Judith Weir

Highly recommended: The Welcome Arrival of Rain (Judith Weir)

a snippet of this album can be downloaded here (a 2008 recording)

Took this snap this morning while changing the blog header....water, rain, Judith Weir composes evocative instrumental sounds; BBC Symphony Orchestra in performance

Seize the Day

Carpe diem, said Horace.  We did.

Corn growing yesterday early morning, with the help of Gene's green thumb and God's good sun and water:

And, later in the day, it was eaten an hour after cutting it from nine foot stalks:

(the cosmos and coreopsis are now in full bloom)

A trip up to the mountains for lake fishing:

This scenery was behind me at one spot where I fished. A bearded "mountain looking" guy came by on the trail and said that he had been angling directly across from us, near where beaver had cut down trees for a small dam.  He said he moved because he could hear pups nursing in the brush beside him but decided to quietly move on because he did not want to disturb the mother and pups.  He said he figured it was beaver pups, but did not even try to get a peek.  Now that is a considerate fisherman.

breathtaking trees with the reflections mirrored on the lake

This little chipmunk kept crawling over my shoes and assortment box, trying to get into my trail mix.  Never did let him get a bite, though.  These creatures were seen frequently and had no fear of humans.  I suspect many people feed them, although it is not a park-approved practice.  This baby chipmunk was about six inches long.  He may have been the one to have stolen the top piece of bread from a bologna sandwich in a baggie, unbeknownst to Gene until he reached into the Ziplock to take a bite of lunch.

Total catch for the day: two fish. One was a splake (a cross between a lake trout and a brook trout) and one was a rainbow trout. The splake is an oilier fish with redder meat than what a rainbow trout sports.  It was delicious, tasting somewhat like salmon.

Besides the corn and the fish, our dinner was completed with tomatoes and cucumbers from the garden, along with cilantro butter from Kepanie's Pinterest pin::

That was our seizing of the day.

Gardening Question

Having searched the resources available, yet not having talked to a REAL gardener, I can't find an answer to my question.

Question: after sixteen years, why are the blossoms on these old chrysanthemums so small?

wee mum flowers are on lower right of picture

My stylist this morning said that the roots after all these years probably have worn out.  The Walmart flower seller guy said that genetically, maybe the flowers are just not supposed to bloom after a certain undefined number of years.  So with those expert witnesses to testify on my behalf, the mums will be dug up, discarded, and and replanted with fresh pots of mums.  

Sadly, I must wait at least two weeks until shipments of new mums arrive at the local stores.  Home Depot is my usual supplier.

The red mums above seem to be doing well and are the usual sizes.

Cosmos with flower garland seem happy.

Columbines on second flowering of the season after roots have been shaded with bark and flagstone rock. Some columbines have been moved to different locations, but have not overcome the shock of their rude upheavals, so the pictures would not be pretty if they were shown.  Trust me, those flowers and the daisies that were also dug up and moved are in a sad state of trying to survive in their new surroundings

On a happier note, new hostas have found their places this morning in the wildflower garden, although they really should be banned from living with the wildflowers.  Let's just say the wildflower garden is becoming more civilized with the hostas growing alongside the columbines and penstemon and daisies.

Lots of rain has kept us indoors a bit more the last few days, so I've caught up on Last Tango in Halifax (my new favorite PBS series), Endeavour (another PBS series) and reruns of Midsomer Murders.  John Nettles of Midsomer fame is my new best male friend.  Cannot forget Poirot, either.

Wishing you a big, beautiful bowl of ruby red cherries.  Hope your July ends on a high note!

And if you know why those flowering mums have become so small, please leave me a comment.