Friday

 Great night of sleeping.  And this morning, around 8 I was on my way to IU North for bloodwork. Dr. Schneider's nurse Julia called at noon.  Next Tuesday I'll be visiting again Larry, Curly, and Moo, my Kisqali pill buddies.  White count numbers have improved, and those 3 pill buddies will be coming my way.  Super Good News...the headlines of the day.  

                                                                   So big and so pretty.

I stopped at the library book slot to deposit my books on the way home.  A planned afternoon trip didn't materialize.  There was a sleepy Doug that got in the way. More gardening books with pretty pictures.  There is nothing better than that for my eyes these days. Tomorrow, a visit is a possibility.  

                    Annual sweet peas.  They HATE hot weather.  It's difficult to keep them happy.

Then back home to check on the garden and I became a very grumpy Mrs. McGregor.  Last night I dusted the broccoli.  There were a few insect holes.  This morning the two little bunnies had jumped out of their garden bed right to the broccoli for breakfast.  In fact, I caught one of them just munching away even eating the broccoli head plus the leaves as I watched. Was it the yummy dust that made this happen.  Probably not. Just two eager bunnies happy to have breakfast close at hand.

                                        You could call this a bonsai broccoli.  I call it sad. 

      The broccoli plant should look something like this. The rabbit's bedroom is at the bottom of the picture. I bought three broccoli plants.  Two have been bunny eaten.  I'm not giving up on the plants.

I took a clipper to their yarrow bedroom now being exposed to the world and then I found another hidden bedroom in among the perennial sweet peas that completely covered the driftwood.  

You can see where these bunnies slept in the lower left corner of the picture. It's what looks like a dirt path.  Now there is no yarrow hiding them. 

The perennial sweet peas will slowly return again later in the summer.  I sprayed rabbit repellent everywhere.  Mrs. McG. hopes you bunnies take your cuteness to some other garden. You crossed the red line in my book. Remember that cute Peter Cottontail song.  I'm hearing it in a minor key now sounding like a death march.

More garden news... The heat took care of the spring lettuce.  A trip to Rosie's to look for something to replace the war that went on in the garden this morning happened in the late afternoon.  The selection was pretty louse, but I came home with four tiny cabbage plants that are dusted, watered with fertilizer and surrounded with chicken wire. It's been a chicken wire summer so far.

I know there is cabbage called early and late.  Cabbage doesn't do well in hot weather mid summer usually, but the tag said plant in full sun.  Have times changed since I planted cabbage with my mother?  Maybe so.  

I haven't seen the bunnies all day.  I guess if their home is destroyed it could be better to move on. There is another garden cart filled ready for a dump in the B. Blue. 

Another garden spot got some work.  I have ornamental strawberries in another bed.  I love their spring  pink blooms. They grow into what I call a big mess with runners running everywhere. The solution is to pull stuff like that out at some point.  This morning was the point.  It's time for something else to take the spotlight.  The ornamental strawberries will be back at some point.

            There is a whole lot happening in this plot.  The big miss is color.  We'll add time, fertilizer and patience to make that happen. The ornamental strawberries are at the bottom of the picture. The dark line is the shadow of a power line overhead. 

So, I would say it was a good work morning that ended once again around 10:30. Enough work for the day.  We'll see soon who really won the 2025 garden war. The truce remains to be signed at this moment. We may have scared the cute broccoli snitchers away for the rest of the summer. 

I discovered that another squirrel was playing in the trap and then trapped in the raccoon trap.  So off to the woods once again with a reset for the next curious squirrel. They can't resist the peanut butter and black sunflower seeds. It's time for the garden diggers to move on.

I would say the day had its ups and downs again.  Sort of like jumping off a high bridge with a bungy cord hooked to my shirt.  After supper there was a garden walk.  The caterpillar is still munching.  The fairy stump has a new little mushroom that came home with the cabbage plants. 

                                    It's that tiny polka-a-dot mushroom that is new to our fairy world.  

The poor war-ravaged broccoli plants got a super drink of fertilizer.  It's a bit cooler.  Life is good.  I am blessed and my hope that all who read these words can find something to be thankful for at the end of this day.  

When I was in the classroom with first and second grade children, one goal for the day was to notice something that amused me.  I always found a joyful moment and that made all the difference.  There is joy wherever we are.  It may be so tiny we don't notice it, or it may be almost overpowering.  But it's there no matter what. 

During these days of living, I always find gifts of joy in the stillness of the morning walking the garden with the sun turning color and flowers into magical things.  It makes me want to sing...I owe the Lord a morning song of gratitude and praise for lengthening out my days.  God is good.