Sunny Hours and Summer Days...

"I was rich, if not in money, in sunny hours and summer days..."  ~Henry David Thoreau

My latest project has been to mulch the beds and gardens with pine needles and bark of which I have an abundant supply on the hillside where Millie and I walk.  I do enjoy the looks of it piled quite high with pine cones scattered about, but have no idea as to how sustainable it will be.  I wonder if I have the will and the power to rake and load up enough to finish the job. I will readily admit that I do have a ways to go.  And then, there are ticks on that wonderful old hill...     

Pine needle mulch from the hill...

And more in the little garden.   

Feed time with the kittens is sometimes interesting, and a bit challenging.   Not only do the raccoons come calling at that hour, but a fourth cat seems to think the old barn is his home as well.  We call him Hobo.  At first the kittens were afraid of him, but now seem friendly enough with him.  

Hobo

"Mizzling Afternoons..."

 

It had been a long while since I had captured the Great Blue Heron on film (Ha Ha!  No one uses film these days, but it sounded good.  I am not sure what we capture on these days. )  It's not that I don't see these fascinating creatures when I am out and about, for I do almost every day, but it's that he seems to have a great fear of mankind; guess that's stored somewhere in his DNA because of some distant relative's experiences with our species.  Normally, at first sight of me, he lifts those mighty wings, and up and away he goes.  

Dan refers to the Great Blue Herons as my "big ugly birds." The picture I currently have as my header  is one of my older pictures, and one of my favorites. I love that the blue showed up so clearly.  The picture was taken with my Canon Rebel with a Zoom lens.  I don't carry that heavy camera with me anymore, but, instead, just grab the phone/camera from my pocket.   

 

Life is an admirable arrangement...

It is so clever of it to have June

in every year and a morning in every

day, let alone things like birds, and 

Shakespeare, and one's work.

~Elizabeth von Arnim

"I find it good to be out this still, dark, mizzling afternoon; my walk or voyage is more suggestive and profitable than in bright weather.  The view is contracted by the misty rain, the water is perfectly smooth, and the stillness is favorable to reflection... "   ~From Thoreau's Journal, Nov. 7, 1855

Summer Tanager

I heard his song long before I saw him.  He was late getting here this year.  I was worried for I have become quite spoiled to his oh-so-sweet song on long summer evenings.  

"Do not curse the mountain for its height.  Climb it breath by breath, and let patience be your guide.  Endure not as one burdened, but as one sculpting a legacy, chip by chip, day by day." (Old Stoic Wisdom)

"Mizzling afternoons" does, indeed, describe our weather here as of late.  My boots have grown accustomed to becoming sodden messes almost every day.  Millie and I keep racking up the days since we last missed hiking the hillside trail.  It now stands at 1,146 days.

I recently read the story of Emma Rowena Gatewood, who at 67 years of age told her adult children that she was going for a walk.  And walk she did!

"In 1955, with just a simple pair of Keds sneakers and a homemade denim bag, she embarked on the incredible adventure of hiking the Appalachian Trail, a path over 3,470 km that crosses mountains, forests, and varied terrains across the United States.  Without maps or technology, relying only on her intuition and the kindness of strangers, Emma became the first woman to complete this journey alone and in a single season.  

Her story inspired thousands and changed perceptions about the abilities and courage of older people, especially women.  She repeated the hike in 1960 and 1963, proving that age is not a limit to achieving great goals.

Emma Gatewood is a symbol of perseverance, courage, and love for nature.  Her legacy lives on among hikers and adventure lovers around the world."

-Source:  National Park Service

Spring Notes...

 

The days seem to rush by.  I jot quick notes on the calendar to keep track of certain events. 

There was a big anniversary last month.  We watched an old 1930s Western to celebrate.  It was a good day. 

The first hummingbirds arrived right on schedule the first week of April.   They now spend most days in the honeysuckle thickets where I think they raise their young.

 Zinnias, Nasturtiums, poppies and other seeds have been sown about the place.  They are popping up all over.

Millie and I have heard the song of the Summer Tanager for the past few mornings when we walked the trail but have not seen him yet.  His song is definitely one of the joys of summer.

The little black kitty has gone missing.  He was happy and playful one evening but gone the next morning.  I have been sad about that, but the other three are doing well.  I love them and they love me, but they don't care for other people.  

April...

 

Even though I have already seen two hummingbirds at one of the feeders, these feisty little darlings really aren't here to stay yet, but, instead, are only travelers passing through.  I have noted through the years that they won't be here to stay until the Buckeye opens.  That will be soon.

When we moved to our current house here on the hill, I was loathe to leave my garden down below.   It really was a gardener's paradise.  I spent time there today - just looking and remembering.  

There's a new little Buckeye seedling growing not far from the parent plant  I will move it to my garden here.  If it should live, the hummingbirds would like it.  

Crabapple blossoms are strewn all about, even in the murky waters of the little garden pond that I built so long ago.  Salamanders live there now.  Back in the day, there was a pretty little waterfall flowing into the pond.  I can hear it still... 

Wild Winds...

 

It's time for fresh new flowers in the Garden Shanty, don't you think?  I do still like them, though, even when they are old and dried.  

All seemed safe this morning in my little bird-watching, note-taking, outdoor hide-away, thanks to newly installed door hardware.  The door had developed an inclination to swing wide-open with every strong puff of wind, exposing the interior to whatever wild weather happened to be blowing through.

Fierce wild winds had already begun to blow when Millie and I walked our trail yesterday morning.  I knew strong winds were in the forecast, but I dilly dallied too long feeding and playing with the cats, etc. before heading out.  The walk up the hill, bearing north was not so bad, but once we reached the top and turned westward, we were slammed.  My watch even alerted me of "excessive noise."   

 I hardly noticed my surroundings, for I walked with my head bent low against those fierce winds, and was intent only on getting back home. I don't know if there were deer in the meadow, or if there were more new green leaves on trees at the pond.  I do have some pictures of deer on my phone that I took a couple of days ago.  They and the coyotes are regulars on the hill.   

 

I continue to pick apart a couple of favorite old jackets from which I want to make patterns. It is slow, tedious work.  One of the jackets, which my mom made, is quite complicated.  I do wonder, as I told a friend, if I can ever get it back together again - kind of like Humpty Dumpty and all the king's men and all the king's horses.  

The original pattern is lost.  I have searched vintage patterns, but to no avail.    

One of my jackets made by Mom, but not the one I am taking apart.

"Chip by chip, day by day...

I enjoy this place from which I can watch and record bird activity.  It's hard to imagine that the first hummingbirds may be here in just over a month.   

 

Look at this weather acting all cute and springy like it didn't try to kill us last week.  ~From Facebook, of course. Fortunately we did survive the near record-breaking Arctic blast of last week, and now, it's as though spring has arrived in all her glory.  How great it is!  I am sure we must all have the worst case of spring fever ever.  I know I do!

We weren't far up the trail this morning before I realized I was way overdressed, so off came this old jacket, which is in reality just a liner from an old army surplus coat. (I am currently working on a new trail jacket that I can't wait to leave hanging on a cedar peg.) These old cedar branch stubs must surely have a purpose, wouldn't you think?    Over the years, there has only been one time that I forgot to go back to retrieve my coat left hanging there, and only realized it when the following morning I couldn't find my coat.  I was thankful a burly ole bear didn't find it before I did.     

"Do not curse the mountain for its height.  Climb it breath by breath, and let patience be your guide.  Endure not as one burdened, but as one sculpting a legacy, chip by chip, day by day."  -Stoic Wisdom

Today was walk # 1,055.  "chip by chip, day by day..."