A lesson that I've finally learned about blogging is that it pays to take photos whenever the opportunity arises. Sometimes these photos can inspire a post on their own and other times I end up with a folder full of random pictures. Today is the result of cleaning out that folder.
'Tis the season for fungi popping up all over the lawn, and for the squirrels to nibble on them. Squirrels high on mushrooms are quite a sight.
My lime tree had six limes on it a month ago, but the squirrels have chewed on five of them. I have the vodka and tonic at the ready for this last one.
Does your family bring home interesting rocks and broken glass pieces they've found? Mine does.
I was so happy to see that this clematis was still alive and blooming even better than before. It belonged to John's grandmother, and my best estimate is that it's probably 50-60 years old. It's been slowly dying and I had been holding my breath after last winter. I was thrilled to see a new sprout this spring and now look at it showing off!
It's also been a good year for hydrangeas. This one is three years old and has never bloomed before.
And these are part of the second round of blossoms for this hydrangea. I believe benign neglect may be paying off.
In one of the best social distance moments I've experienced, my neighbor and I performed a Jefferson Airplane duet. Jane is on my mowing playlist and I was outdoors singing along (probably a bit too loudly) while I filled the mower with gas. I looked over when I saw my neighbor come out of his garage and he yelled, "Turn it up!" Ordinarily, this man is fairly straight-laced and buttoned-up, but I removed the earbuds and cranked up the volume. He performed on air drums while I provided vocals, and it was a stirring rendition. When the song was over he gave me a thumbs up and headed back to his garage.
And contrary to what my father always said, it looks like money does grow on trees!
I hope your Monday is a good one and your week is off to a great start!
What lovely random photos Bonny! Squirrels high on mushrooms! That line had me laughing out loud (not too loudly as my office is underneath where Fletch is still sleeping!!). Bookshelves in our house are lined with rocks and other things we have collected on walks and trips. Your neighbor story is the BEST!!
ReplyDeleteI am loving your neighbor story! That is just so awesome! (Squirrels are on my list this week for taking bites out of random tomatoes... grrr!)And keep growing those bells :D
ReplyDeleteThat is a great story about a backyard duet with the neighbor. ! love it! When we lived in AZ, our next door neighbor had a lime tree right next to our fence and let us have all the limes that hung over the fence. I loved it. It was disappointing when he decided to cut the tree down. We did like our lemon tree thought. Nothing like that here in Utah. I love your flowers. Looks like you have a great yard. Have a good Monday.
ReplyDeleteI have never seen a squirrel high on mushrooms and now I really want to! I love that you shared a duet with your neighbor. We have good relationships with most of our neighbors, but I don't think we've ever done a singalong!
ReplyDeleteI keep learning the same lesson, TAKE the photo! I usually have my phone with me all the time but sometimes I am out with Frodo briefly and there it is a photo I can't take because the phone is in the house.
ReplyDeleteSquirrels high on mushrooms, now I want to see that. I have a love/hate relationship with squirrels, they are cute but so destructive and messy! Get them high, maybe they will be better behaved! Your flowers are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThanks for explaining some odd squirrel behavior I'd noted! And I love the visual I have of you and your neighbor performing Jane! My Switch unexpectedly bit the dust last week and I had to send it to Nintendo for repair. I miss it!
ReplyDeleteWe had a few very warm days and the hummingbird nectar must have gotten a bit alcoholic because there was a tiny hummingbird on the feeder, just sitting for a long time and I finally had to go out and bump it off. It flew (staggering) away and I washed out the feeder to start fresh. It was pretty odd.
ReplyDeleteWhy oh why do squirrels always have to take a bite out of everything? I have a backyard full of them, and they eat everything. I even had one eat the insulation from my internet line (which I had to get replaced), and one got electrocuted when he thought he should sample the power line insulation. He hung up there on that line for a long time. We even named him Sparky. They are pests of the first order, but I actually enjoy watching them at times. I would love to see one high on mushrooms! And I love that neighbor story! The music of our youth inspires lots of uninhibited moments, yes? Great post, have a great Monday full of random moments.
ReplyDeleteBest. Story. Ever. The neighbor!!!! My m-i-l's hydrangea bloomed this year...too bad she wasn't here to see it. :-( Maybe she sent the magic from above!
ReplyDeleteI love all your beautiful photos but your social distance moment was the best, how fun! Have a great week :)
ReplyDeleteYour Random Photos and captions made me smile, especially seeing that your hydrangea is just now blooming (ours is in year two, and gosh, it's mostly bare of blooms), the clematis is hanging in ... and you and your neighbor sang TOGETHER (apart). Happy Monday!
ReplyDeleteWhat Fun! I love vodka tonic...and haven’t had one in I don’t know when ! Need to do something about that, ya think. I have a crazy azalea that’s blooming again...I expect it to bloom again in Dec...Next time you and neighbor sing, do record a bit.
ReplyDeleteCheers~
I have to stop taking so many photos. I take them all day. Sometimes I need to just SEE the moment you know? Then again you will get a fantastic shot out of some quick takes and Im hooked again. That's a very special old clematis!
ReplyDeleteI used to love squirrels and didn't understand all of the hate towards them, but then I bought a house. It's funny how perspective changes.
ReplyDeleteI love these random posts! Thanks for the tour of your yard!
I'm a fellow squirrel-hater. They chewed their way into our attic through the eaves five times; we fixed it four times before we started trapping them in the attic. I am not a fan!
DeleteFAVORITE THING: SINGING A JEFFERSON AIRPLANE DUET WITH YOUR (STRAIGHT-LACED) NEIGHBOR!!! <3 <3 <3
ReplyDeleteSquirrels! We are really seeing what happens in our yard when there is no cat on duty. Not good.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed seeing the random flower pic and hearing your story of singing along with the neighbor! Yesterday I stopped to talked to a neighbor who was playing a GD song and we talked about all the concerts we went to in SLC in 1968-75. There we were, meeting for the first time 50 years later. Good memories!
ReplyDeleteYES!!! SO LOVE the duet!!!! We really need to keep singing these days . . . (And the money trees are my favorite trees on my little island.) Also . . . hydrangeas thrive on benign neglect. Maybe that's why I love them so!
ReplyDeleteOh I love the story of your duet with the neighbor. Such pretty flowers in your garden in spite of all the pests. Plants that thrive on neglect are the best ones for me. Keep on singing.
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