I took a bunch of pictures today.

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Tags: gardening, illinois, nature, personal, photo, photography
Current Mood: busy

I took these photos on Saturday.

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Tags: gardening, illinois, nature, personal, photo, photography
Current Mood: busy

Today is beautiful, mostly cloudy, breezy and cool.  :D  

Round 1, I took pictures and planted morning glory seeds.

Round 2, I transplanted some wild morning glories and started clearing weeds and brush around the purple-and-white garden. 

Round 3, I sowed more grass seed in the bare patch.  There is a chance of rain tonight.   I also cut more brush around the purple-and-white garden.  It's about half done now, I think.

Round 4, I cut more brush around the purple-and-white garden.  It's about 3/4 done, although I'll probably need to go back and touch up parts later.  It already looks a lot better though.

Tags: gardening, illinois, nature, personal
Current Mood: busy

Today is beautiful, cool, and breezy.

We checked the firepit after yesterday's Litha bonfire.  It had burned down almost completely, just a double handful of stubs to pick out.  Then we shoveled up the loose ash and wheeled to dump in the prairie garden. 

Round 2, I watered plants.  Then I picked up sticks in the savanna.

Round 3, I sprayed weeds.

It's getting dark now, and the fireflies are coming out, so I'm done for the night.

Tags: gardening, illinois, nature, personal
Current Mood: busy

 Today is beautiful, cool and breezy.  I took some pictures.  We are planning a Midsummer ritual later today so I don't know if I'll get much else done.

Tags: gardening, illinois, nature, personal
Current Mood: busy

These are more pictures from Thursday.

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Tags: birdfeeding, gardening, illinois, nature, personal, photo, photography, wildlife
Current Mood: busy

I took these pictures on Thursday.

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Tags: gardening, illinois, nature, personal, photo, photography
Current Mood: busy

These are more pictures from Monday that wouldn't fit in the previous post.

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Tags: birdfeeding, gardening, illinois, nature, personal, photo, photography, wildlife
Current Mood: busy

These pictures are from Monday, June 19.

Echinacea is beginning to bloom beside the barrel garden.


This is the barrel garden.


This pepper is beginning to ripen.


Moss rose is blooming.


So is gazania.


Million bells are blooming on the patio.


Here is the septic garden.


Cleome is blooming in the white garden.


Yucca is almost done blooming.  I was out in the evening and surprised to discover that they are more fragrant at night.  Since they are pollinated by moths, this makes sense, but I had not noticed it before.


Some of its flowers are setting seed.  This also surprised me, because I didn't think yucca moths came this far north and also I've never seen their little holes (made by exiting caterpillars) on the pods.  But perhaps their range is expanding, or some other moths may have done the duty.


Most of the morning glories have been eaten.


This is the cardinal nest in the hazelnut bush.


Here is the wildflower garden.


Echinacea is just putting out petals.


Prairie onions have heads.


Asters are blooming.


These black raspberries are in the blackberry patch.


The blackberries aren't ripe yet.

Tags: birdfeeding, gardening, illinois, nature, personal, photo, photography, wildlife
Current Mood: busy

Today is cloudy, cool, and breezy.  Earlier I took pictures.

I planted two lemon thyme plants in the Goddess Garden, and watered potted plants. 

Tags: gardening, illinois, nature, personal
Current Mood: busy

Today is mild and pleasant, but quite windy.  I took some pictures earlier, but don't know how well they'll turn out due to all the tossing about.

We picked up many sticks from the strip along the street and up the driveway.  One branch had fallen to stick upright in the ground!

Also I found a nest of baby bunnies, so remowing that area will have to wait a few days until they vacate.  They're hand-sized and furry, so it shouldn't take long before they move out.

EDIT 6/19/17: I planted more morning glories and moonflower around the support wire.  Most of the older ones had been eaten.  >_<  

EDIT 6/19/17: We picked up sticks back toward the east edge of the yard.

EDIT 6/19/17: I trimmed branches from a fruit tree and honeysuckles.  Then Doug cut larger ones from the golden rain tree and the walnut by the road.

Tags: gardening, illinois, nature, personal, wildlife
Current Mood: busy

Today is warm and muggy.  We picked up the remaining grass that had been raked, one pile and a row.

Baby robins are still in the nest.  :D 

EDIT 6/19/17: I went back out later and did more grass trimming.

Tags: birdfeeding, gardening, illinois, nature, personal, wildlife
Current Mood: busy

It's warm and muggy out.  We picked up four small piles of grass. 

EDIT 6/16/17: I trimmed grass around the big maple tree near the house.

Tags: gardening, illinois, nature, personal
Current Mood: busy

Today is warm and muggy. I took some pictures.

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Tags: birdfeeding, gardening, illinois, nature, personal, photo, photography, wildlife
Current Mood: busy

Today is a little warm but workable, and sunny.  We got rain last night!  \o/

I threw down some leftover grass seed along the strip where Doug mowed excess raspberries by the fence in the ritual meadow.

Also I discovered that a bird nest at eye level in one of Home Base's lower branches now has two fat baby robins in it.  :D  I hadn't seen them before because it's mostly covered with leaves.  Same with a nest I found yesterday in the hazelnut bush that has two speckled eggs in it. 

EDIT 6/15/17: I went back out and finished trimming around the septic garden.

EDIT 6/15/17: I trimmed grass around the firepit.

Tags: birdfeeding, gardening, illinois, nature, personal, wildlife
Current Mood: busy

Today started out sweltering, but a front blew through and cooled off the air a lot.  It made so much wind, I had to go out and repot all the plants that blew off of the picnic table.  >_< 

I posted new pictures.

We have barn swallows nesting under the porch overhang!  :D 3q3q3q!!!

EDIT 6/14/ 17:  I went back out twice and trimmed weeds around two sides of the septic garden.  Now I need to do the part in back that goes around the cap itself.  But I'm tired and it's getting dark.  Some other time.

Tags: birdfeeding, gardening, illinois, nature, personal, photography, wildlife
Current Mood: excited

Today is supposed to rain. All we've gotten is wind and a few drops. >_< Fortunately there are more chances over the next few days, but it's still frustrating.

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Tags: birdfeeding, gardening, illinois, nature, personal, photo, photography, wildlife
Current Mood: excited

Today was too hot to go out during the day.

Evening, it cooled off some, and we went out to pick up grass. 

EDIT 6/13/17: I watered plants.

EDIT 6/13/17: I cut weeds out of the septic garden and put on more weed killer.

Tags: gardening, illinois, nature, personal
Current Mood: hot

Today is broiling.  

Eventually it cooled off enough that I could get the last of the planting done: two white bleeding hearts, one in the woodland garden and one in the white garden.

EDIT 6/12/17: After supper, we went out and moved four small piles of grass.  It is still hot but no longer unbearable.

EDIT 6/12/17: I went out and watered plants.  As it's now dusk, I am done for the night.

Tags: gardening, illinois, nature, personal
Current Mood: busy

Today is broiling, so I gave up after a few minutes and a couple of pictures.


I finally got around to putting the Goddess back in her garden.  :D  She is surrounded by four thyme plants.  The weed cover is deliberately left to disguise the herbs from rabbits.


Snapdragons and petunias are blooming.

Tags: gardening, illinois, nature, personal, photo, photography
Current Mood: busy