Cardinals, baltimore orioles, eastern phoebes, robins flit around the yard. Full time job keeping the jelly plate and hummingbird feeders filled - the funniest sight, a woodpecker at the oriole feeder! The orioles vivid orange and black feathers stand out in the maples. How is that adapting to their surroundings?! Oh, I know, they are trying to match the orange of our Northern Light azaleas that have also begun to bloom. A pair of brown thrashers have been in the yard for the past week. They eat bugs from the ground with their long beaks, this is only the second years I have noticed them. We had a lone sand hill crane fly over yesterday, heard it coming a mile away by its distinctive call. A blue heron just flew over - they are lovely, and I love seeing them along the Kinnickinnic River, yet when flying above our yard, I want them to keep going and stay away from our water garden.
Bill planted two additions to the landscape yesterday that he bought to celebrate our 30th anniversary. A red twigged dogwood, and a Japanese maple both are in the water garden area. We've admired the Japanese maple at Earthworks for many years but hesitated because they are zone 6 and higher. This variety will supposedly survive in our zone 4. We are going to need to mulch, mulch, mulch to protect its roots! It has lovely seven pointed leaves and seems happy in our yard. It is in the area of the Royal Red maple we planted last year, but is decidedly different. The Japanese maple leaves are green now, and will change with the seasons.
After attending a graduation party and suffering through another bout of rain, we tackled the grass under the crimson maple by the front door. Bill has longed to be rid of all the grass so we started by the light post and cleared out grass around the tree. It now has hostas, bearded iris and we planted flower seeds. Getting rid of all of our grass seems unlikely, but we are making strides.
The house is deliciously quiet right now, Moose and I walked at 6:00 a.m., and he's resting on the rug next to me. Megan has successfully completed her freshman year at St. Kate's and is home for the summer. Completely unrelated to the lilacs blooming, Megan painted her room purple this week! It looks amazing. David drove back from Phoenix and arrived home on May 25, he will conduct his job search from here. He is delighted to be back in the land of seasons and is enjoying the green. Brian has been coming over several times a week and cutting buck thorn from our woods - a massive, necessary task. Steven is taking summer classes at UWRF and dedicating a lot of time to homework (and world of warcraft). Between constant rain, and his studies, he has only mowed lawn once this year. Guess we will have to remove all the lawn!
Grateful to have a long weekend to celebrate Memorial day. Had a wonderful evening at Antler's Park in Lakeville on Friday with family to celebrate Sister Karen Mahowald's visit home. The rest of this weekend is just a joy to be home. Really want the rain to end though so I can get in my vegetable garden, it has been too wet to work. Have snap peas and lima beans planted, and need to get more things in. Our tomato plants are ready to plant but will be in a new garden by the south side of the house.
