The Mum: Oh come on, at least you’d be able to see easier…
Wilson: {interrupting} No way, Jose. I’m not wearing a rubber band or scrunchy on the top of my head to get the hair out of my eyes. End of discussion.
The Mum: Alrighty then. So what do you have to share today.
Wilson: Wait…what? I said no and you caved with no attempts to urge a different outcome? I better pinch myself…I figured you’d spend a lot of time arguing trying to cajole me into looking like a pineapple landed on top of my head. Not to say I’m suspicious…but I am a bit suspicious, Mum.
The Mum: Not to worry, House Pony…I don’t mind giving you some agency about minor things like that.
Wilson: Minor? Trust me, that’s not minor, Mum. Wearing my hair up in a top knot would make me the laughing stock of Ralston Creek. You know I have a certain “je ne sais quoi” to maintain.
The Mum: Oh my gosh, you are so dramatic! It was just a suggestion to help you see better until your grooming appointment in a few weeks. Lighten up.
Wilson: Harumph…I just wanted to get things out in the open and on the record. I think we should probably focus on slices of nature we encountered this week instead, now that the pineapple strategy is dead in the water. How about it, Mum?
The Mum: {rolling her eyes} Yes, let’s change the subject and move on. I know where you stand and won’t bring it up again.
Wilson: Thank dog! Now that we’ve settled that, let’s share a few slices of nature from our house before we hit the trail outside, shall we? Figaro is looking pretty doggone good. I can barely get around him. He’s going crazy, Mum. I think we should put him outside.
The Mum: He is getting pretty big but since there still can be overnight freezes, we’re going to have to wait until that threat is gone so you’ll just have to co-exist with him for a little while longer. And I beg you to be careful as you’re racing to the front door which is just a few feet away.
Wilson: Hey there, I’m always careful! I can’t help it if he takes up too much space.
The Mum: Right…{eyes rolling again}. You’re about as careful as a bull in a china shop. Delicate you are not.
Wilson: Now, now, Mum. That corner of the entry must have some really good juju because your Christmas cactus is in bloom again. While not nearly as full of blooms at it was at Thanksgiving and Christmas, it does have a few bright blooms. Even the Christmas cactus that rarely blooms and nearly died a few months ago has some buds on it. Are you doing something special with the cactuses?
The Mum: Nope, not at all. That last cactus has more blooms than it ever has! It lost a fair amount of its branches and I almost considered letting it go. I just think they like the light in the entryway-it’s not too severe or bright. But whatever it is, I’m pleased that they’re in bloom again and setting leaves and flowers. It’s very exciting and even the newest one (on the lower right) is joining the ranks of bloomers. It came from Dad’s house and is also setting buds. Color me happy.
Wilson: Way to go, Mum. Did you see the new neighbors? I haven’t met them but hear them every day.
The Mum: Spring is always an exciting time in the world of birds. I’m keeping my eyes peeled to see new baby ducks and Canadian geese which we’ll likely see before any of the birds who nest in trees.
Wilson: We’ve seen some blooming wildflowers along the Ralston Creek Trail this week. This first one looked a lot like the lupine we had in our old garden. I looked it up and it’s a Thermopsis, a herbaceous perennial and legume and commonly known as goldenbanners or false lupine. When I looked it up , I discovered it’s quite toxic so I guess we won’t be walking close to it. Apparently there has been some research about the toxicity of T. rhombifolia (which I think is the variety we found along the creek) with the highest concentration in young plants. We just found them blooming this week so they are likely fairly young.
The Mum: It’s a good thing you aren’t much of a taster of plants. I was shocked to read about the toxicity. I’ve been missing the lupines from the old garden so was happy to see something that looked like the old garden plant (although I discovered a hitchhiker that started to grow in a planter that had bachelor buttons in it which will like bloom over the next week). Maybe we’ll get some new seedlings to start a fresh lupine garden at the new house. Fingers crossed.
Wilson: I’m sure that’d would make you happy. So what’s this plant? It was next to the sidewalk on the street I walk along every day toward the creek trail.
The Mum: Ahhh, that’s a parrot tulip. Just look at that pretty ruffled flower. It sure is quite colorful but I think it needs some fellow tulips to create a nice spot of color. Hopefully it will naturalize.
Wilson: Guess yellow is this week’s main color outside. We found another yellow blooming plant along the creek trail. This one is a biennial herb called, Barbarea vulgaris, commonly known as wintercress or yellow rocket. Native to Eurasia and North Africa, it has naturalised in many parts of North America. It prefers fresh or moist places, along roadsides, rivers, and on slopes and in ditches, up to an altitude of around 8,000 ft. It apparently doesn’t mind clay soil so it should do well here. I don’t think Mum has ever found more clay soil than here. Along the trail it was interspersed among grasses and near a few sporadic blooming flax plants. Mum wasn’t able to get any photos of the flax, it didn’t show up very well in the grass.
The Mum: It’s been a week of discovery of the local wild plants and I’m enjoying what grows well around here in the wild. It’s fun to see critters among plants in natural settings. It’s so different from our old neighborhood so this has been quite the adventure.
Wilson: Speaking of adventures, what plans do you have for the weekend? Anything exciting going on. Mum is meeting up with another old colleague to catch up with her before she retires. Mum was saying she probably wouldn’t know too many people still at the firm, they’re all retired now. I tried to tell her that’s normal for humans. They move on but they hang on to the past too often. They should be more like us dogs who know how to live in the moment. Whatever you do, we hope you have a great weekend and can find spots of nature to enjoy.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
I think Wilson would rock that look but hey, it’s good that you give the boy agency. If only so we can listen to your back and forth with him LOL
Spring is really trying to spring, but then boom! It goes back the other way again.
Hope your weekend is going along just swell
All is good in the 303. It’s been a good Saturday. Reconnected with another old colleague who’s getting ready to retire, and Wilson doesn’t have to suffer the man bun look. Hard to get better. Saw that Ottawa lost so both Tkachuks have been dispatched to the the links. Sorry for the Sens but good riddance, I say! Revel in your spring weekend even if it is a bit on the cooler side. There will be months ahead when we look back at these days and say “boy what I’d give for those crisp temps of April.” Enjoy.
Attention golf courses everywhere . . . . . INCOMING!!!!!!!
It was almost chilly this morning. Check that, it WAS chilly this morning, I wore three layers to go out for my run.
Yeah no kidding! We will be pining for these chilly mornings.
Good to hear the 303 is peachy. Enjoy your Sunday.
Thanks Marc. You as well. It’s presently 38F so I hear ya on the chill factor.
Top knots are cute 🙂 🍍
They can be but I’m not sure Wilson is a man bun wearing kind of dog. LOL Have a terrific weekend!
You too!
Hmm……a pineapple head hairdo……I’m trying to picture it and it’s just not YOU!!! Lots of wild flowers and beautiful colors in Spring…..My Mom has a couple of Christmas cactus plants – one is pretty old and it doesn’t flower as much but the other one was going crazy a month ago. They’re funny – they flower when they feel like it not when they’re supposed to! Anyway, sending Spring hugs from us to you.
Love, Teddy (and Mom)
Nope, Wilson is not a man bun wearing kind of pooch!
Glad you enjoyed the flowers. It’s been quite the adventure seeing a totally different landscape emerge in the new neighborhood. And that’s been fun! Have a pawtastic weekend.
My Christmas cacti bloomed then and again for Easter. now they are taking a rest!
I wish my orchids would decide to put out some flower stalks. They all did a while ago, but right now I think they are on strike or hibernating.
You have some interesting if scary wild flowers to beware of there! You have winter cress, we have bittercress! Those along with garlic mustard, pokeweed and several other non native weeds are trying to overtake my yard. I let the dandelions be, for the most part but spend hours each week pulling out the others, including all the vines that want to climb my trees, which weakens them so that sooner or later high wind storms bring them down. That is what happened here a couple springs ago…
Wilson, we are glad you didn’t let your mom pull up your furs into a top knot…maybe she can convince you to allow her to trim around your eyes so you can see better?
And your Figaro has GROWN!
The flora around here is really interesting. Mother Nature proves once again she has the final say so about what and how it grows. When you live in the city you generally don’t see such toxic plants (although I have to say all spring bulbs are quite toxic for pets so there’s that). Dandelions are fine in bloom and when they set those seed heads-it’s when they start to shrivel when you wish they could be less prolific. They say the leaves make a nice tea. Vines on trees is dangerous and is a pain to remove. I got to the point that I used vinegar away from trees to kill bindweed and it does a great job of killing it without harming trees. Table vinegar will work but agricultural strength (20% acidic as opposed to 3% for table vinegar) is truly amazing at controlling weeds!
Wilson is not the man bun wearing kind of guy and while the hair pokes around his eyes haphazardly, so I’ll just push it out of the way. He looks so cute with lots of hair anyway. 😉
Figaro has been a busy boy. Looking forward to the first little figs showing up. Have a wonderful weekend.
I am glad you stood up for your right not to knot
Thanks, I let Mum know I’m not a man bun kind of fella. 😂
Have a furbulous weekend.
Your fur-iend,
Wilson 🐾
Those are pretty blooms, and yes, you will see and hear those geese before just about anything else. They are not shy!
Thank you! Boy you know it. Geese are so loud and fairly obnoxious. But the goslings sure are adorable. Have a marvelous weekend!
The blossoms are beautiful. Thanks for identifying them, although I won’t see many of those around here. Thanks, too for letting Wilson keep his floof the way he likes, or at least the way he won’t be embarrassed.
Thanks, Dan. Since I’m curious by nature, I had to look up those two yellow plants on my plant identifier since we’ve been here for less than 5 months. It’s gonna take a while to learn what grows around here. And that’s the best part!
Im pretty sure Wilson thinks he’s a bit too old to be wearing a man-bun. And certainly not hip enough either. 🤣 We hope you have a fur-bulous weekend!
He’s a stylish English gentleman,
You are way too handsome for a top knot Wilson! Such wonderful photos. I hope you and Mom have a fabulous weekend.
Many thanks, Terry. Wilson doesn’t feel like he can pull the man bun thing off. 😂 Enjoy a terrific weekend!
Beautiful blooms. I love Christmas Cactus. Have a nice weekend. XO
Thank you, Ellen. I love Christmas cactus too and to see it bloom a second time in 5 months is such a gift. We hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Your tulip header is just lovely!
Interesting to have new wild flowers to enjoy.
Many thanks, Helen. It’s from a photo I shot at the botanical gardens a few years ago. The tulips were incredible. It’s been great fun seeing what blooms our here. Here’s hoping you have a truly lovely weekend.
A lovely walk today, Monika and Wilson. I so agree on the Canadian geese. Gotta be careful at nesting time. Those ganders enjoy butt nips like nobody else. The figs around here are full and beautiful. They took a hit in the freeze but have come back. Have a super weekend.
That’s very kind of you, John. Thank you. Yeah, Canadian geese are nothing to be trifled with. Last year I saw some new goslings and the mum watched me like a hawk when I tried to capture a photo or two.
Am looking forward to find baby figs soon. Wilson and I hope you have a pawtastic wekeend!
Hey, c’mon Wilson… topknots on guys are very much in vogue these days. 😉 I think you’d look cute! 😀 Have a great weekend!
Ummm, Wilson isn’t sure he can pull off a man bun, Eliza. He thinks it’s unseemly for a British dog. LOL
Enjoy your weekend!
🙂
Lovely flowers! Maybe you can identify the flowers in my post today. Photos from Uruguay 🙂
Abbi barks in agreement Wilson about tying her hair into a pineapple. She will calmly wait for her overdue grooming appt. 😄
Happy weekend! Enjoy reuniting with a friend. 🥰 We are getting together with friends tomorrow.
Thanks. I’ll see if my plant identifier is up to speed with Uruguayan flowers.
It’s rather comical since Wilson will let me put sunglasses and hats on him but he’s just not keen on scrunchies. Go figure. Enjoy getting together with your friends tomorrow and have a wonderful weekend!
Great! Thanks. 🙂
Haha! Our dogs have minds of their own!
Thanks, you too! 💕
Love me that tulip – gorgeous!! So lovely to see greens and all sorts of colors, other than gray and brown.
Thanks, Debra. Talk about striking! I’m sure once the heat and lack of moisture (at least in this part of the country) start to settle in once the blush of spring is gone, the landscape will revert back to tan and brown. Till then, I’m going to take photos of everything in bloom! Have a lovely weekend.
Yeah, we’ll have tan and brown as summer kicks in too, but I’m going to try to put that knowledge away on a shelf in a dark closet for now.
That’s a great idea! I’m sure many of us will be whining about the heat and praying for the awful winter too many suffered through. Let’s enjoy what we can for now.
Such a lovely variety of wildflowers you have along the trail there sweet Wilson and Figaro is looking truly fabulous! Sending love across the miles and a happy weekend to you and your Mum too ❤️🐾 xxx
Thanks so much, Xenia. It’s fun learning what blooms here and looking up them up. So far, it’s all been great. Here’s hoping you and the precious Bria enjoy a spectacular weekend in the highlands.
Very pretty flowers you have at your new digs.
Thanks, Kate. We’re enjoying what gardeners are into on a different side of town. It’s been fascinating. Have a marvelous weekend!
What kind of bird nest? Image search says maybe a robin, oriole or bushtit. 12 year old me wants the last one so I can repeatedly post “How’s your bushtit doing these days?” Sorry…I’ll leave now. 😛
Such pretty flowers and a beautiful Christmas cactus too! Mom is sad the cat killed hers as it was really nice. Thankfully we are feline free these days. We too have furs that go into our eyes. Mom takes our thinning shears and wacks them down now and they so they stay out of our eyes. We love seeing the ducks and ducklings but the Canadian Geese can all to elsewhere, they might look nice but they are horrible birds that fill our area with poop and attach people and dogs. We can’t stand them.
Thanks. It was a sunshiny yellow week. We’re not fans of Canadian geese, but the babies are pretty cute. Sadly they grow up to become the dirty, mean birds we all are way too familiar with-blech-no thanks! I’ve had the cactuses bloom again before but wasn’t expecting it now since I think they were pretty stressed when we moved. It was during one of the few snowstorms and was super cold. But they seem to love their new home. We hope you have a terrific weekend.
So much excitement for a dog. Love it.
our cactus gets flowers too… we got it as a christmas cactus… is it too early or too late? happy weekend…
Hahaha. Good question! Have a great weekend.