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Tuesday ~ June 2nd
Hugzies' timid pose
Dr. Snuggle Pants' goofy mug
Mom emailed me some photos of our guinea pigs, so I thought I would share them here since I haven't mentioned the little cuties in quite some time. I really have to bring the video camera over & tape them when they popcorn (jump up & down). All we have to do is rattle a bag of fresh hay & they go berserk, it's something everyone should witness ~ total comedy. On Saturday, we took them outside & put them in a pen on the grass, their first outdoor experience. They sniffed around & ate grass nervously, but Hugzies was very scared & kept running behind Dr. Snuggle Pants to hide so after a half hour we brought them back inside ~ what an adventure for a little pig!
Carrots to Snugs & Hugs are like pizza is to me ~ yummy! |
Friday ~ June 5th
Swan flap ~ photo courtesy of my mom, Judy
To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury; and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable; and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasion, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony.
~ William Henry Channing (1810 - 1884)
I've shared this quote here before, but it is so good, I wanted to share it again. Have a wonderful weekend. |
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Monday ~ June 8th
Maggie ~ blissed out on a belly rub
We had a great weekend, more relaxing than normal. I spent each morning in the hot tub, sipping coffee, listening to music & watching all the bird action in the yard. We had 10 bohemian waxwings come by for a visit yesterday, which is rather strange for this time of year, but it's been a late start to summer so they're still in small flocks checking out the mountain ashes to see if they've left behind any berries from their visits in winter. Usually they disband in the summer or migrate or venture toward the river valley. Maybe that's also why Sssally, the mallard, is still coming by - there's just not a lot of food out there yet. The pumpkins that I planted haven't grown even an inch yet. It's hard to believe that they will take over every bit of bare space in the front gardens by July.
Despite the slow start to the season, I love this time of year when the lilac blooms burst open & the potted flowers start to fill out & the mornings are warm & sunny. I find it challenging to be inside making beads when my yard calls & there are tons of natural marvels to behold, but I am working & I have lots of beads, & once I get the photo of beads that I'm going to blow up, frame & hang in my bathroom, I will have them available here. Thanks for your patience, I know it's been awhile on that front... |
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Friday ~ June 12th
When I went into the backyard this morning, I heard this sound (scroll down & click on the "typical voice" button), isn't it pretty!? We bought a Wren house in San Diego in the Spring & put it up in the lilac tree. They haven't gone in there yet, which is too bad, but they are around so maybe next year. Some snapshots from the yard:
I'll have more pictures of the yard later. My mom was over with her camera taking random photos so I'm sure she'll be sending some my way soon.
Did you listen to the news on Wednesday? There was a string of interesting stories including a breakthrough with cancer vaccines & the immune system, Fiat & Chrysler coming together & the story about the Israeli woman who threw her mother's mattress away & replaced it with a new one only to find out that there was a million dollars stashed away in the old mattress. Sounds pretty fishy to me. I wonder if the mother found her money?
I love this t-shirt! So true.
It's going to be gorgeous here so I'm going to take advantage of it & spend the weekend outside. Toodle loo. |
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Sunday ~ June 14th
Liking...
The Beatles ~ Abbey Road
this time lapse video (the 1:32 minute mark is really funny).
this flash from the past.
this quote:
"Sexiness wears thin after a while and beauty fades, but to be married to a man who makes you laugh everyday, ah, now that's a real treat." Joanne Newman
this website for foodies.
this packaging.
this space.
these pictures. |
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Tuesday ~ June 16th
Photo courtesy of my mom, Judy
Mom & I went to the Clifford E. Lee Nature Sanctuary last week. It's just outside of the city & has an extensive boardwalk that winds through meadows & around ponds. It also takes you to trails that lead into a birch & poplar forest where you can spy little wild violas growing among the bunchberries & cool webs clinging to the bark of trees.
Photo courtesy of my mom, Judy
It's so parched there though that some of the ponds are completely dried up & many of them have receded & are quite shallow. While staring out at one, we had the good fortune of spotting this small moose who walked out into the deep mud to get a drink of water & then sauntered off into the woods again, nibbling at the young trees as he went. |
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Wednesday ~ June 17th
A little peep show for you ~ beads will be up for grabs soon. I have to string them & take photos... where's the sun when you need it? |
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Monday ~ June 22nd
Front rock garden this morning.
It's a stormy day, we've had rain throughout the night & it's now very windy. Not the ideal way to kick off summer but it is a good day to organize beads. Hopefully, we'll get a little sunshine this afternoon so I can take photos of them too. |
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Wednesday ~ June 24th
10:00 a.m. ~
I have beads up for grabs, click on the photo to see the beads!
11:45 a.m. ~ All the bead sets are now spoken for. I do have 2 beads at the bottom of the page (click on photo to view) that are still up for grabs if you're interested. Otherwise, thank you so much!
7:15 p.m. ~ I've had several emails regarding the sale this morning. Some people are kind of frustrated that the beads were sold before they had a chance to purchase a set. Firstly, I was having internet issues so some of you got your notice late & I'm sorry about that. Secondly, I know that I don't sell very often on here, which I should work harder at rectifying.
I regret not having more available & because of that, I am willing to make some sets for those individuals that are still interested in purchasing. If you happen to be one of those people, please email me at carrie@beadtree.net. I can't make anything exactly the same, but I can definitely make some beads with the same sort of "feel" & if you mention the particular set(s) you were eyeballing, I'll keep that in mind. When I'm done, I'll notify you for "first dibs". Thanks! |
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Monday ~ June 29th
My neighbor next door has a giant Manitoba Maple that has grown almost horizontally into our yard. Sure it provides some shade & the squirrels like to run up & down it, but it really truly is the worst tree on the planet! Perhaps out in the country, it makes for a great windbreak, but in a yard in the city, it is entirely obnoxious. The branches are brittle & break off frequently, the leaves turn yellow early & drop throughout the season & when there's a wind gust, the entire yard is crapped all over with twigs & leaves. And then there are the seeds, oh boy, the seeds! They fall year round & manage to find their way into every nook & cranny, sprouting horrible little seedlings that grow by the foot & grow even faster when you're not looking! I spend countless hours a week plucking them out of my garden.
But that's not all... About a month ago, I was hacking away at the big ol' brut & discovered that it was totally infested with aphids. Every leaf on it was covered with the little green bugs. Not only were they starting to spread onto my shrubs, shriveling up the leaves as they ate, they were also secreting a sticky substance (called honeydew) that was covering our deck, ew!
I knew we had a problem but because I encourage bees, butterflies & birds into our yard, I am bound & determined not to use pesticides. So what was the solution? Ladybugs ~ they love snacking on aphids & can get an aphid problem under control in no time at all. I went online & ordered some. In fact, I ordered 4500 of them. So you can only imagine how excited I was when the box containing the ladybugs arrived last Thursday:
Good ol' Canada post got it here in one piece (barely).
Here's what I saw when I opened the box ~ a ivory sack with some instructions tied to it...
It's not that heavy but it's definitely full (& there's the website incase you want to order some too).
Wowzers! That's a lot of hungry ladybugs!
A few escapees, time to get these little girls to an infected shrub!
Let's start off at the Ninebark...
O.k. ladies, get to work, chop, chop! Err... I mean, munch, munch!
Eek, you're going the wrong way!
Tamye to the rescue. She helped me wrangle them onto the trees ~ thanks Tam!
But there's still so many. Anybody need a couple thousand ladybugs?
And just so you know, if you ever see this in your yard:
Don't kill it, it's ladybug larvae & it also is a lean, mean aphid eating machine. Check out this website to find out all the stages of a ladybug ~ fascinating stuff!
Ella & Sunshine showing off their jars of ladybugs
An added bonus to purchasing ladybugs for your yard, kids love them! |
