Millie and I get caught up in migration...

 

A couple of cool mornings was cause enough to bring out an old jacket to slip on before heading out for our morning jaunt over the hill.  I have noticed that Millie's coat is already getting a bit thicker, so she was happy for the briskness of the days.  I often tell her how much I adore that beautiful coat she's always wearing, and how much I would like to have one to match. I think I should wear it every day too.   

There are muscadines aplenty along the trails we walk, on which I, along with a lot of other forest critters, always stop to browse.  I will soon be missing this morning treat for there are scanty few remaining.  It was, in fact, a poor crop this year - so poor that there will be no oh-so-delicious muscadine jelly this winter.  

 

The woods is filled these mornings with what remains of yesterday's webs.  I wonder where the spiders have gone...

For a few weeks, we have had somewhat of a living science expo going on just outside our bathroom window.  Dan thinks spiders are creepy, and that I should have swept this one, web and all, away.  She was rather a disappointment compared to last years Golden Orb Weaver that took up residence at the hummingbird shed, but none the less, this year's weaver did put on some spectacular shows.  She is gone now, of her own free will, but left behind under the eave of the house four large egg sacks, which I have carefully removed and carried away to the woods.  She did her job, and did it well.

Maybe, you remember last year's Golden Orb Weaver that I photographed and wrote about at that time.  I still think she was, in the ways of spiders, beautiful.  

 This morning was one of those mornings in which one just can't seem to get enough of.  I wanted to keep right on walking and taking in the loveliness of the day.  The thing of it was, Millie and I had gotten caught up in migration...Monarch Butterfly Migration.  Those loveliest of lovely creatures were flitting by right and left, intent on flying south, and, only occasionally, stopping at some inviting flower to refresh themselves.  I was able to capture a couple of these magnificent creatures at work in my old zinnia garden.  Oh, what beauties!  How I remember the Monarch paintings the kids at school used to do.  Some of them really got carried away with all those dots! 

With all probability, we have rolled our last bale of hay for this year.  I didn't get a picture of it, but it certainly looked a lot like last year's final bale, minus the coyote. ( Millie and I have seen a couple of young black coyotes that look a lot like the one in the picture, undoubtedly some kin since black ones are somewhat rare.  Millie chases them. I tell her that she shouldn't do that since they are her distant relatives.) 

As of this morning, there were still around a half-dozen little hummingbirds here, lapping sweet sauce at the feeders as though their life depended on it.  And, well it may!  These remaining little jewels are just that...little...and do, in fact, look like jewels... bright shining green emeralds.  I looked at them long and hard this morning and have made myself believe that they were born in the northern plains of North Dakota, and that they have traveled long and hard to get here.  (Right, Sandra!)   

Photo was taken by my son when he was working in the oil fields of North Dakota.

Take care and happy trails to you all.  Next up is October!  Wow!  I surely am looking forward to that, and I am sure you are too!

                                                                       Mary

Day 1,149

It was a wet walk over the hill this morning.  My umbrella was up and my boots were on, but I was hardly aware of a single step on this last trek of the summer* for my head was wrapped around other thoughts - thoughts of dolls and dresses and of bonnets and bows. (Well, I did peer out from underneath my umbrella when the Great Blue Heron went squawking away from the pond, just as it always does.) I am just so ready to finish the dolls that have waited so patiently all summer long while I toiled long hours at other jobs.

 * Wait, wait, wait...  I really know that summer's last day will officially be on the 21st, but I am ending my summer right now!  I have had enough of it!    

Creating hair for these little ladies is always a challenge for me.  I put hair on...  Then take it off...  I part it down the middle....  Then on the side...  I tie it with a pretty bow...  Then paint the bow...  Until, I just give up and let it be...  I do the same thing with my own hair...   Oh, well....  It is what it is...

But, some dolls just seem to like best wearing a pretty bonnet....

And, every pretty dress just must have a pretty petticoat underneath....  And, pantaloons, too.... 

Braids in the hair are always nice...  No matter what color is the hair...

And, other dolls just seem to be born to be blonde...  And, often times, they want pretty ribbons tied around their hair....

Surely, I got kind of carried away with the pretty bow for this one. ( I later took it off.)  She is so like Bernadette Banner, don't you think?  I can just see her walking the streets of Manhattan in this lovely skirt and long tunic.  If you haven't watched Bernadette's YouTube Channel, you might enjoy her too.  I love her.  She inspires me to no end!  And, she has no grass to mow! (Not that I have anything against grass for it's pretty important for us here at Hill Top!)

This lovely dress made of walnut-dyed linen is all hand sewn.  I may never wash it for fear the beautiful color will fade.  

The bow in this doll's hair was originally blue.  I painted it at least three times and ended up with this animal skin look.  It will be hard for me not to give at least a couple of the newest dolls a painted bow in their hair.  But, I must keep in mind that once it's there, there's no taking it off.  And, it doesn't lend itself well to a hat or bonnet worn over it.  I will think about that...

The pictures along the trail were taken this rainy morning... walk # 1,149 without a miss.  I am not a traveler of faraway places and enjoy this daily walk with my devoted partner, Millie.  She's somewhere up ahead here, having herself a merry time walking in the rain.  

Take care!  And, thanks for stopping by the Hill! 

Mary

Ride the North Wind...

Migration has already begun here in the Northern Hemisphere as shorter hours of sunlight and lowering temperatures tell millions of birds to go south.  The loons, geese, ducks, and shorebirds have all heard the message and have already left the barrens of Alaska and Canada.  And, the little Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds in our woods and fields have heard it too.  It's time to go...

And, certainly yesterday was a perfect day to answer that call - to ride the north wind southward.  And, that's just what some did. There are still many here, but I haven't seen a single ruby red throat amongst them.  Those are the males which are always the first to go.  Left behind for a while longer are the females and the juveniles.

  As I watched these marvelous little birds at the feeders last evening, I couldn't help but feel a bit of melancholy creep over me, for I know some will be back next spring, and  some will not, for their journey will be long and filled with danger.   But, for those who do make it back, they will remember this place where the kind lady tends flower gardens and hangs feeders filled with delicious goodness.  I'll see you then little ones.  May your journey be a safe one.

Shaggy Zinnias and Early Morning Walks...

July is when the shaggy zinnias are doing their best to brighten our summer days.  Well, I must say, they certainly are doing their job well.   I am especially fond of the pinks and reds, and the bees and butterflies seem to agree. 

July is the month when my walking year begins.  This past week, Millie and I celebrated another walking anniversary. It has now been three years (1,095 days) since we have missed a day of walking over our hillside trail. These hot days, we head out first thing in the coolness of early morning when the birds are still singing and our steps are lively and quick...well, at least Millie's are!

July is a month for harvesting hay.  There has been ample rainfall this year, so the yield is looking good so far.  I do enjoy the work, for the tractor I drive has a very good air conditioner and an air-ride seat. 

Earlier, I removed a lot of overgrown plants in many of the beds and gave them all fresh new looks.  It required a lot of digging and shoveling, but it sure was worth the effort.  I was so happy to check that one off the to do list. 

And, just this past week, I was able to check off another big job. Thirty years ago, I mixed up paste, measured and cut, and put wallpaper up in my kitchen.  Now, thirty years later, it is gone!   Soaked and scraped, cleaned and sanded, ~ not even a smidgen of that old paper remains.  The walls are now freshly painted with a nice clean coat of paint called Jersey Cream.~ just perfect for the kitchen. 

The hummingbirds have already started to drink in earnest at the feeders.  They are now consuming more than a gallon of sweet nectar a day.  I am seeing a few small birds which are, undoubtedly, this year's young.  They will need lots to eat between now and their great migration.  I expect there will be six more weeks of heavy feeding.  I hope to have them all fat when it is time for them to go!

And, last...  I have been asked about the dolls.  Well...  they are still waiting in their cans.  I have actually added tiny amounts of clay here and there since this picture was made, so there has been some additional progress.  Right now, it is all about getting a pleasant expression on each sweet little face.  I can already recognize each one without looking at the name labels.  I love them all ~ no favorites!

Take care, and enjoy your July, for it is going fast.  The days are already growing shorter!

Mary

June...

And, to think, there was a time when I wanted no pink in my gardens!  Now, I can't seem to have enough!  I am really going to miss these beautiful foxgloves when they are gone, and I am sure the bees will too.

The hummingbird garden is delighting me, as well as the little hummers that visit it every day.  Bee Balm or Monarda is a favorite of mine and is just now starting to bloom.  The flowers, with quilled and ruffled petals,  remind me a great deal of  the Burpeeana Zinnia which will soon be blooming.  I do hope some of them will be red...and maybe even pink!

The hummingbirds are very active now at the feeders, and seem to be happy with their new backyard accommodations.  (You may remember that we moved them off the front porch because they were driving the husband crazy."  He said the noise they made was deafening!  Really?  And,  I could hardly hear them!)

We sometimes go inside the Shanty and watch the little birds through the window.  They can put on quite a show, you know.

We haven't done anything more inside the Shanty.  I am resisting doing anything more until we put panels on the walls.   Maybe when the hummingbirds leave this fall, we can throw open the door and go to work.

Take care, and thanks for stopping by!

Mary 

Rabbit Holes and Baby Zinnias...

 If only I had known, I would have closed the garden gate.  But, how could I know that there was a burrow underneath the tall verbena, and that in that burrow was a little family of baby rabbits?

I had left the old gate open, so Millie had followed me into the garden.  She's never far from me, so I thought nothing of it. I went about my work and she went about hers, which was to go sniffing here and there about the garden.  When I glanced up from whatever I was doing, it was just in time to see her pull two young rabbits from the hole ~  two perfectly adorable little rabbits with the biggest brightest eyes ever.  There was nothing I could do.  Millie ate them.  She is part dingo, and dingoes will be dingoes.  My son said I should thank her, but I was sad.  I did not scold her.  Why, that would be like scolding me for eating a BLT sandwich.

The Sunny Little Garden continues to be a work in progress.  I am pleased to see that the wooly mulleins which I brought in from around the place, are doing well.  I took three and left three in the wild to propagate freely.

Since this picture of the garden was taken, one hundred seven zinnias (Burpeeana Giants, the flowers of  which remind me a lot of those of Bee Balm)  have been added to the outside borders of the garden.  These are my babies that I have nurtured from seed purchased at a local farm supply store. I had dutifully carried them outside by day and back inside by night.  That is, until I got the idea to just leave them in the bed of the side-by-side.  It was simple ~ back it out into the sunshine by day, and pull it back inside at night.  It worked, and the little seedlings thrived.

By the time I had them all transplanted into the rich garden soil, by bending, squatting, and even crawling,  I was wishing I hadn't started so many.  Maybe next year I will just plant one flat.  :~)  But, a flat of foxgloves would be nice, wouldn't it?

If you look closely you might notice that a few of the little plants have been nibbled on.  Now, I wonder what could have done that?  :~/

Lately, I have also been working in the borders around the house.  I had been thinking that I needed something to bring a little life to the beds, something with more energy and movement. Having become somewhat obsessed with the Butterfly Bush, not only for its showy and fragrant flowers, but also because of its attraction to butterflies, I asked myself, "Why can't I have Butterfly Bushes all over the place?"

"At the side of the everlasting Why, is a yes, and a yes, and a yes."

~E.M. Forster

So, that's how I came to have eight more Butterfly Bushes, and I already had five.  I love the way the arching branches, with clusters of beautiful blue blossoms, blow in the wind.  (Nanho Blue Butterfly Bush).










We have been getting lots of rain here, which is a blessing, I know.  Haying has gotten off to a slow start, however, because of it, but the extra moisture will pay dividends later on, I am sure.  We did finally get one field in rolls, so haying season is officially here.

There are puddles of water all over the place,   This pair of mallards, undoubtedly on their way farther north, thought this puddle looked inviting.

Underneath this tree is our shady spot where Millie and I take refuge from the heat.  I can think of all sorts of things I would like to do here on a hot summer's day.

So, from my shady place to yours, I hope your lovely month of May has been good.  Take care.

Mary