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The Winter Carrot
After asking for weeks of Scooby begging to eat the one carrot we grew over the winter, I dug down around the top and saw that it was quite large and let Scooby pull it up. I had to chase him around the yard several times begging for a bite before he let me try it. For the size, I was expecting it to be bitter, but I guess the winter temperatures sweetened it up nicely. Both boys gave it…
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Birds!
These critters have some amazing personality! I was able to leave the door to the deck open and capture some of these from inside my living room. The birds are quite pleased that I’ve started feeding them again.
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Bluebird Box
This morning I spotted a pair of bluebirds checking out the box I hung last spring. Last spring, I hung the box just a little too late in the season and it’s been empty all year. Sadly, after snagging this picture, my boys went screaming through the backyard, and the bluebirds flew off. I’ve enticed the boys back inside with animal crackers and Curious George, just to give the nesters a chance to realize my yard isn’t that terrifying. I’m…
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Dutch Iris
My favorite flowers are Dutch Irises and now Dwarf Irises. I’ve always loved the deeply colored ones, and every year am adding a couple more to the shady front yard. Last spring I tried a mix of yellow, white and purple Dwarf Irises, which grew tall behind my rosemary and lavender. I’ve moved half of them to a sunnier location and just added this one to the mix: Dutch Iris, Miss Saigon. It is suppose to be under two feet…
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More and more flowers
Flowers are quickly taking over my kitchen garden. I suppose that is okay. Many of them are spring blooming and will have died back before the summer growing season gets under way. This has now been planted out front for the summer!
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A Shrew!
I found this by the deck steps this afternoon: One of my students identified it as a Least Shrew, and based on the Smithsonian’s list of shrew species, I think it could be either the Least Shrew or the Southern Short-tailed Shrew. It is ironic that I should discover this the day after boasting of my garden’s plethora of earth worms. The shrew’s diet consists heavily of grubs, worms and beetles. Since they are mainly carnivorous, I don’t need to…
