Alexander McCall Smith

If you've not heard that name then you haven't read any of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency novels.

I've just read the latest in the series "Tea Time for the Traditionally Built". Another marvelous picture of human nature with the backdrop being Botswana.

I recommend this series to you.

What is it about birds ...

and windows? We even have decals on every other window that are supposed to keep them from meeting their death by hitting the glass.

Last evening about 7 o'clock I was on the telephone with my mom and heard the thump of a bird and glass. I was in my studying so I was looking out and thought I saw the bird fly away. Checking to be sure I soon discovered that the bird flying away was not the same one that thumped. A thrush lay on its back on the deck and as I was recognizing what it was, it was dying before my eyes. I went outside and touched it with my shoe but it had passed already.

I seem to only hear the thrushes singing in the evening or see them dead on my deck. I keep a list in the bird book and this makes the third one. Others on the list: '05 - cedar wax wing, '06 - falcon, cardinal, grosbeak, unknown gray bird with mottled breast, '07 - thrush, '08 - thrush, and now in '09 - thrush.

To prevent more deaths, I've got to find more effective decals.

State of the Veggie Garden

My two raised beds are crammed full with peas, spinach, lettuces, and four tomato plants. Above is the view of the one with the four tomato plants. I just put the cages on and hope that the netting will fit over top.
This one has the lettuce varieties I got from Emily. Below is the back view with the mesculun growing well.
There are tiny buds on one of the tomato plants.
Here's the back view of the other bed with the spinach. It's growing back after the haircut I gave it earlier.

The peas are blooming. With the net on will they get pollinated?
My onions are growing in the perennial bed. I have two short rows. There's dill and parsley coming up behind the onions.
Here is the garlic I planted last fall.
Here's one of the six hot peppers I planted. With the warmer weather they should do better.

Iris Query

Notice the iris above that is two colored. Is it yellow from the irises to its left and ...

purple from the irises to its right?

I love this time of year with the irises in bloom.

Harvest

I took the shears to the spinach last night so that we could have enough cooked. It was delicious. I think the spinach will grow back. I've done it to the mesculun too and it grows back.

My peas are flowering so it won't be long before I have snowpeas. They will go well with the Curry Simple I ordered. Haven't heard of Curry Simple? Check it out? http://www.currysimple.net/
If you order the combo, type in "coconut" to get $10 off your order.

Newest Blooms

My clematis opened some buds early this morning. Unlike the daffodils, the blooms are facing our bedroom window. What a nice surprise when I looked out.

Two more irises opened as well overnight.

May Bloom Day

My first Bloom Day posting. Here is what has just started to bloom in the garden this week.

I also had one yellow iris in my pond blooming but my camera couldn't focus on it. Next time.

Bird Sighting

I think I saw an indigo bunting today as I was leaving. It was on the driveway and flew into a tree. I'm fairly certain it wasn't a bluebird because it was too small. I'd love to have had my binoculars to verify it, but not the case. I'll have to watch for it as I walk the driveway in the months to come.

Buds

We have had a week or more of rain. The garden is growing but some of the flowers are waiting for sunlight to open.

Irises not fully opened.

Clematis waiting for a sunny day.

Knockout rose bud.

The lilies of the valley have always liked the moisture.

The glen is in full leaf with that new leaf green color that only lasts for a short time. It's the color Sarah selected for her bedroom, too.

Grosbeak Visit

So my new camera only has 4x optical zoom while the Fugi had 6x. This picture isn't as close as it looks. I cropped the original to make them bigger.

New Camera

I didn't get the top of the line: Canon Powershot A590. I'm undecided whether it is that much better that the 2003 digital Fugi I have. The latter is 3.2 megapixels and the Canon is 8.0. I'd been taking closeups with the Fugi but not using the macro feature. I never could get the buttons straight. Question is whether I will be able to with this new one. It's a whole lot smaller.

Bleeding Heart

What an appropriate name for a flower? It so looks like that. But why is it like that? What i really like about this flower is that it blooms for a long time in the spring and then takes its leave for the next year. My bleeding heart came from my mom's plant. It's so nice to get hand me downs.