Hanna Holds Down the Fort

Hanna has this, the 500th post at Urban Oasis all to herself ... what's the occasion you might ask? Well, simply because she has so quickly become a truly indispensable member of our little pack here, due in no small part to her ability to bring a smile and laughter to even the seemingly darkest of days. And I've had a good run of those days the past week or so and Hanna has been right there for me the whole time holding down the fort, so to speak.

Most of last week it was cool, rainy, rainy and very dreary, and adding to which, I came down with another intestinal bug that kept me sidelined most of the week (now fortunately departed!) and feeling downright lousy. Along with my generally "down and bleak" mood, I just wasn't much fun to be around, thus my absence here around these parts....

But exciting things are happening in the garden, and starting tomorrow, I'm vowing to get on top of them and get cracking around here again! Even though the forecast is for another cool and cloudy week, at least the near daily rains we had last week are not currently in the picture, so there will be lots to catch up on ... and we'll maybe even be seeing the appearance of Mr. Stinky in all his glory within the next week, so stay tuned....

So let's focus on these photos of Warrior Princess Hanna on guard out on the front porch on Sunday morning when we had a brief period of sun before the storm clouds moved in. I really like this shot of her in shadow, surveying the situation just outside the porch in the Woodland Garden.

There's something very interesting going on out there ... is it a bunny? A squinny? Only Hanna knows, but no matter what, she's on the case!

Let's take a closer look ... If I could only just jump through this screen, I'm sure I could get to the bottom of this!

You wanted something? I'm kinda busy here, but I'm happy to help out if you need one of my puppy services! That's our little Princess ... always ready to spring into a new situation at a moment's notice....

Oh, and one last thing I should note about Hanna's Sunday afternoon ... she went with us to the grocery store and garden center, and on the way back we stopped at Sonic for a little snack (e.g. late lunch) and I ordered a dish of vanilla ice cream, which I of course had to share with Hanna. As far as we know, this was her first taste of this delicious treat and she absolutely loved it! Every last drop. This was her little reward for being such a good trooper on a humid afternoon, and though it's not something she'll get very often (we hardly ever have ice cream around the house), we do plan on getting her some Frosty Paws cups the next time we go to the store since they are a more dog friendly concoction (though she had no adverse reactions to the dairy in the soft serve). But given this first little taste of ice cream, she was clearly in doggie heaven and wanting more! Do we have a typical kid or what?

Purple Prose and a Pooped Puppy

Continuing with the theme I started with yesterday's post, let's take a look at the blues fading into the realm of purple....

This beauty is Aquilegia alpina, or the 'Alpine Blue' Columbine, perhaps the most successful Columbine we've been able to grow over the years ... after failing miserably with some of the fancier 'Barlow' varieties in the past, we discovered this simpler, more natural variety several years ago and planted several, which continue to thrive at the edge of the Woodland Garden. Last year we collected a lot of seed from these but have neglected to get it in the ground, so sometime this year, we plan on spreading it freely around the area in the hope of encouraging more of them to colonize even further....

This is one of the many globe alliums we have around various areas of the garden, and this particular one is at the edge of the Woodland Garden in amongst the dearly departed Daffodils and near one of our three holly bushes. My gardening friend Marnie over at Lilacs and Roses just recently had a fantastic post up about her Alliums blooming alongside her white Irises, a most attractive combination, so check it out!

Not only are they lovely and unexpected surprises (shape wise) who emerge in late Spring, they are also quite a beneficial plant to have in your garden. All of the Alliums, including even the humble culinary chives (who also have lovely blooms) gradually leach sulfur into the soil over time, which is a great thing, especially if you have plants nearby that are susceptible to the dreaded powdery mildew (such as Monarda or Zinnias) because sulfur acts as a natural fungicide and will help protect your plants from infection. They come in a wide variety of sizes and colors (I still lust after the quite expensive 'Gladiator' Giant Globe) to fit almost any sunny garden position ... and last fall we planted a bunch of Nectaroscordum aka: Sicilian Honey Garlic, which we just discovered this weekend are now on the verge of blooming very soon. You'll be seeing them here when they decide to strut their stuff....

Thanks in great part to the cool and rainy weather of late, the Pansies we planted earlier this spring are still going strong out front, so I thought I'd include a couple of shots of some of the more striking specimens. Just feast on the depth of colors exhibited by this particular bloom ... it's got the entire range of colors I love in flowers, from the fiery yellows and oranges to the darkest of purples approaching black. I don't recall what this particular variety is named, but I'm sure glad we picked it out (actually I think it was Fernymoss' pick)! For some reason, this particular shot makes me think of a dramatically colored butterfly, perhaps a black swallowtail?

This was definitely my pick, with the real fire going on in the flower and I just love this one ... One thing I've always appreciated in Pansies and Violas are the incredible ranges of colors one can find in a single bloom, and if for no other reason, that makes them worthy annuals to plant in the Spring garden. Of course they tend to disappear when the hotter months arrive, but until then, they sure provide brilliant splashes of color to the emerging perennial border!

Shortly after I started this post, I thought it sounded awful quiet downstairs, so I went down to see what Fernymoss and Hanna were up to (though I already knew), and they were both fast asleep in their respective lounging spots. Lately, Hanna has been spending more time on Pepa's old bed that we have behind the recliners against the wall ... though she shied away from this cushy bed for a long time, she has finally seemed to consider it one of her spaces (I suspect she was given permission from a higher Doggie Power), so I'm glad to see her enjoy it, along with the blanket we gave her to nest in there.

She had quite the day on Sunday, from supervising the weeding and planting we were doing, to doing porch sentry duty (scouting out squinnies, rabbits and neighborhood kitties) and going on her late afternoon walkie with Fernymoss. She clearly had a good day and when I was watching some HGTV earlier, she had a couple of quite dramatic dreams behind me as she was curled up on this comfy bed. We think she's happy here in her new home ... what's not to love? She gets constant attention, has lots of cushy lounging spots and gets to supervise the garden and shake the weeds to death! And pretty soon, if she has her way, she's going to teach those nasty bunnies a lesson for nibbling in our garden ... she's clearly a natural born rodent hunter ... we just hope she can scare them away without having to make an actual kill, which she appears ready to do if given the chance. But if it comes to that, I guess we'll have to endure the bunny screams (which I'd rather avoid, having heard Pepa produce that from them in the past).

Finally, some exciting news I hope to chronicle soon via photos ... we were looking at the Dragon Arum today and discovered that among four of the eight new offshoots, there are four buds coming on! And on the original stalk this year's bud has yet to appear ... so in all probabability we're going to have at least five blooms this year from Mr. Stinky! There may be more, but we're really excited at the prospect of this, our most bizarre plant, producing multiple blooms for the first time this year. Not bad for a bulb we planted in fall 2005, eh? Obviously this is not a plant for everyone, but we're proud to be the only people we know who have such a bizarre bloom arriving every June. Not bad for an original investment of about $8.00 for the bulb, which is clearly very happy where we put it in the Woodland Garden, not far from the Peonies who help to temper its floriferous stench!

When the Good Blues Come Around

We have always sought out the many shades of blue flowers for our garden, and some might even think we border a bit on the obsessive about it (though I am equally well known about my obsession with fiery colors). The garden is currently morphing into its blue phase before ceding to the fire of summer, as demonstrated by today's shots, which are only just a sampling of what's to come....

First off, one of our favorites (and we actually "inherited" this particular plant with the house), Salvia nemorosa, commonly known as 'Meadow Sage.' This particular, quite popular variety, is called "May Night," no doubt due to its prompt arrival on the bloom stage in mid to late May. Like any of the Salvias (and there are multitudes of them!), this plant is a bee magnet and our resident bumblebee population is never far when it's in bloom. Deadheading Salvia nemorosa will reward you for your work, and you can often maintain bloom time throughout the summer if you're diligent about it (I'm not, alas). If you look to the right in this shot you can see that the Primroses that were so spectacular a couple of weeks ago have gone into a resting phase. I'll keep watering them and hope for more blooms, but even if not, as long as they're concentrating on bringing more to the party next year, I'm just fine with that too! That these little troopers have multiplied from an original 5 puny plants into over 20 in 4 short years has been reward enough for me! And you know, I do love me some Primroses!

This is one of our last spring bulbs to bloom, Camassia quamash, commonly known as Indian Hyacinth, of which we have become ardent fans since we first planted it back in 2005. At first, we made the common mistake of planting these bulbs here and there, for that "natural" look ... wrong move! They deserve to be planted in small masses (say, 6-7 bulbs) so they can really show off their presence when they bloom. And since they look so much like some kind of grass before they bloom, they just naturally look better in groupings ... and they do like to naturalize gradually, so do give them some space to expand. You'll be seeing more of this plant in future posts as the ones we got planted last fall start springing into bloom ... we usually have these through at least mid-June, so at this point they are just getting started.

This luscious bloomer is Hyacinthoides hispanica, aka, 'Spanish Bluebells,' a most reliable late spring bulb bloomer that has been naturalizing quite prolifically for us since we first planted them in 2005. As bulbs go, they're fairly aggressive (much like Crocus), which to my mind is a good thing! I suppose that should they ever become truly invasive, we could always just dig up the bulbs and give them away, but as far as I'm concerned, that's going to take quite a long time ... I think of these 'Bluebells' and the Camassia as the grand finale of the spring bulb bloom season, and when they have finished their show and moved on, Summer has truly begun ... and the Dragon Arum will be stenching its way on to the stage any week now. We did notice today that the first of this year's peonies have opened, and amazingly enough, they are the newest ones we planted just last Spring! The rest won't be far behind, and we'll soon be enjoying that blissful fragrance in the house once again (along with the stray ants)! I can hardly wait....

"Aerodynamic Lounging"

Just a couple of shots of the (apparently) ever popular Princess Hanna, here enjoying the evening air wafting through the Cabana Room on 22 May, 2009. Any guesses as to what she was thinking at this moment? (My guess is that she was gazing at whatever I was eating at the time while we had dinner on the porch!)

Fernymoss took this shot last night and is quite fond of it, despite its obvious flaws ... different lounging, here on the couch (in her favorite spot) and getting late ... Lil Miss Hanna has a bad attack of the snoozies!

In Which I Become an Economic Casualty

First off, I'd like to apologize for this unplanned hiatus in my posting the last week or so, and to extend my deepest appreciation and thanks to those who have emailed me recently inquiring if things were ok here at Casa IVG. These expressions of concern have really meant a lot to me and lifted my spirits in the past few days....

I'll be blunt and get this over with: I haven't been posting because a week ago this past Wednesday, I lost my job, due to deep staffing cuts brought about by the financial woes of the company I worked for for almost 10 years. So far I'd escaped all the previous cuts, but not this time. Needless to say, I've been pretty laid low emotionally and spiritually by this unwelcome change in the course of my life. I'm still getting my head around the whole scenario before me (unemployment, job search and all), so frankly, for the past week, I've just not been able to put this all into words and mostly avoided the internet and especially the blog. Though technically, I'm on vacation now (I found this out 2 days before I was to begin a long-delayed week of vacation) and will be for the next several weeks (I had that much time built up but never taken ... due to work), then I'll have to rely on Unemployment until I can find other suitable work.

So there you have it, short and not so sweet. But life will go on, assuredly, just a little more unsure and bumpier than usual, at least for a while....

The garden, however, is forever, and continues its march into Summer, which you'll soon be seeing again on these humble pages ... that much is certain. We've been making some good progress in the past week (though this week was pretty much a rainy and cool washout) ... we have most of the veggies already planted and more will go into the ground this weekend, so there's plenty to talk about in the coming weeks. We've got a bit of a backlog built up of the flowers currently blooming so I've got material to keep me busy here ... so just be patient!

The first project I tackled after being "let go" (yeah, I was really chomping at that leash, yearning to be 'liberated') was cleaning up our overwhelmed and messy porch so we could re-open the summer "Cabana Room" we like to use as our lounge during the summer months. There was so much Halloween and Christmas stuff still stored out there that it took me an entire day to organize, clean, sweep and vacuum to get the space into shape for habitation once again. At this point, we're almost there ... we still need to move a couple of shelves and hang some appropriate summer lighting, and then we'll be there. That, as you can see, hasn't stopped Hanna from enjoying her whole new room to exploit ... we have a table (where we often eat on summer evenings), a few chairs and a bench that we need to get in perfect position, but Princess Hanna has already claimed a couple of chairs to herself, just like Pepa used to do....

Like Pepa, Hanna clearly is entranced by having a prime vantage point on our little corner of the neighborhood, and this week, when given the chance, she's spent a good portion of the day out there on her "throne" observing the goings on in her little corner of the universe. This was hard work, well spent on my part, to get this room back into habitable shape for the summer months, and you'll no doubt be seeing more views from here....

When in the living room, Hanna loves to keep an eye on what's going on in the Woodland Garden on the North side of the house ... though she often perches "vulture style" on the top of the couch, we happened to catch her all stretched out and peering out the window. Just another one of the many cute poses we see her strike on a daily basis, but we don't always have the camera handy!

I was just remarking tonight, as we both enjoyed watching It Happened One Night again (thanks, TCM!), that even though it's only been slightly over 4 months since Hanna came to live with us, it seems that she's always been here ... all those little doggie things we become accustomed to seeing and expecting are so clearly in place. She's home. Hanna will be my attentive fan while I'm cooking, Hanna will choose her lounging spot while we watch a movie, Hanna will tell us when she needs to go out, when she wants to play, when it's "walkie" time ... the list goes on. And all you dog lovers and owners know exactly what I mean by that....

And that's a great comfortable stability dogs give us, even in the most unstable of times. I know I'm going to need it, and Hanna seems ready to provide it in spades, as best she can. Her arrival in our lives happened at just the right time, and for once synchronicity has worked in our favor. Thanks again, Pepa.....

Crazy Hanna Explained

After this past weekend, with its clouds, threats of rain and downright chilly (for spring!) temperatures, the work week arrived right on cue with a gloriously sunny, warm and breezy day! Just my luck ... but aside from work, my preoccupation today was getting the new refrigerator delivered and installed so we could save most of the food we had in the freezer on ice over the weekend. I managed to salvage the majority of things, but some stuff totally thawed and got soggy, so I had to pitch it ... still, it could have been much worse!

Last night we cleared out the kitchen and set about giving it a good cleaning and mopping ... you can't believe the dirt that accumulates behind a refrigerator over six years! It was nasty, so out came Mr. Clean and the mop (and several buckets of very hot water), and after a few moppings I had the kitchen looking pretty good ... it needed it anyway after all the muddy paws over the past few weeks, so at least the refrigerator came into a clean home for a good start.

And arrive it did, late this afternoon when the Sears guys rolled up outside ... they were very efficient and quick about it and were done in perhaps 25 minutes or less. They marched in, measured everything, carried in the new fridge and set it up, then hauled "old unreliable" away in short order ... good bye Harvest Gold, hello modern black! We couldn't be happier with the new one ... even though it's a bit smaller, it seems to have so much more space, and is sooo quiet in comparison with the old one. With its Energy Star rating, it's also going to save on the electric bills (something the old one was awful about ... it was a pure power hog), and we even get a $50 rebate back from the utility company for buying a more efficient model. Add to that the special they had at the store, we also get a $75 rebate that covers the delivery and haul away, so not a bad deal in all, considering we'll get $125 back in rebates ... have to admit that made the whole experience a lot more palatable....

Ok, I know you're really here for the crazy puppy pictures, so here goes, along with an explanation of what probably appeared to be naughty behavior in that shot from last night. This is a game we play with Hanna in the mornings on weekends ... one or both of us will put a hand under the comforter and wiggle it around like some kind of critter, and it drives her wild! She darts from one side of the bed to the other trying to catch it and though I think she really understands that it's one of us (she will nip but never really bite), she has a ball playing this game....

Aha! I've got it for sure this time, I just know!

I'm gonna get you, no matter what it takes ... so there!

I'm done now. It's time to go to bed, ok?

I took all of these photos in the space of probably 10 minutes, from start to finish ... that's how easily Hanna's "switches" work: she's up for play as long as we are, but when it's time to settle down for the night, she takes the cue without complaint and promptly gets with the program. We both swear that she has been the easiest dog either of us has ever had to train ... it seems that just a few repetitions and demonstrations of what we want her to do, and she's got it down! She's a really sharp little gal, it's easy to see, and though that will sometimes mean she's a bit willful (just a terrier!), it's a small compromise to make for having such a bright little pup sharing our lives. Though when I first had Pepa, that was a constant source of frustration and discouragement, but once I got her through that rebellious stage, she grew into one of the best dogs I've ever known. We haven't had any of that with Hanna (so far) and training her has been joyful and fun, just like it should be! You can't imagine how gratifying it's been to watch her learn new things and understand her little quirks more and more, one of which we just discovered last night: she barks at wiggling brooms! So the broom can join Mr. Rake Monster and the roaring Vacuum as her least favorite implements around the house....

Crazy Hanna!

Just a moment of silliness and egged on craziness for Hanna ... she's really not being destructive here, just playful! Explanations later ... we got her all wound up for a photo op for Coneflower!

Species Tulips: Little Beauty

A viewing tip for the photos: Most of you may already know that I include a higher resolution, larger photo of everything I post here, and I encourage everyone to either click through or open photos in another window (or tab if you use Firefox) to see much more detail than the version posted on this page. You'll be glad you did....

You'll recognize this lovely species tulip "Little Beauty" from last Friday's "Bloomfest" preview of coming floriferous attractions. But it definitely deserves its own post, don't you think? As I noted previously, these were a freebie I got with a large order of bulbs and at first I was dubious about whether I'd like them or not ... I just thought the whole idea of red white and blue flowers has been a bit overdone (ever notice the specifically designed "patriotic" combos sold in plant catalogues?), but now after having them perform for us so magnificently over the past four years, I'm a believer! Especially when they morphed into those orange throwbacks, mutants or whatever you want to call them. We're both delighted to have them gracing the area in the front boulder bed adjoining the steps....

This first bloom seems a bit coquettish to me for some reason, as if she's beckoning the viewer to get closer but still maintaining a modestly chaste distance....

This bloom, however, has no qualms about showing off all she's got to offer, and wow she's got some set of stamens going on in there! I do declare, Fernymoss did a stellar job on these photos, and in the larger versions, you can even see the individual grains of pollen! We just love being able to get macro shots that reveal that level of detail in an individual bloom, because often we can see how much variation there can be from flower to flower....

I just liked this ensemble shot of both the orange and reds together ... they make quite a contrast, and I find it fascinating how even in the orange "mutants" you can see the linkage of color to the original cultivar when you compare the blues at the center of the blooms. And you get a bonus flaming pansy in this shot too!

Growing these species tulips is really pretty foolproof, as long as you can provide them with a good loamy, well drained soil in a sunny position (ours get morning eastern sun and early afternoon southern sun). I've often seen them recommended for rock gardens with lower growing plants, and as seen in the previous photo I posted, they make an excellent companion to Grape Hyacinths (Muscari armeniacum) because their bloom times coincide. I think they'd look wonderful with the Iris Reticulata (Dwarf Iris), except that the Irises are long gone before these little guys bloom. In fact, in previous years I've wondered if these died off because the "Persian Pearl" variety we also have planted has bloomed and gone before we see these. It's merely a matter of a staggered bloom time, which actually, I think is a nice feature. Just when you're missing the "Persian Pearls" the "Little Beauties" march on to the stage for their moment in the sun....

I got more of our bulb order in the mail today ... the Mixed Caladiums arrived, so now we've got even more bulbs that need to go into pots this weekend! I haven't grown Caladiums since I was in college and these will be a first for the garden here at Casa IVG, where we plan on placing them in shady spots (like under the spruce in back) where we want a splash of color. At least having them in pots will spare us the hassle of digging them up in the fall to bring in! So the time spent now potting them will save us time and effort later... It looks like our Fancy Cannas are on backorder, so I hope they get here in a reasonable amount of time to allow for them to get in the ground and do their thing. But on the other hand, the area we have planned for them is not cleared out yet, so we've got time ... we decided to try to eradicate that inherited Lysimachia ciliata ('Firecracker') that is trying to take over the northeast boulder bed out front. It's just gotten too aggressive where it is and since our planting space is already at a premium and dwindling every year, we just can't justify it anymore. Though it is very pretty, it needs to be at least brought under control this year (last year it was the Zebrina Mallow ... it's always something!). Anyway, once that's gone, we're going to put a 'Carmencita' Red Castor and the cannas in that spot as a specimen showcase ... hopefully this scheme will actually happen!

Poor Hanna ... she had to spend the day inside with me when it was sunny and nice outside, but by the time I was able to quit for the day, a line of thunderstorms was moving in quickly, which not only thwarted my plans to get a few Delphiniums planted, but also dashed her hopes of getting out for a walkie today! We had some thundershowers for several hours tonight, nothing serious, which was welcome, even if they came at an inopportune time....

We continue to congratulate ourselves for picking out such a great new toy for Hanna ... she absolutely loves this Monster Mouth! Even when it's not loaded with treats (as it is in this shot), she loves playing with it and having us toss it around. One nice feature about it is that it has a very irregular and unpredictable bounce to it, so if we deliberately bounce it off a wall, she has to really scramble and watch to retrieve it. The Kongs do that as well, but this one has really captured her attention at the moment and one of these days we'll finally get a shot of her head on walking around with it in her mouth with the teeth showing (it's hilarious!), but so far we haven't been able to capture this yet. You'll know it when we do....

Garden Helper Hanna

As usual, our weekend gardening aspirations often fall short of what we plan, due to circumstances, but Sunday was a pretty good day nonetheless, especially for Hanna. Though she had to spend a couple of hours in her crate while we took Fernymoss' Mom and Dad out for lunch, she had her Monster Mouth to keep her busy (treats included of course) and she was patiently waiting for us when we got back. Since I wasn't feeling well most of this weekend, and my arthritis was really keeping me down for the most part, I was of very limited use (I did a little clean up and removed some old fencing no longer needed). Fernymoss and Hanna, however, got a lot done in the back garden and back yard ... after Fernymoss got the grass mowed, he and Hanna worked on weeding and breaking up the soil in the back veggie garden, getting it ready to be tilled. We discovered that Hanna finds this a quite entertaining game and does her best to kill those dastardly weeds ... Fernymoss was breaking up the ground, pulling dandelions and other stuff and then tossing it into what was to become a pile headed to the compost ... well, Hanna decided it was her job to jump up, catch them and shake the remaining life out of these nasty weeds! I took quite a few short videos of her in action and we decided that the following one was the best for posting, though some of the others have their hilarious moments as well. This one, however, best demonstrates her basic weed killing routine, so take a look!

Hanna Helps With the Weeding
(Click on image to play)

If it looked like she was having fun playing the "weed the garden" game, you can take it on our word that she was having an absolute ball! It was a little challenging getting all her high flying jumps in the frame, but this should give a good idea of what a little jumper she is ... we've noticed lately how "buff" she's been getting since we've had her, just check out those defined thighs ... she was a very muscular and solid dog when we got her, but all the walkies and exercise she's been getting since it's been warmer are really starting to show visible results! We're really pleased, because we want to do our best to keep her from getting overweight, which could have very serious health consequences for such a little frame. We have discussed an ideal weight with Dr. B and we all concluded that as long as she stays at or below 20 pounds, she should be fine (she weighs just under 18 pounds now). As tempting as it is to shower her with treats, we limit them to after dinner snacks and in moderation, and so far our strategy seems to be working out fine....

I call this shot "Garden Sentry"

I'm sure you've noticed that we keep her on a long lead (20 ft) out in the back ... we have a very solid tie out stake in the middle of the yard that gives her a great 360 degree access of all of the parts of the yard where we'd like her to play and run, without being able to get into the veggie, peony or herb beds. Neither of us is a fan of tying dogs out (especially when left alone!), but this is really for her own good ... for now. Until we get the fence repaired (which, thanks to some donated fencing from one of our neighbors who took a section of theirs down, should be soon), we just can't trust her not to escape.

As anyone who has ever had a Terrier (or Terrier Mix) can testify, they are very intense little dogs, especially when young, and they often don't think before charging after a rabbit, squirrel or some other critter, so really, this is for her protection. Fortunately she only goes on the lead when out with us (we do not leave her alone this way) and doesn't seem to mind at all, though she still does get a bit tangled up on occasion. And she respects the boundaries enforced by the lead, so it's working out pretty well so far ... we're looking forward to the day when we can turn her loose and really let her run laps but it may be a while. Since we live at the intersection of an often pretty busy street and we don't know how many "street smarts" she has, it's just better to restrict a little of her off leash time for now until we're sure she won't try to either 1) jump the fence (which she probably could do) or 2) climb out or otherwise sneak away ... so for now, we'll use the lead.

"Testing the Scented Air"

As soon as we get the majority of the garden in, we have several projects planned to improve the back yard, one of which is to get Hanna some agility activities set up, including hoop jumping. We're pretty confident we can let her off the lead to practice, as it will involve (at least at first) treats and close supervision and interaction, and Hanna loves the interaction part when it involves playing! We also plan on modifying a few areas, such as the rock ring around the spruce where we have the birdbath. Nothing of any value will grow under that spruce, and we have tried, unsuccessfully (e.g. miserable failures) to plant strawberries, cyclamens, Lupines and other flowers there and everything either dies or is overrun with weeds.

So I hatched this plan a while back ... we are going to clear all the crap out, put down landscaping cloth and fill in the area with pond rocks (we found some reasonably priced bags of those last weekend and they're quite attractive). That way at least we can keep the weeds down and provide a place to place potted shade loving plants (I have Caladiums ordered and on their way) for the summer months. But again, that's going to have to wait until the major planting is done, since it's a less time sensitive plan. The other ugly area we have is an old metal shed that we inherited with the place ... in a perfectly well financed world, we'd just rip the ugly thing out and put in something better, but with finances the way they are, that's a luxury we just can't afford right now. And we need the storage space for pots, the mower and tiller, which are just impractical to store inside ... So the tactic (again another scheme of mine) this year is to obscure it with green! Along with the recently received Tree Peony, we got a bag of 5 giant Elephant Ear bulbs ... we already planted one in a big pot out in the front boulder bed and the rest of them are going into large pots that we are going to line up along the line of the shed that's seen from the street. Since the Elephant Ears get about 6 ft tall, they should do a good job of covering up the ugliest parts, and along the base of the shed where they will go, we're also going to put down landscaping cloth and pond rocks to prettify it a bit. Of course, when that starts to happen, I'll keep folks posted here.

"Daddy did you call me?"

I took the last three shots while we were taking a break in the lawn chairs, and this last one was the result of me calling Hanna over for a visit ... I just love getting to see her run, and miraculously (thanks to the motion compensation setting on the camera) this one actually captured her pretty clearly in motion (even with a high degree of zoom). As you may have noticed in the previous two shots, Hanna has a great profile in form ... I often marvel that if dog show standards were sometimes applied to mixed breeds, one could come up with some really nice examples of confirmation. I can clearly see the Corgi shoulders, chest and length in Hanna, nicely balanced with the general lines and markings of a Jack Russell Terrier. For us, at least, she is the best of both breeds, all packed into a wonderful little bundle of joy and energy. Add in her incredible curiosity and natural intelligence, and we think we've found the ideal pup to follow in her illustrious predecessors' pawsteps.

Ok, enough proud daddy puppy blathering ... I'll return to the regularly scheduled flower blogging in the next post, I promise! There's a lot going on and more to come as the summer months approach and Hanna will be along for the ride, helping out as she can ... Fernymoss did tell me that she scared up a baby bunny on Friday afternoon, but it got away ... lucky for now, but put on notice to take up residence elsewhere!

Finally, a President With a Sense of Humor!

I didn't actually watch the coverage of the White House Correspondents' Dinner, instead, I watched a very entertaining and quirky film called In Bruges (starring Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell). I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but had read good reviews of this film, so when I saw it recently on the sale table for $3.99 I snapped it up, then promptly forgot I bought it ... until tonight, when I was clearing up some of the DVD clutter and rediscovered it. Since Fernymoss was closing tonight (and I knew he had little to no interest in this one), I sat down with my dinner and popped it in. And I was very pleasantly surprised that this film --ostensibly about two hit men hiding out in Bruges after a job gone sour in England -- turned out to be so humorous and full of enjoyable plot twists throughout. Yes, there's a fair amount of pretty bloody violence (they are hit men after all) and coarse language, but there are also some pretty funny scenes in it, some almost worthy of classic Monty Python sketches.

I won't even try to summarize its plot, because this is one of those "little" films that is best experienced "cold" to fully appreciate its quirky charms. And if you are a fan of Colin Farrell, it's a must see (I have to admit that I find him quite hot) to see him successfully tackle a role that demands that he not only be callous and cold, yet incredibly funny at other moments, while still conveying an underlying sense of humanity. That's an odd mix to have to pull off, but I think he did a great job ... and the supporting cast is equally adept at turning this bloody tale into a satisfying mix of drama and comedy. So, if you can get past the basic thematic elements (hit men, violence), it's well worth a look. Obviously this is not one of the classics for the ages, but it is very well directed and does have a tightly written script with a lot of truly witty contemporary social commentary (not particularly kind to Americans, I might add). I'd give it 3.5 Hibiscus Blooms out of a possible 5.0!

On to the real subject of this post, our President's speech at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night. As I mentioned, I didn't watch it in real time because I figured I'd catch the highlights later on MSNBC or online ... and happily, these two videos (the entire segment Obama did) were promptly posted on YouTube, so if you're interested in seeing how he did, you've got them right in front of you now! Just click on the image below for Part I.

Isn't it great to have a President with a smart sense of humor? After the last eight years of a bumbling wannabe tyrant who mangled the English language on a daily basis, it's just so refreshing to see a President who can not only express himself intelligently, wittily and demonstrate a self-deprecating sense of humor. Not to mention, some of his best zingers are well worth quoting (note the comments about Rush Limbaugh, Darth Cheney, Michael Steele and John Boehner). For Part II, click on the image below.

Fernymoss and I just about fell out of our chairs laughing at the Boehner quip, and it has to be seen to be believed. I'm sure there are a lot of Rethuglicans foaming at the mouth out there tonight because of Obama's mockery of them. One could (theoretically) I suppose debate the propriety of such a political skewering, but in my estimation, after having been demonized for the past eight years by bloviating Rethuglican gasbags, my response is basically: get over it. Payback is a bi$ch, eh? If you can't take a joke, you're seriously in need of an attitude adjustment (but we already knew that didn't we?). In case you're interested in a bit of Wanda Sykes' follow up to Obama, you can catch an excerpt here.

Ok, on to what you're really here for: the vicarious, gratuitous puppy pics! So, without further delay, here are some shots that Fernymoss took just a while ago of Hanna attacking her new favorite toy, the Monster Mouth, filled with treats. She loves this new toy that we got her for her birthday last weekend ... it has little chambers inside where you can hide small treats ... and since Hanna loves solving puzzles, this one didn't take her long to crack, but she still gets a real kick out of working it for all it's worth. And the rubber is so tough she can't crack it, something we've come to realize is an essential feature of any toy we give her....

What are you looking at? I'm workin here!

I just know I can get that last bit out if I work a bit harder at it....

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there! We're taking Fernymoss' Mom out to lunch today, then have some garden tasks ahead of us for the afternoon (clean up and more planting!) so it looks to be a busy day shaping up for us, and best of all for Hanna, she'll get to spend much of the day outside with us supervising, her favorite job! Aside from catching and shaking (to death) the dandelions and other weeds we dig out of the gardens!

Blooming Wednesday Potpourri

What a lovely spring day today: partly cloudy, highs in the low 70's ... and I sure wished I hadn't been cooped up in the house working! But I at least was able to get out for a little while after work (and before dinner time) to make the discovery rounds with Fernymoss. Though we didn't get anything in the ground just yet, we both were able to get some shots of the current show and made a few surprising discoveries in the process.

So let's peek inside the Mother Ship below and get going on the tour....

Alas, the tulips are starting to wind down, and all it's going to take is a hard rain or a really windy day and their precious petals will be sent sailing off in the breeze ... but for the moment, they are still looking pretty stunning nonetheless. Fernymoss was having a lot of fun shooting these types of shots of blooms that were lowering the front door of the Mother Ship to reveal the mysterious forms within. This particular bloom is one of our Darwins that have made somewhat of a comeback this year. Even though we lost over 100 of these in that awful late extended freeze in 2007, we're still convinced that these hybrids are the best tulips who truly qualify as perennials. With their 18" stems (no kidding!) and brilliant colors, the Darwins are by far your best value in tulips if you want them to stick around for a good long time.....

Here's a quick shot I took of the overall "ensemble" going on in the Primrose bed by the front steps ... I plan on doing an entire post on these beauties soon, but I need to be able to take the time to get close ups, but for now, I wanted to give a sense of just how this grouping works together. The Blue (and red) one you see at the lower left is the pot I got last weekend and planted on Sunday, and so far they look quite happy in their new home. To the right, just by the yellow ones is the plant I got for Valentine's day. It had to spend a little too long in the house on the windowsill, but now that it's in the ground near its cousins, I'm hopeful that it will stake out its place and join the party ... it's a crap shoot as to whether this will be perennial or not (quite often the primroses sold as potted plants aren't), but at least it has a fighting chance. It will get pampered throughout the season, as will all of these, my much prized Primulas.

And here's the newest member of our Hellebore family, Ivory Prince, that we just got last weekend. Though this is not his permanent home, I just wanted to get a shot of him to show off because he's currently got a lot of blooms going on. Talk about instant gratification ... though we have been patiently nursing some very small plants we got in 2005 over the past four years (and they are blooming now ... more on them later), we both feel that $22 was more than a fair price for this plant, given what most nurseries charge for much smaller plants (usually in the $8-9 range). Plus, we already know what the blooms will look like! Gail commented the other day that she has this variety and she really likes it, so we have confirmation from a good source that this was indeed a wise buy. We're excited to see how this new addition will make his home in the Woodland Garden....

An update on what I posted as a "mystery plant" last week ... long term readers here immediately knew what this was, so I might as well lift the veil of "secrecy" and reveal that this is indeed Dracunculs vulgaris, aka: Dragon Arum, and affectionately known as "Mr. Stinky" around Casa IVG. This was an enormous bulb we originally planted in 2005, and in 2006 it came up, leafed out but didn't bloom ... but then in 2007, it rewarded us with its first bloom. (If you'd like to see the evolving history of this plant, click on the "Dracunculus vulgaris" label below the post to see all previous entries. Then you'll see what this will become in another month or so.) Last year it bloomed again, but also put up five little offshoots at its base, so we're hoping for multiple blooms this year ... but today Fernymoss discovered that this year we have eight offshoots coming up and leafing out right now. Wow, just wow! When we planted this, we weren't even sure it would be reliably hardy here, but it sure seems to be happy where we have it planted in the Woodland Garden not far from the peonies. It's ironic that we chose to plant the stinkiest plant in our garden so close to the flowers with the best fragrance ... we'll just call it a happy coincidence.

For those of you who need your daily puppy pic fix, here's Hanna this afternoon, working her Kong for all it's worth. During the day when I'm working, she hangs out with me in my office either snoozing on the futon couch or looking out the window at the world, and is very patient with my schedule. Of course I give her regular attention and loving, but she really seems to realize that I'm working and behaves herself quite well. But when early afternoon comes, she needs to head out for a potty break, and when we return she expects her Kong! So I usually stuff it with a bit of peanut butter and a few small treats to keep her busy for a while ... Here she's trying to extract that last little bit of peanut butter from the Kong, after getting the crunchy treats out first. She has a really cool way of using her front paws literally as hands to grip the Kong, and that was what I was trying to capture, but once the camera is fired up, she gets "shy" about showing off what she can do. At least this shot shows a little bit of what she can do to grip things with her front paws ... what a constantly amazing little girl she has turned out to be! We think she's going to grow up to be "scary smart" due to her already huge vocabulary of words she recognizes! She definitely has mastered every corner of the house so far and knows where everything is (especially the food and treats), so she clearly has established the reign of Princess Hanna, whether we like it or not! And we're thrilled, of course.....

The Spring Bloom Bonanza Continues ....

Monday was a mild, but mostly cloudy day and due to a bad headache I developed during the afternoon, I just didn't have the oomph to get out and try to get some more photos of the current bulb bonanza happening out front, so just a few more shots from Fernymoss' session from April 30 to show off.

Things are growing at an amazing pace here these days, and there's something new to discover practically every day out in the Boulder Beds and the Woodland Garden. Our plan this week is to plant a few things every day after work since we got so much new plant material last weekend. My aim today (if the weather cooperates, since rain is again in the forecast) is to put in a few of the (eight!) new Delphinium varieties I just got ... 3 Blue Elf, 3 Blue Butterfly and 2 Summer Night. I've decided to add a couple to my existing stand of Blue Elf to bring that up to a total of 5, then create two other stands elsewhere with the rest and mix them all up for variety. Since they're all various hues of blue, they should look great together. I'm also going to throw a bunch of Larkspur seed in with them, just to see if I can get some of that going again (though the last time I got Larkspur going great guns, the were rabbits ate them all).

The Primroses (Primula polyanthus) are really happy and blooming right now, so I hope I can get some pictures of them today, but here's a preview Fernymoss provided from last Thursday. I love the gradations of color in this red and yellow one, especially the red "stripe" down the center of the petals. I found another pot of Primroses over the weekend that I planted on Sunday, along with that yellow one I got for Valentine's day, so I think our approximate total of plants is now somwhere around 20-22 in this bed! And to think, I started this grouping with five tiny plants back in 2005 ... they have multiplied rapidly (to my delight) in just four years and I hope they continue to prosper! I've waxed rhapsodically here before about my love of Primroses, so I'll spare you that, but to me, these charming little spring bloomers just personify the quintessential cottage garden plant with their cheeful, colorful faces peeking up from their compact bushy plants. My hope is that these will eventually take over much of this little bed over time....

This is one of our remaining Jan De Bos Hyacinths currently in bloom ... somwhere along the line we have lost two of these, which is regrettable, because I really like this hot pink bordering on fuscha color (though it's classified as "red"), and of course, its fragrance is, like all hyacinths, absolutely lovely. This one is doing well where it is (next to one of the purple Peter Stuyvesants) and has put up two blooms again this year, so I think it must be planning on sticking around for the long haul. So much the better!

Now let's venture into Trillium territory, where things are really revving up quickly! We'll have more shots of these probably later this week, but for now, let's take a look at how quickly these emerge, practically blooming from the ground ... two weeks ago, there were no signs of these in the Woodland Garden, and all of a sudden last week, there they were! When we first found these several years ago (I think it was in 2006), they were identified only as "Trillium, Wildflower." Apparently these are often misidentified even in better nurseries, so my best guess is that these are Trillium luteum, due to their pale yellow flowers. No matter what they are, we love them and they seem to like where we have planted them ... we started with three plants originally and now they have increased to at least five, though I wouldn't be surprised to discover yet another lurking in this stand once we get the dead fern growth cleared out soon. I'll keep you posted ... and this weekend, we found another small plant where we got the new Hellebore, so there will be at least six going into this growing season and the next.

Here's a bit closer view of three Trilliums who have clumped together ... though we love the unique blooms, I think the foliage is almost as stunning as the flowers, and ours stick around throughout the summer even if the blooms do fall off eventually. They're great Woodland Garden plants and make excellent companions for our Jack in the Pulpit, ferns and Toad Lilies we have nearby because they blend right in and give us at least a small impression of a little woodland stand in the middle of the city, which is what we have been trying to achieve....

I think Fernymoss did an outstanding job with this macro close up of a bloom just opening (enlarge to see all the deail) ...just look at those stamens! This is clearly a moment captured in time, because by now I'm sure this flower has opened fully, so thanks to Fernymoss, we have a glimpse into the gradual unfurling of these petals, revealing the intimate inner bits of this lovely bloom....

Puppy pic overload time again ... this is a fairly typical pose for Hanna when she takes up her spot on the couch. Nothing amazing, but just another of her acknowledge my cuteness! poses that we're privileged to enjoy multiple times daily. She just generates smiles by her very being (and this is not limited to us, as Fernymoss sees total strangers break into big smiles when they see her on walkies). We're lucky dogs (as we remind ourselves often) and so is she! Her match with us was just meant to be, as we believe more and more over time....

Hanna's Big Weekend Out

We were finally treated with a weekend without rain (the first in 5 weeks!), warm temperatures (it was in the low 70's today with abundant sun) and generally great gardening conditions, so we tried to take our best advantage of them. Saturday we took Hanna on an excursion to her favorite store, Petco, because they had her food on sale at a significant savings and we had a coupon almost to expiration, so we wanted to economize as much as possible, considering we were getting her some Frontline (for fleas and ticks), which is no small expenditure at $60 for 3 months! Of course we couldn't resist taking her through the toy aisle (I'm not sure if it's more fun for her or us!) and got her a couple new toys as belated birthday presents (more on those later).

Then we made a stop on the way home at a more upscale specialty nursery (e.g. on the pricey side) where we made some real finds and I dropped a significant amount of cash ... Our big find was a new hybrid Hellebore called 'Ivory Prince,' that is the biggest Hellebore I've ever seen, so we had to have it. Unlike all the other Hellebores we have, which are of the Royal Heritage strain, this one has blooms that face up, not down, so no wet belly position to photograph them! This one is currently blooming, and though the flowers now look pale green, apparently they start out white then progress to this color. (Click the link above to get a description.)

I meant to get pictures of it today but we were so busy outdoors cleaning up (finally) that I didn't get a chance but I'll have a shot soon. Basically, it's already about 14" tall, very bushy and dense, so I didn't feel too bad about dropping $22 on just that one plant, because it's so well established. It will be going in probably late tomorrow afternoon, to join the other Hellebores in the Woodland Garden.

We also found another small Trillium plant, a couple of deep red oriental poppies I had to grab and a pot of Primroses ... the odd lot that had two together, both red and blue, so that had to come home with us as well.

Once we got home, we set about digging the innumerable dandelions and other trees (Maples) and weeds out of the front boulder bed and planting the 54+ snapdragons that came home with Fernymoss on Friday night. So there's a lot of instant color that just occurred this weekend ... and I vow to get some pictures Monday after work, since I didn't get around to it on Sunday. There was just too much going on this weekend....

Sunday we combined a grocery run with a visit to our usual garden center where we picked up some more annuals, perennials, herbs and a few veggies. I found a treasure trove of the bushier Delphiniums: Blue Elf, Blue Butterfly, and Summer Night ... the most heat and dry tolerant of the lot. I used to grow the upright, stalky type Delphiniums, but they never seemed to last more than a couple of years so I realized that in our conditions, they are more like expensive annuals, so I've given up. But these newer bushy varieties (which are more like Larkspurs and often classified as Delphinium ambigua) and perform a lot better for us in our hot, dry and humid summers. The three varieties I got today promise some interesting hues of blue, so you'll be seeing them here as they progress this season.

We also got a bunch of petunias, marigolds, red salvias, a new columbine (red!) and some new sage plants, some jalapeños and a new heirloom variety, Tennessee Cheese. We held off on getting any tomatoes yet, as we were just cleaning up their area today and it hasn't been tilled yet, so they can wait a week or so until we have the space ready for them. It seems that the garden centers we've visited so far aren't fully stocked up yet, so for the usual annuals we're buying now and waiting on the other things we want to plant.... So far we're trying to stick to our new rule: plant all the stuff we have before we make any more plant runs! Seems to be working for the moment, at least!

Now, back to Hanna ... here's a short (18 seconds) video I took of her this afternoon while we were taking a break from backyard clean up. She was exceptionally good (even on the tie out lead) all day outside (she has a pretty wide 360 coverage of the yard) and didn't even bark at other dogs going by today. This weekend is the first time she's had to really spend hours on end outside exploring her backyard. When she first arrived in January, it was merely the shoveled out paths for "business" purposes, and up until now she hasn't been able to spend extended periods out back. But she was loving it today and spent a lot of time just sniffing things out (as you can see in the video).

Sunday was a sniff-tastic day in the backyard, perfect for exploring!

Ok, last night we were trying again to force cuteness and failing miserably. What we wanted to get was a head on shot of Hanna with her new toy the Monster Mouth, that we got for her yesterday at Petco. Basically, it's a tough rubber toy (the only thing that's almost indestructible for Hanna) that has a couple of compartments in it where you can stash small treats. At first this one took her a lot longer than it did the Kong to figure out, but by Sunday night she seemed to have it pretty much figured out, but she still enjoys chewing on it and playing toss and retrieve with it.

Here she is gazing across the table at her Monster Mouth, wishing I'd fill it up with treats again.....

Here's the Monster Mouth (it's a pretty funny looking 'Little Shop of Horrors' type toy) that she's now decided is less important than giving Fernymoss a big, wet sloppy one! She's such a sweetie, always full of puppy love to share....

And all the activity and fresh air today has worn her out ... all the while I've been writing this post, she's been conked out on the futon couch, curled up and snoozing away .... we definitely brought her on board at just the right time, because she's perfectly at home here now and considers herself in charge! All in less than 4 months so far ... she's definitely an amazing and very special little girl we're so fortunate to have in our lives!

Thanks again, Pepa, for the permission and approval to adopt! We'll never forget you, and cherish your memory....

I Just Love An Embarrassment of Riches!

As I noted yesterday, it seems like such a relief that May is finally here and we can banish (most) thoughts of snow (and hard freezes) and concentrate on enjoying the rewards of Spring ...the bulbs are outdoing themselves so far this year and I feel like I can hardly keep up with them at this point, thus the "potpourri" format once again. Though I prefer the single focus on plants in most of my posts, that will come soon, because there are certain plants I definitely want to highlight, but for now, let's just enjoy the many colors now on display at Casa IVG.

Great weather in the high 60's is forecast for today (and no rain for a change!!!) and we plan to get a lot more of the clean up done and get some things in the ground, notably the entire flat of Snapdragons that Fernymoss brought home today after work! We also have a trip to Petco planned for Hanna (her favorite store!) and either today or Sunday we're going to hit our favorite garden center for more plants ... Tonight we vowed that we won't make any major purchases of plants without having gotten the previous ones in the ground first, so that means that we have to get 2 Serrano Pepper plants, some 'ginormous' Italian parsley and that flat of Snapdragons in the ground before we go bringing more things home with us ... we'll see how that works out!

So let's take today's tour ... these are some more of the many Grape Hyacinths we have planted around in the front boulder bed ... this little stand has multiplied nicely since they were planted several years ago (quite late as they were forgotten in the fall and I stuck these in the ground in December!). Though Grape Hyacinths aren't really Hyacinths at all, you can see two real ones in the background, the variety 'Peter Stuyvesant,' which is probably my favorite of all of them, and of course it has that lovely Hyacinth fragrance that perfumes the area, something we don't get from many of the spring bulbs. If you enlarge this photo, you can see the now withered remains of a few of the Species Tulip 'Persian Pearl' in the background as well. That's my only minor gripe with them, they only last a bit over a week, but they're so pretty while they do last!

Let's round the corner and enter the Woodland Garden area where the Daffodils are gradually winding down and take a look at some more Hyacinths ... this is another 'Peter Stuyvesant' along with the other variety we have planted, 'Jan de Bos.' For some reason a couple of the latter have disappeared this year (alas) unless they're just going to be up really late, but anyway, I really like the color of 'Jan' with its almost fuschia shade (though it's typically considered red). I love the combination of these bold colors with the Daffodils, but then, I've been known to appreciate rather "loud" colors once or twice in my life....

We were hopeful that our Darwin Tulips would finally recover somewhat after the disastrous last two springs that had late very cold spells after they had come up ... and though they're nowhere near as numerous as they once were (in 2006 there were about 300+ planted out front), at least they are making a comeback. This is one of the masses we have in the corner Boulder Bed and if you look closely you'll see a few Grape Hyacinths have survived as well (we lost a lot of those in 2007 and 2008 as well), so we'll just keep hoping for future improvement in these areas. I'll have more of these soon, once we can get some shots of them when they are actually open during the day (hopefully this weekend).
Here we have some newcomers to the Boulder Beds ... these are Fritillaria uva-vulpis, (aka, 'Fox's Grape') that were just planted last fall. Though they look similar to the Fritillaria michailovskii we have planted elsewhere, they are much taller (apparently they can reach over 12 inches at maturity) and the colors are a bit more muted, they do share the same sort of lampshade shaped blooms, and instead of single blooming, these little foxes of the garden often bear two or more flowers per stalk.

According to most sources I've read, Uva-vulpis also tends to naturalize much more readily than Michailovskii, so we are looking forward to seeing many more of these in future years. When they first emerge they look pretty insubstantial, much like a long blade of grass, but these have quickly matured over the last two weeks and are just now popping into bloom in various places, so you can probably expect to see (and hear more about) them again soon....

From the better late than never department ... we now have three Hellebores in bloom, two for the first time! Finally, our patience is paying off, and these tiny plants we put in way back in 2005 are starting to bloom for us. Since they were sold as a mix, I really have no idea what varieties they are, other than they belong to the "Royal Heritage" strains (which doesn't really tell one much). We're just happy to see them blooming! Though the plants have done pretty well over the past few years, only one has deigned to bloom for us until this year so this represents a bit of a milestone for this particular area of the Woodland Garden. And, as any garden blogger with Hellebores knows, they're not particularly easy flowers to get good shots of without literally getting down on the ground and looking up. Though they're beautiful flowers, they don't make it easy for us to appreciate that beauty, so hats off to Fernymoss for getting down and doing some "wet belly photography" to bring these to this humble blog....

Ok, I'll admit that this shot makes me feel a bit voyeuristic because my first impression was that I was invading the private space of this Hellebore bloom ... for some reason (maybe because I'm so immersed in iconic film imagery?) this reminded me of that famous picture of Marilyn Monroe with her skirt being blown upwards by a subway grate. Maybe I just have a dirty mind (heh, like I try to go looking up women's skirts!), this shot just seemed so overtly sexual that I had to include it in this post. Not that this is a prurient blog at all, but let's just remind ourselves that the whole reason that flowers bloom in the first place is to reproduce themselves, so we have to give them some (ahem) license in what they do! I do think that this is one of the more creative and stunning shots Fernymoss has gotten in a while, and hopefully we'll have even more Hellebore pictures soon....

Finally, I've gotten a few comments lately that I've been neglecting the "gratuitous puppy shots" in my posts, so we did some quick improvised "cuteness" shots tonight for this post. And just for Marnie, who remarked recently that she thought Hanna looked like such a calm dog when I had said that she was so often in motion that she was challenging to capture in still shots ... here she is running across the living room after having retrieved her favorite Kong. Though Hanna definitely knows when to be mellow (amazing for such a young pup), her usual mode is in motion and jumping and running. We love her all the more for that, and especially when she knows that it's inappropriate behavior and calms down. Once again, we thank our lucky stars that she chose to come and live with us and brighten our lives after our recent losses of Pepa and Rolly....

Make of this shot what you will ... though Hanna still doesn't spend all that much time on Pepa's old bed, she does take advantage of it on occasion, and here she seems to be enjoying some "loungy" time.... Hopefully, if the weather cooperates this weekend, we might be able to get some cuteness pictures of her outside this weekend, so stay tuned!