Then my computer crashed for a couple of days. Here they finally are:
Tara at nearly 15 weeks and 3.5 lbs, in a rare moment when she’s sitting still —
Tara as a blur (her normal state) —
The first tomato? We’ll see.
In case anyone is thinking that my fresh interest in gardening means I have a lush, fully planted yard, I have to confess here that these photos are a cheat. They don’t show the ground still barren of any planting. We live on a granite hill, partly decomposed and partly still-composed boulders. We also live in a semi-arid, overly populated part of the country, so water isn’t cheap. I’m also lazy. I’ve planted around what my husband already planted or nursed back to health, and that might make me appear to be a more productive gardener than I am. But I love my few plants, they’re producing, and I have big plans for next year, so we’ll see.
As you might have guessed, part of my garden is for the birds, though I like sunflower seeds too, so even the sunflowers aren’t entirely for the birds.
I’ve read somewhere that there’s a German paper company that makes fine stationery from sunflower stalk fibers, and that gets an artsy-craftsy person like me thinking. . . .
Of the seven or so sunflowers growing in our yard right now, most face east, most of the time. There’s one near the front door that faces the door, to its north, which means I see its shining face as soon as I walk outside. It’s had the same ladybug on its bloom (below) for three or four days now. I hope she’s taken up residence and plans to take care of it and keep it pest free until it’s finished blooming.
Then there’s this one (below), which faces the southeast (back) corner of the yard. Is it an errant sunflower that thinks it has to stand in the corner — my generation’s equivalent of a time-out? Or does it like the chattering of the caged parakeet the neighbors down there sometimes leave out on their patio during the day? Maybe it’s made friends with the bougainvillea. I don’t know.
1.
Love these pictures! Yes, salve for the soul!!
That kitten is adorable, and I want giant sunflowers! How glorious.
Enjoy your summer.
Comment by Bev Jackson — July 12, 2008 @ 5:30 am
2.
Nice photos. I was a bit jarred by your comment that water isn’t cheap. I’ve been lucky in that I’ve always been able to take water for granted where I’ve lived. It’s always been cheap. Right now we have a well, so the water’s free — unless the pump needs to be replaced, then I guess our water gets expensive too. Actually last year we needed repairs, short of replacing the pump, that came to $600, so the water had some cost to it, but that’s once in 8 years so thus far we’ve paid less than we were paying when we were on the mains in Rochester.
Comment by Eric Mayer — July 12, 2008 @ 8:50 am
3.
Bev — Sunflowers have some sort of magic, don’t they?
Eric — What I wouldn’t give for free water. When we lived in San Diego, we paid less — about half — and there we had free trash pickup each week. Here the trash pickup is an additional billing. What can one do, though? Those aren’t exactly services we can live without.
Comment by Barbara — July 12, 2008 @ 11:17 am
4.
Once upon a time, I had an active kitten. Then she went missing. I hunted high and low. I looked in every closet, every drawer, under beds and stoves and behind refrigerators. I opened a can of tuna as loudly as I could, bearing it before me where the odor could waft freely.
Finally I gave up, nearly in tears and plunked myself down on the couch to mourn. A squeak and a rustle alerted me: up on the high curtain rod, almost hidden behind the valence, two ears and a tail gave away her position. I didn’t know whether to strangle her or feed her.
Which urge do you think won out?
Comment by Sarah — July 22, 2008 @ 3:53 pm
5.
Sarah, thanks for that delightful story. I sometimes have visions of coming home one day to find Tara swinging from the ceiling fans. She’s the most adventurous kitten I’ve ever owned. But most of my others started out as indoor/outdoor cats, and she’s indoor only, so maybe she’s just letting off the steam the others used to work off outside, unknown to me. I think maybe I was better off not knowing what they were up to.
Comment by Barbara — July 22, 2008 @ 7:07 pm
6.
Oh, how absolutely lovely to see such flower! I am seriously garden deprived this year, and your soil sounds exactly like mine, right down to the arid part. We have a well; I’m just not sure about it yet.
Your Tara is like my last cat. He was so adventurous and a tiger just like Tara.
Comment by Marion — July 31, 2008 @ 4:16 pm
7.
Looking on Google images for Tara (the Goddess) I came accross your delightful website.
I have an e-penfriend called Tara, (also after the Goddess!) and she’s in the process of great change in her life, and I was looking for inspiration to keep her thinking positive.
I am a cat fanatic and adore your pictures, especially of Merlin. Do you have any more of him?
I have 2 black cats at present, and in all have had 6 black ones, all fantastic.
Last year I lost 3 of my ‘babies’ (cats (
Comment by Jude — August 6, 2008 @ 7:23 am