With help I was able to get two trees planted today — they are very small, but it was a chore even with assistance. I had M do most of the digging and heavy work. We now have the beginning of a deciduous “hedge” of (from the house toward the road, approximately parallel to the length of the yard) witchhazel, ornamental maple, ornamental plum , lilacs.

Color-wise, it goes: green leaves, green and burgundy leaves, deep burgundy leaves purple cast in summer, deep purple and lighter purple flowers. I love these colors!

I did a fair bit of weeding — too much to get done in a week, but at least it’s started. The garden is so pleasant to be in, but I am trying to pace myself so I don’t overdo it before I am back in shape. It’s a lot of bending and stooping… but it feels good to exert myself.

Tom mowed a fair bit of the front yard, too. Unfortunately, he forgot to look at the margins of the flower beds and mowed over my yellow wood-poppy. Not sure it’ll survive this insult. We put a small wire fence around that bed, and I’ll be more careful in the future when he pulls out the grass guillotine!!!

The cherry tree is covered with blossoms. One of the quince looks like a pink cake, it’s so fluttery with blooms!

One chestnut, the one on the south edge of the yard, is already quite green with leaves, the other just beginning to leaf out.

I lost one blueberry to big dog romps, but the others are looking very happy and established. Of course, next year (probably in the autumn) I will be moving them into the boggy area near the road which will set them back… but for now they are safe and healthy.

New feature: I will try to post a “critter of the day” pic from my garden daily (or thereabouts). Today is the first, the mourning dove mentioned a couple days ago.

Gestalt Prayer

by Frederick Perls

I do my thing and you do your thing
I am not in this world to
live up to your expectations,
and you are not in this world to
live up to mine.
You are you
and I am I
and if by chance we find each other,
it’s beautiful.

I found this poem through David P. Brown.

Well, I updated my “critters” list on the sidebar to include the scientific names of birds. My father was able to identify the golden-crowned kinglet that was in my yard yesterday. There was quite a flock of them, not sure I had seen any in my yard before. So, I thought I should at least be thorough enough that if someone from another place wanted to know exactly what I am seeing, they could look up an accurate picture.

Then this evening there was a mourning dove in the driveway! Hadn’t seen any in my actual yard before, though I have heard them many times while I work outside. I was a little worried, because it just sat there for a long time, but I suppose it knew what it was doing. Will be watching to see if it is nesting in our yard. Apparently they nest fairly close to the ground. If so, we will want to avoid having dogs or lawn mowers operating in the area we see them.

So much fun, to meet new critters!

On Sunday, 29 Apr, my mother mentioned that it might have been a golden-crowned sparrow. Will have to check again if they visit the yard. Meantime, I have both types listed in the sidebar. ~mama