Sunday happenings..

Last week was one of those weeks, the kind that you just want to put behind you.  The loss of Zoe while not sudden was still hard and we both have had moments where we were looking for her.  It’s such an adjustment to your life when you lose a pet that’s been a part of it for so long.  Cooper went for his neuter and pexy on Friday.  I was a wreck, so today it was wonderful to see him back to his amazing self.  He and I spent a lot of time together sitting in the sun and enjoying the day.

When Cooper tired of sleeping outside, he went in with Randy who was doing this and that inside.  I however did not want to go in and so I worked on clearing out the flower beds around the pond.

I’m never alone when I’m over there, this bullfrog kept a close eye on me while I cleaned around him.  I also found several wood frogs and even a beautiful little ring neck snake that I couldn’t resist holding for a while. I love seeing all the wildlife in my yard, it’s nice to know that I provide a little piece of sanctuary for them.

The pond is a mess!  Even though we put a net up to keep leaves out, some still got in and I’ve got string algae and muck galore.  I did the spring treatments today and I’m betting vacuuming the pond bottom will be in order soon.

I discovered a lungwort blooming out from under the leaves that I planted last year.  It was a happy surprise because I didn’t think it had survived.

I need mulch for the beds around the pond, before all these plants get full size.  I also need some filed stone to finish the edges, so the frogs have more basking spots.

As a gardener you dream about how things are going to look.  Sometimes it works out great, you get to watch your ‘vision’ come alive.  Sometimes Mother Nature laughs at you and says not so fast, I’ve got plans of my own!  When we put in the stream for the pond I knew I wanted it to have plants tumbling all over the rocks.  I wanted it to look like it was nestled among ferns and hosta, with moss growing happily on the rocks.  For years the deer have prevented a lot of that from happening, but since fencing in the back yard things are now growing nicely.  This sedum is spreading all along the stream edge and it’s filling in all those bare spots, growing in between the rocks.  So even if it’s just a little glimpse of how it could be, it’s enough to keep me gardening!

Have a great week!