Sunday

Marilyn and I picked these at the morning walk. Lace flowers are one of my favorite wild flowers in summer. They are just being wherever they are. You don't realize how gorgeous they are until they are separated from the nature.

Sunday morning is always peaceful. The air is cool and refreshing. Marilyn wakes up at sunrise, then comes to me to wake me up. Naturally, we get up early spring and summer. "The sun is out. Let's go for a walk!" Once she gets hooked on the leash, she picks a route. She knows the neighborhood. She has some different routes and picks one depending on her mood. Her legs move rhythmically. Her tail goes left to right, then right to left slowly. She is happy. When we get to the high school, she gets unleashed. She sniffs and checks things around here and there. I walk my own pace. Naturally, I tend to be ahead of her. But, she knows I'm waiting for her at some points in the course. Once she notices that she is too behind, she walks fast looking at my face from the distance as if she is saying "I'm coming!" When I'm stuck somewhere staring at flowers, bunnies or chipmunks, she is facing toward me and waiting for me, no barking. A moment of "we're connected". She is my precious puppy.

When we walk in the door, the house smells coffee Chad made. Today was not an exception.

While I was having coffee at the porch, she was recovering from the morning walk. A nap after a walk has been a part of her routine lately. Still, the twelve-years-old enjoys the forty five minutes to one hour walk. This is something she looks forward to. I just hope it stays this way as long as possible.

The sun was out. Birds were singing. So relaxing... It was just how Sunday is supposed to be. I like spending time here watching activities in the yard. Birds and squirrels are having breakfast. Sometimes, I see chipmunks pop up between grass at the bird feeder pole. That just makes me smile. The porch is a perfect place to be for weekend mornings. I wish I could do this everyday.

Birds come and go all day. The feeders are quite busy spots. It already past 9:00. I guess 9:00 is for sparrows. I usually see a lot of gold finches and house finches before 8:00. Today, I saw a blue jay munching seeds on the ground. The feeders were filled yesterday evening. A half of it is already gone. I've been filling them everyday. I thought birds would prefer fresh food in nature such as berries and bugs in summer, but easy food seems to be more attractive to them.

I can spend a whole day sipping coffee at the porch, but that's not how I want to spend a day. There are more spots to check in the yard. I start with my herb garden. In this little space, I always find something new. Sage and oregano are going crazy. I wish tomatoes and basil are like them.

Our first tomatoes in the year. Even more exciting about them is that they are on the tomato plant Chuck ate pretty good three days later we got planted it. I thought it wouldn't make it. It's still short and expanding side ways instead of growing upward. It's a creeping tomato. No, there is no such thing. Not quite sure if it helps or not at this point, but I set up a support to keep leaves and branches as far from the ground as possible.

I started some heirloom tomatoes from seeds in the spring. This batch is the second one. The first ones were chomped by Chuck right before they were transplanted to the garden. The second batch had a significantly late start. They are finally getting speed after some summer heat. Timing of heat is always important for plants. We had a chilly spring this year. Most of my flowers and vegetables are having hard time growing this year.

Somebody got into my garden. There is always something new here. I've got to keep my eyes on this area. Anyway, it's time to do something, but it turns into that. Fencing is the best way to prevent critters to get into the garden, but I don't like its look... just not pretty. I found Deer fences at Gardener's Supply Company. They have light weight thin fence. It's hard to get recognized. Visually, it works for me. Let's see how it works to keep critters away. No matter who it is, no more free food, Buddy! It is getting hotter, and I've already sweated while putting up the deer fence.

Marilyn found her sun spot, and has been enjoying her day. She is surrounded with tranquility. Happiness is not necessarily something exciting. Marilyn seems to know that. Wait..., isn't she sleeping all the time? She just took a nap after the walk. Is this supposed to be called tranquility? It looks like more laziness, doesn't it?

Anyway, time goes slowly in the yard with the sleeping pooch on Sunday.

Comments