Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Benji’s Herb Bed
Literally.
You’ll find him between the catmint and the chives.
~ Susanne and Benji
Photinia and the Bees
It’s been a cold and rainy spring in the Great Northwest and I’ve been worried about the bees.
Until yesterday when I found them in great numbers on the Photinia, a shrub I’ve totally neglected.
Not that it needed me to thrive.
It thrived without my notice. Or attention. Or appreciation.
An ordinary garden shrub I thought, good only as filler in the background.
Until I saw the blossoms and smelled their fragrance.
The bees know and love it.
Bees which till now, seem to have been in short supply.
So thanks to the Photinia. I still may neglect you. But I will always appreciate you. 🙂
~ Susanne
A Soft and Furry Monday
Outside is rainy and cold, but inside is warm and fuzzy.
Hope your day is as relaxing as Benji’s!
~ Susanne
Just a Kitty in a Basket
Nothing to see here.
Just a kitty in a basket.
Happy Caturday from Benji.
~ Susanne
When Beauty is Needed
In the Quinault Rainforest.
~ Susanne
My Feathered Friends – It started with the Chickadees!
I’ve been a backyard birder for as long as I can remember, and it was the chickadees that first attracted me. I saw them flitting about in the trees and heard them calling their friendly greetings to one another and to me too, it seemed. I was hooked.
I’m still charmed by chickadees and am happy that both the black-capped and chestnut-backed varieties live in my yard; I was recently visited by both.
It seemed that spring finally arrived last weekend (yes, I know it’s nearly the end of May) and I was out enjoying the sunshine with the stream running.
I was hoping to entice the birds and I succeeded when a black-capped chickadee stopped by for a dip.
I was ready and sat quietly nearby with camera in hand enjoying the show.
That wasn’t the case when a chestnut-backed chickadee surprised me while I was in the hot tub!
He landed on the branches of the evergreen tree hanging over the deck and bounced from branch to branch looking for insects. Sometimes he hung upside down just a few feet from me, without any fear while I watched, both overjoyed and astounded.
Now obviously I did not have my camera with me in the hot tub, so you’ll have to take my word that this visitation occurred; by the time I was out he was done hunting for the night and all I got was a picture of the branches.
I thought it might be one of the chickadees who nested out front earlier this year, so I went to see if I might find him there.
Instead I found these two enjoying the snag – house finches I believe – more of my feathered friends.
Sharing with Sunday Stills.
~ Susanne
Under the Sea – at the Monterey Bay Aquarium!
I didn’t mean to leave you hanging in Big Sur so I’m back to close out the road trip series with our last major stop in California – the Monterey Bay Aquarium – one of the top aquariums in the United States.
We were welcomed by Aqua Man and all manner of sea creatures, both great and small!
(Click on pictures in the gallery to enlarge them.)
All were wonderful but I enjoyed the jellies the most. The Moon Jelly and Crystal jelly are the first two in the gallery below, followed by the Bloodybelly Comb Jelly, Sea Nettle, and Purple-Striped Jelly. (Click on pictures in the gallery to enlarge them.)
Check out the link to the Aquarium for more on these marvelous creatures.
I was mesmerized by them and could have stayed and watched them all day. Instead, I took videos so you could watch them too.
Aren’t they mysterious? Why don’t see for yourself the next time you’re down in Monterey.
~ Susanne
Whatcha Doing, Benji?
“Isn’t it obvious, Sue? I need to get into the closet.”
“No you don’t Benji. I don’t want you in there. I don’t even like you sitting on the banister. You could fall.”
“Fall?? We cats are nimble, Sue. We don’t just fall.”
“Okay, Benji. But I’m still not going to let you into the closet.”
“Please, Sue. I need somewhere quiet to sleep. Where it’s nice and dark.”
“No can do. It would be too cramped in the closet anyway, it’s full of stuff. Why don’t you find a place to sleep where you can stretch out a bit.”
“Good idea, Sue. I’ll see what I can find.”
~ from the desk of Susanne and Benji
Fragrance in Today’s Garden
It’s been a cold and rainy spring in the Pacific Northwest, but herbs and flowers are blooming in spite of it.
I told you recently that my lilac bush – a gift from my mother-in-law – is blooming for the first time after many years in my garden.
There are only two clusters of blossoms on the bush so far and they are opening slowly. But a single tiny flower is full of fragrance!
My azalea is also blooming. It’s a small plant and looks rather beaten down by the wind and rain – but the scent is strong, as sweet as honeysuckle.
Apart from these are many herbs that fill up my garden beds; their scents are released by gently rubbing the leaves.
I love lavender and have many varieties, this one just beginning to bud.
Sage always has a place in my garden and provides wonderful contrasts of color and texture as well as a unique musky smell. Also good for cooking though I usually don’t.
As every gardener knows, mint lives wherever it chooses. The chocolate mint below rises above chives and oregano in one of my garden beds.
Lady’s Mantle is nearby but its claim to fame is not its fragrance nor medicinal properties – at least not in my garden – but the wonderful way it holds the rain.
Finally, I mentioned in an earlier post that the real star of the May garden is clematis, and my Montana is happily climbing as high as it can midst the evergreen trees and shrubs.
I was about to say that despite its beauty it has no fragrance but thought I should doublecheck just to be sure.
I’m glad I did! It has a lovely fragrance though mild, that I only detected by sniffing the flowers close up!
Sharing with Sunday Stills.
~ Susanne
Captured by Bubbles
Don’t ignore the ordinary.
Happy Monday! 🙂
Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 