Summer is peeking around the corner

"And where exactly have you been young lady?"

It's a good question but, to be honest, when the weather is good, I don't spend a lot of time indoors. Which means that the laptop goes cold and, I guess, the blog does too. The garden beckons me -- even on days when the sun isn't shining. I can't resist the weeds that will take over my flowers if I leave them for one more day. And, once I start, I don't stop until my back gives out. It's a kind of addiction.

I know I have a tendency to get obsessed with the things that are growing in my garden. I've even added pix here because I'm so proud of my tulips. But I thought I'd dedicate this blog to the things that live in my garden. Some are fun and interesting and some are just annoying.

When the snow melts in my garden, I get my first taste of the wildlife that shares my love of greenery. Under my Burning Bush, there is the indisputable evidence that I have had rabbit friends sheltering beneath the snow and overhanging branches. I generally use rabbit droppings as fertilizer because, hey, they're only eating my plants. How bad could it be? This year, they seem to have been joined by mice or moles. Something that burrowed through my garden and the lawn. I just picture a TV movie called "Hammy Hamster Hibernates". For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, here's a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACYp33KMTe4. Priceless.

Three-headed tulips with forest in background.

My home is situated across the street from a park and a forest which has the TransCanada Trail running through it. So, of course, we get our share of woodland animals -- the aforementioned bunnies, foxes, coyotes, skunks, raccoons, deer, hawks, eagles (or ospreys, not sure which) and bears. I try not to let my domestic animals out of my sight once it's dark. There were a lot of missing cats last year. 

This year, we actually ended up with Rocky Raccoon in our garage. Imagine his surprise when my son went looking for ice cream. I'm not sure who was more freaked out. Of course, the garage door had been left open and Rocky was nice enough to leave when Zac left the back door open for him. (I know, if you live in Toronto, this happens all the time, but it doesn't happen much in Barrie.)

I guess Zac is attracting animals this year because, on the windowsill in his room, there is a robin's nest. Believe me, the robin was even more startled than the raccoon when it caught sight of my son. He's not exactly small. However, the birds had built the nest and they weren't moving. The female has been stuck there for the last week (I know, it bites being a lady bird) and I imagine my cat will be visiting Zac's room to check out the babies any day now.

We've had lots of bird this year -- blue jays, cardinals, sparrows, chickadees, doves and stupid crows. I just wish they'd eat the indestructible Red Lily Beetles that eat my lilies and forget the worms. These suckers mate on Asiatic and Oriental lilies and leave their disgusting larvae behind. I've tried all the recommended methods of eliminating them -- Neem Oil, soap solutions, pennies in the soil -- but nothing works. Luckily, God didn't grant them great camouflage so I generally hunt them down and squish them. As for the larvae, I put my hose nozzle on Jet and blast them away. Neither method is 100% but it works better than the other solutions.

This year, I have also had the pleasure of seeing (and feeling) black flies and an early hornet or two. The bumblebees are welcome because, without them, there wouldn't be any fruit or flowers. I've also seen Alvin the Chipmunk sprint across my back yard but he'd better be fast because Catastrophe and Roxie love to play with him (and not in a good way). 

As for the wildlife that lives in my house, that's a whole other blog. I'll get to it one day but it's in a constant state of growth. Our latest acquisition is a tortoise. Don't ask. Enjoy my tulips!