The need for shade!

Here is the view of this morning's light over the garden... its a gorgeous time of day and the flower beds are moist with dew. 

By midday though, the sunshine is brilliant white and we have been grateful for the shade provided by our new pop-up patio tent...

This afternoon we watched a number of mourning doves sunning themselves in the warm gravel, spreading their wings and seeming to love it!

Its a beautiful sight!

Nicholas

We are amazed at how things are growing in our garden, the grasses, the climbers, the hydrangeas, the roses...and the back bed has brought us so much joy as native perennials have come into bloom in the absence of the large rambling honeysuckles we removed while creating the landscaping. Along with the wild flowers, we now have sapling apple trees! Very exciting.

Here is one of my favourite views from the front of the house looking towards the back...

It is the motto of our lives...how we met, how we created a love story across an ocean, how we joined our lives and lived in England for over a decade and it is how we arrived at this moment in time....

And while love is all you need...it is soooo much better with one of these!

Yes, we have decided to get another dog, well...a puppy who will become a dog...this is Dill, as a puppy...he will be the Dad...and this is him all grown up...

And this is Lyra, who will be the Mom, if all goes according to plan in October!

We might have to change our sign...

Love

(And a Golden Retriever)

Are All 

You Need

Judy

Raptor...and our first fire.

Last week the field behind the house was mowed, which in many ways is a good thing, because at this time of the year the meadow grasses have grown enormous. The mowing excited two huge raptors which we think are Northern Harriers and the two birds soared over the field for ages looking for mice and other creatures, disturbed by it all.

And, on a cool, windless, evening we christened the fire pit with two good friends and watched the sparks soar up into the night sky to be lost amongst the stars. Just as the fire got going we spotted a small mouse that had become trapped in the bottom of the pit!

Luckily I managed to rescue it with a pair of tongs.... it played dead for a while but then scampered away into the dark.

Nicholas

The newly-mown hay has now been rolled into bales, which will be used for cattle bedding...and we were reminded of Monet's paintings, as the light played upon the grain...

In the above picture, to the left of the sculpture, gifted to us by Nicholas' patients, is our newest addition...called The Artist....a local artist, a retired professor from one of the colleges, asked if he could install a piece in our garden, so that it might have the opportunity of being seen...It has always been our hope to provide opportunities for other artists, and it has happened quickly...

Here is another image of The Artist, with the morning sun upon it...

And, along with the art and creativity, more and more wildlife are finding us here in our garden on a hilltop...the hummingbird has come (but only after we purchased red bee balm! We will be planting a whole section of bee balm in anticipation of next year...as we hope for may more hummingbirds...

Yesterday, we had an interesting visitor on the patio..we are accustomed to lots of sparrows, mourning doves, goldfinches and cardinals...but late in the afternoon, this little guy wondered, "Would I like birdseed as well?"

And this morning we found that he, indeed, he did...

What a blessing to share our garden with a sculptor, food with birds and small animals, the beauty of a fire and good conversation with friends, the final moments of a setting sun, the sight of the Milky Way stretching out to what seems like infinity...

The possibilities for love and gratitude are endless when every moment is honoured...

Judy

To the Adirondacks and back...

We've had a fabulous short break up at Long Lake in the Adirondacks staying with our good friends Ed and Beck. I had great fun jet skiing and Judy went out into the lake on the kayak for a while.

Back home the new grass is just about showing like a new beard after a heavy shave and the birds are as mad as ever. Huge flocks of sparrows rushing around from bush to bush.
We thought our plants would be rabbit proof, but the little devils have eaten an evening primrose plant and nibbled away at the rudbeckia...

The other evening this spectacular cloudscape opened up to the South.

Nicholas

The little baby rabbits are actually quite adorable...this little one seems to think our garden is its personal jungle gym
...it was hopping all over the walls surrounding the fire pit, rolling in the compost beneath the birch tree, sniffing at the newest plants and then, it paused on the large step on the path...

What a privilege to live so very close to the natural world. Every day there is something new to see, to hear, to smell, to touch...as we created the garden, we cleared a lot of old and leggy honeysuckle and now, to our delight...dozens of large, established flowers are beginning to blossom, the tall, paler pink, in the distance,  is one called "Joe Pie Weed". It is native to Central NY, incredibly beautiful and a magnet for bees and butterflies...

There is a wonderful local nursery specializing in native plants, I went today to purchase another butterfly bush, some red bee balm, coreopsis, sedum, grape-leaf anemone, and a number of others...it was such joy for me and when I look back at the first days of the garden...I am, as I always am...amazed...

Here it was on July 6th...

And, above...less than one month later...I am reminded of how astonishing growth is, how quickly it happens and how important it is to pay attention...

Isn't life beautiful...
Judy