IN Carmel

 Is that all true?  (Wed. response) I should believe that a monk, father, brother-in-law, uncle wouldn't lead me astray.  And I'm so indebted to you for taking time to find all that godly information about creature groups. I challenge you to use your research in one of your homilies.  Well, I had a good laugh about that stuff. You sound just like Uncle Dee. How strange is that, Father Cassian. Now I'm going to see how I can use what I read somehow in conversations with friends.  You are the best!  Question...what is a group of monks called?  Monastery is a wrong answer.                                         Jared's Minardi.  He has a great compost pile of good stuff.                                                           My Minardi.  I need some compost or maybe a move into all sun.  Maybe both.                                                                   Fi nally, an unknown butterfly of some size.   So, it's another hot Thursday all day.  Well, most of t

 Up early with moving the suet out to its hook.  We take it in every night to avoid whatever critter comes to visit for the party.  The Flicker was waiting. The patio indicated that putting the seed away for a while was a good decision. I walked the garden realizing that those who moved yesterday were in great shape. The nasturtiums told me that it was bloom buster time fertilizer.  They have had enough nitrogen.  It's time for flowers.                              Flowers needed.  Come on and drink today's cool aide. I call it flower power. Breakfast happened and a flash of orange was seen at the feeder.  That means Mr. Oriole was stopping by for his morning meal of jelly.  Yeah!!!  I'll cheer for this pair any time day or night, Sunday through Saturday. I'm happy to have two even if Jared has a gaggle. OOPS again...Flock I think is the word. Does gaggle go with ducks.   Today promises to be hot.  All the fans are in place and I'm ready for a little heat.  The earl

 Tuesday all day.  And it started later than usual.  For now, I'm doing better with sleeping.  What a gift.  Egg and coffee for breakfast.  Doug has the coffee maker set for brewing at 8 and this morning I didn't need to push the earlier than 8 coffee button.                                           Lantana doing their best.  This is the work horse of the garden.  My phone told me that we might have rain at 8:30.  Woo...really?  The patio looked a reck again with seed hulls and bird poop.  The blower came out and I thought the impending rain if it really got here would take care of the rest.  We were on the edge of that rain map.  That changed and we had about an hr. of light rain.  Woo that was one watering job I could scratch off for sure.                                                                                                  To the garage. By pure chance yesterday morning I spotted the female Oriole on the oriole feeder. Chances are good enough for me.  She's c

 The first day of hot and we're doing just fine.  At 7 PM it's 90 outside but in the house it's 92.  I would say a little warm because this house never had air conditioning but a boiler and baseboard heat.  No ducts for cold air.  We've been here for 50 years and it's just the way it is.  Doug's hang out is in the lower level a bit cooler than where I am. We made a choice so enough of writing about it. I hate window air conditioners but might look for a little room cooler at some point.                                 Doug's favorite day lilly.  He's going to have a ton of them if the deer let him.  This morning was slow which was fine.  I cut out 12 fleece burps stacking them ready for the sewing machine at some point.  At 12 Hoke took me, Miss Daisy to see Dr. Baker which was a very productive meeting.  I said she is a gem and once again I was right.  My last visit was before the seizure so there was some talk about that with a good laugh about where t

 I awoke at a decent hour.  Thanks be to God.  It was breakfast and then the usual walk to determine what happened overnight in the garden.                                                                    There were more surprises. The first day of the week is church day.  And as usual we were off to church at 10:00 giving us time to visit.  And our friend Leigh Mamlin was here from Columbus , Ohio to celebrate father's day.  It was so good to see her and her daughter Franny.  The church family celebrated the three plus years our associate minister has been with us now moving on to his own church.  He will be missed.  In Sept  Amy moves on to her first church in Montana.  We say we are a teaching church helping folks called to the ministry.  Woo. We're in another adjustment moment in time. There were more garden surprises.  After the second service time together included a meal.  After some discussion, we decided not to stay.  So, it was home for lunch and then a great phone

 Today was one of those slow days.  If I wanted to do something I did something and then I also did a lot of unsomethings.   A peak with the camera told me that mom was taking a break and those 5 little mouths were open wide for a treat.  In the last picture taken there were 4 mouths and one egg.  I'm counting five heads.  I don't think they are very pretty, but they do turn out to be stunners.  No oriole spotted today but then I haven't been outside very much.  I did have a goal of getting to the number 100 with burps wanting to deliver them to Ginny tomorrow at church.  Ginny Cushman Wood, our Sr. ministers wife works with the Goodwill baby mothers.  Getting to 100 took a little effort but by noon I had made it.  Ginny has gotten the message, and I'll be passing the bag off to her tomorrow.   I have a bit of fleece fabric that might be used but I'm not real excited about that fabric.  It's just not as absorbent as flannel.  We'll see what Ginny thinks abou

 It's the end of the work week for some folks.  Retired folks might just say another day like some others.   It was a morning of feeling down.  Farther down than I wanted to be but down having not heard a word about the scan.  It's difficult to be content when the word isn't ready yet.  Inquiring minds want to know what the heck is going on.  Maybe nothing or something.  Just one of the two is the choice.  I called and left a message which hasn't been returned.  I imagine that Friday could be a day off for the office.  I'm clueless if that's true but it makes me think that might be the reason.  I haven't been forgotten.  The word just isn't ready yet.                Big Bertha looking bigger almost ready for stuffing.  I'd like her skin to be a bit thicker.   I watched morning TV.  A walk in the garden brought about some transplanting of basil.  Now everything is full.  NO, fuller.  There was some pulling out among the Nigella flowers. Just the tired

 Today's pictures are what one sees in the garden.  I hope you find some amusing moments. I try to keep things a little loosey goosey.  It helps alot.                                        A bird in hand is worth two in the bush. Today started with a cup of coffee with hazelnut creamer on the patio watching the birds.  It was an unusually quiet song this morning.  Then I began to see things.  The bird bath was almost empty of water.  There was a lot of bird seed in some unusual places.  Clues said there was a party last night and once again we were not invited.  I think the party involved deer mischief, so the blower came out to clean up the party mess. Along with the suet I am recommending that all the sunflower feeders spend the night in the dining room.  I'm trying to make life a little easier with no toy play for the deer.                                                                                                       Babies Breath I noticed bad stuff in the hummingbi