Over the Backyard Fence

 I missed last week’s Friday’s Fave Five because we were on a camping trip. It was Brooklynn’s first time camping and she had such a great time. She’s a real outdoors girl! Here’s a wrap up of five things that blessed my week.

Camping ⛺ ~ We looked forward to going up to a higher elevation where it would be cooler. However, even at 8,000 the temperatures were hovering around 90 degrees. We enjoyed the cooler mornings and chilly evenings. Emily and Brooklynn had a tent and dubbed their camp spot ‘deer alley.’ They were on the edge of a meadow and the deer grazed freely, much to their delight.

When we returned from our trip earlier this week, it felt like we walked right into Fall. The leaves are turning gold and red, the sky is deep blue and feels bigger than ever, and the gardens are flourishing, putting on their final show before winter sets in.

We've been home a little over a week since our trip to Wisconsin. It seems it takes me a bit longer than it used to to "re-enter" so to speak, after we've been gone. We arrived home a couple of days before we planned to, and it was nice to have that extra time with nothing on the calendar to ease back in slowly. 

Mostly, I've been working in the gardens. I hadn't done a thing before we left, other than tidy up just a bit. So, I went to the garden center and had fun choosing some plants and flowers. All of the pots are now planted, the raised beds (mostly) done -- there are two that really need to be tamed and I'm out of steam at this point! When we arrived home, two of the climbing rosebushes were in full bloom! I missed our peonies in bloom, but the neighbors said they enjoyed them. 

Bunnies. They have taken over our backyard. Without Lilly here to discourage them, we have SO many. I love the babies -- but they do get bigger! -- and so we've made the tough decision to start relocating at least the bigger ones, and as the babies get bigger, they'll need to go, too. They are so tame, that one of the adults sits beside me as I garden! I talk to her and tell her "home is where the heart is" and soon you will have a new home that you'll learn to love. Am I nuts?

I brought some Hostas back from Wisconsin. Miranda's grandmother was thinning hers and offered me as many as we could take. So, last night, Dan and I finally planted them. I'm surprised at how well some of my others have done, especially since we are in such a dry climate. There's a shaded area that stays very moist all along our backyard fence, and they seem to thrive there. So, we'll see.

Otherwise, it's been very low-key around here, which is great. We don't have plans for camping again until later in the summer. I'm looking forward to finding some routine in the weeks ahead and just lying low. Today, I'll pick up a book that's on hold at the library, do a bit of housekeeping, and finish some work at my desk. 

I hope to get back to some regular blog posts, and I'm looking forward to catching up with all of you, too!

It rained a lot here while I was out on the east coast. I was surprised and pleased to come home to lush gardens, trees fully leafed out, and the roses in bloom! The next day, the hot weather rolled in, so when it was nice and cool on Monday morning I was up early working in the garden. The rain brought on lots of weeds, too, so I cleaned those out, trimmed some more dead branches from a couple of climbing roses, and planted some squash, pumpkins, and watermelon. 

Yesterday, I made up some little bouquets of the flowers from my garden. Roses, lupine, lobelia, and some delicate yellow daisy-like flowers. I forgot to take a photo before giving them away, but they sure turned out pretty.

As always, I feel like I hit the floor running when I come back from out-of-town vacations. It's been crazy getting caught up this week. Appointments, seeing folks, but certainly not cleaning my house! Yesterday morning, I said to heck with it and left the house in ruins to go for a walk. One of my favorite places is about a half hour north of us where there is a lovely trail that goes around a couple of ponds. It was nice to get out, and I'll leave you with some photos. 

I still plan a little summary of my trip, just need to go through pictures!

Not the greatest photo, but it was sweet seeing this western kingbird holding onto a ball of fluff.

I thought I would share a little craft project with you today. When I'm gardening, I never seem to have a good place to hold my cell phone, rose clippers, seed packets and all those little tags that come on new plants that I like to save for my garden notebook.

Friday's Fave Five is a weekly exercise that reminds me to be present to the blessings in life. Last night, I was wondering, 'now, what can I put on my list for the week?' Just goes to show you that this exercise is so necessary for me, because there is a lot to celebrate!

My dad had hip replacement surgery on Wednesday, and he is doing great. He now has a few bionic joints. The good news is that Dad is doing well, and I have no doubt he'll be back on the trails hiking, and playing golf soon. Not bad for 88.

I read what will certainly be one of my top favorite reads for 2020 - What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon. It is so beautifully written from start to finish. Historical fiction, romance and time travel, are all woven together creating a story that brings modern Ireland's complex and turbulent history to life. I learned so much from this story, and will be looking for other books by the author.



Gardening continues to provide moments of joy. I'm still amazed that I can put a seed in the ground, the size of a pinhead, and within weeks a plump red radish has grown from that teeny beginning. I mean, it happens all around us, but it's mind boggling to imagine how that happens in my little backyard. How can anyone not believe in a Mastermind in our lives?

Our neighbors replaced the fence in their yard, and for a couple of days there was no fence at all. I said to Dan that it was a little like being on vacation with them. We saw them first thing in the morning, chatted throughout the day, shared some plants from each others' gardens, and Lilly was spoiled with attention. I loved seeing their purple iris while sipping coffee in the morning on the back deck. The new fence is nice, and there's the old saying from the Robert Frost poem that, "Good fences build good neighbors." But, wouldn't it be nice to live in a world where we could share the view of one another's flower beds and not have to put up fences?

I hope your week has been lovely! 

Happy Friday everyone.