Grandkids

It is always a wonderful thing to look upon the face of your child for the first time each morning.

It is just amazing to be able to do the same with your grandkids. And to know that you will be given that gift each morning, now that they are here .................................

AH!!

Such joy!!

We're getting ready

St Joseph is the patron saint of selling houses, didn't you know!!

Well, I did not. But my daughter found out and buried St Joseph in her yard. You see they had their house on the market last year for several months, with no action at all. So when they put it back on this fall, they were looking for a quick sale. JD had lost his job (still looking for a new one) and they decided to move in with us while they regroup and decide on their next move. They had very little activity and often no one showing up at all for their open houses. Finally after St Joseph got planted they had a nice young couple show up after Thanksgiving who fell in love with the house. They just signed a P & S this week!

SO this big new storage shed is beginning to get filled with their things as well as lots of ours in the great mission of getting this place ready fro them! Almost ready, with a bit of a delay from the holidays. February 1st is to be the big day.

How great will it be to see those bright smiling faces of our grandkids each morn!!

100th gardener comes to gardens/ butterfly release

REALITY CHECK-------------------------

I forgot to check my bills the last two weeks - having too much fun in the gardens!! So I spent my first two hours doing all that entails, downloaded the rest of my photos from yesterday, uploaded to the blog and finally got this post going. Just ready to get it posted as Kim arrives. Again , off to the gardens!!


We recently had an Eastern Black Swallowtail, Papilio polyxenes butterfly hatch.



This is what the chrysalis looks like. The top one is the regular color during the pupation phase. The bottom one is what it looks like as it is getting ready to hatch The change in color to black is actually the wings being formed and seen through the chrysalis as it becomes more transparent.




We have been hatching these for many years now, and I have found them to be a bit skittish and unpredictable critters. I waited for my grandkids (note the red hair, straight and curly!!, too cute!!!) to get here to release this one. I took it outside, ever so gently cradling it within my palms. As there was only one butterfly and two grandkids, I had them put their hands together so that I could place the butterfly between them.



As I proceeded to bring my hands over to place on their hands, the butterfly snuck right out of the bottom of my hands, where I had inadvertently left a slight opening! It flew away up to the trees as fast as possible! It was gone in the wink of an eye! Oh, no, where did it go?? All gone!!



That's the way it went!! Way up in the trees!!





On Sunday, July 6th, our 100th gardener came to the gardens.



I was happy to present him and his wife with a plant for their garden, a beautiful Pulmonaria.



This was also the day we had cleared out the new seed bed. So in honor of the two occasions, we had a butterfly release. I brought the butterfly container outside.


This one was also an Eastern Black Swallowtail.



I gently put my hand in the bag,


lifted out the butterfly in the palm of my hand, being ever so careful to hold is so very gently, so as to not damage the wings,



Got ready to release it,


lifted my top hand off,


and let it go!


I said, let it go..............



And as I have already stated, these Blacks are unpredictable. The one before this one couldn't get away fast enough, so the grandkids barely saw it. And this one, probably realizing it was the center of attention of a group of onlookers, ogling its beauty, sat on my hand,

and sat ........ basking in the glory of our awe at witnessing such an amazing event!!

And sat, giving us all an extraordinary moment, and such an eyeful of nature's beauty.

And then it took off!!

I put up offer for strawberry runners, to see what the interest might be. Had 7 responses in the first few hours - wasn't sure if i could accommodate them all so went out to count runners. Well, imagine my surprise when I could barely walk through the strawberry patch due to so many runners - I counted 177 that had set little plants, and many more are getting ready to set!!! Will be able to share with all!!
One girl who responded wanted to plant strawberries due to memories relating to her grandmother and picking strawberries with her. My grandkids went strawberry picking with all of us last year at a local farm - and had so much fun I moved a bunch of runners that had been around forever into a new sunny patch, and we have been enjoying strawberries for 2 weeks now!! Every time they come, they run to the patch for berries!! I just have to battle with the local catbird that keeps eating them - even when I am within 6 feet of it!!
What a wonderful time of year - Walking around I can hear baby goldfinches in my Blue Spruce, and several other chirping groups in various trees!! Had 2 hawks here yesterday diving to get at something in my garden.

Had grandkids all day - hard to do much else - Had 2 surprises today - First, the very first girl who came to my gardens through Freecycle called to bring over a plant and her mother to visit the gardens. Such a great surprise. it was so much fun to have them here- Krissy had been here before, but this time we were able to take a leisurely stroll around the gardens, and I was able to surprise her with 2 more plants she didn't have!! How fun!! It was great to have a mother and daughter her together - Krissy had been here before with her dad. How wonderful that gardening is still being passed down to the younger generation.

The second surprise is an unexpected visit from a former foster daughter who is a wonderful success story - she has gone on to become the first female Army recruiter in MA!!! Yea, Lisa - what a great role model she has become for Mia!!

It is a reminder to me that the system sometimes does get it right. Lisa is due any minute. I'm very excited to see her again. --- Had a great, short visit( longer one to follow over the weekend) with Lisa - Bike and all!! She has been promoted to Staff Sergeant!!! Yea, Lisa. Such a poised, confident, compassionate, responsible and loving young lady. Being a first generation American - she is setting a great standard to be followed by others -

Speaking of the army - I have been having a continuing army of ants visiting me in my office these days!!!!!

So ends a day filled with love around the gardens!!