watering can

the old galvanized type of watering can, with the sprinkler head, the kind i have wanted for years, restored and given to me this birthday by a dear friend. strange that i finally have the garden tool i so wished for but have not had much reason to use, given all the rain we've had this spring. i sure hope i get to use it this summer.

herbs

on the kitchen windowsill, chamomile and curly mint, with orange mint and peppermint just beyond in the window box outside. finally the herbs are all planted, a good six weeks later than usual. to encourage growth, the leggy tops of the dill were cut back, then the cuttings were used to make dill butter. it will be wonderful this summer on potatoes and corn.

alpha baby

babysitting with the little girl often includes a brief stint at the computer, learning to touch the keys gently and one at a time, and being rewarded with a brilliant shape or corresponding letter or number on the screen. the program's voice identifies the symbol shown and the little girl parrots the responses and counts the number of letters she sees. she sustains for longer than i expect she should, given her age, and i sometimes wonder about that. but then she calls out "two yellow moons!" - and she's right - and i figure it probably can't hurt.

it's summertime?

forecasters have promised today the sun will shine and temperatures will soar into the 80s. if they are correct (do i sound skeptical?), it may be the first day this month that will feel at all like summer. they say we have had five times as much rain this june as we normally have. it's no wonder the morning glories are less than glorious and the peonies heads are all droopy and sad.

luna moth

a good year for moths, perhaps. here's one of the luna variety, spotted clear across the yard hanging onto a stub of a broken branch. of course, there's nothing around with which to relate its gigantic size. but to have held a dime next to it to show that relativity seemed somehow wrong in such a natural setting.

summer solstice

as we slept, the earth momentarily stood still, hanging to the farthest edge of its orbit around the sun before undertaking its slow journey back to the opposite side.

so summer came. now, where is it?

little lupine

in the garden, a trio of tiny pink lupines, so dwarfed by their parent that i had a difficult time getting a decent shot and finally gave up. you'll just have to take my word for it that this big lupine is pretty tall.

blink

in no place is the fleeting passage of time more evident than in watching the baby girl grow and change. another birthday has taken place, with balloons and presents and a lemon cake, this year eaten with a fork instead of fingers. so in honor of her second birthday, the baby girl's title (and tag) will be changing to "the little girl" - because suddenly, magically, in only the blink of an eye, she is.

waxwings

for weeks i have watched new holly berries growing and maturing alongside last year's old red ones. the bright color, so cheery at christmas time, looked odd and out of place in the fresh green of spring and i secretly hoped they would quickly shrivel and drop. but a small flock of cedar waxwings has come along every morning and is slowly consuming them all, leaving the green berries to once again grace the winter landscape. i'm always amazed at how nature takes care of itself.

wall art

just making sure that, like the package promises, washable crayon really is. and it's a good thing it is!

after midnight

up much too late tonight, doing some design work, having a glass of wine and winding down from a very busy and hectic week. finally, weather is warm enough to keep the door open even this late into the night - and look who just appeared with a bang and a bump and a flurry of gigantic wings.

don't try this at home

what happens when you forget and you wash a 100% cotton, homespun, dry-clean-only shower curtain. i suppose it would be good for high water...

iris

i am not a fan of irises unless they are the type with the gigantic flower heads that look substantial enough to actually be a flower. these smaller ones are what i have - and, although the colors here are drab and the flower is less than spectacular - this particular iris is my favorite. i like them because they came with the house, growing wild amongst the sedum and maple seedlings and hostas of an aged garden. transplanted closer to the house, i can now see them when they bloom - in all their nondescript beauty.

contrast in color

a lone red maple seed jolts the cool green of the grassy play yard on a brilliant spring afternoon.