Covfefe - June 6, 2017

Kata, my 15 years old Icelandic Sheepdog, viewing the north garden from the house. (Actually all you can see is her curled yellow tail!) There are also Icelandics closer to me. It's virtually impossible NOT to include them in photos of the yard! We've had loads of rain this spring/early summer which works out just fine for my transplants but not so good for the seeds most of which have rotted in the soil. Not a problem. Plants were bought and planted instead. Clicking on photos enlarges them.

Spring flowers are mostly finished blooming now and we've moved on to early summer bloomers. The lilies of the valley are still doing OK and wafting their perfume over my entire yard; they'll be finished in a day or two and too soon in my opinion. Several iris have just started

Many folks have chives in their gardens but overlook the variety found in the many different kinds of onions. I've planted the bulblets of my walking onions around the edge of my vegetable garden. Maybe, MAYBE, they will discourage the rabbits? Time will tell.

There are at least four pairs of tree swallows scattered around in my bluebird nest boxes. A late arriving couple aroused the ire of the already established harmony of the earlier arrivals who are all expecting eggs any day now arrive. The newest arrivals may have found an unoccupied box on the edge of the north forest. I hope they like that never-been-occupied house and decide to stay. One house was taken over successfully by a pair of house wrens. The feisty wrens managed to retain ownership. I have two pairs of wrens this year. Sadly there are no bluebirds yet this year but in the past they have sublet a house after the tree swallow fledglings have left.

Korpur loves posing; this time he's in front of the wildly expanding Canada Anemones. They skipped the middle step of the sleep, creep, leap perennial three year plan going directly from sleep to leap. They will need to be removed before they take over - - but not yet. They're too pretty to remove now.

There are many new varieties of Baptisia. I'm not sure what this one is called but I love the contrast between the yellow flower buds and the deep purple nascent buds. It's also pretty when the flowers open. I still have a "wild" blue Baptisia that's tucked into my garden and remains a favorite. I'll share photos of both once the flowers open. With only a little help from me my Baptisia also seed themselves.

I don't recall the timing of the annual Port Huron to Mackinaw sailboat race; we'll enjoy sitting with adult beverages in hand on my front patio watching the quiet boats "race" by. Much more pleasant than experiencing the annual Woodward Dream Cruise which happened every August in Royal Oak.