These are random musings of my life journey, the people, animals, places, and events which have woven, and continue to weave, a tapestry that is me. We all know there is no real destination, only the ongoing experiences which blend together, creating the trail. Each step gives a glimpse of what is to come, without allowing me to see the end result. It is exciting. I have a home base that is mine, that gives me a place to rest. This is it. This is where my heart is, no matter where I journey...................

Saturday, September 03, 2011

Overdue photos

Driving home yesterday I remembered to take some pictures that I've been promising some of you.

First, just to show you how green things are now, these are just up the road from my house ....



I love the little yellow flowers!





It's not the same place that someone commented a few weeks ago about how brown everything was, but this last photo looks about the same amount of green as the field with the horses.

I looked at my garden early this morning, hoping it would show signs of life with the $200-300 perennials I put out there last year and the year before. They were supposed to propagate and spread over the next few years. Sadly, it appears the extended hard freeze from last winter and the drought of spring and summer took a deadly toll. Very little of those seem to have survived. Even the marigolds I put out to deter the deer from eating the other plants aren't coming up. I saw just 3-5 plants, when last year there were hundreds of them. It appears the various lilies have survived and most of the iris, except what the deer ate during the drought. The bushes, Apache plume and Spanish broom seem to be fine, and the one cactus I brought from my sister's home in Texas is alive and well.

I'm really sad that I lost so much of the pretty colo from the slopes. I was really careful to pick plants that were drought-tolerant, altitude appropriate, etc. Even the transplanted wildflowers seem to have not tolerated the wicked weather conditions. I'm pretty discouraged, but I'll stick to the natural grasses and such to fill in, I guess. :'(   I hope that some of the seeds are just dormant and not dead, so possibly next year if we don't have the drought, it will have a recovery.

Another picture I've said I'd post. This is my neighbor's dog, Chomar. He is an adorable creature!




Every time I drive in or out of here I stop and we "chat" for a few moments. Sometimes, he just stands and looks at me like this with his tail gently wagging. Other times he "talks" to me, his jaw going up and down with little grunts coming out, and others, he throws his head back and barks, stops a minute and wags, then barks more!







When I have time, I get out of the truck for a couple minutes and pet him. He loves it when that happens! His owner says he waits for me. He has learned my general pattern around work, and he is almost always waiting for me long before I get there! He's an Anatolian Shepherd, and he is there to guard and protect the three goats, two small dogs and a couple cats who live there. He has already earned his keep, as he had chased of several coyotes that have come over the fence. But for me, he is just a big, loveable teddy bear.

Gosh, it is hard to realize that I will need to begin bringing my plants in from the deck. I can probably put it off for another month, but I need to start thinking about where to put all of them. That is a challenge every fall!

OK, back to work. Wishing everyone a good weekend! And don't forget to LABOR on Monday!!!





9 comments:

  1. Thanks for the little tour of your neighborhood! I'm so thankful to see some green in New Mexico as I've expressed to you before!!! Bummer about the flowers tho. I've still not gotten it down pat with flowers around our abode and it's going on 35 years... my waterer now tells me the deer have been enjoying my little oval perenniel patch because of the drought so ... before we started RVing, I planted river rock in many places I used to have flowers.

    Love love love that dog and the story!!!

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  2. LOL! Has that river rock sprouted, rooted and blooming yet? LOL!

    I didn't have any problems with much of anything in MO, but I knew this wold be more challenging, so I really did my research and THOUGHT I'd planted well. Sighhh. And, yes, it looks lovely all green like that, doesn't it?

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  3. It's encouraging to see some green in your area. I believe Texas is all brown. That is indeed discouraging about your plants.

    Dog Chomar looks like a dog worth knowing. I'm sure he enjoys your visits.

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  4. Linda, from what I hear, Texas is, indeed, very brown. I'm hoping the hurricane that is in the gulf now will send them some much needed rain.

    And Chomar is certainly a dog worth knowing. He has the sweetest personality. And he loves me so much that a couple weeks ago, he wasn't feeling well, but he made his way to the fence to wait for me! I saw that he was not well, and I got out to alert his owner. She knew and didn't think he would try to walk out there, but she said, "I should have known, since he adores you so much, that he would do that." It took us both to help him back to the house, but he did lie down on the porch and let me leave. Outside my own five darlings, Chomar is definitely one of my fav dogs!

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  5. I never know what to do with my plants when I bring them in for the winter, don't really have enough window sill space for them (in a London apt there is not SO much room)

    I'm looking forward to planting bulbs for next spring, it always gives me a kick the way they come up. Sometimes perennials just don't work for me. I wonder if things eat the seeds.

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  6. Jenny, I have the same problem every fall. That's why it takes several seeks of planning and often.... no always .... rearranging of furniture to be enough sunshine to all the plants. It's a pain, but I love that I don't have to buy new every spring, too!

    As to perennial seeds, yes, I think the birds eat some of the seeds, but in my garden, I can't believe they got every one of those marigold seeds! In my situation, I think it was the effects of this crazy weather we have had. I'll keep trying with perennials, simply because once they are established, there is little upkeep, a requirement for me!

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  7. Chomar is an adorable creature. I'm glad you have the opportunity to visit such a handsome lad!

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  8. Trust me, Nick, I know that. I'm honored to be part of his inner circle. :)

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If you have something to say about it, just stick out your thumb, and I'll slow down so you can hop aboard! But hang on, 'cause I'm movin' on down the road!!! No time to waste!!!