Back at the Ranch

sunrise through rhubarb blossoms. Lots of rhubarb. I've been harvesting some of it, giving it away, but still a lot remains

I tried my hand at making real Belgian waffles (super lekker wafels!!) One uses a thick yeast dough instead of batter. Special sugar pearls are in the dough. I bought mine in a Bruges supermarket.

Allie and their new German Shepherd Kaya. Alas Sunny had to be put down

waterfall on bike route

pink columbine. Most of mine is blue

irises of various colors bloomed

went on a garden walk with a good friend Love reflecting balls

one of the houses on the walk

sunrise over my cabana. After I exercise, I like to sit on my patio with my water fountains and flowers

pretty truck on my bike ride

new bird for me: a brown thrasher. He visited every day for a few weeks. Haven't seen him in a while

we had a few weeks of cedar waxwings visiting our service berry tree. Robins and orioles and catbirds like them too

nasturium

swallowtail visiting my flower basket

a cool photo Oliver's art teacher took

pesky rabbit eating my hibiscus

northern flicker

some of my lilies

My friend, in hospice!!!!, cut my hair

lots of pretty sunsets and sunrises

this is a barn swallow egg half on top of a penny

polysemous moth It's a boy. He needs big antennae to pick up the female phermones

the lake at sunrise on my 33 mile loop

confetti waffles. Josh took me out one morning with his family

graffiti alley Josh and Hannah

yellow hollyhock in front; red in back

more Asiatic lilies  My tiger lilies will bloom while I am gone though I have lots of day lilies too

baby barn swallows  We had five. Didn't take long for them to grow up

May is usually my big gardening month but I was gone during the most crucial weeks. I did get my vegetables and bulbs in but no annuals. A good portion of my time since I've been back is trying to make things pretty with baskets and weeding. Despite many precautions, I did get a nasty case of poison ivy. I wore two pairs of gloves but I should have put on yet another pair when I took off  my polluted clothes. And there is still plenty left. Next stop: chemical warfare.

And bicycling: 515miles in  5 weeks. I did get a flat with 1.5 miles left to go. As my bike shop is now closed, the one that promised free tune-ups for the life of the bike, I had to find a new one. My flat was fixed but he told me I need a new front derailleur. I only use the front big wheel when I am on the big hills up north. I am hoping next weeks ride will be flatter than in year's past or I am in trouble. No time to fix it now, Running has become hard due to us having a very hot humid summer plus somehow I hurt my hip. Fortunately it doesn't bother me when I bike.

I still am plodding away learning Dutch though my trip is past. Maybe I will go back and visit points north. Despite its similarity to English, it is much more difficult than the romance languages I've learned. I was embarrassingly inept on the trip though I can read it OK.

My friend who has had( still has!) three different types of cancer was initially predicted to die a few weeks ago but the latest cancer has seemed to stop progressing despite no treatment. I've been helping her occasionally. One day she had so much energy, she insisted in cutting my overgrown hair.

I have been visiting friends and family between all my gardening. I went to a blues concert one night with a friend and a garden walk another time. We had a mom's group in which I made my Belgian waffles with a rhubarb sauce They are not a breakfast food in Belgium, either a snack or a dessert

I love summer, especially the days when it is not hot but it is going by so fast.