Baby Opossum in the Compost Pile!

Yesterday, my girls were texting me throughout the afternoon. So, as I was gardening, I kept my phone in my sweatshirt pocket. As I took a wheelbarrow full of weeds back to the “dirty” compost pile, I noticed a movement in the “clean” compost pile right beside it. It was a baby opossum!

I watched him for way too long, wishing I had my camera. Then, I realized I had a phone! And people take pictures with phones!  So I took some pictures.

He was tiny – only about 6 inches of body. His face is next to a piece of celery for scale.  I took a lot of very bad pictures in a very slow manner. Then, I realized people take videos with their phones. So I took a video.  Baby Opossum Video

We’ll see if that link works. It was a windy day, so that’s the noise.  And he was eating the end of an onion! I went back after he had gone to be sure. Notice how he sees me inching closer, but doesn’t have the sense yet to be afraid of me. And look how his little ears move like a cat’s. It was a lovely experience. I never like to intrude too much on nature, so I backed away before I scared him off. He’s been back many times since. Michael put a little fence around the fresh veggies in the compost because Riley DOES like to intrude on nature.

Happy May, everyone. Be safe, be well. Hugs to you all.

Congratulations to Lauren

After earning a five year Architecture degree and then working another five years while taking six very difficult licensing tests, my eldest is now a licensed architect. I am so proud of her and so happy for her. We celebrated last weekend with a backyard party.

Here’s some of the food and a sign with Lauren’s letters.

More food and my nephew, Collin, my brother, Dave, and my sister Margaret.

Lauren and her boyfriend, Colin, are walking past the Herb Garden on their way to the Party Garden.

Here’s a view of the food tent as shot from the Party Garden.

This is my son, Patrick, and his girlfriend, Lexie.

These are my brothers-in-law, Spike and Daniel. They made the sushi, which was amazing.

This is Michael and me behind  Lauren and Colin making a toast. There were tears.

This is the sound system. Michael is a recording engineer, so we always have a killer sound system. Don’t tell anyone, but, at one point, I grabbed that mic and started singing along to Miley Cyrus.

It was chilly, so we started the bonfire early.

Here’s my mom at the bonfire. This party came at the end of a wild month of work for me and I was horribly unprepared. Mom stepped up and made it all happen, and it was a great success. By the way, her admirer is my dad, her ex-husband.

Here’s Riley. She loves a backyard party, but I think she got too many treats from everyone.

This was Riley all the next day.

 

hummingbirds

We have one kind of hummingbird here in South Jersey – the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. They are so fun that I mark my calendar every year regarding their behavior. I know now to put out my hummingbird feeders when the cherry tree begins to bloom in the spring. And I know that even though it is now peak hummingbird mayhem in my backyard, they will soon be migrating and I won’t see them again until the cherry tree blooms.I photographed this female from my office window.

And here’s a video with a hint of the mayhem going on in my yard. Although there are only ever 3 hummingbirds in the shot at once, there were at least 6 buzzing about the 4 feeders I have in the area. I do love them  and am so happy to see them every year.

 

purple reign

After the daffodils ended (and everyone here in South Jersey agrees it was a great year for daffodils), our yard started blooming purple.

First to arrive were the Johnny Jump Ups.  That’s what I have always called them, but I’d like confirmation. When I look them up I’m not sure. Are they Violets? Violas?

This stunner is getting everyone’s attention this year. I think it is phlox.

I call these Star of David. I’m sure they have another name. They look white in the  photo, but are a pale purple. (I am realizing that my “knowledge” of my plants is mostly lure passed down. I actually have no idea what is going on out there.)

My youngest daughter helped me by weeding and planting pansies. If you can think of a better way to spend the day than gardening with your daughter, you’ll have to tell me about it. Loving this spring!

spring?

It still goes well below freezing every night – so I can’t put out my bird baths or hummingbird feeders (they’ll freeze and break.) But the sun has been shining bright. And that’s enough to get me out in the yard for spring clean up.

And this happened!

snow day

It snowed again last night. We haven’t had any huge snowstorms this year, but we have had plenty of snowy days.

This chickadee found the one feeder with seeds not covered in snow.

Riley and I went out to investigate the back yard and see who had paid an overnight visit. Riley can tell by her nose, but I need the snow to see who’s been around.

I think these are bunny tracks. * sigh *  I hope to NOT have a repeat of last year’s adventures.   backyard nature

I got sidetracked with plans for the spring.

And Riley had to wait for me to catch up.

Then it was time for breakfast.

Tiger Lilies

Every year I look forward to lily time, and these are my favorite. I don’t know their real name. In our family, these are Grandma’s Tiger Lilies.

Grandma’s Tiger Lily

 

This is Grandma in 1930 at age 18. I see my mom in her.

Anna Burger Age 18

 

This is Grandma and Grandpa holding a baby me in 1963.

And this is Grandma with her siblings in 1978. They are all gone now.This picture was taken on Grandma’s farm in Fawn Grove, PA. This is where the tiger lilies came from. My mom took some (as she is wont to do) and made them a part of her yard. When I moved here 22 years ago, she shared, as she is also wont to do.

 

They are tall; many of them are well over my 5 feet 7 inches.

I’ve planted them everywhere.

I want to have plenty to share with my children.  And grandchildren . . .

epilogue : bunnies

So far, so good with our baby bunnies.

They are still little, as you can tell by this photo by a coneflower. (Gee, Riley, how did that lovely coneflower get trampled on to the ground?)

About a week after the bunnies left the nest I got up at 5:30, which is earlier than usual. I saw an adult rabbit and a baby together. They were grazing near the herb garden and when the adult hopped into the herb garden the baby immediately followed. I like to think it was the mom hanging around with her kids.I’m not seeing them as much; I think they are making their way to greener pastures. It’s been an interesting experience, but with a bunny-hunting dog in the family, I won’t be happy if I find another nest.

bunnies

Remember the little bunny from my last post? BUPDATE bunny update   I kept an eye on him and he didn’t move from that spot all day. When his mom showed up that evening, she didn’t sit around eating for hours as was her habit. She hopped right up to where the baby was, hopped inside the fence and started nursing him. I had never seen her even near the nest in the daylight.

I am now thinking that he was the LAST to leave the nest, not the first, because there are baby bunnies everywhere and they are all bigger than he. They all have claimed a garden, and when Riley gets too close they shoot out the other side.

The bunny from the herb garden

The bunny from the party garden

And here’s the most interesting one:This bunny chose as his special spot the area under our upside down kayak. He’s been there for two days and never runs away, even we walk within 6 feet of his hiding spot. Riley has yet to notice him.

The kayak bunny

BUPDATE ***bunny update***

My daughter, Laney, was the first to see him. This little cutie is the first to emerge from the nest.  In backyard nature , I explained that I was afraid the mother had been killed. But, as you can see, all is well. This little guy is only a foot away from his nest. He likely got impatient waiting for mom to come and feed him at dark.

We’ll have to keep the dog on a leash for a while – at this point the little fellas could be anywhere.

Do you see the white mark on the top of his head? I hope he keeps it forever.

backyard nature

My policy concerning nature is to never interfere unless I must. Often I must. When our first nest of bunnies this year was found by our dog, my husband yelled at her to drop the (unharmed) bunny. I searched for an hour to find the nest and put the baby back where he belonged. I checked for a few days to be sure the mom was coming and going. Now there are tiny bunnies in every garden

The first bunny nest was behind the chairs in the jungle of plants.

The most recent bunny nest is out in the middle of the yard.

I found this nest before the dog did, and put a few layers of fence around it. Again, I checked for a few days so I knew the mother was visiting and feeding her babies, and I hadn’t scared her off with the fencing.

But this afternoon, we saw an adult bunny that had been killed by a car. We’re really hoping it’s not the mom of any babies.I put this marking over the nest, so I can tell tomorrow if mom has been by.  I’m really hoping she has, because I don’t want to be faced with a nest full of hungry babies.

THE NEXT DAY:  When I first checked the nest this morning, the X of straw was still there and I was crushed.  I assumed that the mom hadn’t been there. But then I checked the picture I had taken last night, and nothing was the same. The X wasn’t at right angles, as it is in the first picture. There was no visible fur, and that brown and green leaf was nearly buried. So if anyone ever is faced with a similar situation, taking a picture is a great idea. The changes are subtle.

 

a ruckus and a fracas

We have a bird house full of baby house wrens, and they are the noisiest baby birds I have ever heard. As they have gotten bigger, their noise is nearly constant and is audible from all over the yard. I Googled “noisiest baby birds,” and house wrens were often listed. So it’s a thing.

I took a video so you could hear them:  Our noisy baby house wrens

There was one baby who clogged up the exit hole. His is the voice most often heard.

 

Does he look a little grumpy to you?

 

 

 

 

creativity 5 – persistance

Do you remember this?This is a photo from my post creativity 2 – make mistakes , nearly two years ago. Despite heroic efforts on my part, I was never able to overcome the effects of gravity, and the plants kept falling out of the frame. But I liked the idea and I persisted.I replanted the succulents into the garden so they could growand thriveand establish roots.And then I tried again. I found this weird little box at Goodwill for $1. I thought it needed some succulents. So, far, it’s Gravity: 1,  Jodie: 1.

a hard year on the garden

About a year ago, my biggest (75% of my annual income) client retired without notice. What ensued was what I can only call “The Year of Work.” When I wasn’t working, I was searching for other clients, jobs, etc. I gardened and created very little, and I missed it terribly.

The garden missed me, as well. This is my vegetable garden today. Riley is quite disappointed in the weeds and the chaos. All I can do at this point is to dig up the good stuff (asparagus & strawberries) and start over. It’s mostly weeds and I don’t have the gumption to fight them.

And then there was the winter: The heavy, wet snowfall in March was too much for my evergreens.

Branches snapped right off.

And a whole tree toppled over.

It was a hard year on my garden, and, I have to admit, it was a hard year on me, as well. But no more.

This year I will continue to work hard on my business. But I will make the time for those things that make me happy. That means relaxing with my family, gardening, and creating. Thus begins The Year of Jodie.

Snow Day

I am a wage earner, and a gardener, and a runner. None of these things are enhanced by snow.

But isn’t it pretty?

the summer day

My husband spotted two Luna Moths the other day. They had just emerged and were drying out.

I’ve only ever seen one before, despite that fact that we have cherry, willow, and persimmon trees (all of which are host plants), on our property.

Note the grape-sized persimmon for scale. This is a BIG moth.

They don’t have mouths and will live only one week.

I’ve been given 54 years already: what riches. It makes me embarrassed to squander even a moment. I like how Mary Oliver said it: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

 

my favorite things

I’ve been thinking about my favorite vegetable to grow, harvest and cook, and to my utter surprise, it’s swiss chard. It’s super good for me; it has vitamins K, A and C, and it is anti-inflammatory & has anti-oxidants.As a plant, it’s easy. It always grows; I’ve never had one die on me. It forgives me if I don’t pick it at just the right moment. It keeps growing all summer, and it’s pretty. It’s simple to prepare. I rinse the leaves off, pile them up, slice them lengthwise 3 or 4 times, then chop it up. I saute it in olive oil and water with onions, garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes (because red pepper flakes are good with everything). It’s tasty just like that.  But I make a ton of it and keep it in the fridge to do this:

• add to eggs and omelets
• spread over sautéed chicken & top it with swiss/parmesan cheese
• spread on top of pizza
• add to any kind of pasta
• add to soups and beans
• toss into salads
• spread onto toasted bread (with or without cheese – oh never mind – WITH cheese)

So I have to give an A+ to swiss chard: healthy, easy, simple, delicious.

love spring

I haven’t seen a hummingbird yet,  April 29, which is late for me, but Spring is in full bloom here in South Jersey.Some of the Columbines are over 4 feet tall.  Sigh. I remember when Columbine was just a flower.Aren’t they pretty?

The bed by the front porch looks to have a promising year.The bed by the driveway looks pretty good, as well.The raised bed herb garden has some winter survivors as well as popsicle sticks promising good things to come.And here, my dears, is what my beloved party garden looks like on this very day. A sad, sad remnant of our glorious fall season together, as witnessed below.But, happily, my Sad Clematis has hung in there.Love Spring.

winter lessons

Winter has finally come to South Jersey. We had about 7 inches of snow over the weekend and it’s not going anywhere because it’s COLD!

Tufted Titmouse

When I went out to feed the birds this morning, I noticed that they were much more tame than usual. Usually they scatter as soon as they see me coming. But today, they didn’t budge until I was about 3 feet away.

White Throated Sparrow

I’m guessing the frigid temperatures and blanket of snow have made food such a priority that their usual skittishness is tempered.

Red Breasted Nuthatch

So, after I fed them, I grabbed my camera.  I took the above pictures in about 5 minutes, and then left them to the serious business of eating.

creativity 2 – make mistakes

I never know where I’m headed when I create. Whether it’s a meal, a quilt, a garden, or a blog post, I just have to jump in and see where it takes me.

Sometimes I make something great that doesn’t work.Despite heroic measures on my part, I was unable to overcome the effects of gravity; the plants kept falling out of the frame. So I gave up.

Sometimes I make something bad that works.I wanted to try free motion quilting, but I knew I wouldn’t be very good at it. I did it on the back side of my daughters bolsters – the side that goes against the back of the couch – so no one sees it.

And sometimes, I just have to keep trying until I get it right.BEFORE – Here’s a little seating arrangement under a cherry tree. After years of cleaning up petals, pits, and poop (the birds LOVE those cherries), I took out the seats.AFTER – I used the pavers to make a little wall, filled the area with soil and made a cute little garden instead. Now all of the cherry tree debris just disappears.