Happy Fourth!

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Here's a picture of one of our newfound friends. The fair-skinned Flower Lady is a bug magnet who atttracts all manner of hungry insects, so she is understandably skittish around various stinging and biting members of the animal kingdom. So when I found a bummblebees' nest in our garage, I was prepared to do battle. Till I read this touching plea. So I withheld fire and have a passel of new black-and-yellow friends, quite fascinating once you get to know them.

That's all! Gotta go!

Day One

Started training my bonsai forest today. Check back, oh, about 2037 or so.

Art History

Cezanne's Parking Lot Phase, I believe.

Spring Things

Now, isn't this the happiest-looking thing? It cheers you up just looking at it. The Flower Lady calls it a "spinny thing." People in China make them, then put them on a boat, and they wind up in our yard. All for a dollar! Amazing!

And I snapped this photo while the Flower Lady and I were on a short but restful vacation, in front of a B&B. Very cute, and evocative of lazy, hazy days to come.

"Get the hellebores out!"

said the Flower Lady, "and into the garden." So that's what I did. No use cussin' over it, though.

(Actually, the Flower Lady did most of the digging.)

Shed's on Fire!

THE TRAGIC SCENE! RIGHT AT COCKTAIL HOUR, TOO! THE FLOWER LADY SAVES THE NEIGHBORHOOD!
--by our correspondent in the field.

That's right. Our very own Flower Lady alertly spotted this conflagration and called it in to headquarters. She saved the neighborhood! I managed to get my work boots on and stood manfully in the general vicinity of the conflagration. They sent an SUV, a pickup/pumper, a fire truck, a hook-and-ladder, a cop car, an ambulance, and a little pickup with traffic cones. It was great!

Best part was, they drove that pumper down the neighbor's lawn.