Random stuff

Yesterday's unseasonably cool weather kept me indoors for most of the day, googling photos of backyard landscapes in search of inspiration for our own ongoing projects. The big goal--to create an outdoor living and gardening space minus lawn mowing and MUD.  The first step is complete: Tom finishing the decking between the garage and garden shed, so no more mud there!  We still have a long way to go, however, and a lot of dirt to move around. We should be able to manage a halfway civilized space for July 4th, when the grandson and his parents will be here.

I did go out twice yesterday to walk the dog,  which led to this recurring random thought...we clean up after our pet, is it really too much to expect others to do the same?  Especially those who walk very LARGE dogs and leave landmines right in the walkway. You can buy biodegradable bags for this very purpose. Picking up dog poop isn't one of my most favorite activities either, but it's one of the responsibilities of pet ownership.

I was reading about the Kansas City Chiefs player they're calling a hero for diving into a swimming pool at a party to save a friend's young child who had gone under. Which reminded me that my daughter Erin, at the age of 12 or thereabouts, did the very same thing at a Girl Scout "splash party" when one of my 6-yr-old Brownies strayed into too-deep water while the lifeguard was zoned out. The news didn't go out worldwide over wire services, but Erin was a hero too, one of the everyday unsung kind who do the right thing every day.

If you looked at the photo of my Baffin rose last week and thought "Big deal," you probably didn't notice all the tiny buds. It looks like this now.

The safflower bird seed with hot peppers--which songbirds like-- that I buy to keep the squirrels, deer, and "bully birds" from hogging it all has attracted... pigeons.  Who knew they like hot, spicy food!  They look like 747's coming in for a landing on the feeder.

Today is a beautiful day in the neighborhood, which means it's time to mow the lawn.   Namaste.