Category: Gardening

Love Me Like Saturday Night

Posted on by Markman
Nubble Light stay bathed in shades of grey

Today was a beautiful day and so today was more or less dedicated to gardening activities. LD even had a great idea to use a part of the middle of the lawn that’s always been a problem and had some kind of a sinkhole like situation and so we converted it into a planting bed with a bunch phlox we purchased and some new dirt and placed some stones around. It looks pretty amazing and really produces a nice accent point. She also split a bunch more hostas which we then used to replant at different areas around the fence line that seem a bit bare, hoping they’ll take (which I believe they will) and fill in those areas nicely. I moved all the remaining pots out of the shed for planting things as well. Let me tell you, I am dog tired now. Also hooked up the hoses and some worked on some other round-the-house activities.

It would appear that little Shiloh has moved on. We left some lettuce and water out for him and come the next day it looked like there was a nibble or two, but he was gone. Good luck and be safe little friend!

Bunny Business

Posted on by Markman
A pretty spring bouquet.

It would appear 3 of the four bunnies have left as of today. The fourth bunny is still hiding underneath the flowerpot all by itself. I hope its momma comes by to give it a little encouragement. An orange cat showed up and wanted to clamber up to the deck where the bunny was but luckily Carson happened to be keeping watch and started doing this weird scream he does when another cat from the neighborhood comes to close. After hearing that I dashed outside and chased the cat away.

This afternoon I took a quick jaunt down to the supermarket and picked up some flowers for the vase. Something pretty for us to look at, since the flowers I bought a while back finally bit the dust.

I drove down to Lowe’s late this afternoon to pick up my first kit and I was pleasantly surprised about all the stuff I got, including a free plant!

I think I want to watch The Last Lightkeepers documentary on Amazon Prime. This kind of stuff is right up my alley and it looks beautifully shot.

Vinca

Posted on by Markman
Vinca vines.

The Vinca vines (also known as Periwinkle) groundcover are starting to flower out front and the little flowers are so cute that I wanted to capture it somehow in a photograph, so that’s what this is. I noticed my dahlia tubers all dried out in storage but I read that they could still be viable even in that state so I might try repotting them and see what happens.

I tried getting on the Lowe’s website today for their free garden kits but naturally the website is down at the moment. Gee, what a surprise. Free stuff makes us all come out of the woodwork. It was advertised in USA Today so you think they would have been expecting a rather large turnout to the website on the day it goes live. I’ll try again later. I don’t particularly care for the first week goodies but weeks 2, 3 and 4 look promising with seeds, tree saplings, and butterfly garden supplies. Update: I was able to register and will get my first kit next Thursday.

I did notice that some Johnny-jump-up wild pansies self seeded themselves in a pot on the deck, which was a nice surprise.

Went to the grocery store this afternoon and got a bunch of stuff in anticipation of the weekend, plus we just needed some stuff so I went to get them. On my now almost daily DD run for a medium hot regular and medium ice tea for LD, the drive thru one I always go to said they had run out of ice tea. How does that happen? Luckily there’s another DD a little up the road from that one so I went there. That one does not have a drive thru so I went in and ordered. But naturally it’s on the other side of the highway so it’s more of a hassle, but sometimes it’s what you have to do. Traffic on the way back seemed a little heavy, so that kind of sucked. Things getting back to normal apparently.

Looking forward to Stabler returning to the SVU universe tonight. Can’t wait to see what Liv does, maybe she should slap him for disappearing like that?

Bunnies Born for Easter Week

Posted on by Markman

Well, it happened again. While I was burning some old paperwork in the firepit this morning, a rabbit bravely moved by me and up onto to back deck, Come to find out there appear to be 2 or 3 small bunnies in the pot again, probably birthed a day or two ago. I wonder if the mother of these bunnies is the bunny that was born in the same pot last year? Do they go back to the same places like that? More to come on this development!

A very similar scene from last year.

Also, has this been the longest month ever? How is it STILL March? Just seems like it’s been going on forever.

I am on fire today getting things done on my list. After cleaning out the firepit and raking up some more leaves(!) what the f is up with oak leaves, they never stop coming! — I went and got the propane tank filled, put together this base for the table umbrella outside that I never realized had more parts for that would make it work but I didn;t know we had so it sat around undone for a couple years. Since the parts were found I was able to put it together and make it work. Looks better than the old one I had been using for the last year (similar to this model, though not exactly). All in preparation for a little outside gettogether later this weekend, being careful as per usual. I filled up the birdfeeder as well as recharging the electric leaf blower. Then I did a plant survey. Still need to plant the dahlia tubers I pulled out last fall.

So far: Things that we have growing and are coming up or already up: foxglove, hyacinth, glory of the snow, snowdrops, crocus, dianthus, tulips, lilacs budding, roses budding, columbine, and some ground covers but I forgot what they’re called (Update: figured it out, Vinca), ivy, azaleas, rhododendron, daffodils. Not up yet are the hydrangeas, clematis, and rose campion, or the lawn buttercups, which could be considered a weed but I kinda like them so I let them bloom and then mow them down once they’re done flowering. At least that’s what I did last year.

Carson and Crocuses Come Through

Posted on by Markman
Crocus in bloom.

Carson did really well today. That gabapentin really works! I think it was more stressful for us, just administering the dose, picking him up, putting him in the carrier, driving down to the vet, etc. etc. It really did calm him down, almost immediately it seemed and so I was able to get him in the carrier pretty easily. It all worked out in the end and I’m happy to say that he got a clean bill of health (although he might need to lose a little bit of weight, what else is new?)

The story behind the photo: This afternoon I went on a walk down the trail by the house and for the first time I noticed some new flowers popping – these crocuses and some Glory-of-the-Snow flowers, which last year I did dig up a couple and planted out back but haven’t seen any sign of them. Perhaps those sadly did not take.

Sunsets and Getaways Approach the Nubble Light

Posted on by Markman
Nubble at Sunset

We’ve booked a stay on Cape Neddick that overlooks the Nubble Light! Haven’t been to Maine in a while, so it plans to be a nice getaway and maybe I can get some more shots of this beautiful lighthouse. It is my first love, afterall.

I picked up the gabapentin yesterday to administer to Carson to “calm him down” before his appointment which is coming up. Fingers crossed that this is going to work! He spazzed out a little yesterday because that orange cat came up to the door again (just like the last time) so he was wired all day after that.

While walking along a local trail yesterday, we came across some Galanthus, or snowdrops. Another sign of spring! I had never noticed this little plant before that grows from a bulb. Might have to add it to my spring gardening collection someday.

More later…

First Day of Spring Activities

Posted on by Markman
We made it!

Saturday to do list:

  • Set up new SmartTv? (not done yet)
  • Search for new cellphone (still ongoing – still trying to find the S20 FE that I want)
  • screens in doors – Finished and only took 10 minutes!
  • gather leaves/clean up garden areas – Done – still need to do “ivy covered” area, was nice to see new plants starting to grow up through the dirt.
  • lop rose bushes out front – still to do, maybe Sunday
  • cellar cleanup/new shelving/spring cleaning – probably next weekend – shelving is all assembled, just need to go through the stuff and clean it out.
  • book getaway for June – done, looks like a lot of a certain lighthouse shots may be in my future! *wink, wink*

Took a hike over at the North River Wildlife Sanctuary in Marshfield, and after that hit the beach for a few – it was so beautiful out! There’s this nice trail there that goes down to the River and has nice wooden observatory area. Took some pix too but have yet to go through them. Anyways, on one of the other trails at the start is this tepee so naturally I had to pose in front of it. Some of the beach shots were even taken by the Ladydoc, so I’m pretty excited to see what she captured, especially after getting down low in the sand!

The Beauty of Spring Flowers are Not Far Behind

Posted on by Markman

“I heard a bird sing in the dark of December. A magical thing. And sweet to remember. We are nearer to Spring than we were in September. I heard a bird sing in the dark of December.”

― Oliver Herford

The story behind the photo: A day like today has me wishing for an early spring. This particular photo was shot in someone’s front yard in the spring in Davis Square not too far from Redbones on one of the side streets in the area. I just loved the crocuses defying the season by scrambling up through the dead and fallen leaves of the previous fall and winter.

I applied for my yearly town parking sticker. This year it’s all done remote so I had to scan some docs and now I’m just waiting for approval. Not sure why it can take up to two weeks. Also, I’ve been a resident of the town since forever, can’t they just look it up from any previous year? Whatevs, hopefully it’ll get approved soon. On a similar note, I just received my renewed registration for my car so that’s good. That literally only took 5 minutes to apply and a few days to receive.

A Morning Photoshoot

Posted on by Markman

The calendar folks came down this morning and I did my little photo shoot with me posing by the shot I took that was selected. They were supposed to come on Monday but scheduling and all, so this morning it was done. I imagine I’ll be on their social media and advertising at some point, so I’ll be looking out for that. Then I got back into my everyday clothes because we had the last of the planting to do. We are hurting puppies right now for all the digging and watering and mulching (another trip to Depot!), but finally the last of the tulips, muscari, another rose bush and a Japanese holly are in the ground. The pine tree and sourwoods require a lot of watering so I’ve been out there daily drenching them.

Gametime: Slimoban II. Fun little puzzle game, I remember playing the first one a couple of years back – currently about halfway through – took me a little while to get the hang of it, but I’m digging it now.

Horses Make a Landscape Look Beautiful

Posted on by Markman
The author with a horse named Belle
Hanging with Belle.

Finished splitting up various Hosta and Hyacinth and Chives species and planting them all around the perimeter. Looked more into the storing of the tubers I removed yesterday, will probably split them up more and plant those around in the spring.

Took a break midday and visited the sanctuary. Sadly no news on Blossom, might have to assume the worst at this point. Sad. On a happier note, I got to hang with Belle a little bit. “Belle is a fourteen year old Hafflinger horse. The first four years of her life she worked as a plow horse in the Pennsylvania farm country. She was worked hard and because she was so young she developed tendon issues in her fetlocks and was sent to a slaughter house. Belle was then saved by a 14 year old young man who eventually out grew her. Belle has had nine homes in her 14 years of life. She is a very sweet horse and a beautiful addition to the herd.” She’s really a beautiful horse. So smart too.

A large and liquid eye… the swirl of dust around pounding hooves… these, then, are the images that move us.

Earlier this morning I updated the iPad is iPadOS 14.2. Supposedly a bunch more emojis and some bug fixes. I generally use my Android phone which is still sadly rocking Android 6 (they’re on 11 now, I really need that new phone) and runs slow as molasses. The other day I visited my nearest carrier location but they didn’t have the phone I wanted in stock. Could do it online but I’d prefer not to. Well, I still have some time.

Finishing the day off by making dinner consisting of some shrimp rolls, watching a Hunter episode, and watchinh election results.

Fall Cleanup

Posted on by Markman
Dawning of a new day

Spent the morning being busy taking advantage of the nice weather we are currently having. Bagged up about 7 leaf bags full of leaves and lawn cutting, which I also did. I did it mostly to clean up and make the place look nicer but also for the exercise as I was to able to get over 160 zone minutes and climbing (cardio workup) and burning calories, which is good because I plan on eating some lasagna my sister made for me.

Still finishing up planting some leftover chives and hostas that we split up on Tuesday. Hopefully everything will take and this yard will look amazing around the perimeter fences and ultimately less for me to mow and hiding places for bunnies. Also finally dug the tubers and stored them for replanting in spring. Feeling a little sore but feeling good about what I accomplished in a day.

Election Day 2020

Posted on by Markman

Can’t believe the election is this close. Actually maybe I can, since the country seems so divided, but still. Half the population must be garbage for voting for a candidate so utterly unsuitable to be president. All people care about is taxes? Really? What about everything else that needs true leadership, nevermind all the corruption and lies. I never realized that there’s a significant part of this country that just doesn’t want things to change and I find that really sad and distressing. I don’t like leaving the decision to these swing states but still holding out some hope. It’ll be what it’ll be, we’ll get whatever we deserve. The real question is, can we live with it?

Gametime: Magnetic Blocks. I enjoyed this little brainteaser.

We spent the afternoon planting and landscaping the lawn by splitting hostas and digging and planting various plants around the back so that hopefully come spring, things will really be looking good. Seems like a good way to spend today.

Finding My Way to Finding Myself

Posted on by Markman
Stairway to the waves.

“I hope these simple things are what I forever love about life, for then I will be happy no matter where I find myself.”

When I looked at the weekly local paper to see if they had corrected the error in misattributing my photo to someone else last week there was nothing to be seen. Not even a mention. What a rag! I figured as much actually, with the state of journalism these days and all.

I’ve been in the market for a new cell phone. Originally I was thinking the Galaxy S10 but now I’m thinking that maybe the just released S20 FE 5G might be just right for me in price and specs. Not the top of the line but close enough for my needs. We’ll see. Maybe I can get the LadyDoc to get the same too.

I think I’m going to dig up our Dahlia tubers soon and store them over the winter so that we can replant them again in the spring. I looked it up and the process seems quite easy. I found an article here that describes the process and am putting here so I can remember for myself and others. I’ll need to bring in some pots and stuff to the shed as well and get ready for the fall cleanup, my least favorite task of the year. Also I should probably remove the screens from the doors and place in the glass panes for warmth soon, maybe this weekend.

Watched the VP debate last night. Fun when the fly landed, wasn’t it?

Nobody really cares about all that stuff though, right? How about something with a little more substance? Everything’s not hunky-dory right now. I have my doubts, about the world, about myself, about the people I care about, about our futures collectively and personally. I don’t usually talk about it. I keep it inside. It’s hard for me to talk about things, I’ve always been that way. I have recurring dreams that probably is processing anxiety in some way. Not knowing is a real bitch. I know I have people in my life that I can rely on and am blessed and fortunate in so many ways, and I’m surely not the only one feeling this way but that doesn’t make how I feel any easier.

The story behind the photo: This is a shot from a stay at the Cliff House in Cape Neddick, Maine that we visited a couple of years ago. There’s these stairs that they built a few years ago when they did the place over that clamber down the rock face. Once you’re at the bottom though you’re on your own climbing over the shoreline. Maine is one of my favorite places, I like the rocky shores.

Monday Marigolds, So Good to Me

Posted on by Markman
Reddish Marigolds

My own little take on the Mamas and the Papas hit. These marigolds just keep on blooming over on the side of the house towards to entrance-way. Today was kind of a blah day, maybe cause it’s Monday, maybe because things are sort of crap at the moment, I don’t know – just wasn’t feeling it today. It wasn’t all a waste though, did get a new printer set up, and got a couple of errands done. Grilled some plant based burgers and corn…that’s about it. Nothing earth shattering today.

Powerful Ladies

Posted on by Markman
A painted lady butterfly probing some white flowers.
Painted Lady decides to visit

Just spent the morning with a hatchet hewing down all the fallen tree limbs and bagged them up for disposal tomorrow. Good little workout! (must have been how Carrie Nation felt back in the day – the inspiration for this blog name!) I’m not against alcohol (in moderation of course), I had just happened to be reading a biography of the woman at the time I decided to start the website and I couldn’t think of any other name at the time. Plus the thought of a bible-thumping, 6 foot tall old lady all dressed in black coming in with a hatchet smashing things must have been quite a sight. Anyways everything’s back to the way it was pre-storm.

Gracie At It Again

Posted on by Markman
Follow the path.

Well, while bringing some groceries in the house this morning, I happened to notice Gracie (the Goddess of the Garden) with a bunch of straw in her mouth out front by the mailbox. You know what that means! Looks like little Gracie might be having some more ‘lil bunz‘! It appears this time she seems to be hanging underneath the lilac bushes out front – not as accessible a spot to watch as the flowerpot on the back deck.

In celebration I decided to add Lil Bunz to the store.

Hot and Cold

Posted on by Markman
The purple hibiscus I planted about a month ago, has started to bloom!

I drove over the a Home Depot in Mansfield this morning and picked up a small freezer that LD purchased for use as backup and will be stored in the basement. She wants to be prepared should things go south in the fall, but I suppose it’s good to have a backup anyway – just to have. It’s really hard to find these on sale, everyone has been scooping them up so a lot of the time they’re sold out.

I finally was able to set up a RMV license renewal time slot at the local AAA. They’ve been pretty booked 2 weeks out all through the summer but now I finally got a placement. Going to go ahead and get the REAL ID stuff done, even though I don’t anticipate flying or entering any federal buildings anytime soon. It would just be nice to get it out of the way I feel. I hope I have all the documents I will need, I think I do but I’m unsure if there are any forms that need to be filled out beforehand. I couldn’t find any on the RMV site. I suppose worst-case-scenario I can always just make another appointment, they’ve delayed the deadline for a while off.

I then went to the propane place and got the gas grill propane tank refilled, as we’ve been grilling quite a bit these days and the gas was dwindling down.

I was pleased to see that the hibiscus are starting to flower. I tried growing some last year but for whatever reason it didn’t survive so I’m hoping this guy does better overall. It’s some light purple variety which I thought was a little unique, they’re usually a darker purple or white from what I’ve seen.

I’ve seen Grace, the mother bunny out on the lawn tonight while I was grilling. I asked her where her baby might be, but no reply. Also what I thought was milkweed in the gardens is actually pokeweed so I’ll be removing those tomorrow – not the same thing.

Keep the Memories

Posted on by Markman

 “Sometimes even a thousand waves hitting the shore continuously one after the other also can’t erase few footprints on the seashore.”

Looks like the little bunny left as I no longer see him around. Sad. I did notice he ate all the Kale that was growing before he left, but I’m okay with that. That little growing body needs lots of Iron! Good luck little guy! Come visit once in a while!

Currently reading a book on Chatham by a native that lived his whole life there into his 80s. So interesting to read about how it looked to him as a boy and the retellings from his father and grandfather, and who related to them the times from their parents and grandparents. Amazing how much a place can change in a hundred years time or so. I bet a lot of it would be unrecognizable to those folks now – not sure if they would approve. I couldn’t add it to my Goodreads because it’s some local publication and isn’t in the database, although it does have an ISBN number.

All this beach time the last few days has made me want to paint a beach scene on a seashell. I will attempt to do that tomorrow. Maybe a coastal scene with a sailboat and lighthouse (if I can even fit that all on there and hope it doesn’t come out looking like ass). We’ll see. Got the idea from seeing some done by somebody on a revisit to the Eddy trail hike we did one more time yesterday, this time at low tide, so I could see the change over the flats. I’d have to say that it had become my favorite hiking trail on the Cape. Amazing how completely different a place can look – very unique place that only exists right there and no where else on the planet.

I want to make some Pineapple Cooler cocktails, I have all the ingredients except for coconut milk. Unrelated, I also need to find a place where I can buy some Chocolate Snakeweed that I want to plant in the garden as it’s a good at attracting pollinators. I’ve been uprooting the milkweed that has a tendency to grow around here but am thinking I might leave them alone this time as their blooms attract Monarch Butterflies supposedly.

I know this is sort of a rambling entry. Just trying to get some ideas down out of my head. Finally I’ve added the Linnell Landing shot at sunset to the store.

Bunny Baby Progress

Posted on by Markman
Baby bunny peeking through the mother’s fur nest in the pot on the deck

One thing before I left was taking this picture of the baby bunny (there’s at least one in there!) peeking through the fur that it’s mother had placed on top of it to hide it and keep it warm. I’m hoping to document the entire early life of these guys with luck.

The bunny, or bunnies, are underneath this clump of fur in the corner of the flowerpot on the deck. Very exciting!

Eastham Love

Posted on by Markman

Allow me to be a “Promo Ho” for a sec: I got a lot of love on the Eastham shot on the Cape Cod Photographers group, so I decided to add the high resolution version of it to my shop for purchase if anyone’s interested. Also, jigsaw puzzles of my work will be coming soon, which I think is a really cool idea! Check out this particular product here: Eastham Love! And stay tuned for the jigsaw puzzle versions!

Yesterday I forgot to mention that a transformer blew on the street, so we and the neighbors were all without power for a bit. We all streamed out of our houses asking if we all had the same experience, since everyone is home these days. We even got to talk to the neighbor that never has spoken to us in 3 years! She finally introduced herself to us and as we were talking, maybe she’s not such a bad egg after all.

This morning was spent hanging at the car mechanic’s shop getting an oil change and inspection sticker. Mine was up in May but due to the pandemic we all got a few months extra so I figured I’d get it done now. No sweat. I also noticed this morning that our Balloon Flowers (Platycodon grandiflorus) are starting to bloom now! Yay! Pretty cool how they “balloon” out, hence the name.

I finally beat all 30 levels from Slimoban – the game I mentioned a few days ago – really good game! Oh! We’re going to try out a drive-in tonight, one of those pop-up locations. Should be an experience! I’ll update as to how it went later! Update: The drive-in was fun! Saw E.T. Ahhh, memories. I remember my first drive experience must have been when I was about 10 – the original Freaky Friday was the movie, down at what is now the Meadow Glen in Medford.

Hike and a Return Visitor

Posted on by Markman
Gazebo, Plum Island MA

Today – woke up late changing plans for the day somewhat. Took a drive over to Winslow to drop off some food for the animals, had intention to pick up a “grill box” that a restaurant is doing a few towns over from there. They put it all together and you place and cook it on your own backyard grill. Unfortunately we discovered too late in time to order so it’ll have to wait for another time to try it out. Instead went for a 1.5 mile hike through one of the town’s trails.

  • Lily pads
  • pond vegetation
  • flowers in the water
  • Cedar Waxwing
  • Some butterfly
  • Berries!
Scenes from our hike

Looks like that bunny is coming around again! Carson just watches!

  • Carson watches
  • Seems to like Dianthus leaves!
The intruder returns!

Tonight’s movie watch was Can’t Buy Me Love from 1987 starring Patrick Dempsey. I was saddened to learn that the lead actress in the film had died about 5 years ago from a drug overdose. I really liked her character in the film – I know the role is not the person, but still, it saddened me.