3/13

Humm...3/13  Doug is getting skunked big time...Really big time.  I should stack the deck for him.  I told him he needed help from Jacob.  Now there's a great player for sure.  Summer continues.  We're back to Indiana weather.  Hot and sticky.  Delivered lots of ferns to a friend yesterday which got me in the mood of thinking what Hostas needed to go.  I'm ready, Freddy.  Did some moving of Black Eyed Susans to the sunny places.  Harvested zinnia seeds.  We had a great but hard rain last week which really flattened things and made lots of zinnia plants fall over.  Some I pushed back and some hit the trash can.  Woo...woes of summer storms.  Had a doc check up Monday.  All is well although it means another doc appointment today.  Also visiting a friend on the west side of Indy to see her garden and she is giving shoes away!  That's the best way to shoe shop.  Tomorrow B and Bowl.  And I'm supervising a Saturday B and Bowl since the group that usually works on Sat. can't this month. 
Our outreach minister volunteered me!!!!!   Happy to do it. 

Butterflies.

Count...I think 11 Monarchs are flying somewhere.  Bought another Swamp Milkweed plant and it came with 2 more caterpillars.  They are very longMonarch caterpillars.  5 Swallow tails are waiting to become swallowtails.  I found 12 more Swallowtail caterpillars on the dill.  Must be a good butterfly summer.  Going slow on replanting.  Don't want to move things more than once.  Today I worked on the front of the house and took out plants that haven't done well since they were planted at least 25  years ago.  I think I gave them a good chance to look good.  So...they are gone. Just a small bit of ivy in the front.  Dug out and pitched a bad looking hosta.  There are a few more to go.  The weather has been great.  It's not a typical Aug weather.  Feels like UP of Michigan.  We've been eating on the patio every evening and then it's Three Thirteen card time.  Yesterday and today I got skunked!  Tomorrow is Bread and Bowl and a committee meeting at  5 pm.  Two trips to church! Wish it was one. Then it's time to move plants that were planted this spring where the shade was...Shade is gone and they get a new home in the shade. 

The next Sat.

Weather continues to be wonderful with the garden just being a magnificent place to find LOTS of butterflies, hummingbirds, nuthatches, and beautiful flowers of every color.  Yes...the ivy is out as of today.  All the ivy that needs to go.  I think at least 60 fern plants left our garden for someone else's garden and I could give away even more.  They were hiding under the ivy.  Woo...Now...a few hostas need to go.  We had a wonderful two days of rain so the last ivy pull wasn't as hard as the first.  Now the fun begins with the brain trying to figure out what is going in the ground.  Tues...invited some good friends to enjoy the garden.  What a hoot of a time.  I love my friends.  Some I've known for 50 years. Thurs. was soup kitchen with lot of great friends who live in the church area.  The guys are so polite.  I love soup kitchen time.  Two showers today...I was a very dirty lady with unknown dirt even on my face.  Working under bushes can be a very dirty place.  Tomatoes are coming on strong as well as peppers.  5  more caterpillars are hibernating.  And more caterpillars are on the dill.  Woo...this is a great butterfly summer.  There are such good butterfly videos  on UTube. 
Tomorrow is church with Friendship time resuming.  And now...it's time to sit for a bit. 

Back Home Again in Indiana.

Butterfly report.  11 Monarchs have been released with more to come.  I see at least 3 flying in the garden almost every day...The rest...off to please someone else.  Yes...Home again after a wonderful two weeks again in the UP of Mich with Jared/family and friends we have made over the years coming from Detroit as well as other places.  It was read/knit/sleep/walk/eat/talking and then do it all over again.  Rain came on two occasions which we really enjoy.  Enjoy rain while camping?  Yes.  The sound of the tent roof makes sleeping so easy.  It's a blessing to have equipment that allows us to stay dry.  The unbelievable sight when pulling into our driveway was really something to experience.  There was rain here at the right time and the garden just could not be more colorful and stunning.  That includes five different kinds of butterflies...gold finches...nuthatches...humming birds and an occasional hawk singing.  Singing?  sounds more like music with no notes.  Ir's been snipping and raking and laying more Superior beach rocks around our little fish pond.  The rock supply lake is staying strong. 
One big project now is doing some changes to what was a shade garden to now being a sun garden since we lost part of a tree a month ago.  That involves mostly moving Ostrich Ferns and dinging up a ton of ivy.  Ugh!  Ivy...don't like it a bit.  But...little by little this week...most of the ivy is gone.  It's just hard work pulling and clipping.  I've advertise in our church newsletter...Free ferns.  Come and get them.  The plan right now is to do some filling with Black eyed Susan's.  Some hostas will need to find another home as well.  Maybe the garbage can would do.  So...that's life in Carmel, Indiana right now.  More butterflies to come.