Category Archives: nature

Jun6

The ‘C’ garden

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The ‘C’ garden, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

This use to be the Circle garden, but Bri kept hitting a few box hedges on the right with the mower and they met their demise. It now looks like a ‘C’ which is the first letter in our last name! I realized my box hedges are a few different kinds, but just this year. It doesn’t bother me a whole lot, but the 3-4 different ones are bigger and needed more shaping. This is the garden where my irises, dinner plate hibiscus (the deer like to munch them), some Gladiolus and Black-eyed Susans are planted. I added a Julia Child yellow rose bush (gift from Brian), a gorgeous orange Wall Flower,Orange Wall Flower
a pink Columbine and a few others. I think it needs mulch-I love and hate the stuff, but it sure gives the gardens a finished look, but my poor back is already bad this year.
Update-that’s a pot of Hens an Chickens on the white stand Hens and Chicks

and a shallow bowl with colored glass too. Where the bowl is use to be where we had one of the monstrous satellite dishes.

May1

Welcoming May

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Today it almost hit 80 degrees, so I took my ‘flower’ money and headed to one of my favorite nurseries. Big 6 packs (sometimes more included) are only $2.99 which I think is great. I cashed in coins we save in a can and got over $70, but used some, so had about $55 which I had no problem spending. Beautiful flowers. Here’s my annual photo of me with the annuals! (I thought that was pretty funny).

I just got the bandana t-shirt at Tar*get Thursday night. Sean was off, so we went to visit my mom and went to BJs* Wholesale Club for a few goodies. We had shrimp pizza at Ber*tucci’s afterwards. I had some Cha*Cha money on my debit card (remember I answer questions as a  human search engine), so I got some things at Home*Goods-a pretty box for my paper stuff, a small seashell mirror that sits on the table and a neat hat. It’s basically pocket money and it’s a treat to have it to buy goodies once in a while.

I started to plant the pink polka plants and snapdragons last night, but it was a bit muggy and I gave up after planting a few. I didn’t buy any white flowers, so I need a few. They look neat at night.

Hoping to go to a  community yard sale later, another warm day expected.

Have a great weekend!

Feb6

Bucky

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With a heavy heart, I have to report news that I think I rather have not known. The young buck I mentioned a few posts ago is now deceased. We found out from my neighbor who came over, not to offer the use of his snow blower, but to offer up this disheartening news. Seems ‘Bucky’ was sprawled out in his side yard yesterday or the day before. That means they are on their way out. The last time I saw the dear deer, he was sweetly curled up under a blue spruce in the back of our house. Our neighbor called the PA game warden, or someone from Harrisburg, and when they inspected the body of Bucky he appeared to have a wound from an arrow that became infected. I knew he was wounded, but I thought maybe he had a broken leg. In 23 yrs of living here, we never had a deer hang around so close to the house. I got worried about him and now I feel terrible to know he was probably suffering. Our neighbor said he knows of people not too far from here that raised deer. Because Bucky was hanging around the yard, we thought maybe he was use to being around buildings. The deer population is a bit out of control in Penna., so they aren’t too quick to say they will help a wounded deer. I did shed a few tears, couldn’t help it.

Jan29

A ‘deer’ visitor

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A ‘deer’ visitor (zoom), originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

This sweet young deer has been hanging around my yard a lot these last few days. Seems ‘he’ has a wounded left front leg with a cut above it. He was curled up in a little flowerbed most of the day Thursday and came back today. But today he is walking around more. My neighbor, a hunter (gasp) saw him in his yard and thinks he will be fine, though he is roughed up looking and wobbly a bit on his legs. The good thing here is that he is eating all around our yards.

Dec12

Photo Hunt-Undesirable

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Yellow Grasshopper, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

So I usually don’t post undesirable things, so what do I do for this one? I looked around my photos and came up with this. I’m sure the main gardener over at Longwood*Gardens would have fainted if he saw this ‘muncher’. He was a big yellow guy too! He was really hanging on too.
I could have posted about holiday commercialism at this time of year, but I stuck to bugs, thank you very much. And look it’s ‘festive’ too-red and green!

Dec12

Woodland Christmas tree 2009

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Woodland Christmas tree 2009, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

Here’s our tree this year. There are mostly new ornaments on it that I got last year, even the pine cones at the bottom. It’s missing a few ornaments like icicles and maybe a few red balls or other things-yep, not really loaded done enough. I need to add something, probably an angel at the top. I just made the bow tonight-it has cardinals on it. I actually had to buy more clear lights for under the white pine cones. I guess my clears have gradually burnt out to just a few sets. I have almost every color light too! I hope I find some more cardinals too. That’s about our 5th year for this tree. It needed major ‘fluffing’ and is so easy to put up and load down. We are pretty happy with it.
We all watched ‘Up’ tonight, not a dry eye in the house. Very touching. If you haven’t rented it, you have to.

Nov3

Autumn Splendor

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Sean said there was a lovely sunset on Monday, so I went out to capture it to share:
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I wasn’t feeling 100%, so I decided to stay off my feet and scan some old photos. My brother always gives me a bunch of them and it takes a while. I just love this one of my maternal grandmom Ruth at age 2 with her sister Ethel about 3 or so. It is dated April 1, 1906! Little Ethel passed away when she was 6 from pneumonia. My grandmom was the second of 6 and she had 2 children and her younger sister Edna had only 1. She had two brother pass on in their 20s. So sad to think that we could have had a larger family if they had lived and married. By the way, my father was an only child with a few step siblings, and Brian is an only child. Our immediate family is about 13.
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and after I photoshopped it a bit adding a reddish tint. The tints seem to bring out more detail in these old photos:
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And here’s a cute one of Sean on his 1st birthday (1987) on a motorized car he had and loved to pieces:
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The Phillies are giving the Yankees a run for their money, but they can’t just play well every 5 games. They have to win the next two game to hold on to their championship title. They had a huge lead and the gap narrowed in the 8th inning. We were on the edge of our seats. I only see 3 Phillies really giving it their best. At least we won the National League Championship to get this far two years in a row-the Yankees can’t say that.
Hoping for a good game on Wednesday!

Sep22

Down my garden path

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It’s a tight squeeze-
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(ironically, this is the last photo I took today! You are seeing mums and hearty begonias that come up every year).
Watch your step through the bombardment of Chestnut burrs (quite sticky-ouch) and see the little sprouts of arugula, spinach, radishes and lettuce. The beets seem to be taking their time, but the rest were up in less than a week!
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The nasturtiums are all over the various gardens providing a nice show and bow out for the end of the season:
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I’ve seen many more bees than butterflies this year
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I always plant Zinnias in memory of my Grandmom Ruth. Here is a pretty peach:
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Some house painting is going on-just the overhangs. It’s a bit lighter, so that may be incentive to paint the rest of it in the future!
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The Gnomes have plenty of hiding places:
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Always remember to have a happy
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And back inside-starting to decorate for the Autumn and then I’ll add some Halloween decor to that (not all the summer stuff is off the window area. The hydrangeas are from outside):
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Happy Fall, y’all!

Jun27

Photo hunt-flags

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The flag and sky, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

Taken on the day my son graduated from high school, over 4 yrs ago now. He’s a college graduate now! I like how the flag is waving and how puffy the clouds are.
~Update-must give credit where credit is due-my son took this photo at his friend’s graduation last year…same place that he graduated 3 yrs before her-opps!
Here is an Art Trading Card I made last year featuring some flags:
Celebrate for the 4th of July ATC