos when they bloom. they can be just so large and
    glamorous.

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  6. All lovely and very interesting...
    Bit like a nature program on the TV..
    The photos are lovely to..all a bit
    special..!

    And Wilson with that squirrel, that is
    funny, wonder what they say to each other,
    or just stare..HeHe! Bless!x

    And..Chipmunks..well, there's only one
    chipmunk that comes to mind..bless him!
    And, l still have lots of photos of him
    in his own little folder..he was a little
    hero..Loved him to bits..!x

    We're coming out of Lockdown over here,
    things are looking good, covid and deaths
    are falling, as long as everyone follows
    the rules, it will get better..! :).
    🌷 🌸 🌷 🌸 🌷 🌸 🌷 🌸 🌷 🌸 🌷 🌸 🌷

    Hope the Bluebird decides to stay...! :O).

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  7. It's so good to see what's going on in your world. I love the dahlias and I hope you share the fruits of your efforts on here in the coming months. Wilson is looking so very handsome! And I love that you have a turkey now! All good! Happy week -- I hope your lockdown doesn't last long!

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  8. I love this time of the year too Deb. I have been busy in my garden. Today I started building a rustic arch from branches. It will be nice when the sweet peas climb up it. I will use willow for the top and on the sides to strengthen it. Since I put in a little pond I have many birds visiting. I love the birds in your garden and of course I adore those beautiful cats of yours. Give them hugs from me.

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  9. What a beautiful post! Hope your bluebird moves into the house and stays. Poppy and I saw a family of bluebirds yesterday. The three babies had just left the nest and the worried parents were busy looking after them. Wilson sure is a handsome cat. He looks so big and healthy. Oh, I could comment of every picture...you are beautiful in the straw hat. Those really are big Dahlia tubers. Oh Deb, thank you for telling me about the lilies being poisonous to cats. I did not know. Smokey and Dumper have never bothered plants in the house. If Bickett were still here, he would have eaten a few lilies. That's a scary thought. I loved seeing inside your cute little potting shed. Everything looks so pretty! So good to see a post from you.

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  10. I know what you mean; I also like to watch birds. I don't know what kind of birds live close to my home, but I can easily recognize specific individuals. Some of them already have some names; I just like to name them. They become more familiar for me.

    Wilson look gorgeous among these succulents :)

    And I hope there won't be more lockdowns... I'm tired of all these covid issues :(

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