Cranes

These two love to visit the picnic areas

Glass plate I bought from an artist on a Garden Walk a month ago

blue thistle

pond is now surrounded by hosta blossoms

small alliums (allia?)

scarecrow at a garden/art show I went to this morning

As I lay on my beach towel, my friend told me that we have visitors. I look up to see two sand hill cranes hovering over me. I've seen them here before but they seemed to be missing last week when I brought my granddaughters to the beach. These birds used to be quite rare here. I would only see them at a distance in the fall when they were migrating at one state park. But now they are all over. I hear them if not see them on my runs and rides. Their calls can be heard a mile away. Last week, I rode by a mom, dad and two baby cranes. Usually they are quite skittish but these two will come right up to you. Beautiful birds.

So it finally cooled down and we finally had rain after a week long drought. Still it was dry enough for my beach trip yesterday with a woman we will be biking with in a week. As the ground is soft and it is cool enough for me to wear gloves and a long sleeve shirt, I spent some time today pulling up poison ivy vines in 3 separate locations. Some remains under some very heavy vegetation. All, including the gloves, were thrown in the trash versus the compost.

My friend is hospitalized again. A fungal infection in her lungs is causing breathing to be very difficult even with oxygen. She has gone through so much.

A local artist holds two open houses a year and invites several artists besides herself to set up booths. She has extensive gardens. A friend of hers agrees to be a garden 'docent' and gives tours. Fun learning new things there. I did buy some very decorative goat milk soaps from a woman whose farm I used to watch years ago while she was gone. There was quite the spread of treats to eat. I stuck to a raspberry crunch bar. Adjusting to the new normal....