Ramblings on birds, roses, and more…
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I really can’t believe that tomorrow will be the first of September. This summer has completely flown by. My son starts school next week and before I know it, we’ll be smack in the middle of fall. The mornings are already cooling off, requiring me to grab a sweatshirt before heading downstairs to make coffee. My plants are doing pretty well, considering we got a tremendous amount of rainfall on Sunday. I’ve got several butternut squash hanging from their vines which are beginning to ripen. My broccoli plants are getting huge and florets are forming. I’ve been dividing hostas and filling in empty areas of my yard. It’s a really nice time of year to be outside.
The birds continue to entertain me. I replaced my oriole feeder with a traditional bird feeder. I just haven’t been getting any action with the oriole feeder. I think the birds I saw earlier in the season were actually finches and not orioles. My backyard birdies seem to be happy with the decision to replace the feeder. I have a group of black capped chickadees that visit the feeder all day long. It’s so cute. I hear their little song and know right away they are around. I don’t even have to get up to see if they are at the feeder because I hear them. Gavin thinks it’s really cool, too. I’ve been reading a lot about birds this summer and have plans to make a few bird houses and nesting boxes during the winter months. It will be something fun to do with the kids, but also a nice thing to do for the birds. I’ve become very aware of how my gardens and yard are its own little ecosystem. Many of the birds eat the seed of weeds and insects that are harmful to our plants. I’m trying to make conscious choices to attract birds to the yard and keep them happy. It all goes together: composting, worms, birds, and happy plants. I really am becoming a nerd.
Yesterday, I cut a few of my roses for a bouquet. First of all, I can’t believe I went so long without rose bushes. The two varieties I chose this year, both in various shades of plum, are so pretty and have an amazing, spicy fragrance. Secondly, I absolutely love using mason jars for vases. I think they make such a casual statement when filled with flowers, especially roses. I’ve already decided that my next garden is going to have many rose bushes. I’m just completely taken with them. I want to be able to cut as many as I like for bouquets, but still have some to enjoy in the garden. This is going to require several more plants!
So these are my ponderings of the day… a random collection, I’ll admit! I’m unsure how to conclude this post, so I’ll just show you a few pictures of what’s going on in my garden today.
I have been using this old pasta jar as a vase lately. Love its shabby chic look!
Blooming anticipation!
My new “squirrel proof” bird feeder is a huge source of entertainment!
I have two butternut squash plants – one is actually sprawling through the grass!
Here is my yellow pepper plant- they are still a light green color. But, they look beautiful!
This is one of my broccoli plants- I am so excited about this because I’ve never grown broccoli before!
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Wow! Looks awesome. I wish I could wake up to birds chirping…
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How did Gav’s first day of school go? And he just celebrated his 4th birthday, didn’t he? Love your Mason jars as rose vases – very cute idea!
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