I wiped away the weeds & foam. / I fetched my sea-born treasures home... Ralph Waldo Emerson







Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Garden Peeping _ A January Walk



Hi! Despite the sudden cold, Mo and I go out every day for our long walks.


"Layers, that's the secret!" I assure poor Mo as he stands so sweetly, allowing me to dress him in his halter and leash, then a little parka, sweater or fleece. I think he must like the comfort of the warm garments, especially on very windy days, because he is so patient and docile about being dressed up three times a day.





As for me I wear my trusty REI wind pants over jeans---and I have new adorable UGGs I got for Christmas. Tee shirt, sweater or fleece, fleece vest, down jacket or parka. Hat or headband. Scarf. [I'm tired just listing it all!]. Chapstick. I don't wear gloves because I m afraid Mo will tear the leash from my hand if a crazy-doggy fit comes over him. He has a love / hate thing with the wind--it hurts his eyes and thrums his leash [bad], but it whirls around leaves and pine cones and sticks---maybe, maybe a Big Mac wrapper!?--- [good, so good].

And off we go, at least a mile, usually 1 1/2 or two. We like to peek into the silent empty gardens of our neighborhood.


I so admire gardeners who plan ahead and plant lovely shrubbery for winter beauty. I'm not too fond of basic evergreens, but I do love the berry plants, so prolific this year after our mild fall and winter.
























A natural fairy garden, with tiny grasses and alpine moss.


The last rosebud in January, before Monday's deep freeze.



My dad always planted a good assortment of berry bushes in his yard and woods. Partly to harvest for Christmas ''holly and ivy'' decorating, and especially to attract wild birds to his yard and feeders. He loved holly, as do I, and each [very early] spring he and my mom would be so thrilled when the first migrating robins would descend in huge flocks, feasting on his holly berry bushes and trees after their long journeys home to the Cape..


I don't see many songbirds, of course. The oceanfront is too harsh for them. I have been seeing Mr Mockingbird! Once with a friend! Yay! And near the koi pond I see another pair of mocking birds.




The koi grew huge over the summer. And there are twelve of them. They now seem to have some sort of heater or aerator gizmo.


We also get these big flocks of starlings. Mo gazes at them in amazement as they wheel overhead, then alight on rooftops or the ugly locust tree.


Do you feed the birds in winter? Year round? Do you have songbirds or like me, a brown world of sparrows and starlings? All God's creatures...needing a bit of help in the dark cold days of winter.

PS What's a garden walk without a visit to the Goose family!? The parents have cute ski outfts but Baby is shivering and naked in the cold. Oh dear, oh my.







love

lizzy

gone to the beach...
















5 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh, I will begin at the end...might be my favorite goose outfits yet! They're so cute. But PLEASE, maybe someone should 'borrow' the baby goose for an unspecified amount of time ;)

    Everything looks so colorful still, but then the pics of the mockingbird in the gray, leafless trees leave no doubt how cold it must be.

    You mentioned your cute Uggs before...maybe a photo?

    You guys keep warm, and keep taking us along on your adventures :)

    Kel

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beauty in the garden even in winter! I didn't think Mo could get any cuter but the pics of him in his winter attire are adorable!! Are you supposed to be getting the monster storm? We're under a blizzard watch with projected totals right now of 12 to 24"!! I love snow....just not that much!!! As long as we don't lose power there will be some wonderful quilting days ahead! And I love the latest on your Pokeberry quilt!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Probably this is why I don't have a dog - I don't want to go out when it's so cold!! You are so good about it, and Mo is so cute in his coats and sweaters.

    The berries are so pretty and bright. Those aren't holly bushes are they? Very glad you've seen your mockingbird friends! I think the 'thing' in the koi pond is to keep the water surface from freezing solid (a guess). It seems like there are too many fish for such a small pond!

    Hmm, if you have a scarf no one wears maybe you could wrap poor Baby Goose's neck. Or sew part of the middle together to make a 'hood' and scarf. LOL I wonder if the lady would find it amusing?

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love going for a walk with you! Check out my Get to Goal post today.

    ReplyDelete
  5. After all that dressing up to go outside, it is amazing you and Mo have the energy to go anywhere!

    He always looks cute.

    ReplyDelete

Hi! I'm allowing comments from everyone, even anonymous for awhile, to see what happens. With comments moderation. Hopefully the awful porn spammer has gone elsewhere. Or you can always email me! I love to hear from everyone.