Category: Gardens

Nature Friday ~ August 18, 2023

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 66 Comments

ElsaWelcome to this week’s edition of Nature Friday…which means we’re joining our pals Rosy and Sunny from LLB in Our Backyard. Don’t forget to click on the link to see what other slices of nature have been shared.

The Mom: {softly speaking} El….sa, oh Elsa.

Elsa: {yawning} Wha…er, who said that?!

The Mom: Good morning sweetie, didn’t want to startle you but it’s time to share nature from around the neighborhood. You ready, sweet girl?

Elsa:  {Big yawn and stretch} I guess so. You do realize that  you interrupted my wonderful snooze.

The Mom: So sorry, little one. I tried to be as gentle as possible waking you.

Elsa: It’s okay, Mom. I appreciate it-you know how I can wig out if I’m unexpectedly startled so I appreciate it.

The Mom: You’re very welcome. So what do you plan to share with us today?

Elsa: Well, I like to call it ‘hodgepodge’ slices of nature since there really wasn’t a congruent theme we could pursue. Ok with you?

The Mom: Of course, it’s your blog; you can do what you like.

Elsa: {wheels in her head are spinning around} Seriously? I get to decide?

The Mom: Sure-you can do whatever you like…

Elsa: {interrupting} Hot dang! Woo hoo…finally, some power…

The Mom:  Umm…let’s not get too carried away. You still have to operate within the perimeters of WordPress and decency…

Elsa: Wait…what? There are limitations on what I can share?

The Mom:  Well, first there is the User Agreement that WordPress will enforce and then there are technological limitations. So we don’t want to get too carried away by letting power go to our heads…

Elsa: Oh man…you’re always raining on my parade.

The Mom: Sorry, but that the way things work in life. That’s just the way it is. Now given that, are you ready to start?

Elsa: {grumbling} Fine…sheesh…you never let a girl have any fun.

The Mom: That’s not exactly true, but it’s a simple fact of life that it has its boundaries. Plus you want to be a good girl, don’t you?

Elsa: {more grumbling} Harumph…I guess so. Ok, let’s get started. Maybe if I find some interesting pics this week, I’ll feel a better.

The Mom: Probably a good idea. So what ‘cha got for us?

Elsa: Well, like I said, we’re doing a hodgepodge collection of flowers from around the ‘Hood. But first, check this out! I had no idea Groot lived in our neighborhood. I always thought the Guardian of the Galaxy star (aka Flora Colossus) lived in Marvel-land. You never mentioned he lives so close to us.

Groot
I am Groot

The Mom:  Umm, hate to break it to you, but that’s not Groot. It’s a Virginia creeper that spread all over a power pole. But it rather does look like Groot. Can’t wait to see it when autumn arrives and the leaves change color (note to self, try to remember where you saw that thing to photograph it!).

Elsa: Umm, that’s Groot, Mom-you can’t fool me. Besides, remember this is MY blog and I can write what I want. You just got through telling me that. Remember??

The Mom: {sighs} Fine, believe what you like.

Elsa: Woof! I’m kinda liking this new found power thing.

The Mom:  Oh dear, I’ve created a monster.

Elsa: Hey, no comments from the peanut gallery. Just because humans have a thumb, they let things go to their heads. Sheesh.

The Mom: Well ex-cuuuse me. What else did you see this week on our walks?

Elsa: Well, I noticed those gigantic pink Hibiscus blooms at that house around the corner-you know, the one that bugs just love to sniff?

Hibiscus

The Mom: Indeed I do. That plant has the biggest blooms I’ve seen this year and the color is truly Barbie-inspired.

Elsa: Umm, right. Just don’t get any ideas of dressing me up, Barbie style, okay?

The Mom: Wouldn’t think of it, Toots. Everyone else may be gah-gah over the whole Barbie phenomena, but I know you’re more of a tom-girl than a Barbie girl.

Elsa: Doggone right! I am not some silly girly-girl who needs protecting, although you notice how much I’ve calmed down on our walks?

The Mom: I sure have. I’m grateful you no longer seem compelled to attack passing dogs on our walks. You’ve been a very good girl and pretty much stopped fence biting with the dog next door.

Elsa: Thanks, Mom. I guess now that I’m the solo dog who coincidentally is enjoying all this newfound power, I don’t feel as threatened. But never fear, I’ll happily defend you should the need arise, Mom.

The Mom: Thanks, sweetie. That’s very kind but there’s no reason to scare dogs we may encounter. I’m glad you recognize that. So, you have any other flowers to share?

Elsa: Ooh, ooh, I do. On the farthest end of our walks, do you remember those beautiful Hollyhocks we walked past? There was one in particular that really cranked my handle. Such a bright shade of red and sooo pretty.

Flowers

The Mom: Oh yes, that one was particularly striking. Hollyhocks (Alcea rosea) are part of the mallow family and are considered a popular ornamental annual, biannual or perennial. Hollyhocks were imported into Europe from southern China. Did you know that the red varieties seem to prefer sandy soils, while the lighter colors seem to like more clay like soils. No doubt the hummingbirds love that garden.

Elsa:  Well, it seems to be Dahlia season now and we’re seeing a bunch of them blooming around the ‘Hood. Sure wish you’d plant some of those, they are very pretty even if they don’t have much fragrance. I really liked this pink one with the yellow center.

Dahlias

The Mom: They really are gorgeous, but I’m just not willing to dig them up at the end of the season to over winter them and then replant next Spring. I prefer less work-intensive perennials.

Elsa: Pfft…don’t know why. It’s not like your slaving away on the blog anymore. You should reconsider that plant for next year.

The Mom: Umm, not gonna happen little one, but nice try  with the guilt. There are so many others that are equally as pretty that require a lot less fussing over.

Elsa: Whatever. How about something like this one? It sure is pretty. Although most of the plant seems stripped of its leaves (likely due to the hail storms we had), the flowers sure are  pretty. Didn’t you say your plant identifier thought this was some kind of Hydrangea?

Flowers

The Mom:  That’s right, sometimes called hortensia, Hydrangeas are native to Asia with the greatest diversity in China, Korea, and Japan.They can be deciduous or evergreen, although the majority of temperate species are usually deciduous. One fascinating thing about Hydrangeas is how they act as a natural indicator of the soil’s pH levels, with the flowers turning blue when the soil is acidic and pink when the soil is alkaline. I discovered the white ones (the oakleaf or smooth varieties), don’t change their flower colors. They can naturally bloom in white (sometimes fading to green), cream, or dusty pink. There are some red ones, too. Isn’t that cool? They aren’t typically planted much in Colorado since they tend to require supplemental water with rich soil, and the leaves and flower buds are poisonous to dogs and cats if eaten. Guess we won’t be planting any, just to be on the safe side.

Elsa: Well poop, I like them. They look like big snowballs and you know how I like the snow. Just when I get excited about a plant, you share facts that shoot down any planting around the Ranch. Rats!

The Mom: Sorry, Elsa. Just want to keep you safe, that’s all. Got anything else for us to enjoy?

Elsa: Well there are a couple more pics to share. The first is a small garden in front of a storefront along on our walk. This border contains Peregrina, the colorful plant mixed in with some ornamental grass and Black-eyed Susans behind a wrought iron fence. This was a tiny little garden, but it sure makes for a pretty summer border.

Flowers

The Mom: You’re so right, I must have walked past that place a jillion times and just noticed these plants this week.

Elsa: Don’t you just love it when little gardens catch your eye like that? It reminds me of the Painted Lady moth I noticed this week in the dog run. I’m sure they’re out there all the time, but this one stayed in place long enough to get his picture taken. I was only bummed you didn’t try to dress him up like you do me but…oh well.

Butterfly

The Mom: I got lucky being able to capture this guy before he flew off.

Elsa: Well that’s about it for this week though I’m going to miss face rubs on the grass. My eye got all nasty looking and you unceremoniously rushed me off to the vet. Dr. Ken is very nice and I was a good girl. While he looked me over he thought maybe I’d developed an allergy so no more face rubs in the grass, just to be safe. Well, if it means I no longer need eye drops, I’m cool with that.

Elsa

The Mom: Yeah, me too. You had some very yucky eye-snot with redness so no more rubbing your face in the grass…sorry, Ninja.

Elsa: It’s ok, thanks for always looking out for me, Mom. I’m sure I can find one something else for you to worry about {heh, heh}. But I’ll give you a break…for a little while. So what’s on the calendar for this weekend? Anything exciting?

The Mom: Nothing for us; we’re just patiently awaiting for the heat to mellow out. These past few days of high 90’sF (35+C)  really don’t lend themself to getting out and about, unless we do it at the crack of dawn.

Elsa: I’m good with lazing about in a nice air-conditioned home with abundant treats, hint, hint, Mom. What about you readers? Anything exciting going on? Let us know so we can live vicariously through you while the autumn countdown continues. Just 35 days until autumn’s official arrival in the Northern Hemisphere.

The Mom: {smiling at the mere thought of autumn} We hope you’ll stop and pay attention to all the beautiful servings that Nature dishes up for our enjoyment.

Elsa: Woof…good advice, Mom. Have a great weekend, everyone.

Nature Friday

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature Friday ~ August 4, 2023

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 58 Comments

Elsa & the ButterflyWelcome to the first Nature Friday post for August. Gosh, where has the time gone? July with its nasty heat came and finally went (thank dog!) and it’s dawned on me that autumn’s official arrival is just a mere 49 days. Forty-nine days, people!! Woo hoo…Elsa here joining Blogville pals Rosy and Sunny from Adventures of the LLB Gang. Remember to click on the link to see what others shared. Let’s get this party started, ok?

Elsa: Hey, Mom…why is there a butterfly on my nose-get it off. I know you’ve been fairly apologetic about not sharing any good smelling flowers recently but if you think a little photo editing is gonna going to make everything ok, guess again.

The Mom: Umm, well, erm, lighten up, Elsa. I was just trying to add a bit of creativeness. Why not tell folks the real truth now…that you’ve been badgering me ever since that post went live, bugging me to find you some nice smelling flowers.

Elsa: Meh…you say potato, I say ‘potahto.’ Let’s just tell readers that you no doubt, have felt lots of remorse and have been looking for fragrant flowers 24/7, to make it up to me?

The Mom. Umm, not 24/7 but I will say I have been looking for flowers with lovely scents but it’s been a challenge this time of year. First the two hail storms from last month pretty much wiped out all the roses, along with just about everything else…

Elsa: {interrupting} And this is my fault exactly how?

The Mom: Ahem, as I was about to say, I have been looking for some fragrant flowers on our walks. We’ve even been taking different routes to see if some garden out there have some fragrant flowers. I did find some marigolds but you made it perfectly clear you weren’t all that keen on them with lots of sneezing after checking them out closely.

Flowers

Elsa: Doggone straight! “Eau de blech” is not my idea of a sweet smelling fragrance.

The Mom: Yes, but you have to admit they are cheerful and pretty and manage to keep bugs at bay around the tomato and strawberry plants.

Elsa: And there’s a good reason for that. They. Just. Smell. Disgusting! Don’t do that ever again.

The Mom: Umm, o-k-a-y. I can take a hint.

Elsa:  {interrupting with raucous laughter} Bwahahaha, you slay me sometimes, Mom. Hint indeed-HA! I’ve been barking my head off about sweet smelling flowers for weeks and all you can come up with are marigolds? Good grief!

The Mom: Now hold on…hear me out. Marigolds are cheerful, super easy to grow, and come in a variety of sizes and shapes. They thrive in hot dry conditions and lord knows, we’ve had plenty of those lately. They will grow in just about any soil, even ours. With two separate kinds (French and African), they’re usually self-sowing and they make excellent companion plants that can repel certain harmful bugs around tomatoes, strawberries, onions and garlic.

Elsa: Oh great, onions and garlic-more disgusting smelly plants. Do you not understand the concept of nice/sweet smelling? Do I have to explain it to you by speaking more slowly and using small words so you’ll get it?

The Mom: Sheesh, I got it. Honestly, you have become such a pill lately.

Elsa: {eyes rolling} Listen, Mom, I don’t mean to harsh your mellow…I just ‘nose’ what I want and am a very focused dog about getting it. That’s all.

The Mom: Yes, I think ‘relentless’ does comes to mind about the things you demand want. Fine, I’ll get you some nicely scented flowers, okay. Are you happy now? Continue reading “Nature Friday ~ August 4, 2023” →

Nature Friday ~ July 21, 2023

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 45 Comments

ElsaHowdy sports fan, Elsa here with another edition of Nature Friday, hosted by our pals Rosy and Sunny from Adventures of the LLB Gang. Don’t forget to click the link to see what others shared. Since today is the opening of the new Barbie movie, I thought I’d go back to the pink accessories. Mom is scratching her head about all the hype to the release of this movie. I guess she never chewed played with a Barbie doll as a kid. I, on the other hand would have loved to have gotten my jaws, erm, I mean my paws, on one of those toys. I’ll bet they would be quite tasty to my poodle taste buds. But enough of the cultural balderdash, we’re here for nature.

Elsa: Moooom, oh mooom…bark, bark, bark!!

The Mom: Yes, Ninja?

Elsa: Oh there you are, let’s get this post started. This week I thought we’d go on ‘Sniff-ari’ and check out some of the flowers we encountered on some of our crack of dawn walks. Waddu say?

The Mom: Sure…what would you like to share first?

Elsa: Well about those Sunflowers against yesterday’s cloudy sky? With all the rain received over this Spring, it looks like there’s a bumper crop of those cheerful blooms.

Sunflowers

Elsa: {continuing} Hmm, seems like you managed to capture some sort of flying insect here with these flowers. Did you plan that?

The Mom: I had tried to capture him with his wings opened but he always seemed to be on the down beat when the shutter went off so I couldn’t capture him in winged flight. Rather sad but, it is what it is.

Elsa: Harumph…you just need to anticipate better. But let’s move on to something you did manage to capture better.

The Mom: {blushing with embarrassment} Ahem…well how about this colorful batch of Ice Plant?

Flowers

Elsa: Mmmm,…I took a sniff at those things. Nada, nothing. Where’s the fragrance? I thought we were on a “Sniff-ari.” How can I go on “Sniff-ari” if there’s no scent?

The Mom: Umm, it’s not “Sniff-ari.”  It’s safari, which means “a travel or journey.” Scent can be an element of that journey but it isn’t an absolute given.

Elsa: Boy, you can say that again. I wanted to sniff things-you know that’s how us dogs process our world. We’re not just about ‘seeing’ things. We want to smell them. It tells us who was here before, if they left us a message and all sorts of data about their gender, their general overall health…

The Mom: {interrupting} I understand, I was just explaining what a safari is…

Elsa: {pouting} Whatever…let’s move along, ok?

The Mom: Fine. How about you share the first Gladiolas we’ve seen this Summer? I think this one is is known as ‘Atomic’ – sometimes called a Sword Lily. This species is apparently fairly hardy and originally from Africa.

Gladiola

Elsa:  I suppose since it’s originally from Africa, it’s part of the ‘safari’ and not my ‘Sniff-ari.’ I noticed this one didn’t have any fragrance either. I’m getting the feeling we’re not going to be experiencing a whole lotta scents on this walk, Mom.

The Mom: Erm, sorry Elsa. I apologize for not being more sensitive to your nose.

Elsa: {clearly miffed} Well, you should be. Nothing we saw was very fragrant. I feel gypped. Big time. I mean you went to the Lavender Festival last week and there was plenty of fragrance there. How come not here?

The Mom: I’ll try to do better next time. At least we can share some of the pretty blooms, even if they aren’t fragrant.

Elsa: {grumbling} I guess when you don’t have thumbs, you just have to go along with the thumb carrying person holding the leash on this here Nature walk. Got anything else? Fragrant or otherwise?

The Mom: Clearly I’ve misjudged this week’s focus. There are still a lot of things to enjoy. While this next flower doesn’t have and discernable scent, I recall you didn’t object to sniffing around its base on the ground. I’m guessing there were some messages that other dogs had left.

Flowers

Elsa: Yeah, this batch of Hollyhocks and Sunflowers did have a LOT of messages…I’d have lingered longer but got bored. Some dogs just blab on and on. Jeez.

The Mom:  {ignoring Elsa’s commentary} Just look at this Rudbeckia, commonly referred to as Black-eyed Susans. Did you know they are also part of the Sunflower family?

Flowers

Elsa: Nope, didn’t know, don’t care either. All I know is they also didn’t have any fragrance.

The Mom: Ugh…still complaining about the no fragrance? Can’t you just enjoy the visual aspect of pretty flowers?

Elsa: Well I thought we were going on a “Sniff-ari” not some shallow beauty pageant strut. Sheesh, Mom…come on.

The Mom: I give up. Will you just allow your mind to be open and appreciate how lovely these flowers are? I mean…look at the first Dahlia we came across yesterday morning. Come on, tell me this isn’t pretty. I dare you.

Flowers

Elsa: Well if Dahlias are the end all be all of flowers, how come you haven’t planted any? Huh, huh?

The Mom: {stammering} Uh, well, I…er…the garden just doesn’t have sufficient light for them to thrive, yeah, that’s the ticket.

Elsa: Uh-huh. Yeah, I know you like planting flowers that smell nice. You’re not fooling me one bit.

The Mom: {realizing the folly of arguing with the Ninja} Ok, you got me. I do like fragrant flowers but in my defense, I also don’t want to have to dig Dahlias up and store them over the winter either. You happy now?

Elsa: I’d be happier if there was something that smelled nice.

The Mom: Oh for the love of all that’s holy. Let’s just share one more pretty flower, ok?

Elsa: Hey you’re the one driving this post with these non scented flowers, not me. What else doesn’t smell that you’re just dying to share? Well come on. Share it!

The Mom: Fine, I’ll just share one more non-fragrant flower from our walk yesterday. I thought these daylilies were quite lovely. It’s true, many Hemerocallis, aka lilies, do not have a fragrant scent but their looks rather make up for it, don’t you think? They come in so many different colors, you gotta admit they’re worth sharing.

Flowers

Elsa: Meh…I don’t have to admit anything when I thought I was going on a “Sniff-ari.” Which reminds me, I think I’ll just go on a face rub wander so I can actually smell stuff since everything you shared is decidedly NOT fragrant. This grass smelled great and I managed to capture all the stinks smells all over my face.

Elsa

The Mom: Sorry you feel that way-perhaps a bath will improve your mood. Maybe you’d feel better if you realized that fragrant plants can affect people’s allergies-in a bad way. Think of this as providing a public service for everyone who is negatively impacted by scented flowers.

Elsa: Not. a. chance. I’ll leave it to the reader to decide if we should have actually gone on a “Sniff-ari” like I wanted to or some lame safari like you ended up taking us on. By the way, the grass smelled sweet and was just fine by me.

Elsa: {continuing} Anyway, what’s up on your weekend? Doing anything exciting or will you just try to get through this dog-awful heat dome that’s impacted over 100 million people for the past 39+ days? Whatever you do, we hope you can stay cool, dry and safe. Stay hydrated and enjoy…especially something with  great scents. Remember…there’s ‘just’ 63 days until autumn officially arrives. I’m hoping things will smell better then.

Nature Friday

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature Friday ~ July 14, 2023

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 39 Comments

ElsaWelcome to Nature Friday, hosted by our pals Rosy and Sunny from Adventures of the LLB Gang. Elsa here bringing this week’s edition to your inboxes. Imma here to also tell you it’s {in the words of my brother} bloody hot. Good grief…who turned up the thermostat? I almost feel badly for Mom since she’s been walking me just after sunrise which means neither of us are getting our beauty sleep. Trust me, she needs it more than I do but still…I wouldn’t be adverse to sleeping in until 6:30 or so. C’est la vie…such is the life of a black dog.

So this week I thought we’d check out pollinators from around the 303. Mostly Monarch Butterflies that is, though Mom got to see other kinds of butterflies at the Chatfield location of the Denver Botanical Gardens for their annual Lavender Festival. This iconic butterfly has an amazing journey, migrating between 1,200 and 2,800 miles from the northeast US and southeast Canadian mountain forests. Monarch butterflies, Danaus plexippus, which means “sleepy transformation” in Greek because of the species’ ability to hibernate and metamorphize. Adult monarchs have two pairs of brilliant orange-red wings, with black veining and white spots along the edges. Male butterflies are slightly bigger than the females. Did you realize these amazing pollinators only live about four to five weeks! Guess they have a lot to do in their short lives.  Here are some of the butterflies Mom saw at the butterfly house at Chatfield.

Butterflies
Butterfly educational board

As you probably already know, milkweed is the only plant on which monarchs will lay their eggs and their favorite source of food for emerging caterpillars. Sadly far too much of the Monarch’s natural food source is being eradicated from urban and agricultural landscapes.

Every wonder what the life cycle of a butterfly looks like? This sign depicts it far better than I can explain it.

Butterfly sign

Mom saw some new emerging Chrysalis, but they were so miniscule, she couldn’t get a photo without them looking too blurry on her phone. How many times do I need to tell you to bring a decent camera with you, Mom?? Ugh, when will she ever learn or pay attention to me? Anyway, she did manage to capture a caterpillar munching on a stalk of milkweed. Kinda cool for a bug. They have voracious appetites and that 18 inch tall stalk will likely be gone in less than a couple of days.

Caterpillar In the butterfly house, they flit among colorful plants, feeders and visitors. I think this guy was giving my Mom the stink eye.

Butterfly
Hey, what are you looking at, lady?

Here’s one resting on a bright green leaf. He seemed a bit tired, but I think he was probably just suffering from heat exhaustion like the rest of us.

Butterfly

Mom watched the guys below at a feeder. The big one seemed to hog the nectar away from the others and the two other couldn’t seem to convince the hog to move over. Who knew butterflies don’t share much?

Butterflies
Yo Frank, Joe is hogging the nectar again-why don’t you dive bomb him so we can enjoy Happy Hour as well.

There were a bunch of those Red Admirals that followed Mom around in the butterfly house. This one seemed particularly interested in her despite the fact she wasn’t wearing a colorful shirt. If she had, it might have landed on her. Though the Door Attendant would have frisked her when she left so no butterflies escaped. Seems the butterflies are always trying to hitchhike their way outside the butterfly house. Sheesh, conjugal visits apparently aren’t enough for those guys-they’re looking for freedom as well.

Butterfly

They may be small but they sure are pretty. As Mom was leaving the exhibit, look what other cutie she found! Oooh, hello, little bunny. Why can’t I ever find a cute bunny to play with on our walks? Oh wait, they’re afraid of a menacing hunter like me. Oops.

Bunny

Well that’s it for me this week. We hope whatever you do this weekend, you are able to enjoy some of the more gentle aspects of what Nature is dishing out. For you folks in New England, we’re praying the predicted rains aren’t as severe as they have been and for our friends in West, we hope Mother Nature turns down the pizza oven temps. Looks like El Niño is back with a vengeance according to NOAA (National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration). Please stay cool, dry and hydrate yourselves.

El Niño

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature Friday

Nature Friday ~ June 9, 2023

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 49 Comments

Aloha signAloha, it’s me, Norman (along with his Ninja sister Elsa) to welcome you to the latest edition of Nature Friday, hosted by our pals Rosy and Sunny from Adventures of the LLB Gang. Our Mum finally returned from granddaughter Hailey’s wedding in Hawaii and I for one couldn’t be happier. I’ve been wiggling my bum and shadowing her everywhere so she can’t possibly get away from me again. Mum came home with a treasure trove of pics (to go with her major case of jet lag-she says she hoping she’ll get caught up by the end of the weekend and hopes people will be patient with her). She’s been napping as much as me these past couple of days but Elsa and I agreed we would break up these Nature Friday posts over multiple weeks so as to be able to share some of the beauty from our 50th state. We may even include a pic or two from the wedding. Let’s get started, shall we?

Elsa: For some odd reason, Mom took a lot of pics of the clouds from the plane on the trip. I didn’t get it but she assured me they were a pretty fascinating view from 36,000 ft. They look different from when you’re looking up at them from the ground. In the sky she was looking down on them and it was a whole ‘nother world. This first one is somewhere over the Rockies not too far from Denver. Notice there was some snow still on the peaks.

Snow over the Rockies

Norman: Blimey, just look at those valleys. Makes me dizzy just looking at them.

Elsa: You’re dizzy anyway-not because you’re looking down at snow covered peaks, pal.

Norman: Ahem…well I see the personal digs have started early on. Sigh. Moving along, let’s take a look at when the skies became soupy with clouds.

Clouds

Elsa: Hey, there’s a crack in the clouds! What’s that blue stuff?

Norman: That, little sister is the Pacific Ocean. Blue skies and blue ocean. That’s rather something, isn’t it?

Elsa: Meh…I dunno. Blue is blue. I still don’t see what the big deal is about looking down from 36,000 feet above the ground.

Norman: {eyes rolling} I doubt I can explain it to you. Just trust me when I say it’s quite the sight and takes on a whole different perspective from when we’re looking up at clouds.

Elsa: Perspective, schmective. I wanna check out something that’s actually interesting.

Norman: When you’re looking out a plane window and see  Mother Nature’s slushy, THAT little one is something interesting, trust me. Between looking like something between a slushy and an iceberg field, it made Mum wonder a lot about perspective.

Clouds

Elsa: Looks like a partly cloudy day when she landed in Kailua-Kona. The pics she took as the plane moved toward the airport sure have some color to them. Hey, I think I see some tiny wind turbines in this pic below.

Hawaii

Norman: From the airplane, everything looks like a quilt but you’re right, I see those wind turbines in the center of that pic along with the shoreline surf. They look like tiny crosses. Mum told me she didn’t swim in the ocean and I said that’s good, you never know what lurks in that wet stuff.

Hawaii

Elsa: Yeah, you couldn’t pay me to swim in that stuff. The salt would likely bother my skin, I’m afraid. Besides, there’s a whole lot of fascinating stuff to check out from the shore. I heard Mom nearly tripped over a green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) at sunset. Hawaiians call those things “Honu.” Pretty cool beans, eh?

Norman: {eyes wide-open} Blimey mate, it matches the surrounding sand, no wonder she nearly stepped on it! Glad she didn’t. It’s a no-no to touch the Honu. Did you know their heads don’t retract like freshwater turtles? Mum said they can grow to between 3 and 4 ft. and may weigh as much as 300-350 pounds?

Elsa: Whoa…that’s a whole lotta turtle soup! Mom told me they are found in subtropical and tropical ocean waters, nesting in some 80 countries. In the U.S. they nest in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Florida. Hmm, that makes me wonder if they are as tasty as the tortoise shelled reading glasses I munched one time.

Sea Turtle

Norman: Only you would wonder something like that.

Elsa:  Hey you’re the hungry hippo around the Ranch, I was just wondering out loud. It’s not like I’d actually try to eat one that was alive. Although I think I could take it on. If nothing else, I’d definitely run circles around it. They’re pretty slow moving.

Norman: You are not a tiger shark, the Honu’s main predator. Although…come to think of it…

Elsa: Hey, knock that off, bozo. You want me to rat you out to Mom?

Norman: Mum knows how sweet I am, she’d never believe I’d ever say anything so provocative…

Elsa: Why, I have a good mind to…

Norman: Now, now, calm down little one. We’re supposed to be sharing some of the Hawaiian nature, not quibbling about who’s the fiercest predator, ok? We all know who that is.

Elsa: You’re just lucky I’m so easy going. So tell me brother, what was the first thing Mom did when they arrived on the Big Island?

Norman: Well anyone who knows Mum knows that’s easy, and because they had to wait until a few hours until the villa was ready for them to check in, they made a stop at a favorite watering hole, the Kona Brewing Company. While it wasn’t too hot (mostly around 75-80ºF the entirety of the trip), a nice cold one was most welcome. She saw some geckos scurrying about the tables but those little green things were just too quick to photograph this trip. She did however capture them in a previous trip to the Big Island that you can see here.

Kona Brewing Co.

Elsa: Yup, I can see Mom enjoying those frosty suds. Nice way to start out the week. After she showed me the place she stayed at in Waikoloa Beach, I almost wish she’d have taken us along. Just think of all the critters I could have chased on the grounds!

Waikoloa Beach

Norman: Umm…I don’t think you’d find the critters of Hawaii to your liking. Mum told me she saw her first mongoose from the patio. Can you believe it?

Mongoose

Elsa: Mom said they were lightening fast. I kept asking her about the two in the upper left background but she blushed and said for me not to worry about what they were doing. Something about mating season. As a former puppy mill survivor, I could tell them a few things about that! Anyway, the view from Mom’s bedroom window was pretty amazing. It shows the lava fields of Kohala, Hawaii’s oldest but extinct volcano (hidden behind those clouds). Mom said she already misses that view.

Norman: The views were definitely something to write home about. Well that’s all the time we have for this week’s Nature Friday post. We hope you enjoyed seeing pics from Mum’s trip. Next week we’ll share more flora and fauna. So tell me sister, what exciting plans do you have this weekend?

Elsa: Nothing too exciting. I’m mostly just making sure Mom doesn’t leave the house without us. Even when it rains. Mom says we should be grateful for it-it’s not like Colorado is a tropical wonderland like Hawaii is.

Norman: I hear you on that, Ninja. I think a good nap for all 3 of us should top our agenda after we celebrate my birthday tomorrow. Mum told me my first Mum told her recently when I was born. You ready to party, sis? Then again, what do you say, you on the left side and me on Mum’s right side after we have a birthday party?

Elsa: Works for me brother. Whatever you guys do, just make sure you get outside and enjoy the wonders Nature provides us.

Nature Friday

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature Friday ~ May 26, 2023

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 57 Comments

Blimey, is it really the last Friday of May? Norman here along with the Ninja…

Elsa: {Interrupting} Hey, I thought I was going open this week’s  edition of Nature Friday. What the dog!?

Norman: Oops, sorry mate. My bad. By all means get us going but make sure you include the opening, ok?Nature FridayElsa: Pfft…as if I need a reminder. Do you know who you’re dealing with here? I’m the world-renowned professional correspondent, not some rube. But {switching to a horrible British accent} to satisfy your ‘unconventional British’  eccentricities…but for the record, we’re joining our pals, Rosy and Sunny from the LLB Life. Don’t forget to click on the link to see what others have shared. There, are you happy now?

Norman: I think it’s good to be proper though I’m not sure where you came up with that accent. For the record, that’s not a very good imitation of Hermione Granger. There’s nothing wrong with following protocol.

Elsa: Yeah, whatever…but I ‘for the record’ I thought I did a superb Hermione Granger but let’s get this show on the road. I ain’t got all day, I got squirrels to harass monitor, okay?!

Norman: Mum’s not going to be thrilled to hear you’re planning to ‘monitor’ the local rodents. So…what do you have to share?

Elsa: The irises in our neighborhood are really coming into their own now and our Mom likes those that are atypical. Just check out this purple/red and orange one, called “Supreme Sultan.” Don’t think I’ve seen one like that before.

Iris

Norman: Golly, talk about a gobsmacking beauty!

Elsa: Gobsmacking?! Well aren’t you just a “cheeky bugger”? {eyes rolling} Good lord, do you British dudes always talk like that?

Norman: Ahem…{indignantly} I beg your pardon. Moving right along. It looks like the oriental poppies are also starting to bloom. Mum really likes the pinkish ones. The ones in our garden are the classic orange variety so whenever she sees one, she always has to photograph it.

Poppy

Elsa: Ooh, ooh, that’s pretty but did you see these anemones? I even saw one with a ginormous flying raisin I love to catch, otherwise known as a Miller Moth. They look like they’re made from crepe paper, don’t they?

Anemones

Anemones

Norman: Flying raisin’s? “Miller moths” are migrating to the mountains right now and there sure are a lot of them on the Front Range, and their stay has been extended with all the smoke drifting down from the Alberta fires. Did you know they aren’t even a moth…they are the adult stage of the Army cutworm who annual migrate from the Eastern Plains toward the mountains. They’re going through the city much like every other vacationer on their way to the high country and provide a good food source for bats, birds and beetles. Those anemones we found along our walk are quite posh. But then we saw this next plant along our walk: Columbine, Aquilegia Columbine (often referred to as granny’s bonnet though that was a new one for Mum). Did you know they come in lots of different colors.

Columbine

Columbine

Elsa: I sure did, we’ve seen white/cream, yellow, red, purple and of course my favorite, the blue ones. The Blue Columbine is Colorado’s state flower, you know. I sure can see why it was chosen. It’s mighty attractive. Columbine nectar provides a good food source for butterflies and moths and according to the online sources I found, Native Americans used very small amounts of columbine to treat ulcers. Good thing, too since the seeds and roots are super toxic if eaten. I think I’ll pass on them as an appetizer.

Norman: That’s quite fascinating, sister. What did you uncover about our next flower, this peony?

Peony

Elsa: Easy, peasy. That one is called Red Charm and it’s an award-winning beaut. Just check out those fully double scarlet blossoms that stand tall on sturdy, green stems.

Norman: It’s very showy, that’s for sure. I loved the rose-like scent and read that it’s quite heat tolerant too.

Elsa: Well I know Mom was smitten. She immediately checked our peonies when we got home to see if any of them are getting ready to bloom because it’s her favorite garden flower. Because of our big shade trees, ours are a bit slow in blooming, but they are budding up nicely. With the potential for hail in the forecast, she’s hoping they’ll remain safe.

Norman: I heard there was pea sized hail in other parts of the city but we were spared. But will you look at yesterday’s sky? We received a little shower and lots of thunder again, but we were sure lucky the hail missed us.

Clouds

Elsa: You’re right on our good fortune for dodging the hail bullet. Mom also discovered she actually didn’t lose one of her Bleeding Heart plants, it was just slow in recovering from a tough winter. Yesterday she noticed it was beginning to bloom but she was bummed the one in the front garden didn’t survive apparently. Isn’t it a pretty thing?

Bleeding Hearts

Norman: It sure is. I just want to kiss those cuties.

Elsa: Awk…I’m positive they wouldn’t appreciate your dog slobber, so best if you just appreciate them from afar.

Norman: I didn’t really mean I’d actually kiss them, it was just an metaphorical analogy. Hopefully one of these days you’ll actually understand me.

Elsa: That’s likely very doubtful. I’m a literal dog, when you say something, I think you actually mean it. I just don’t get you British dogs. I’d like to but, nah…you’re just too complicated for me.

Norman: {eyes rolling} You’re not reading my body language, sister or maybe you just don’t want to see it. Sam never had a problem understanding me.

Elsa: Yeah, that’s why Mom called him a Knucklehead.

Norman: You cut me to the quick, sister. I try very hard to understand you but am not 100% convinced you reciprocate the notion of understanding.

Elsa: Guess that’s your cross to bear. Tough biscuits, Bucko. I am what I am, deal with it.

Norman: {Sighing} I still love you, little sister.

Elsa: {umm, erm, stuttering} Now don’t go all sweet on me, dude. Let’s wrap this up before I get misty-eyed. So, you got any plans for this weekend?

Norman: Well I heard Mum planned to go to the Iris Farm to check out the iris bloom with a good friend. It wasn’t open last year because of the pandemic so they’re very excited about seeing the flowers this season. Should be quite amazing and I hope Mum takes lots of photos for our next Nature Friday. How about you, little one?

Elsa: Well, like I said, I plan to be ‘monitoring’ the squirrels in our big maple tree, catch a few Zzz’s and just generally be a regular dog. Whatever you do, both of us hope you have a super weekend and take Ansel Adams’ advice to heart. Because it’s a holiday weekend (Memorial Day is Monday) it’ll be fun and we hope a safe one for everyone.

Sign

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature Friday ~ May 12, 2023

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 37 Comments

Welcome to a soggy edition of Nature Friday. Norman here  with my Ninja sister, Elsa ready to share a spot of Nature from this week. As always, we’re joining Rosy and Sunny from the LLB life. Be sure to click on the link to see what others have shared.

Norman: As the opening line suggests, it’s been as soggy as a London spring. Uncharacteristically soggy. Mum looked up and found the rain totals for the past couple of days range from 2.72″ to just under 4″ of the wet stuff. I have to hurry outside to do my business.  As you can imagine, I preferred the day before the rains began where the sun felt good enough for me to trample lay in the middle of the garden ground cover and rejuvenate after our successful fundraiser on Sunday. I’ve never done that before and Mum was kind enough not to disturb me. The day was lovely and I refused to come in. Luckily she had some work she could do outside and let me enjoy that Mile High sunshine.

Norman napping

Elsa: You were lucky. Mom knows I tend to guard wander the grounds looking for squirrels, bunnies or worse…some dog walking by so she wouldn’t let me snoopervise your nap. What’s a girl to do all cooped up in the house on a sunny day when you’re outside?

Norman: Umm…let me think…bark your head off?

Elsa: Doggone straight. That always gets Mom’s attention.

Norman: {clearing his throat} Indeed little one. It kept Mum from working without having to worry about one of us Ranch Hands who shall remain nameless.

Elsa: Well, {stamping her paws} I just wanted to be with my family too, you know. It’s not fair you get to stay outside without me.

Norman: Well I don’t go after dogs or critters or wander off, Mum knows I can be trusted to be on my best behavior and greet everyone politely.

Elsa: Politely….schmitely. Who’s going to protect us if it isn’t me? While wiggling your butt may be considered adorably cute, you just never know if someone plans to steal something or otherwise cause harm. I’m just a very good watchdog. I mean…somebody’s got to be on alert for the serial killer postal delivery person. {sniffling} I just don’t know how I could live with myself if I left that guy alone unsupervised around my family around.

Norman: {eyes rolling} Oh for dog’s sake…he’s a nice chap and rubs my ears quite nicely when I see him.

Elsa:  Nice chap? Ha…I doubt that…he seems pretty sketchy to me.

Norman:  Oh please.

Elsa: Well let’s get going and show folks something other than your lazy carcass squashing the ground cover, ‘kay? Remember when Mom decided to walk around that other lake near our house?  She found some cool looking birds while she walked around on the Berkeley Lake pathway.

Birds

Norman: Oh yes, that’s a Red-winged Blackbird. They’re one of the most abundant birds in all of North America. The males are marked with red and yellow “shoulders” that stand out amongst their black bodies. The females aren’t quite as colorful, being mostly brown with light streaks.

Elsa: One of these days, Mom is going drag out her good camera to catch the beauty of these guys. I mean, look at those mountains. She could have captured them so much better with that camera than with her cell phone. Does she even know where that camera is these days?

Birds

Norman: Of course she does but it’s hard to carry a big DSLR, our leashes, poop bags, house keys, etc., especially when you get scrappy with passing by dogs. She has her hands full enough just keeping you in line.

Elsa: Oh yeah. But still…cell phone pics never look great by comparison.

Norman: Sometimes compromises are more important to make. Necessity is the mother of invention

Elsa: Stop going all Confucius on me, Dog Breath. Besides, I’m just not very good with compromise, especially when I know I need to defend my family.

Norman:  Mum knows how to ‘protect’ us just fine and still manages to find some interesting things for us to share.

Elsa:  You know you’re right about that. I wouldn’t cross her. She can be tough as nails when it comes to taking care of us. In fact, I’d say too tough most days. Especially when she’s making me tow the line.

Norman: She’s just looking out at our best interests, that’s all. So have you noticed the Bearded Irises are in bloom now? These deep purple ones sure are lovely and no doubt have been enjoying all the rain this week.

Bearded Iris

Elsa: They sure are striking, brother. And one of Mom’s favorite late Spring flowers. Just look at that beautiful purple color!

Bearded Iris

Norman: Our Mum has good taste in flowers. That’s a real beauty. Another one that’s a favorite of hers is the Lilac. They’re just starting their annual show and boy do they smell great. Too bad, WordPress don’t have a plug-in for scratch and sniff. These things smell so heavenly and reminds me of my Nan. {inhaling deeply} Aaaah.

Lilacs

Elsa: They sure are and definitely a sign that we’re entering in prime garden season. Before you know it, we’ll be barking about the heat.

Norman: {shudder} I hope not too soon. In the meantime until all the showers move out, I’ll just chill here on the sofa-the perfect place to wait out the rain. Just a few more days according to the weatherman. I just came in from outside and it’s already tapering down with just barely a sprinkle. Bravo!

Norman

Elsa: Yeah, it’ll be nice to walk around outside without having to be toweled off every time we go outside. So Big Guy…what’s on your dance card this weekend?

Norman: I’ll be the sheepdog ambassador at another fundraiser at the Cherry Creek Kendra Scott Give Back Event this weekend. Those ladies are so nice and I’ll be there to greet Mother’s Day shoppers. I haven’t seen them since Valentine’s Day and they give the best ear rubs. Mum says you don’t even have to show up in person at the store for the Give Back to benefit Old English Sheepdogs. You can shop online here. Is this a great country or what?

Elsa: Right you are, fur ball. We hope everyone has a great weekend pampering and loving on their moms. We’ll do our best…in between enjoying some elements of Nature. That’ll make Mom very happy and she’ll in return make us happy with treats and ear rubs. Win-win-how cool is that?

Norman: Have a pawsome Mum’s Day!

Nature Friday

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature Friday ~ April 28, 2023

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 45 Comments

Ranch HandsWelcome to Friday, mates. Norman here, joined with my Ninja sister, Elsa ready to share a spot of Nature from this week. As always, we’re joining Rosy and Sunny from the LLB life. Be sure to click on the link to see what others have shared.

Elsa: We gonna get this show on the road or what?

Elsa & Norman

Norman: Patience little one. I need to set this up first. You know that we had to go see my Grandpa, right?

Elsa: Yes, I know that.

Norman: Well our readers, didn’t so I’m ‘setting the stage’ as to what went down. Ok? Can I proceed now?

Elsa: Fine then. Knock your socks off, dude.

Norman: Well apart from hitting the road, it was quite the week. I think we ‘enjoyed‘ all 4 seasons. The place where my Grandpa lives broke a 133 year old record for most rainfall in a 24 hour period. And at our house, there has been lots of wind. Again. Which means crunchy leaves showed up and needed to be raked. One day even had rain mixed with snow. But it’s official though, spring has sprung. Just check out these tulips.

Tulips

Elsa: That’s pretty spring-like. I know you and Mom like the pink ones but we haven’t seen too many of those. Red seems to be the number 1 color of tulips we see on our walks, like this one.

Tulip

Norman: Mum was afraid the snow that fell last weekend might damage some of the flowering trees but this crabapple seems nonetheless harmed. They sure are pretty when they’re exploding with buds. And the bees sure seem to love them at this stage.

Flowering trees

Elsa: I thought that one evening before the rain began was almost eerie, much like at Halloween but much better than all those leaves that Mom had to rake up. I mean, who ever heard of raking leaves in April? Mom regretted not having her big camera with her when she saw the clouds around the moon but at least was able to capture the mood.

Moon

Norman: We managed to see all kinds of clouds on our trip and some of the more eerie ones were when we drove past the federal SuperMax prison located just outside Florence, Colorado. Did you know this is the most secure prison in the U.S. prison system and houses some high profile inmates? It was a foreboding scene with those clouds hanging over the prison where such notorious prisoners reside such as “Shoe Bomber” Richard Reid, Terry Nichols of Oklahoma Bombing fame, Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, and Thomas Silverstein, the former Aryan Brotherhood leader and convicted murderer who has been in solitary confinement longer than any other U.S. prisoner (since 1983). Silverstein was one of the reasons the ADX SuperMax was designed following his uncontrollable activities committed at other prisons.

Clouds

Elsa: Yikes, those are some bad hombres for sure {shudder}. I’m glad we didn’t stop there for lunch!

Norman: No, we managed to dodge the bullet there but Mum did find a window display she thought was creepy in a funny sort of way in the town of Florence.

Poodles

Elsa: Oh sure, pick on us poodles.

Norman: Well on the bright side, they were displayed eating some tasty looking food.

Elsa: You’re always thinking about food, you big oaf!

Norman: {indignantly sniffing) I’m not even going to respond to that unfair accusation.

Elsa: Unfair? You clean out my bowl after every meal. I’m surprised the stainless steel is still in tact.

Norman: Ahem…getting back to nature, sister, Mum saw her first blooming Bearded Iris yesterday. It’s quite early for them to be blooming. Apparently its southeastern exposure mimics more Summer-like conditions. See, I told you all we had all 4 seasons in one week!

Bearded iris

Elsa: That’s just nuts…blooming Irises in April. What is this world coming to?

Norman: Can’t answer that but hope that’s not an indication of an extra hot Summer ahead. I can barely tolerate it as it is. I may need to get a haircut sooner than I had planned.

Elsa: Tell me about it, I’m a black dog, do you have any idea how hot sunny conditions feel on my back? No siree, pal…not looking forward to a hot Summer OR a bath and groom, come to think of it. Definitely count me out.

Norman: Now, now, don’t get your knickers in a bunch. Mum will be gentle and make it as easy as possible. Just don’t make it harder for her, okay.

Elsa: Ha, me make things hard? Surely you jest.

Norman: {snickering under his breath} Right-that’s me, Mr. Jester. No doubt I have you confused with a different Ninja. Anywho…the weekend is upon us and I hope it means we all get a chance to get outside and enjoy some of the lovelier elements of Mother Nature. Do you have anything special or exciting planned for the last weekend in April?

Nature Friday

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature Friday ~ April 21, 2023

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 46 Comments

Ranch HandsBlimey, is it Friday already? Norman here with my little sister Elsa and we’re ready to share some Nature views from around our neighborhood. As always, we’re joining Rosy and Sunny from the LLB life. Make sure you click on the link to see what other slices of nature have been shared.

Norman: {shivering} Brr, it’s chilly out there this morning. Good thing I’m in Mum’s studio. I’m just not built for 29ºF (-1.7ºC).

Elsa: Oh jeez, you big wuss. It’s not so bad, think of it as ‘bracing.’

Norman: Bracing? Umm, I can’t get past the bone chilling part. Anyway, let’s get started, shall we? Nature has been having a party at our house. Or specifically, a pool party. Birds have been showing up every evening around 5:00 POM and carousing in the bird bath. Mostly in the past they’ve dropped by for “Happy Hour” but I guess the water was just too inviting and they started to dive in but first, a quick slurp.

Robins

Elsa: Mom seems fascinated by them as she watched for a long time. She said she was rewarded with their Mark Spitz imitations. {eyes rolling} I mean, come on…what’s so exciting about watching them dive in after drinking a Mai Tai? That’s what a lot of drunks do when there’s a nearby pool. Wait a minute, just because you called it “Happy Hour,” I distinctly didn’t see any little umbrellas. What a cheap dive bar!

Norman: Well aren’t you just precious? There were no Mai Tai’s, Ninja.

Elsa: Well, I know I wouldn’t hang out at that bar…swimming pool notwithstanding.

Norman: What are you talking about? You don’t go near water any more than I do and you have webbed feet!

Elsa: There’s a reason I don’t. I just don’t want to make you feel badly. Yeah, yeah, that’s the ticket…I’m trying to bolster your ego.

Norman: Okay, now you’re just being cheeky.

Elsa: {giggling hysterically} Umm, {stifled snicker} no I’m not. {bursts out in wild dog laughter}. Ok, maybe just a little.

Norman: Ahem…moving right along. Mum says ‘spring has sprung’ when the Eastern Redbuds start blooming. Check out this lovely little specimen. She’s not sure how well it’s going to do long term. It faces south and with the heat those rocks and brick will generate…who knows what its long-term health will be. It sure is colorful though. Mom didn’t recall it before, likely because they’re only stunning when blooming but once they’ve leafed out, they’re mostly nondescript as far as trees go.

Redbud tree in bloom

Elsa: In the past couple of days, flowering trees are popping out all over. It’s fun to watch the bees buzz from flower to flower. Mom had to drag coax me to move along our walk but I think I was hypnotized by their noise and watching the bees flit from one bloom to another. Boy, they sure are busy little guys, aren’t they?

Flowering trees

Norman: I’m drooling thinking of the sweet apples that will be forming soon on this tree. I hope Mum lets me carry a fallen apple home from one of our walks.

Flowering trees

Elsa: You…carry anything on a walk? Bwahahahaha! Don’t make me laugh.

Norman: {clearing his throat} That’s not very sporting of you. I’ll have you know I carry toys in my mouth all the time.

Elsa: I know you well enough brother that you’d carry an apple for maybe and I’m being generous here, probably only for 3 or 4 steps. At most.

Norman: {indignantly sniffing} I’m rather offended by your criticism.

Elsa: It’s not a criticism…merely an observation, dude. Let’s not give people the wrong idea-you’re not a fetch-n-carry kind of dog. But I promise you the next time Mom offers me a slice of apple, I’ll give it to you before I gum it into mush and then spit it out. I don’t know how you can eat those things. Give me a meaty piece of jerky any day over fruit and vegetables if you want to give me a snack!

Norman: Variety is the spice of life, little one. And you know what they say…”an apple a day…”

Elsa: I know, blah, blah, blah. Barf.

Norman: Heavens, sounds like one of those bees you were mesmerized by flew under your bonnet!

Elsa: Ha, ha, my brother trying to be funny. Hey, don’t quit your day job, Bucko.

Norman: Well, I think we should get back to the nature portion of this post. Mum was delighted the chilly night temperatures hadn’t seemed to bother the Magnolia tree down the block from us. It was covered with lovely soft yellow blooms. Talk about a beautiful sight.

Magnolia

Elsa: Well I know for a fact you tend to keep your nose more focused on the ground, like this Peony bush that is already forming buds. Can’t wait to see what color the flowers are. They always smell so divine.

Peony

Norman: I can assure you nothing gets past my sniffer. I’ll check it once it starts filling the air with some perfume.

Elsa: {eyes rolling again} You know you’re the reason why our walks take forever. Mom has to pull you along from Point A to Point B because you’re sniffing so much. Are you sure you’re not part Bloodhound?

Norman: {with dignified straightening of his collar} For the record I. am. 100%. Old. English. Sheepdog.

Elsa: If you say so. But some days, I have serious doubts.

Norman: This is not the place to discuss one’s ancestry, dear sister. We’re here to share slices of Nature from around our neighborhood. And with that pronouncement, let me share one last picture from across the street. Their Phlox are blooming so prettily but I found one with a special ‘flower’ in the center of it. Mum said what a shame and we’ll probably have an infestation of the yellow flowers but I think it’s quite lovely.

Flowers

Elsa: Meh…I’m mostly indifferent. I know you really get into this whole botanical thing. I prefer to keep my eyes focused on the neighborhood squirrels.

Norman: Remember little one that “Happiness held is the seed, happiness shared is the flower. ~ John Harrigan. And with that we hope you have a smashing weekend. Don’t forget to get out there and check out Nature…right now she’s sharing loads of flowers. Cheerio, mates.

Nature Friday

Live, love, bark! 🐾