FRIDAYS FLOWERS

I took a ride down the driveway in the golf cart ( ankle still swollen) to see what was in bloom by our pond. I found just the right blooms for Fridays Flowers.

I just LOVE gathering fresh flowers every Friday.  It has become a wonderful habit :)
See more Friday's Flowers over at Renee's blog, FIMBY.
Added Note: I WON! My name was drawn as winner at Fridays Flowers from this post. I won Renee's Summer "Shoo Fly" Soap. Doesn't it sound just heavenly? 
Thank you so much Renee!

{this moment}

Following  inspiration from SouleMama:

"A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

HUMDINGER !

Humdinger: noun : a striking or extraordinary person or thing: (1904)

It was an extraordinary event that I was able to capture pictures of the Hummingbird that visited the Monarda (Bee Balm) this morning. 

I was on the deck taking in the many sights around me,  butterflies, birds, chipmunks, and rabbits when I heard a loud call from a Bluejay high on the pine branch . He flew away too fast for a picture, much to my dismay, but something else caught my eye by the Monarda, and my camera and I were at the ready.

"Have you ever observed a humming-bird moving about in an aerial dance among the flowers - a living prismatic gem....it is a creature of such fairy-like loveliness as to mock all description."  

~W.H. Hudson,Green Mansions

There are three kinds of Hummingbirds that are usually seen in Massachusetts from May to mid-September:

~Ruby-throated Hummingbird

~Rufous Hummingbird 

 ~Allen's Hummingbird

All three of the males have brightly colored throats but females do not. 

I believe this bird to be a female Rufous Hummingbird. In some of the pictures you can see black streaks mixed in with the white at her throat. And her feathers and crown are the same green.

"Ruby-throated females have white feathers that cover their throats. Rufous females have white feathers covering their throats as well, but they also have dark colored feathers streaking throughout the white feathers. Female Allen's Hummingbirds also have white feathers covering their throats, but also have red feathers that create spots throughout their white throats. "   

A TINY ABODE

The sound, of a faint *cheep, cheep, cheep*, alerted us that baby birds were in the vicinity.

We searched the area and found three sleeping baby birds. They were covered in gray/brown fuzzy down and were very precious.

The nest was only about three inches wide, and was nestled among the branches of the young Blue Spruce tree outside of our raised bed garden.

We kept looking at them and soon they were looking right back at us.

It seems we might have interrupted feeding time as both the mom and dad were waiting patiently for us to leave.

We stepped back and gave them room to feed their babies in comfort. 
And we just marveled in the sight. . . another one of nature's gifts.

These birds are American Tree Sparrows. 
Note what the adults birds have in their mouths, they eat 100% animals matter, mostly insects. Read more about them here and listen to their bird call.

YES PEAS

It looks like this might be the last of the pea harvest until the fall, now that July is here bringing us 100 degree humid weather.  

"We are old and we are wise. We are one of the matriarchs of the garden. More than food, we are healers of the soil, which is so much needed today. Our job is extensive and more difficult because of pollution and destruction of the natural order. Consider planting us hither and yon in your garden, especially in soils that need a boost. Do not worry about staking and training such random plants. We will share and help where invited; more so when appreciated." --Message from the pea essence.

Oregon Giant Pea  and  Sugar Snap Pea 

We like to eat them raw, right from the bowl, in a salad or with a dip. Sometimes we stir fry them in a tad of olive oil  YUMMM!
We also plan to try this pickling recipe we found with some of our fall pea harvest.


Dilly Snap Peas
2 pounds of raw snap peas
Remove strings, if necessary, and pack snap peas as tightly as you can in hot, sterilized pint jars, leaving 1/2-inch of headroom.
To each jar add:
A pinch of cayenne pepper or dried chili peppers
1 clove garlic, diced
1 head fresh dill or similar amount in leaves
Bring to a boil:
2-1/2 cups water
2-1/2 cups white vinegar
1/4 cup salt

Pour the mixture over the peas, leaving 1/4-inch headroom. Seal the jars and process for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath. For a sweet and sour pickle, preserve snap peas in a "bread and butter" pickle recipe, tossing a few onion slices in each jar. Add pickled peas to salads, soups and stews (add a few minutes before serving), diced in quiches and rice dishes, potato salads (marinate the warm, diced potatoes in the pickling brine for a few hours).

ONE WORD WEDNESDAY

~ togetherness ~

(Please feel free to join in One Word Wednesday. Leave a link in the comments). 

GROW GARDENS GROW

(Buddleia, Echinacea, Rudbeckia, Liatris, Onion)

WOW!  The gardens have grown overnight!

                                            ( Provider Bush Beans)

I watered today after being laid up for the last two days with a bruised, swollen and sprained ankle.  Lying on the couch elevating and icing my ankle was a great thing to be doing in this 90+ degree heat but not when the animals and garden require extra care because of it.


Everything is looking good although there are quite a few weeds that need tending. I do prefer that *wild* appearance anyway instead of a neatly manicured area but certainly not when weeds take center stage over the flowers :)

(Miscanthus sinensis, Buddleia, Achillea, Echinecea,Rudbeckia, Monarda,Yucca,

Stachys byzantina,Fragaria, Allium schoenoprasum, Buxus sempervirens )

(Pines, Beech, Monarda, Sedum)

(Hemerocallis,Miscanthus sinensis, Buddleia, Sedum, Rudbeckia,

Monarda,Origanum vulgare, Heliopsis, Nepeta,Silene coronaria, Liatris)

Wild rabbits are seen often munching on green plants that have been left standing. It makes me feel good that I have left them there, and if they eat those, they will not try to get into the raised bed area full of vegetables.

(Alcea)

(Rudbeckia)

(Hemerocallis)

There is more to weed, more to plant, the setting up of trellises for cucumbers and stakes for tomatoes , and aphids to be rid of on the false sunflowers. Always something to be done in and around the garden. It's all good and enJOYable.

LET FREEDOM RING

Happy Independence Day

I wish that every human life might be pure transparent freedom.  

~Simone de Beauvoir

FRIDAYS FLOWERS

Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia) are blooming at our house in New England and they are my Friday"s Flowers this week.  They always look so cheery and fun. 


See more Friday's Flowers over at Renee's blog, FIMBY.

{this moment}

Following  inspiration from SouleMama:
"A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

USE WHAT YOU HAVE

We like to use what we have instead of making a purchase. And I try to share these ideas with the children I work with as well as my own family. 
 Look around your house and see what you can use.

We needed storage for small items that the young children could easily see and reach , so
we saved ice cream containers, cleaned and painted them, and put them in a bookcase for easy access. Some of the children even helped paint them.

 We also use these containers for art supplies, sometimes putting nothing on them but a primer coat to cover the label.

We use what we have to store art supplies and create art . . .

                                                                  glass jars

tin cans

      lids to use as paint palettes

                                            
  waxed paper is used over and over and over again

   tissue paper from gifts is folded and saved for  projects

and pizza boxes are given new lives. . .

as art in itself, painted and decorated (even the inside!) and used for treasured items,

OR as stacked storage with a strip of tape telling its contents.

Look around , become more aware, make a change and use what you have . You don't need as much as you may think :)

Suzan, at oldgreymare, is hosting Project Genesis . Head on over there to be inspired and see what small change YOU can make for yourself and the world.