Raspberry Boy

When we moved here, the wooded part of our back yard was really overgrown and wild. However, in the back corner we were happy to find a small patch of wild raspberries, likely brought in by the deer. J cleared out around it and pruned the branches. The first year we probably only had a cup or so, but every year we've had more, and this year we had 5 or 6 large bowl fulls. 

Although a little seedy, they were tasty. And we ate them all, or I should say we ate some and Ian ate all the rest. That boy likes his berries.

It took us a few days to convince him to try one, but we he did - watch out. Every time he saw one he would point and shriek. We're talking the kind of shriek that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. You should have seen him the day I took him back to look at them on the vine. He looked absolutely delighted.

So one day last week while he was taking one of his hard to come by naps, I went out and picked him a bowl. As soon as he woke up I took him outside and let him sit in the grass and help himself. I'll have you know he ate every single berry. But what's funny about this video is towards the end you see him get distracted and look off to his left.

See? Well, this is what was distracting him.

IT WAS 3 O'CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON FOR PETE'S SAKE!

That's my standard scare technique you hear me hollering - hoogedy boogedy!! J prefers to throw things at them, like shoes, frisbee golf discs, and brooms. We did apply the deer repellent this week, so hopefully it works.

Oh, and now that the wild raspberries are all gone I bought some of the ones from the grocery store and let me tell you that was a huge disappointment. Well, for me anyway. Ian isn't too picky about his berries. I think they kinda taste fake.

What's Bloomin' Edition 16

Lantana - Lantana camara. This plant always makes me think of the toxic plant notebook I had to make in vet school. It was the only houseplant I included in the book (it causes extreme sensitivity to the sun and gastrointestinal upset). I bought this just this spring, and it's doing well in the container.

Balloon Flower - Platycodon grandiflorus. I bought this 4 years ago at Home Depot, mainly because I thought it was just a neat looking plant. Not only are the flowers pretty in full bloom, but they look awesome before they open up, too (like a balloon). I didn't expect it to come back because it's such a delicate looking little plant, but it's really hardy and doesn't even require much watering. I have a white variety in the front yard that blooms a little later.

Easter Lily - Lilium longiflorum. J's mother gave us an Easter lily about 3 years ago. It was in a pot and after it bloomed and died back I kept the bulb, planting it in the fall. They come up every year, and every year there are more. I think we had 6 or 7 flowers this year. Unfortunately, the deer wiped them out the day after I took this picture.

Nandina - Nandina domestica. This plant was here when we moved in, and there are several growing on one side of the house. The berries are always so bright in the early summer before the birds come along and clear them out. The leaves turn a red-purple color in the fall. I hadn't really noticed the tiny white flowers it gets until this year. It can be a little invasive, but it's a nice shrub.

Cosmic Kitty

We got Phoebe when she was almost a full grown cat. As I was looking at all the cats at the shelter that day, she picked me out. I didn't take her home for a few days, as she had to be spayed first. In the mean time I went and picked out all my cat supplies, complete with a few toys and some cat nip. I was surprised that she didn't want to have anything to do with the cat nip, but some cats aren't interested in it.

A few years went by and my mother in law sent some home with us one day. This was the real deal, not the dried powder you get at the pet store. Fresh cat nip, this stuff has grown on their family property for as long as she can remember. It grows 4 feet tall, has huge leaves, and you can smell it before you see it. We brought it back to our apartment to dry it and use it as a tea for us - it will soothe an upset stomach.

I put it out on the roof (which Phoebe had access to) to dry, and before I knew it our cat was wallowing  in it. She was there for FOUR HOURS. Not kidding. 

So every year my mother in law clips some for Phoebe. We never did get around to making any tea.

Here is this years crop.

 . . .And the live action shot.

It's been out on the sun porch now for about a week, and more often than not we find her passed out on top of the pile. It's all smashed up to bits.

Barefoot

Hooray for warm summer evenings!

Dinner followed by a stroll down the street!

Maybe sit for a moment with Da on the swing.

Then we play in the back yard with bare feet. Enjoying the last bit of evening light.

Oh, to feel the cool grass between your toes!

Momma sometimes picks clover flowers for her little man.

Which he stores for safe keeping in a watering can.

Ha! See those pearly whites! Little bunny teeth. 

Off to see the hummingbird feeders while Momma and Da are distracted.

Are you watching me?

Come back little boy! Momma picked you some more flowers! 

They're blue and almost as big as you!

I'll take that one, please.

Being outside it the best.

And now for a little "airplane" before going to bed.

Good night, all!

Crazy Laugh

This is what happens when you give him watermelon.

Peach Pie

Ah peaches, one of the best fruits on the planet for sure. The canned and store bought don't hold a candle to the fresh variety. The kind that when you bite into them are warm and ripe and juices drip off your chin. 

This is the time of year when you see fruit stands on the side of the state highways. FRESH PEACHES - straight from Georgia, South Carolina, or Alabama!

I don't even have to pull off on the side of the road - they get hand delivered to my door!

How lucky I am to have a sister who lives in Alabama and brings us some every year the first of June 

And oh, they are soooo good.  Ian confirmed it.

But this year I decided to try and make a peach pie (at J's request), homemade crust and all.

My crust - made it the way my momma does. Lots of Crisco.

Cooked the peaches with some butter, cinnamon, sugar, and flour.

While the little man systematically removed everything from the lower kitchen cabinets.

My perfectly imperfect crissed crossed top.

Hot out of the oven.

Thanks sis!

What's Bloomin' Edition 15

Gardenia - Gardenia spp. We bought this shrub 3 years ago late in the summer, on sale from Home Depot. I think we paid $10 for it when it was originally $25. We bought it before going on a trip - maybe when we went to Washington/Oregon, and it sat in the container for several weeks before we planted it. It looked fried by then, and I remember we were both convinced it wouldn't live. Well, it didn't die that year, but it continued to look really sad. Then next year it looked nice and green but didn't bloom. Last year it had a few blooms, but this year - check it out! It was covered in blooms and you could smell it from about 20 feet away. It looked really pretty, but I'll have to say I don't think I could ever have any gardenia scented lotion or candles - it's a strong smell. Interestingly, as the blooms die they turn a pretty ivory color.

Hydrangea - Hydragnea spp. Hydrangeas always make me think of my grandfathers house in Georgia. Years ago they planted one by their air conditioning unit, and let me tell you that is a great place to plant one. It grew to be enormous, filled with beautiful blue blooms. When J and I got married, he cut and filled a 5 gallon bucket full and brought them to Tennessee. The flowers at our wedding were daisies and hydrangeas, and the florists' flowers didn't hold a candle to my Pop's. I just love them. We have 3 varieties in the garden.

This one I just recently bought from the UT Arboretum Spring Plant Sale. We planted it beside our air conditioner and it's doing well so far. The blooms were a nice pale pink and the leaves are kind of lime colored.

This one J's mother gave me for my birthday one year. It was blue when she gave it too me, and it's been blooming this awesome dark purple the last 2 years. The deer, unfortunately, seem to think it tastes awesome and have eaten half of it. Grrrrrrr.

This one I bought with some money Pop gave me for my graduation from vet school. We had just bought the house and I wanted to get something that would make me think of him and my grandmother. It's done really well, and the deer seem to leave it alone. In the evening light the blooms really seem to glow.

Supertunia Priscilla - This petunia with double blooms is another recent purchase from the UT Arboretum Spring Plant Sale. I had never seen a petunia like this, and I had to have one! I'm hoping I'll be able to either collect some seeds from it or overwinter it on the enclosed porch.

Spotted Wintergreen - Chimaphila maculata. This little perennial herb has always come up in the wooded portion of the yard, and I didn't find out what it actually was until this year. I send an email to fellow Oak Ridger and wildflower expert Kris Light. His blog is an excellent resource to help identify local wildflowers. The root of this plant used to be used to make root beer - pretty neat!

Tractor Time

Last week I took Ian out to visit my folks. It was a beautiful afternoon, we ate lunch outside on the deck and then let Ian crawl around their front yard. He spied their tractor and his whole face lit up. It's a lot bigger than the one he plays with at home!

Of course Peepaw was happy to oblige, and he got his first official tractor ride.

He wasn't quite sure about how noisy it was.

Meh, what's a little noise - it is a tractor, after all!

That tractor has quite a story behind it. It was a Father's Day gift to my dad back in 1984. They purchased it from a church friend in Andersonville. One of my earliest memories is going to pick it up. I was sooooo very excited to be getting a "giant" tractor. We got to the farm and I experienced the first disappointment of my young life. It was old. And rusty. I cried and said I didn't want it. I must have had it in my mind that it was going to be a shiny, new tractor. Well, it was a 1954 Ford Jubilee, and it probably still had the original paint job.

My parents assured me that even though it was old, it would still work just fine and I would still be able to take a tractor ride. A few years later my Dad had it painted, and much to my delight it looked shiny and new.

And you know what - they USED that tractor. A lot. It bush hogged the pasture for many, many years. And when they ran their Christmas tree farm, it pulled many a family by hay wagon to seek out the perfect Christmas tree. It's neat to think how many people must have a memory of riding behind that tractor, singing carols.

And the story gets even better. My brother ended up marrying the granddaughter of the original owner. How about that?! I think that Ford will stay in the family a long, long time.

After seeing all of my nieces and nephews on it over the years, I got a big ol' lump in my throat seeing my son sit up there with my dad.  Priceless.