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Tag Archives: back yard

Blooms for the Blog!

Posted on May 26, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

I looked out my upstairs window a few minutes ago and got a lovely surprise:  my rhododendron is blooming!  It was not when I was outside earlier this week and I thought it was not going to.  Yay!

I love it!

I had just put on sweats and slippers, but I quickly changed the slippers for shoes and went out to take a picture.  I don’t know why I feel the need to take a picture of every bloom ever year, but I do.

It looks like there are more blooms to come.

I backed up and took another shot.  I think the rhododendron has seen better years, but I am happy to see how many flowers there are.

Definitely more blooms here.

Here is a shot from May 2017.  That was a good year.   Does that picture make this a Throwback Thursday Post?   Why not?

A little more recently.

Here is May 2021.  Not bad, but I think 2017 was better.  Still, it’s a lovely tree.  I am glad we have it.  It was already here when we moved in in 2005 (wow, that was a while ago!).

I hope to do more work in the yard, plant more flowers and some vegetables, and of course make more blog posts about it (preview of coming attractions). In the meantime,  I am happy about my rhododendrons.

 

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Still Haven’t Found the Stone

Posted on May 20, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

Ah coffee, that magic elixir that makes things possible.  Not all things, but many.  For example, making a Late Lame Post Friday post.  Sorry about that.

It is not a defense, but I did spend over a half hour doing strenuous yard work when I was too tired to do so.  I am tired most of the time these days.  Perhaps I need to eat more fruits and vegetables.

This was probably the best year.

This is not the current state of my rhododendron.  This was May 2017.  Perhaps it will bloom late this year.  I can only hope.  Anyways, I just wanted to throw in a picture to pep things up.

I actually felt sort of pleased with myself for getting something done out there.  It has been a couple years since I really concerned myself with the back yard, and it shows.

My session was not without a little Cindy-generated humor though.  At one point, toward the end of my session, I was carrying a bag of non-yard-waste garbage (long story) out to my garbage bin and felt a painful stone in my sneaker.  Three times I took that sneaker off, shook it, felt in it, checked my sock, and found no stone.  Three times I put my sneaker back on and felt that stone.  Finally I gave up and stomped out to the trash bin one sock foot, one sneaker foot.

That was when I decided to call it quits.  But where were my hack saw and clippers (yes, some of the growth was bad enough to require a hack saw)?  Ah, there was the hack saw, but the clippers were not to be found.  I stomped around the last area I was clipping, still one sock foot, one sneaker foot, at least five times.  No clippers.  I even grabbed a rake and spread out last year’s leaves, in case it had gotten buried.  Damn!

I had the clippers here!  I was never over there.  Or there.  It took some time to convince myself to give up.  After all, I argued, the clippers were old and quite rusty.  I could buy new clippers. I said that to myself many times as I continued to look. At last I convinced myself.

And found the clippers on the steps to my deck, next to my water bottle of water.

Sometime I make myself laugh.

 

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Flower Friday?

Posted on June 6, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

They smell nice too.

This is a bouquet I purchased from Houle Flower Farm in Little Falls.  I mean to do a whole post about them, and potentially an article for submission to Mohawk Valley Living magazine,  but that is for the future. Today is Lame Post Friday,  and I am drinking wine and relaxing myself.  However, I also took a couple more pictures of flowers, and perhaps they will improve my post.

Yay! Irises!

Regular readers may remember that I shared a picture of iris buds recently.   Imagine my delight when I saw that a couple had bloomed.  I hope to share pictures of other blossoms in coming days.

Steven and I spent some time on our deck, enjoying our Friday.  Steven admired our rhododendron.  Naturally I took a picture.

I find it impressive.

While I was out back photoing the rhododendron,  I noticed how invasive my chives had become.  I took another pic.

The purple flowers hold the seeds.

I love my chives, but I hope they do not choke out my Black-Eyed Susans, which also reside in this area.  Additionally,  I see a tree starting to grow.  I am inclined to let a tree grow,  since my existing trees may need to come down one day.  But is this the proper spot for a tree?  Am I the judge of these things?  I DON’T KNOW!!!

These questions are too deep for Lame Post Friday.  Let us just admire the flowers and look forward to the weekend.

 

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I Make an Effort on Tired Tuesday

Posted on June 3, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

For this week’s Tired Tuesday Post,  I bestirred myself enough to walk outside and take a few pictures of my ever-changing yard.  I fear the changes come slowly and often without any effort on my part.  Perhaps I can make more of an effort as the season progresses. In the meantime,  I will make do.

Note the bird-shaped hole.

I recently added this birdhouse to my front yard, using a hook I found in the garage.  I hung another house on the porch (replacing the skull which had previously hung there), but I neglected to take a picture of that (preview of coming attractions).  I went out back for more photo ops.

I’ll be so happy when they bloom!

Under the heading No Effort On My Part (and Preview of Coming Attractions), here are the buds on my irises.  My Mom gave me the iris bulbs some years ago, and they have bloomed every year since.

Under the heading Some Effort, I decided to take close up pictures of my container garden.

School’s out!

I have had the desk for a while now.  I found it in somebody’s trash the Sunday after the Herkimer Village-Wide Garage Sale.  Don’t judge me.

I did a lot of pink and purple.

I only have one herb, but basil is my favorite.

There will be pesto!

 

The thrill and the fill.

I have read that in a good container, you have the thrill, the fill, and the spill.  I think I need bigger containers, because the best I could do were the preceding and the following pots, each with two out of three.

The fill and the spill.

 

Another pink and purple.

There is a broken solar light in this one.  At least, I accidentally broke it off its pick when I was trying to put it in the front yard.  I put it in the pot in hopes it would still light.  I have not been outside after dark to check.

I think the squirrels have been digging in my marigolds.

For my final pic, I go back into No Effort mode.  I took this picture Saturday, but I could only post it on Facebook, and it was turned 90 degrees.  Today a Facebook friend had turned it, so I downloaded his version to this device.  Let’s see if it worked!

Thanks, Norm!

Here are my feet, relaxing on my deck.  Yes, that is my novel they are resting on.  I’m still making efforts on that.

 

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I’m Back with Backyard Flowers!

Posted on May 22, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

My back was feeling much better today.  I suppose I will look like quite the kvetch if I mention that I had a perfectly dreadful headache, but I will just mention it.  I do appreciate the way my body parts tag team.  Back yesterday, head today;  I guess I really internalized the lesson about taking turns in kindergarten.

But never mind that.  I promised some back yard flowers!

A close up view.

I mentioned yesterday how much I am loving forget-me-nots this year.  When I went to photo my backyard patch, I was delighted to see white ones in with the blue.  I didn’t know they came in white.  I am not very botanically knowledgeable.

This is where I thought they were not going to grow this year.

Here is the view under the rhododendron.  Earlier this spring a different flower was blooming there.  I am happy to welcome the forget-me-nots back.  As you probably noticed, I am letting the dandelions live.  I understand bees like them.  Also, it is a losing battle to try to get rid of them, so I figure I may as well embrace the yellow.

I did not choose the best angle.

The last time I looked at this, I thought it was all dead shoots from last year.  Yesterday, however,  I saw little leaves sprouting out.  Yay!  I’m afraid the picture did not turn out as clear as I had hoped, but I will have more photo ops as we go on.  You may also be disappointed that I cannot tell you exactly what it is.  We got the shoots from my sister Diane a few years ago.  We just refer to it as “that red thing from Diane.”

I hope to plant more things as the spring progresses.  Maybe I can blog more about plants and less about pain.

 

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Lawn Order on Tired Tuesday

Posted on October 2, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

The first day of October in the Mohawk Valley ended up feeling remarkably similar to a typical August day: hot and humid.  It started out rainy and of moderate temperature.  I enjoyed a few flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder early this morning, but alas, storms ended and did not return.

Surprisingly,  the humidity did not really hit me till I left work shortly after three.  It is usually just as oppressive in that place as out.  Um, please note that I am NOT complaining!   I am grateful to have a job.  Not grovingly grateful, I hope.  OK, I’m complaining.  Do you have a problem with that?  Some people seem to.

Where was I?  Ah yes, sitting on my back deck, trying to enjoy the last gasp of summer, and rambling on in hopes of making some semblance of a blog post.  There is still quite a bit of humidity in the air, and the light is getting dusky.  Still, perhaps I can get a couple of pictures of my back yard, to document its progression.

They seem to have turned in quite a hurry.

What really prompted me to take pictures was noticing the red on the vines on our back fence.  They were all green the last time I saw them.  I took a shot of the vines on the broken side fence as well.

I’ve been meaning to fix that.

Does anybody recognize my caption as an homage to Sam the Eagle of the Muppets?

Another area that could use some fixing.

I wasn’t going to take a shot of this mess, but then I thought, why not?  It’s not as if I pretend to be somebody who has her act together, after all.  Additionally,  this can stand as a “Before” picture and inspiration for me to do better next year.

Everybody was chive talkin’.

I don’t know how well my chives show up.  I never did much with them this year, but this is only a small portion.  There is a patch of garlic chives right next to these as well as a large patch of the regular kind amidst the mess shown earlier.

So this is my Tired Tuesday post for the week.  I hope I am not too tired to think of a title.

 

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A Little Tired of Yard Work

Posted on August 21, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

My original plan was to go running and make a Running Commentary post.  However, I decided to spend some time on the lawn instead. This means a lot of walking back and forth behind my non-power mower or standing in one place while I push said mower over the same patch several times. I actually did a combination of the two.

So I think I deserve to make a Tired Tuesday post.  Also, I walked around the yard just now and took a couple pictures, so I also have some illustrations for your entertainment.

I had a hard time getting a good angle.

While I was mowing, I noticed a couple of Black-Eyed Susans some distance away from the main patch.  Perhaps I should have taken a wider shot as well, to show how far away they are. Unfortunately,  I am too tired and lazy to go back out into the hot sunshine.  I am currently lounged in the shade on the deck, with my feet up.  Remember, it is Tired Tuesday.

While I was in the lawn, I checked on the plant with little yellow flowers I included on Sunday’s post.  It seems that something has eaten it!

I guess critters gotta eat too.

Here is the before shot.

I also noticed a tiny wild strawberry and took a picture of it, too.

No, .I did not eat it.

I need to do quite a bit more yard work, but that will be for another day. I also need to go running.  And stop procrastinating.  So much to think about on a Tired Tuesday!

 

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Back Yard Blues — I Mean Yellows

Posted on August 19, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

See how many blooms!

After two failed attempts at making today’s blog post, I went out to my backyard and took some pictures.  I had been meaning to do a Rose of Sharon update, because it is getting more flowers. There is not a whole lot else going on in my yard, but one does what one can.

Another angle.

And a further view.

The last shot shows how big the plant is so far.  I imagine it will get bigger yet in the coming years.

I looked around to see what else I could shoot. The Black-Eyed Susans did not look a whole lot different from when I last photographed them, but I don’t think I have gotten a picture of the Queen Anne’s Lace that is growing amongst them.

I really must weed this bed.

I have already taken numerous pictures of the Brown-Eyed Susans,  but they are just so cute, and so much more plentiful than last year,  I couldn’t resist taking more.  At least I tried to get a different angle.

Butterflies like them too.

I’m standing on the deck looking down on them.

I limited myself to three, which was not easy.

Looking around the lawn, I checked behind the garage, where things sometimes get out of hand.  I once performed heroics getting rid of two pricker trees, and I have to keep an eye that they don’t grow back.  Tonight I noticed a plant with little yellow flowers.

It does not appear to have thorns.

I’ll have to try to get a better shot of it.  However, right now it is clouding up,  and I am hearing some rumbles of thunder.   Additionally,  I am approaching 300 words.  That is quite respectable for a Sunday post. Thank you for visiting, and I hope to see you all on Monstrous Monday.

 

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Tree and Typo on Tired Tuesday

Posted on June 26, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

It is that moment in the evening when I am wishing I made my blog post earlier.  However, that ship sailed, and I do not want to be another post behind. Well, what’s wrong with another Tired Tuesday post,  anyways?  For one thing, I can potentially include a few monster pictures, since I refrained from doing so on Monday.

The tree in the background has been called Frankentree.

This is not exactly a monster,  but it might be a little scary.  It is the remains of some branches I cut off a tree in my backyard.  And if you want to hear something REALLY scary, there is the typo I made when I posted the picture on Facebook.  Earlier I had posted, “I fought the lawn and the lawn won.”  With the above picture, I typed, “Maybe the lawn won,  but I sure taught that tree a thong or two.”

I caused considerable amusement for some and an unfortunate mental image for others.  You can’t please everybody.

Under the heading Waste Not Want Not.

This is the first picture I took of the cans.  I include it here, because, in the true spirit of Tired Tuesday,  I ain’t got much.

Full disclosure:  My heroic tree branch efforts are not the reason for today’s tiredness.  Still, it gave me something to type.  I think I’ll close with a monster picture and call it a post.

You just knew it was going to be Nosferatu, didn’t you?

 

 

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Sharon, Susan and a Swan

Posted on August 18, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

Steven has been wanting to get a picture of our Rose of Sharon in the back yard.  I finally got one today and thought, hey, let’s do a Backyard Picture Post.

One day, I think, “No blooms this year.” The next day, “Wow!”

My mom gave me a shoot of her Rose of Sharon some years ago.  Hers is enormous and gorgeous by now.  Ours got mowed down a few times as a wee sprout.  However, it grew back each time, better than before.  First it was big enough so Steven noticed it and didn’t mow it down.  Then it was so big he couldn’t have mowed it down if he tried!  According to Steven, the plant was saying, “Mow ME down, will you?”

While I was taking the picture of the Rose of Sharon, I noticed the swan in our neighbors’ pool which Steven has been envying (I have been envying the pool myself).

The picture is a little dark, but I wanted to share the swan.

I had also been wanting to take another picture of our Black-eyed Susans, which are looking better and better.

I don’t know if you can see that a little Queen Anne’s Lace has worked it way in.

We originally purchased the Black-eyed Susans at a sale to benefit the Herkimer County Humane Society, back in 2011 (are you impressed that I remember the actual year?  I am).  They have gotten bigger and spread.  Now they are battling it out with the chives for control of that little patch.  While I was admiring  them, I noticed some little yellow flowers behind the garage.

The little blooms look better in person, but if you want to stop over and see them, please call first.

I really need to clean out behind the garage, cutting down a pricker bush that is expanding to tree-like proportions.  We just never see that part when we are sitting on the deck, and, you know how it goes: out of sight, out of what’s left of my mind.  Then I remembered the Brown-eyed Susans, which grew with no input on our part.

The green shoots are part of some irises which are done blooming now.

The Brown-eyed Susans are growing in two places in our yard, so I took two pictures.

The green stuff in the background is the beginning of some trees that I need to get out from under my deck.

Some years ago, I read the Rudbeckia is a good plant for bees.  Imagine my surprise when a guy at a greenhouse told me that Rudbeckia is Brown-eyed Susans.  It sounds so much fancier!

So this is how pretty my yard looks in mid-August.  I wonder what September will bring. Will it be worth a blog post? We’ll see.

 

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