Category: Mother Nature

Giving Thanks – Garden Update 2026

I have been working in my garden whenever I get the chance. I started the week before Easter with the pond. It was a huge relief to get that all cleaned up and running. Since then I have been hard at work pruning overgrown shrubs. In the past I have not been a very aggressive pruner. Now, I go at it ruthlessly, and they seem to love it. The plants around them definitely are cheering me on as their exposure to the sun has increased. After I pruned the butterfly bush the candytuft flowers and ‘Blue Moon’ woodland phlox are thriving and spreading.

The azaleas are blooming or beginning to bloom. I have many of them. The ‘Autumn Twist’, which is a twice blooming Encore azalea is looking particularly beautiful. I have two of them. The whole garden benefitted from the pond draining since they soaked up all the water from it. I am sure it was full of nutrients.

The Hellebores have taken over the back garden to the left of the deck. They began to bloom weeks ago and they are still blooming. I cleaned out the flute boy fountain, though I have not installed a pump. I did put in a mosquito dunk inside the cavity under the boy. The birds keep this area busy with activity. This is the general area where I have the clematis, Diana’s Delight. I noticed a couple of weeks ago that this plant was promising to thrive this season. Yesterday when I was all dressed and protected ready to attack the laurel around our deck, which is in sad need of an aggressive pruning, I noticed that this clematis had three open blooms and many buds in line for future blooming. I was not set up to photograph anything, however, I could not resist capturing the purple beauty. I went on to successfully prune the laurel. It now has some bare places where the old wood needed to be cut out. From my kitchen window I can now see the round pattern in our patio and a wide clear view of the stone bird bath standing in a corner where the dirt meets the grass.

My next pruning project will be the red camellia (Kramer’s Supreme). It is at least 20 years old. Sadly, the dead tree next to it with the ivy has tried to suppress its beauty by growing over it. During the same week as we cleaned out the pond we began to attack the ivy overgrowth. It needs to be noted that the red camellia has been undaunted by the ivy and still blooms profusely. We cut away a lot of the ivy, though I still need to continue cutting it back to nothing. The camellia is done with its blooming and the flowers are drying out, so it is ready to be pruned. I will be aggressive, and this will allow me the space to work at clearing away all the ivy. Hopefully next weekend will give me the time needed to accomplish this.

I give thanks to God for all the abundance I see in my garden.
I have work ahead of me. 
I will work consistently to improve both the garden and myself.

This coming week we will celebrate Earth Day!
The original intent for this day was to plant a tree.
At this time, there is no space in my garden for this.
My tree of thoughts here will honor this day instead.
Several years ago I gave my daughter a birthday card with this Bible quote on it, though I don’t think it was the King James version. It had a beautiful picture of a bird in a garden.

I don’t remember the words ‘make fat thy bones’, and I am sure I would not have given a card with those exact words. Though now that I am older and at increased risk for osteoporosis, this idea has a hidden blessing in it.

Anyways, I am thankful for still being able to work at garden restoration now that my mind is in a much better place. I also pray for the world beyond my garden. Hopefully many are praying for our world at this time, and I know God in his wisdom will prevail.

Let the Water Flow

Tiered moss-covered stone fountain in a garden pond with koi fish and water lilies.
A moss-covered stone fountain overflows into a peaceful koi pond surrounded by lush garden greenery.

This lovely picture was created by the new image generator on my WordPress site.

This is not my garden nor is it my pond. However, I titled this post Let the Water Flow because this week, with a great deal of help from my husband, I finally drained our garden pond and cleaned it all out. The fountain is now flowing and the birds are rejoicing. In the past I posted about The Gift of Procrastination, and now I can attest to the fact that there is a downside to it. At first I told my husband that we are getting too old for this, and now, after going to a garden center looking for some special tubing to attach to my pump and then connect it to the fountain bowl, I found my inspiration to keep going. The older lady that helped me looked about my age or a little older. She told me she was in her mid-seventies. She had already unloaded two truckloads of plants before I arrived at the center. I can only pray that I can do the same when I reach her age. My husband is her age.

I told the lady, Michelle, that I was doing it for the birds. It is still too early to put in any water hyacinth or water lettuce. I will try to post a picture of some sparrows enjoying our pond in its early days.

I am not using this fountain sprayer anymore because the water evaporates really quickly in the summer. I am using a gusher with maximum flow so it spills over the edge back into the pond.

While working to clear debris from my garden this week I uncovered a little bird seed holder that I had somewhat forgotten. It has these words (“His eye is on the sparrow and I know he watches me”) engraved in the bowl. I looked up these words and they are attributed to Civilla Martin in 1905. There is a sacred hymn written with these words. I will not go into the whole story, though it is an interesting story about how she gained her inspiration for this hymn.

I hope to continue letting the water flow and get back into the routine of garden maintenance. This is where I find the greatest peace.

Waxwings that Work

The Cedar Waxwings are a bird that secrete a reddish orange waxy substance, though not all of them have it in these pictures. I read that it has something to do with attracting mates. These pictures are from January 2009. I am posting them because this was the first time I witnessed them in my garden, and today they were in my garden again. Today they were mostly interested in my fountain bowl that was full of fresh water from the recent rains. In these pictures it was the middle of winter, and the fountain bowl was pretty sad looking, though I did keep a heater in it so that the water would not freeze.

I was happy to see them again today.

I titled today's post Waxwings that Work mainly because the thought of the myth of Daedalus and Icarus came into my mind. I read a student version of this myth this school year, and in this myth the wings of wax melt when Icarus ignored his father's advice and flew too close to the sun. Sadly, Icarus's mistake was fatal. There is much more to the myth than what I shared here (you can look it up.)

These pictures are not the best. The birds caught me off guard, and they move very quickly. They seem to be always on the move from branch to branch. Here they are enjoying privet berries. Today the berries are gone, and I did not see them do anything other than enjoy all the fresh water in the fountain.

I will post a co-pilot answer about how they got their name.

Oh, When the Ants Come Marching In…

Today is the vernal equinox or the start of spring, though I do not need a calendar to know that spring is upon us. I have been seeing the signs of spring all this week, (even with the crazy temperatures we have been witnessing.) First I saw some yellow crocuses beginning to rise up and bloom, and then I saw my diminutive iris blooming by our mailbox, and then just yesterday I noticed the tulip magnolia tree near an entrance to my school beginning to show an increasing number of pink buds.

Yesterday I noticed to my dismay the small black ants wanting to come through the radiator in my personal bathroom. We have an older home, so we have a few places where every spring I can reliably see the tiny black ants wanting to seek new territory inside. They are easily eliminated and pose no problems once the season is in full swing. They are a sure-fire beacon of the change of season.

Early this morning when I looked out the kitchen window I saw the wild cherry in our backyard showing a spray of opened blooms. They have suddenly appeared, almost overnight it seems. The popular cherry blossoms downtown around the tidal basin are showing their signs, though I am not sure what stage they are in at this point.

Here are a few pictures of our backyard wild cherry tree blossoms.

I am off work today because of Eid. 
"May this Eid be a reminder to carry kindness, gratitude, and generosity throughout the year."

River Blessings

When doing my Sunday reflection this morning the thought of rivers came into my mind. I am still thinking about March as a month to honor my Scots-Irish heritage. River symbolism runs deep in many cultures, and the river is used symbolically in the bible as well. As I was researching rivers in Scotland and Ireland, I remembered the Riverdance show starring Michael Flatley. My daughter was in love with this show, and we bought her the VCR tape which we still own and can still watch on an old TV/DVD/VCR machine we still have. I took a picture of it. See below.

She is watching this today. Luckily the tape still works and so does the TV/VCR/DVD player. I wish we could buy another newer version of this same machine. It is made by Toshiba. When we bought it was being discontinued. We got the last one.

This coming week Saint Patrick’s day will be celebrated, and not necessarily in the way it was historically intended. However, we live in America and the year is 2026, so the spirit of celebration is one of happiness with family and heritage.

Cheers!

Soul Train

Soul Train TV show theme song by George Martin Duke, composer
George Martin Duke (1946-2013) was an American keyboardist, composer, singer-songwriter, and record producer.
This is an image from a TV show that was on in the 70’s.
We are in Black History Month right now. Soul Train was a TV show that ran in the 70's  when I was in my teen years.
I think the #2 definition of soul is a good reflection of the intense energy that was exhibited on this show. I loved the energy of the music and the dancing. I did not watch the show consistently, though, when I did watch it the energy was contagious!

A celebration of the soul embodied in this show is definitely worth showcasing during Black History  Month.

Snow Shadows

Smile

As I was drinking my chocolate macadamia nut coffee topped with marshmallow whipped cream, I saw tree shadows dancing across the snow as the wind stirred up their tempo.

Turning the page on my Old Farmer’s Almanac Gardening calendar 2026, I see the “Leaves that Please” of February. Tonight the full Snow Moon will rise, and tomorrow the question of the day will be : Did Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow?

I think he will!

Words of Affirmation

I captured this picture from dandyworldwide.com.

I finally got out of my house today. I ventured out within a 3 mile radius (or less.) While I was out I spotted 2 teenage girls that were both wearing pink oversized sweatshirt hoodies with these words on the back. I told them that I liked their hoodies, and I asked where they got them. They told me online at a website called dandyworldwide.com.

I found the website, and I found the “Words of Affirmation” hoodie. I would have preferred a crewneck with these words, but still I liked the words so much that I bought one in a navy color. I work in a school, and I love the messages that this will spread to everyone that sees it.

I don’t get anything out of advertising products other that a good feeling about spreading the word on a product that I like.

Snow Day 3!

This is how I am feeling today — worn out from baking cookies.

My husband shoveled our driveway yesterday. He said it is like blocks of cement out there. The temperatures outside have been varying between the mid single digit range with wind chill at zero or below, and when it warms up it reaches the low to mid 20’s. I have stayed inside cooking and baking. At least we have been well-fed.

I received a Spring 2026 catalog from Vermont Bean Seed company recently. I shopped for seeds and indoor grow lights yesterday. My intention is to give vegetable growing another try. I have been reading up on planting asparagus from crowns. I first read about growing asparagus last year in a Martha Stewart article. I learned that asparagus is a perennial vegetable, and this interested me since I have experience growing many perennial flowers. Yesterday, I ordered some asparagus crowns, a Sweet Purple variety. I hope to do the preparation work early spring. “Hope springs eternal…” (This is a partial quote from Alexander Pope 1733.)

Thinking about spring helps to weather the winter pauses. I hear there is the possibility of another winter weather system coming this weekend.

Stay warm and don’t hurt yourself shoveling!

Invasion of the Cowbirds

This picture was taken by rfotostock located on Pixabay. I wanted you to see what the male cowbird looks like.

I woke up very early this morning when it was still dark outside, though the whiteness of the snow made it possible to see. At this time of morning there was no visible bird activity. I was wide awake, so I made a black walnut banana bread, and drank some tea as it was baking. Eventually, I went back to bed, and slept for about an hour before the noise of bird activity woke me up. I went into the kitchen and was somewhat startled to see about 2 dozen cowbirds resting on our deck as close to the door as they could get. There were many more cowbirds resting in the surrounding trees and several fighting over the seeds in a couple of feeders.

My husband had purchased a small wooden birdhouse that is a seed feeder that he placed on the back railing of our deck. Normally many small sparrows play inside and outside of it eating the seeds. This morning many cowbirds were flocked around it. When I opened the door to scare the noisy flock they all flew away or up into surrounding trees. There was one exception, one cowbird was left stuck inside the little bird house. I called my husband to come see the commotion. I will let him decide what to do with the stuck cowbird. Perhaps it can eventually free itself.

Our regular backyard birds were still around. I spotted the cardinals, a blue jay, the visiting winter juncos, and I was delighted to see a cute little wren exploring the corners of the deck.

I was not delighted to see the cowbird flock. I used to see a few here and there in our garden many many years ago. They are not regular inhabitants here, and I have not seen any in a very long time. They are called cowbirds because they follow herds of cattle and eat the seeds and insects stirred up by the herd. They used to be called bison birds before many of the bison were killed off. The female cowbirds do not look like the males, and are very non-descript looking. They do not build nests, and they are called brood parasites because they will lay their egg in another birds nest. Often the other bird will foster the cowbird egg along with their own eggs. I used to read a lot about the different birds I would see in my garden.

It is still snowing and perhaps the cowbirds were brought here by this weather system. They will eventually move along, especially if the feeders are empty.

Enjoy the snow if you can, and stay warm.