Monday, June 3, 2013
Backroads of Morrow County: The Dive June 8, 2012
I
found a dive in Mt. Gilead. No, it's nowhere near good enough to call
Guy and Triple D. But it has two advantages over the fast food
establishments in the area. Variety. And they actually don't cook your
food until you order it. The cheeseburger I ordered was actually hot.
(And the onion rings.) I know W claims to not cook your hamburger
until you order it, but I've had plenty of their sandwiches that if they
just cooked it when I ordered it, it was either the 5th or 6th time
they cooked it, or they were using a match.
Walking Iten's Acres: Conventions June 4, 2012
Lightning bug convention. I heard somewhere that they are decreasing in
number. I just think the one's they're missing are at my place.
Red-headed woodpecker: just three colors--red, white, black.
Stunningly beautiful bird.
Today was moving day: moved some iris, some red daisies, some blue cress, a lily, and a rose. Now I have to keep an eye on them to see if they like their new neighborhood. My Gardening Angels put a new tiny dark blue flower in my wild area. I'll have to try to get a picture of it to see if some of you flower experts can identify it. I'm going to have to train my Angels to label the things they plant.
Spiderwort is blooming in the wild area.
Mom has become such a fixture on the front patio that the hummingbirds and neighborhood lizards just ignore her as if she's not there--or one of them. The new dog next door has become a constant companion on my walks. Gus joins us once in awhile. Bonnie we miss you!
Still waiting for the lily explosion. Last iris is still hanging in there.
Today was moving day: moved some iris, some red daisies, some blue cress, a lily, and a rose. Now I have to keep an eye on them to see if they like their new neighborhood. My Gardening Angels put a new tiny dark blue flower in my wild area. I'll have to try to get a picture of it to see if some of you flower experts can identify it. I'm going to have to train my Angels to label the things they plant.
Spiderwort is blooming in the wild area.
Mom has become such a fixture on the front patio that the hummingbirds and neighborhood lizards just ignore her as if she's not there--or one of them. The new dog next door has become a constant companion on my walks. Gus joins us once in awhile. Bonnie we miss you!
Still waiting for the lily explosion. Last iris is still hanging in there.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Today at Iten's Acres: Canines--Wild and Domesticated May 31, 2012
Saw a
fox and coyote today. The coyote was checking out a deer carcass in
the swamp across the road. The neighborhood fox greeted me on my
afternoon walk--at the back of the property. Checked me out and decided
I was scary I guess. Ran off into the tall grass. Beautiful creature.
Neighbor Aaron has another dog--brown lab I think. She's not as "hyper" as Stella was. Loves to walk though and joins me whenever I'm out and about. Haven't seen the Outlaws for a couple days though. Yes, she found the pond. And knows how to shake the water off. Yes, my clothes are damp.
Still waiting for a lily outburst. One last iris is still considering whether to bloom. The Japanese iris should be blooming in a week or so; they're always last. Triteleia started blooming today and astrantia. God has a "corner of the market" on variety.
Still no word from Dave.
Oh, planted a bunch of wild flowers the last two days. Love naturalizing my property with Ohio flowers. Hope they take root and enjoy their new home at Iten's Acres. Let the competition begin. First Queen Anne's Lace today as well.
Neighbor Aaron has another dog--brown lab I think. She's not as "hyper" as Stella was. Loves to walk though and joins me whenever I'm out and about. Haven't seen the Outlaws for a couple days though. Yes, she found the pond. And knows how to shake the water off. Yes, my clothes are damp.
Still waiting for a lily outburst. One last iris is still considering whether to bloom. The Japanese iris should be blooming in a week or so; they're always last. Triteleia started blooming today and astrantia. God has a "corner of the market" on variety.
Still no word from Dave.
Oh, planted a bunch of wild flowers the last two days. Love naturalizing my property with Ohio flowers. Hope they take root and enjoy their new home at Iten's Acres. Let the competition begin. First Queen Anne's Lace today as well.
Walking Iten's Acres: The WIA Dictionary May 29, 2012
The WIA Dictionary
Prologue: I know. Dictionaries don't have prologues, but convention
is not a theme at Iten's Acres. This should have probably been like the
second or third entry in this developing blog, but I'm a little random
so here it is now. And, of course, the WIA Dictionary will not be
alphabetized. Random must rule!
Walking Iten's Acres: the process of ricocheting from flower bed to flower bed until one finds oneself in the back meadow. The process then becomes more of a meander until the wild area is reached. Then? Back to the ricocheting on the various paths. Backtracking is required. Stopping is also a necessity in order to walk properly. Sitting in the green throne on the top of the hill may also come into play. Yes, sitting quietly and observing is an integral part of Walking Iten's Acres.
Opera (literally "willing work"): Everything done on Iten's Acres is opera. The singing is provided by my feathered friends. Totally random of course. Barking dogs may also be part of the melodic symphony that accompanies my willing work.
Discombobulate: The feeling I have this year since the weather has messed up all my meticulous note keeping about what should bloom when and where. There is a feeling that I'm going to miss something. Beauty is a terrible thing to miss.
Feeding the Bluebirds: The mowing of the front of the Acres. It is absolutely essential that you stop, turn off the mower, and sit quietly. Then, the bluebirds come and reap the bug harvest stirred up by the mowing. The longer you sit, the more birds join the party. Robins, goldfinch, cardinals, red-winged blackbirds, catbirds, sparrows of all kinds. Makes a nice lunch break, even if I'm not the one eating.
Feeding the Swallows: The mowing of the back of the Acres. It is absolutely essential that you not stop. These velvet acrobats enjoy circling the mower, flying right at you, coming from all sides, feasting on the fleeing insects. It is, believe it or not Ripley, a source of joy.
Serenity: 1) walking and being totally ignored by the bluebirds as they roam the Acres. I have been accepted as a non-threatening aspect of their lives 2) standing in the back meadow on a clear night overwhelmed by the majesty of a starlit sky 3) lying on the floor upstairs listening to the rain dance on the roof 4) the moment when one is surprised by beauty. 5) The sound of two little children calling out "Hi Al" (The list goes on, but I'll stop for now.)
Plague: A bad mosquito time: see spring of 2012
Expectation: The time spent from December to March wondering what bulbs that were planted in the fall will come to life in the spring.
Anticipation: The sense that today as you walk some new beauty will be blooming that was not blooming yesterday--or even this morning.
Gardening Angels: Those responsible for secretly planting new species each year at the Acres or for moving flowers to a new place that they've never been before. (Responsible this year already for a new elderberry bush, a columbine in a new place, an unknown wild flower in Bed 1 (The Morning Glory Bed), a Bronze Dutch iris in the Red and White Bed. More to come! I hope.
Outlaws: My two furry friends--Bonnie and Gus (No, I still haven't convinced Aaron to rename Gus Clyde). Walking companions at times. Work supervisors at times. Fertilizers at times. Skunk, rabbit, and ground hog exterminators at times (one of those activities is not appreciated). Occasional rascals--they do like to dig at times. Always more than happy to be petted and loved on.
Mulch: That practice that is used sparingly in order to ensure a new crop of larkspur, cosmos, snapdragons, etc. Yes, my gardens are "weedy." But it's worth the laziness. For example, the Rainbow Bed outside Mom's window, at one time had one balloon flower. This year there are over fifty.
Weeds: Plants that if we found them in the wild area would produce "oohs" and "aahhs" but in a flower bed are called "weeds" and summarily hated. Dandelions and buck thorn are, however, weeds and deserve to be despised.
Peace: When worries evaporate as one walks the Acres and breathes in the loveliness.
Compost: The leftovers that the Outlaws munch on if I toss them out back.
Varmints: Rabbits, deer, groundhogs. Walnut trees. Mosquitoes and ticks. Not even Iten's Acres is perfect.
Meadow: The open expanse at the back of the property. Great place for star gazing, feeding swallows, chatting over the fence with a good neighbor, sitting on a green throne.
Margins: The sides of the meadow that are allowed to grow wild. Home to a variety of birds. The goldfinch in particular like to nest in the margins. Every year they get just a tad wider.
Back Forty: The very back of the property, past the wild flower area, the place to stand and look back up at the house. When one arrives here, it is time to turn around and begin the meandering back. No, it is not forty of anything.
Iris--iris
Pepsi--Pepsi is the tree of life; coke came after the fall. (I just had to include that, sorry.)
Walking Iten's Acres: the process of ricocheting from flower bed to flower bed until one finds oneself in the back meadow. The process then becomes more of a meander until the wild area is reached. Then? Back to the ricocheting on the various paths. Backtracking is required. Stopping is also a necessity in order to walk properly. Sitting in the green throne on the top of the hill may also come into play. Yes, sitting quietly and observing is an integral part of Walking Iten's Acres.
Opera (literally "willing work"): Everything done on Iten's Acres is opera. The singing is provided by my feathered friends. Totally random of course. Barking dogs may also be part of the melodic symphony that accompanies my willing work.
Discombobulate: The feeling I have this year since the weather has messed up all my meticulous note keeping about what should bloom when and where. There is a feeling that I'm going to miss something. Beauty is a terrible thing to miss.
Feeding the Bluebirds: The mowing of the front of the Acres. It is absolutely essential that you stop, turn off the mower, and sit quietly. Then, the bluebirds come and reap the bug harvest stirred up by the mowing. The longer you sit, the more birds join the party. Robins, goldfinch, cardinals, red-winged blackbirds, catbirds, sparrows of all kinds. Makes a nice lunch break, even if I'm not the one eating.
Feeding the Swallows: The mowing of the back of the Acres. It is absolutely essential that you not stop. These velvet acrobats enjoy circling the mower, flying right at you, coming from all sides, feasting on the fleeing insects. It is, believe it or not Ripley, a source of joy.
Serenity: 1) walking and being totally ignored by the bluebirds as they roam the Acres. I have been accepted as a non-threatening aspect of their lives 2) standing in the back meadow on a clear night overwhelmed by the majesty of a starlit sky 3) lying on the floor upstairs listening to the rain dance on the roof 4) the moment when one is surprised by beauty. 5) The sound of two little children calling out "Hi Al" (The list goes on, but I'll stop for now.)
Plague: A bad mosquito time: see spring of 2012
Expectation: The time spent from December to March wondering what bulbs that were planted in the fall will come to life in the spring.
Anticipation: The sense that today as you walk some new beauty will be blooming that was not blooming yesterday--or even this morning.
Gardening Angels: Those responsible for secretly planting new species each year at the Acres or for moving flowers to a new place that they've never been before. (Responsible this year already for a new elderberry bush, a columbine in a new place, an unknown wild flower in Bed 1 (The Morning Glory Bed), a Bronze Dutch iris in the Red and White Bed. More to come! I hope.
Outlaws: My two furry friends--Bonnie and Gus (No, I still haven't convinced Aaron to rename Gus Clyde). Walking companions at times. Work supervisors at times. Fertilizers at times. Skunk, rabbit, and ground hog exterminators at times (one of those activities is not appreciated). Occasional rascals--they do like to dig at times. Always more than happy to be petted and loved on.
Mulch: That practice that is used sparingly in order to ensure a new crop of larkspur, cosmos, snapdragons, etc. Yes, my gardens are "weedy." But it's worth the laziness. For example, the Rainbow Bed outside Mom's window, at one time had one balloon flower. This year there are over fifty.
Weeds: Plants that if we found them in the wild area would produce "oohs" and "aahhs" but in a flower bed are called "weeds" and summarily hated. Dandelions and buck thorn are, however, weeds and deserve to be despised.
Peace: When worries evaporate as one walks the Acres and breathes in the loveliness.
Compost: The leftovers that the Outlaws munch on if I toss them out back.
Varmints: Rabbits, deer, groundhogs. Walnut trees. Mosquitoes and ticks. Not even Iten's Acres is perfect.
Meadow: The open expanse at the back of the property. Great place for star gazing, feeding swallows, chatting over the fence with a good neighbor, sitting on a green throne.
Margins: The sides of the meadow that are allowed to grow wild. Home to a variety of birds. The goldfinch in particular like to nest in the margins. Every year they get just a tad wider.
Back Forty: The very back of the property, past the wild flower area, the place to stand and look back up at the house. When one arrives here, it is time to turn around and begin the meandering back. No, it is not forty of anything.
Iris--iris
Pepsi--Pepsi is the tree of life; coke came after the fall. (I just had to include that, sorry.)
Riding Iten's Acres: Broken May 28, 2012
Feeding
the bluebirds--until the belt on the mower blades broke. AGAIN. It's a
yearly occurrence. If you need to buy a riding mower, call me. I can
tell you what not to buy. Oh well, it will probably work better than a
rain dance. What brings the rain more surely than a broken lawn mower?
Hope Dave the lawn mower guy isn't too busy. Cutting over five acres
with a push mower--no thanks.
A few iris are left--one new one today; maybe one more later this week. Hopefully the lilies will start blooming soon. Firsts today: two wild flowers--I'll need to get Ben to see if he can identify them from the photo shoot on Tuesday. Other firsts--larkspur--purple and pink--and the white rose. The daisies have taken over the rock garden for the time being. I love them. The pink spirea will look marvelous by mid-week in the midst of a sea of dancing white.
Every day brings something new this time of year. Delightful to a weird old man.
A few iris are left--one new one today; maybe one more later this week. Hopefully the lilies will start blooming soon. Firsts today: two wild flowers--I'll need to get Ben to see if he can identify them from the photo shoot on Tuesday. Other firsts--larkspur--purple and pink--and the white rose. The daisies have taken over the rock garden for the time being. I love them. The pink spirea will look marvelous by mid-week in the midst of a sea of dancing white.
Every day brings something new this time of year. Delightful to a weird old man.
Backroads of Morrow County: Dusty Roads May 27, 2012
There's no way to hide your presence these days. The lack of rain on
the gravel roads makes a dust cloud to accompany all travelers. No one
is going to sneak up on anybody til the rains come. The red winged
blackboards must think that the road side ditches were the main purpose
for our constructing the byways for our cars. Their activity as I drive
along suggests the next generation has arrived and are in need of parenting.
Only one field is still in stubble. Perhaps they're doing the biblical thing and giving it a year of rest. No rain means that the crops are not growing very quickly. "Knee high by the fourth of July" may not come true this year without a little moisture. The first mowing for hay is over. A couple fields still have it lying in the sun drying out. Most of the hay fields have been baled. Serenity: a hilly field punctuated with bales of hay resting under blue cloudless skies. A second haying will take place in early fall. Those farmers who have wheat fields will have a third. After they harvest the wheat, they go back and make hay of the stubble that's been left behind. "Waste not, want not." The cattle and horses of Morrow County will not go hungry this winter. One farmer always leaves about a quarter acre unmowed. I think he's been "sweet talked," sweet sung, by the meadowlarks, and he goes around their nesting places to guarantee another song and flashes of brilliant yellow for next year. Sacrifices a little money for his winged neighbors. A conservationist with a red tractor and a John Deere baseball cap; I think I'd like him for a friend.
This weekend a couple of the places have lines of flags "planted" along the front of their homes. Fences of thankfulness, remembrance, and, no doubt, for some a deep proudful sorrow. The wind caresses; they flutter in the country breezes.
Only one field is still in stubble. Perhaps they're doing the biblical thing and giving it a year of rest. No rain means that the crops are not growing very quickly. "Knee high by the fourth of July" may not come true this year without a little moisture. The first mowing for hay is over. A couple fields still have it lying in the sun drying out. Most of the hay fields have been baled. Serenity: a hilly field punctuated with bales of hay resting under blue cloudless skies. A second haying will take place in early fall. Those farmers who have wheat fields will have a third. After they harvest the wheat, they go back and make hay of the stubble that's been left behind. "Waste not, want not." The cattle and horses of Morrow County will not go hungry this winter. One farmer always leaves about a quarter acre unmowed. I think he's been "sweet talked," sweet sung, by the meadowlarks, and he goes around their nesting places to guarantee another song and flashes of brilliant yellow for next year. Sacrifices a little money for his winged neighbors. A conservationist with a red tractor and a John Deere baseball cap; I think I'd like him for a friend.
This weekend a couple of the places have lines of flags "planted" along the front of their homes. Fences of thankfulness, remembrance, and, no doubt, for some a deep proudful sorrow. The wind caresses; they flutter in the country breezes.
Today at Iten's Acres: Self-help May 24, 2012
The
rain dance and animal sacrifice didn't work so I had to water the new
annuals myself. Ugh. (Am I getting old or just lazy? Don't answer
that!)
Catbirds are here. First one I've seen this spring. Love them.
Roses are starting to bloom everywhere. Can't wait till the wild ones adorn the wild area! They intermingle with the daisies--a white blanket with red and pink polka dots.
Catbirds are here. First one I've seen this spring. Love them.
Roses are starting to bloom everywhere. Can't wait till the wild ones adorn the wild area! They intermingle with the daisies--a white blanket with red and pink polka dots.
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