Apparently this is the year of cabbages. They are the best looking thing in our garden this year. We have red cabbages and green cabbages.
And even Chinese cabbages.
It appears to be the year of cruciferous glory.
I also noticed some very nice looking zucchini. There will be one or two less of them tomorrow. And zucchini bread is soon to follow.
The hiatus from limp, anemic grocery store produce is here!
Here you see one of the greatest gifts we have ever received. This is our dog Baxter. Also known as Baxter Pup, Baxter McWaxter, and Wiggle Butt. He is one of our greatest joys.
Baxter was dumped off in our yard when he was but a wee pup. He was in good health. We like to think that he came from a loving home that cared about him. We wonder if perhaps they were not able to provide for him but knew of the Crazy Dog People that lived on the corner. If we drop him off there, surely he will find a loving home. How right they were. We did briefly put him in a crate by the road thinking someone lost him. That lasted all of about 20 minutes before we brought him in the house.
He has been a wonderful dog from day one. He didn’t get into things. He didn’t cause any trouble. I did start training him right away. As a pup he looked like a Rottweiler. I wanted to make sure I had such a large dog, of a powerful breed, under control. So every evening I took him for a walk across the street to the cemetery and we worked on obedience. Baxter never did grow into the Rottweiler that I anticipated. He stayed slender and topped out around 60 lbs. He also remained a marshmallow. We still have to be careful not to yell at home or he will roll over and piddle. If we raise a voice at him he will slink into another room and hide. He is seven years old now. I don’t see him outgrowing that anytime soon.
He gets along with all other dogs and cats, and I imagine all animals. He is a peace loving soul. Our greyhound Phoebe took to him from that first day. She seemed to think that he was her pup and treated him as such throughout her life. Above he pauses on a walk with his “sister” Shelby. He loves to play Frisbee while Shelby runs behind him barking. Baxter listens so well that I can walk with him off leash and if we encounter other walkers or bicyclists, I can point to a spot beside me and say “right here” and he will stay beside me until I release him with an “ok”. This is without formal training of the action. He just wants to please and is easy to communicate with. He has always had the ability to listen and understand.
Great as they are, I do not see his good behavior and obedience as his greatest traits. His best feature is his disposition. He is a happy dog and everybody that meets him is taken with him. He smiles at people. If you are feeling down, he acts silly. He will bring you a toy. A room seems to light up and become a happier place when he enters. Handsome as he is, he is a relatively non-descript looking dog. It’s his personality and presence that make him special.
So to whoever left him at our house, we thank you. Because of your actions our lives have been forever changed for the better.
I love this time of year! Every where I go outside our house, I encounter the most wonderful scents. The peonies are my favorite. I can’t think of anything that smells better. And they are also a very showy and appealing flower. I planted four new peony bushes this year so hopefully by next summer I will have new types to show you.
The roses are also coming out in full force. The scent here is wonderful too. I worried about my roses because the past two years they weren’t very impressive. That must have been due to two cold winters in a row. Last winter was more mild and the plants are blooming profusely now. I also planted a new rose bush in the spring. I don’t know if it will bloom this summer or not. If it does, I will let you know. It is a bicolor rose, red & white flowers.
And around the other side of the house are the lilac hedges. They provide a nice screen from the road during the summer months. And more olfactory delights. I must say, life is good!
These primulas came up in our yard this year. We don’t know where they came from but they are a wonderful gift. Once they are done blooming I will transplant them into one of the flowerbeds so we can mow that area again.
These white violets also grow in our yard. They come up every year and I love to see them. The flowers disappear before it is time to mow. How considerate they are.
This trillium grows in our pine grove. Each year it adds another bloom. I would love to divide it but fear it would not flower if I did. I have heard they are very particular. Their trumpets surely are a thing of splendor and beauty.
Oh, fair lady of spring,
First, bearing your cup – like blossoms,
Then wearing your memories dear,
Thank you for the smiles you bring.
This vase makes me smile for many reasons. I enjoy it in its own right. The figure makes me think she is a peasant girl, wearing her Sunday best, out enjoying the gathering of beautiful flowers that she will display. And the flowers she holds are beautiful in and of themselves.
I also have special feelings for this vase because it was a gift from a friend. It had belonged to her mother. After her mother passed, they were clearing out some of her things. When my friend saw this vase she knew that it would be appreciated in its new home with me.
And so she is.
I have always liked to walk dogs in the nearby cemetery when I want a quick walk. I enjoy the old stones and the beauty and history they share.
I took only Baxter so we could work on training. We haven’t worked one on one in a long time so we started with sit and down, then give paw and other paw. Also sit-stay so I could get these pics.
Baxter is a good boy. He is different than all of our other dogs. He prefers to work for praise and back scratches rather than food. He will take a treat to be polite but then lays it down and walks away. He will take a bedtime treat. He apparently has his own rules.
What’s not to love? It was Saturday. It was warm. It was sunny. I got to hang out with my dogs. It was the perfect afternoon. Above are Shelby and Baxter wanting to know what we’re going to do next. What we did next was play with the tennis ball.
Phoebe and Shelby look on while Baxter brings the ball back. Shelby ‘ s favorite pass time is barking at Baxter and bossing him as he brings the ball back.
And here is Nikki doing what she does best. Posing and being cute. Actually what she does best is try to eat poop while I’m not looking but I’m not going to count that as a skill.
And here are Baxter, Shelby, and Nikki keeping an eye on me as I walk into the woods. You’ll notice Phoebe is not watching. She says if you’re dumb enough to get lost in the woods, I can’t help you. I’m having a nap.
And thus ends a perfect afternoon. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Near to spring,
Gifts of green,
Coming soon.
I have always liked winter. If the roads were just heated so travel was safe, it would definitely be my favorite season. We had our largest snowfall to date for the winter just last weekend. I took a brief jaunt around our property so I could share my appreciation of the snow and the winter season with you. Above is the front of our home blanketed in fresh snow. That majestic old pine is twice as tall as the house. In summer it provides cooling shade, and throughout the year it makes a nice windbreak.
This treeline is our view across the street from our house. Right now it looks like all the trees are covered in cotton bolls. And then there’s the dogwood tree in our front yard. I couldn’t resist including it because it has such beautiful form.
Walking down the driveway, our garden gate is to the left. It still begs me to come in, even through the deep snow. I guess deep is relative. We got about 8 inches over night. I know some people got more. I known I was glad to have the day off work so I didn’t have to drive in it.
This is the view down the garden walkway. It was especially silent inside the protective walls. A winter wonderland.
The view of the workshop and garage relaxes me. It all looks so “soft” with the snow snuggling around it. I do see that I never got around to taking down my hanging baskets. That’s OK, they remind me that spring will come again, and I will appreciate that too.
This is the fenced pasture where the dogs can play for a time when we are home. You can see all the wood we have stockpiled for summer bonfires. It is in the dog pasture because there is no where that we would rather be for a bonfire than with our dogs!
Our trumpet vine has beautiful “bones” when the leaves are gone. It is growing up a light post which makes it look like a tree.
I go back inside and this is the view out my kitchen window. This fenced area is attached to the house for ease in putting the dogs in and out. It is also commonly referred to at our house as the poop yard. I believe this is self explanatory. It is especially appreciated when we have foster dogs and don’t know if they are trustworthy outside. On foster dogs’ first day or two with us, I still stand outside with them or may even walk them on leash inside the fence as it is only 3 1/2 feet high. Our first foster dog at this house was a collie named Saffron. She jumped the fence which resulted in me also vaulting over the fence, in my bathrobe and fuzzy leopard print slippers. I didn’t want to lose sight of her so took off in hot pursuit. Saffron was just looking for a good time and didn’t really want to run away so all ended well.
I notice this writing ends with a dog story, as all things in my life do. So let me say once again, life is good!
These are our four cats, Harley, Lacey, Stitch aka Chester, and Morty.
This is one of our six new mouse traps. Hmmm! Why should we need mouse traps? We are over run with mice. I have seen evidence of them in multiple areas of the house. Infact I have actually seen mice in our house. I was having conversations with one while in the basement doing laundry. He sat on the stones of the wall and appeared to listen while I spoke. Once they began getting in my baking supplies, this was no longer acceptable.
I’ve never had need of mouse traps before. Harley used to be a world class mouser. He’s around 15 now and appears to have retired since we got the younger cats. He taught Morty how to hunt and that was the end of his career. Lacey is nearing 16 and not in the best of health, so although she used to catch mice, those days are over. Stitch is a young cat and new here. He acts like he has never seen a mouse before. He doesn’t appear to recognize them. Morty does catch some mice but he is a small cat and not able to keep up with the current mouse population. We hope he will be able to show Stitch the ropes. We begged Harley to come out of retirement but so far, no luck.
So although I am generally against killing things on principal, I must concede that in this case it may be necessary. Mice can carry disease. They can chew insulation from electrical wires. Both bad things. So far we have caught three large mice in 24 hours. Maybe the cats are on strike.
Sanctuary Acres 