Morning Sightings

In my endeavor to be healthier I have been getting up early to go walking. I live in a rather crowded town but even so I have a chance to observe nature at work. I have watched the foliage emerge on the trees and flowers bloom and die only to be replaced by other similarly beautiful blooms in the ever-changing landscape of suburbia.

I listen to the birds over the sounds of my MP3 player that has been playing The Count of Monte Christo loudly enough to be heard while still allowing for the world around me to intrude on my consciousness. It is relaxing and enjoyable in spite of it being exercise...

I have been able to see many birds on my walks, which are not kind enough to grace my back yard with their presence though we have studied them as part of our CT bird/nature study. And I have seen some other unexpected sites as well.

There is one particular tree on a nearby corner that is a typically old and large tree but it is peculiar in that it is almost completely overgrown by a wisteria vine that has wound its way around the trunk and up through the branches so that when it is in full bloom the wisteria flowers can be seen throughout and even peeking through at the very top of the tree. The tree seems perfectly healthy despite this takeover. It is fasciniating how these two separate entities have grown together to make an even more beautiful whole. ( Here is an example of a tree just like this courtesy of my father who knows how to 'google'.)

There is a pond that is tucked in behind a large condo complex and one morning I had the pleasure of spotting a bird like this:
A Great Blue Heron. I had to take some time to watch it and I could see it was watching me too. I lamented the fact that I did not have my camera with me (hence the above picture being copied off the internet) and that my kids were not there to observe it with me either. We had seen this bird flying around our neighborhood at different times lately. It is unmistakable in flight: a huge wingspan, long legs trailing behind, and its head tucked to its body so that it looks like it has no neck at all instead of the long graceful one that it does have.

Later that morning the three of us took a walk together to this pond to see if by chance this bird would still be there. Alas, it was not. But we were able to watch the ducks and listen for the frogs that we would scare into the water in our trek around this pond and hope that the turtle that was slowly moving in the middle of the pond would come to the edge so we could get a closer look.




This morning the heron was back. I had brought my cell phone with me just in case but since it has no zoom I was unable to take a picture in which the bird was visible. I watched as it traversed the edges of the pond looking for and catching some fish, which it threw back and consumed quickly, then reluctantly left to finish my walk. When I got back to the house the kids were up with Luke. Instead of our normal routine of breakfast and easing into the morning I had them don their jackets and flip-flops and we all got into the truck to see if we could spot the bird. Thankfully it was still there. We quietly got out of the truck and slowly walked to get close enough to see it without scaring it away. The kids were able to see it catching fish and making its awkward way through the water and around the pond.

I was able to get these pictures:



Before it took flight...


There wasn't anything awkward about that (other than my camera wielding skills):


(I would have gotten a longer video but I thought the camera was on picture setting rather than video...)

I am thinking that there is no better classroom than God's glorious creation...even the little bit that can be seen right in our own "backyard" here at HOME.

Growing Things

While I would not consider myself to be a green thumb, my attempts at a garden have been much more succesful this year than they were last year. I learned what not to do from that experience though so at least it wasn't a total waste. This year, instead of doing all seeds, I did half plants and half seeds and amazingly enough even the seeds have sprouted and are growing into good healthy foods for us to eat. Their flavor I'm sure will be enhanced by all the work and worry that went into them...

We've got tomatoes (4 different varieties) and lettuce, broccoli, carrots, peas, and spinach.

In the front is oregano, a gift from my mother-in-law's herb garden and rhubarb, a gift from a neighbor.

And hidden in the shadow was an experiment: potatoes. They were forgotten under my sink and went to eye so I decided to plant them and see what happened. So far they are growing seemingly faster than everything else and I am so curious to see what we will pull up from the depths...

And this is my hanging strawberry plant. Yum.

And along with my vegetable garden I have also (finally) finished my front planting beds. A couple of years ago we ripped out huge hedges that overwhelmed the front of the house. Since then I have gradually been working at improving the space. I meant to finish it last year but was thwarted by my broken foot that kept me indoors most of the spring and summer. This year I have been unhindered and despite the fact that I am neither a green thumb nor a landscaper, think I have done a good job of making that space look nice. At the very least it is no longer filled by ugly, half-dead hedges, or an overgrown weed bed.



The azalea bushes in the middle are past their blooming prime but they were so full of beautiful pink flowers--so pretty! And I can't wait 'til the lillies and morning glories, which are creeping up my railing and mail box, bloom.

I am not nearly as brave as my sister Loey who has a true gift for growing things. She likes to keep a trowel handy in her car so that whenever she spots flowers that she wants she can take a cutting. Of course she asks the owners (everyone from neighbors to business owners) first and I don't believe that she has ever been turned down. Now she is the consummate gardener! I did however ask a friend for cuttings of her phlox and hens-and-chicks, which she gladly shared with me. I was also gifted with a chamomile plant from my mother-in-law and nasturtiums from my brother-in-law. These certainly have cut down on the expense of landscaping!

Oh, but my house looks so much better...


Now, if I could just get those dang shutters painted...