It was warm enough yesterday that I had the back door open for a while, which allowed some fresh air into our stale winter hovel. I noticed a parakeet finishing off the last of the suet balls on the bird feeder, and for once I didn't have to shoot a picture through the back door glass -- which meant I got a much crisper, clearer image. Isn't s/he beautiful?
Our friend Warren was coming over for a late lunch so Dave was planning to braise some lamb shanks, but before he started that, he tackled the rose-pruning. He got about half of them done, and the other half he figures he can do later this week. He has parent-teacher conferences so he'll be working from home, doing them all on Zoom, and he thinks he can squeeze rose-pruning around them. We really need to get them done before we go to California.
When he came inside to cook I kept working and found this odd little thing lying in the back of the garden -- in the "wilderness area." I had no idea what it could be. It looked like a hot dog with a face.
It turns out that's exactly what it is! (Thank you, Google image search.) I have no idea how it wound up in our garden. My guess is, foxes.
Lunch with Warren turned out great -- he was here to get a refresher on caring for Olga, since he's going to be our dog-sitter next week. Fortunately she's a pretty low-maintenance dog, especially these days, and she seems to like him.
And now, off to work!
Google Image search is quickly becoming one of those things I wondered how I did without.
ReplyDeleteThat hot dog is creepy. You guys have clearly been doing a lot of work in the garden. The flower photo is amazing.
ReplyDeleteI thought the third image was of an intimate item popular with nuns. Does it have a battery cavity and a switch?
ReplyDeleteWhat an odd discovery! What would be the purpose of a hot dog with a face to begin with? This departure date snuck up quite quickly. Sounds as if they are really getting some awful weather in parts of California. Hope you manage to sidestep that!
ReplyDeleteYou really take great care of Olga, no wonder she's flourishing.
ReplyDeleteAll I really have to say is that your primrose and parakeet are absolutely lovely.
ReplyDeleteYour roses are thriving and are well cared for. They will reward you with great blooms. You must be looking forward to vacation. Knowing that Olga is in good hands makes the vacation ideal.
ReplyDeleteSo are the roses Dave's specialty and the rest of the garden is your job? I love that last photo of the flower!
ReplyDeleteThat dew bedazzled flower is just lovely. Makes my heart happy.
ReplyDelete37 million folks in SoCal up to Sacramento are in danger of flooding! You may be flying into deep water!
ReplyDeleteYes, that parakeet and the flower are both beautiful!
I just saw a new weather report and even Chico in N. California is included in the flooding! Double check your flight plans!
ReplyDeleteReally, YP, REALLY?????
There is really no point in saying anything, Marcia.
DeleteThat really is a beautiful parakeet and you captured it well. That flower with the water drops is pretty too. That hot dog thing on the other hand, is just weird.
ReplyDeleteIt's so great that you have someone to take care of Olga at home. She will certainly be much happier in her own space while you are gone.
are you sure that's not a Home Simpson hotdog? I need to prune my roses soon.my dad always said to prune them on Valentine's Day but that was back when we had winter. If I wait that long they will have already started to sprout out.
ReplyDeleteParent teacher interviews on Zoom caught my eye .That would be much better than face to face although you would miss the greater social interaction.
ReplyDeleteLove the photo of the parakeet. Not shooting through glass was helpful.
ReplyDeleteLunch sounds good, making lamb shanks would never occur to me, since i do not like to cook.
Something about that parakeet gives off a belligerent vibe to me! 😂
ReplyDeleteThe flower photo is stunning!
I just noticed the link to that hotdog dog toy. It must be a toy for a small dog. It sure would be a choking hazard for a large dog, don't you think?
ReplyDeleteThat primula is just perfect, with the raindrops
ReplyDeleteThat parakeet picture is wonderful. I've never seen one with a long tail like that. And as gz said, that last picture is perfect and perfectly lovely.
ReplyDeleteLunch sounds wonderful! And wow -- how fabulous that you have the parakeets so close at hand. It's a beautiful shot. Love, just love your garden!
ReplyDeleteThe atmospheric river is unrelenting right now- Hollywood hill houses sliding down the mud slide. Should be an interesting trip for you though if it does not relent soon flights might not deliver. Dang climate change drama!
ReplyDeletegreat photos. The flower is stunning. what is it?
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you prune the roses? You do the garden.
ReplyDeleteLove the photo of the flower with the raindrops! I can't imagine any use for a hot dog with a face. It's creepy. :) That's great to have someone you trust to take care of Olga.
ReplyDeleteThe hotdog can't be much if ever the foxes don't want it. Or is it a toy?
ReplyDeleteyour hot dog with a face looks like a pencil topper, one of those cute funny things kids put on the ends of their pencils.
ReplyDeleteThe roses around the gardens here get "pruned" with a chainsaw, the maintenance men lop off all the bushes at waist height and call it done.
Ed: It's an amazing tool! I find it much more useful than anything AI.
ReplyDeleteMitchell: It's garden crunch time, getting everything ready for spring!
YP: Keep it clean, Mr P! My nieces read this blog! (And as you can see, you have stirred the ire of some fellow commenters.)
Debby: The weather is supposed to clear out by the time we're there but I'm sure there will be after-effects. Glad you saw the link about the dog toy!
Boud: We try hard to keep her in her house. She's quite adaptable but I think it helps her comfort levels!
Ms Moon: I was especially happy with that parakeet photo! I think it's the best one I've taken.
Susan: Yes, it makes a HUGE difference to know she's well cared for!
Ellen D: More or less! I could do the roses but Dave's read a lot more about them and it's good for him to "keep his hand in," so to speak.
Bug: I'm glad! Mine too!
Marcia: I've been watching the weather and supposedly it will be sunny or partly cloudy by the time we're there. So I don't think flights should be a problem, but there may be damage on the ground.
Sharon: Yeah, I think it's a relief to her not to have to stay elsewhere.
Ellen: We usually prune ours over February break, but we've found the last few years that it's just a hair too late. As you said, they're sprouting by then.
Red: They are INCREDIBLY handy to have on Zoom. We do one session of meetings face-to-face and another via Zoom.
Allison: I wouldn't think of lamb either! It's not my favorite thing.
Kelly: Ha! They ARE a bit belligerent and squawky. They stand their ground.
GZ: It's one of our most durable primroses.
Catalyst: I kind of wish I'd trimmed away the brown leaf at upper left, but I didn't want to knock the droplets off the flower!
Jeanie: Thank you! I love it too!
Linda Sue: I haven't seen any sign of flight disruptions, certainly not as far out as ours. Could still happen, though! Fingers crossed!
Susan: It's a primrose, or primula.
Rachel: Dave and I used to do it together before his health got shakier. He has less energy now but I still like to leave him something to do. It's good for him to be invested in the garden, and it's good for the garden because he knows more about roses than I do!
Margaret: Ha! See the link I posted. It's a dog toy.
Andrew: Well it's certainly not real! If it were meat I wouldn't be touching it!
River: I'm told that gardeners have done tests and shown that method of pruning is just as good as carefully going after each branch with secateurs.