Empty nesters again

Our little doves chose today to fly the nest so we've been watching that drama. We've loved the whole experience of "raising" doves! I looked out my office window and saw Mama and Papa sitting on the sidewalk in the same place we first saw them "courting." I knew something must be up! 

One baby was already out of the nest "off to college." This little one's been experimenting, by standing on the edge of the planter wire, peering over the edge while Mama and Papa sit close by on guard.

Here's the family of three. When I came outside with the camera, Papa flew off to distract me, Mama stayed until I got too close.

Then she flew off too and left the little guy alone. But when I got closer, off he flew too! Not very high or very gracefully, but he flew!

Now if we can just get the last one out on his own, we can water and fertilize the begonia and get on with our summer! 

Newest yard projects in process

While we wait on roofers and painters and window guys to repair the damage done by the storm May 19, we've found a few projects to do that won't get torn up by the workers. We enlarged the mulch area under the Bradford pear (you can still see how shredded the leaves are on the west side in the photo above) and moved the bird bath closer to the bird feeder. We've become real birdwatchers and bird lovers. And though we can't afford to let the squirrels drain the feeder dry every day like they've been doing, the little boogers sure are fun to watch!

We got the inspiration to do a checkerboard patio and the more we work on it, the more we love the idea! Looks great and uses half the tiles, plus you can mow right over it. Right now we have three tiles sunk in and about 42 to go. Might take all summer. :)

Update June 7, 2013:

Honeysuckle

 The honeysuckle that's growing on one of the deck supports is in luscious bloom and we're enjoying it's beauty and fragrance. This variety isn't quite as fragrant as the pink honeysuckle we had growing on the fence in the prairie garden, but it's lovely to look at.

Fly away, fly away, fly away home

Our little doves are growing quickly, and are fully (and beautifully) feathered now, so I expect it won't be long before we discover they've flown the nest. I've been reading up on doves and it sounds like it may be Papa I've photographed most, since doves mate and care for their young together. Some websites said it's the male dove who sits the nest most of the day, then the female takes over at night. It's been a delightful experience.

Weigela

Weigela is a new plant for us, but we're sure enjoying it and it's blooming like mad at the end of May.

It's so pretty to bring inside for a bouquet on the fireplace. Since our weigela bush is planted on the east side of the house where we have no view out, we're enjoying it more inside than out.

It's a nice accent to mix in with a few roses, too.

Setbacks

We flew to North Carolina for a conference at 6 a.m. Sunday, May 19. Around four that afternoon I got a text from one of my sisters saying we'd better have someone check on our house because a big storm had gone through town. Sure enough, our house was badly damaged by hail. Ruined roof and guttering, broken window, battered deck and lawn furniture. All discouraging and time-consuming, but covered by our homeowners insurance, thankfully.

But the hardest to take is how the storm erased all the hours of work we'd put into getting the yard in shape. After spending 8 hours last week weeding, planting, transplanting, pruning, and mulching with this result:

We came home to find trees stripped of their leaves and our plants shredded like salad. Only on the east side of the house did the plants go unscathed.

Our friends took a photo of these hailstones that did the damage.

I'm very grateful our favorite green ceramic pot wasn't broken and the flower cart my dad built for us is undamaged. But we'll be starting from scratch on our flower pots and plantings. Discouraging, yet in light of what the folks in Oklahoma are dealing with right now, we feel very fortunate.

One wonderful ray of hope: I feared our nesting doves had perished in the storm. Or even if they'd survived, that the eggs would be scrambled. As soon as we got home I ran to check on the nest. It was intact and Mama Dove was sitting there! There must still be eggs!

The hanging plant where the nest rests is too high for me to peek into, but as soon as Mama left the nest, I ran for my camera and held it high to take a photo and see if it revealed unbroken eggs. Imagine my joy when THIS is what the camera revealed!

Mama and babies are doing fine, and we are filled with hope.

Mid-way to hatching

Mid-May, and we're about a week away from a blessed event at our house. This lovely turtle dove laid a pair of eggs in our hanging begonia pot on the front porch and she's been sitting patiently ever since. 

She does let me water the edges of the plant occasionally, but keeps a close eye from a perch on the garage roof.

Starting a shade garden

We've never had so much shade in a yard before! It's very nice and we want to take full advantage of it by starting a shade garden beneath the deck. This space is the view from Ken's art studio, so we want color and variety without blocking the view into the back yard.

There were some vines and bushes already here. We've moved things around a bit, but are grateful for the bounty already planted all around the house. This morning, mid-May, we planted a variety of bulbs and corms and pips––lilies of the valley, caladiums, ferns, hostas.

We left a spot for hellebores, a new shade plant we want to try. They are beautiful shade lovers, and just the right height for this space in front of the windows.

The view from a living room window. I know this will be a favorite spot to sit in the cool of evening.

We are excited about all the wildlife we have in the city and bought a bird feeder on Mother's Day to see if we can attract some finches and other birds. Within a few hours of hanging the feeder, we had our first visitors!

We discovered several hostas growing along the side of the house and moved a couple of them to the corner of the shade garden. I've always wanted to try hostas and have never gotten the chance.

What happens when you DON'T have a cat

Amazing all the wildlife that comes around––even in the city––when you don't have a cat guarding your house! We left our kitty at the old house (what Ken has started calling "the old country") knowing she wouldn't be happy as a city cat. We've been blessed with all kinds of wildlife to watch, including a pair of turtledoves that have a nest in a hanging plant on our front porch. Oh, how I love the male's cooing mating call! Such a pretty, yet mournful sound––the reason they are also called mourning doves.

 

And this little fellow is a regular visitor (perhaps because of the daily peanut a certain someone––not me––leaves for him every morning?) We have geese, too, that often visit the park behind our house. All in all, it almost feels more like we live in the country here, in the middle of the city, than it did in "the old country!"

A happy surprise

 We have a lilac bush! I've loved the scent of lilacs since I was a child, and to discover this pretty bush growing in our front garden is a wonderful surprise. Kind of a reward for waiting SO long for spring to finally arrive!

Starting out

Just beginning to see what we have to work with in the yard at our new place. Mostly pleasant surprises so far. A beautiful Bradford pear tree, lots of rose bushes, peonies (my favorite flower!), and a clematis much bigger than the one we planted last year and had to leave behind.

 This is one of the projects I'm most excited about...making a shade garden underneath the deck.

We've already moved a clematis (successfully, we think!) to climb the deck poles, and are waiting for a couple of things to bloom so we can figure out what they are and where we want them. We're hoping to plant a variety of hellebores and other shade-loving plants here.

Settling in

We are happily settling in to our new home and as spring unfolds, we are delighted to see the wonderful flowers and shrubs that were here waiting for us. The former owners were gardeners too and have left behind some beautiful plants for us to enjoy and nurture. First to unfurl its gorgeous blooms, above, is a Japanese Magnolia (which some call a Tulip Tree).

The last bloom

January 29, 2013––This plucky begonia bloom has been on our window sill since before Christmas and is still blooming strong. It's the only remaining bloom of last summer's flowers. And it's likely the last bloom we will enjoy from this small-town prairie garden. Life is taking us on a new adventure and to a new home closer to our children, grandchildren, and extended family. For the first time since we were newlyweds living in New York, we'll be experiencing city life again. But still in Kansas, and of course, we'll plant flowers and maybe even a few prairie grasses in our new place.

We'll leave these gardens to a new family and trust that they'll receive as much joy as we have from watching a prairie garden grow. The new owners have already given us permission to come back in the spring and take a few snips and starts from this Kansas Prairie Garden. We'll keep you posted as we are uprooted and transplanted. Hopefully we will keep blooming where God is planting us for this next leg of the wonderful journey that is life!