Beginnings - June 16, 2017

Huld, my first Icelandic Sheepdog, was bred by Helga Gústavsdóttir of Kersins kennel in Iceland. Huld's parents were Rosi frá Húsatóftum and Fjalla Edda. I had been talking with Helga for several months and was pleased that she would let me have the pick female for her next breeding before the dogs were even bred. That was 17 years ago now before the breed was fully accepted by the American Kennel Club. Of course I fell in love with Huld and a year later Helga sold me another female I named Kata whose parents were Ýrar Akkur and Melkolku Brenda. Even though the breed did not have full recognition, soon we were able to start showing in performance or obedience events. Both Kata and Huld earned many performance titles over the years. Huld is gone now but my amazing Kata is still with me and charming all with her great temperament. Click on photos to enlarge them.

Kersins Huld

Kersins Huld

Kersins Huld

Kersins Huld

Kersins Kata

Kersins Kata

Kersins Kata

Kersins Kata

A sort time ago I read an article suggesting that isolating garden plants from neighbors, weeds or other flowering plants might not be a good idea. It proposed that plants in nature are closely associated with neighbors which might be mutually beneficial by providing support, shade for roots to reduce water loss, protection from insect predators, etc. Plants do require different soil chemicals to thrive and perhaps plants with different needs really don't compete or compete less. I like that idea if for no other reason that it makes "weeding" less important. It seems to me at least that some plants do seem to do better next to others. I have "wild" plants in with my regular garden plants from stores, catalogs, friends' gardens, etc.

Below are some photos from today. We have had lots of rain and that has made things grow really nicely. It's, for many of my plants, the third year of the "sleep, creep, leap cycle".

Tradescantia - Spiderworts

Spiderwort

Baptisia australis

Baptisia

"Wild" swamp iris, daisies, and a Japanese iris

a shady part of the garden

another shady section

a peony from seed

a wild rose

a "shrubby" Clematis

Clematis

Sweet William

wild larkspur, cultivated sedum, daylily

My friend John came up for a short vacation and while hanging some art, a ladder slipped from under him, he landed on top of the ladder somehow, hist his head, and broke his tibia at the ankle. I love being here but hospitals are not close. We drove for about half an hour to McKenzie Hospital in "nearby" Sandusky, Michigan. They were all very nice and after CAT scans, and an x-ray for possible concussion we left with a temporary stabilizing "cast". John is hobbling around on a walker and crutches and is in pain; he also had to call in to work. When he gets back home to Ferndale, he'll have to have another cast and possibly a pin to link the bone back together. His attitude is great and he does seem to be appreciating the down time away from work - or maybe he's just saying that to make me feel better. He jokes that now he can take that off his "bucket list" which isn't actually that funny - - but a very good attitude to have, eh?