Friday, August 5, 2016

Something in the Air

I can feel the changes in the air as summer starts to wind down. 
Can you?


It's a subtle change but it's definitely noticeable if you pay attention to the little things
in the garden like these little blue holly berries (pretty but toxic). 


The early mile-high mornings are cool enough to warrant a light sweatshirt,
the sun has slipped a bit further south in the sky and the plants bend slowly toward it. 
I've also noticed a slight shift in sunrise times. 


There are more fallen leaves scattered over the lawn each morning and the larkspur have all gone to seed. I can't stand to see dead plants in my garden so I pull them out, but not before shaking the tiny black seeds from their crunchy pods across the dirt, hoping they will return next spring.

As one plant settles in for the winter, another blooms.
Do thistles bloom?
Why yes! Yes, they do. 


Even though it seems like many plants in the garden are gradually going off,
other plants are just coming on, bringing color to a fading garden.
Sea lavender blooms only at this time of year but it's worth waiting for. 


In my August garden, there are tall sunflowers, pink echinacea, white obedient plant, orange agastache, pink garden phlox and yellow black-eyed Susans.
It's a good idea to plant some late season bloomers when planning your garden
so you have flowers throughout the waning season. 


Spring pansies are enjoying a second bloom as the nights cool down
and Bonica roses stretch through the picket fence, reaching for the sun. 


The ornamental grasses have sprouted their fluffy heads, 
reminding me of undulating wheat fields in the breeze.


The change is not just about the plants.
Some new birds have started visiting my garden.
I filled my birdfeeder and, within a few minutes,
it was covered with chickadees and red, brown and gold finches.

The feeder started out on a shepherd's hook but I moved it higher up in the crabapple tree 
when I saw a neighbor's cat lying underneath it with mischief on its mind. 
I've even spotted a hummingbird darting around the red bee balm at dusk.

When I tried to take a picture of chickadees and finches in the feeder,
look who showed up!
Surprise! It's a little Downey Woodpecker. So sweet.


A squirrel was even quicker in spotting the new addition. 
I smiled as he sat up under the feeder, nose twitching, and waved his tiny feet in the air,
trying to reach the seeds.


One year I coated the shepherd's hook with cooking oil and couldn't stop laughing
as the squirrel tried to climb up the pole and slowly slid back down each time
like a little furry fireman. 

Last year I purchased a birdfeeder with a cage around it to keep the squirrels out. 
Ha! Foiled again!


Although the sunset is painting the western sky a few minutes earlier each evening now, 
it's still baking hot in mid-day and I admit I'm looking forward to cooler weather.

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48 comments:

  1. Love your pictures! It has not cooled off here in Utah, but I am hoping it will soon! We get the same birds here, but I only see them in winter. Funny squirrels!

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    1. Thank you very much Arell. I love visiting Utah but you're right...it's HOT. Last night I had a dove come to my bird bath for the first time. Such beautiful birds. I hope she comes back.

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  2. Gorgeous photos, we don't get squirrels here at all, I have seen them slightly further inland, but none here close to the coast and I do miss them. Our French garden is also showing signs of fading, it has been so dry that the lawn is parched and brown. But there are still plenty of things yet to flower, and the hibiscus and lavender and oleander are still going strong, looking fantastic. I don't want summer to end, so I'm trying to take no notice of the slightly earlier sunset each evening!!!

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    1. Hi Susan, thank you very much for taking time to comment. It's been a strange summer hasn't it. Hotter than usual, wetter spring than normal. Wonder what the winter will bring? You can have a few dozen of my squirrels!

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  3. Beautiful photos! We are in South Carolina and it is still very hot here.

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    1. Thank you so much Penny. Love to hear from S. Carolina! Hopefully, it will cool off soon.

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  4. Yes, I am also noticing subtle changes, Pat, mostly in the sun's angles and times of rising, setting.
    I've been having a downy on my hummingbird feeders! At first I thought it was a sapsucker, but caught her (female) on video, and I could study the features better.
    Like you, I do cut down some spent blooms (bee balm), but the black-eyed Susans cause me to break out in an itchy rash, so the finches have their feast on those until late fall, when I get help to clean up the garden.
    It's bittersweet, but I look forward to a little cooler temps too.
    Have a great weekend.
    Rita

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    1. Hi Rita! So nice to hear from you in WVA. Now, I know why my arms have been itching (black-eyed susans). We've had cooler temps the last two days and it's been heavenly. I know 90s are coming back this week so it ain't over yet. I hope all my little transplants I've just done make it til Fall. Enjoy your weekend.

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  5. There is definitely a chill in the air in the morning, and the sun is taking a wee bit longer to rise. I love to feel the subtle change to the seasons.

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    1. Thank you so much for taking time to visit. I love the subtle changes too. When I lived in California, it was pretty much the same year-round which was nice but I missed the seasons. Enjoy them as they come to us.

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  6. It is still too warm here to think we have turned the corner yet, our mountains are not as high as yours apparently. We have some cool nights, but that is usual. When I need a sweater in the morning, that's when I know we are on the way to autumn. I have the same bird feeder as you on a tall pole so the bears cannot get it, and a baffle so the squirrels can't climb up the pole.

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    1. Thank you very much Carole. I enjoyed your comments especially the tall pole and the bear! Enjoy those cool nights.

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  7. Summer here seems to start so late--school didn't get out until July 5--so I am not at all ready to see the end of it. Your garden and its stories are charming. I feel the same way about the birds--we set out food for them, and I love looking out the window and watching their antics. But our neighbor has many cats, which come and lurk. Naughty things! They are very well-fed next door.

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    1. Thank you for your sweet comments, always much appreciated. Loved hearing about your birds. I can't believe school goes til July 5 there. Bet the kids are ready for a break. Enjoy your weekend and the rest of summer.

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  8. I was thinking the same thing yesterday. It gets dark a bit earlier and the garden is winding down. Beautiful px.

    Linda

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    1. Thank you very much Linda. So glad you enjoyed the photos.

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  9. Love your photos! Aren't squirrels just too much? Adorable and sneaky. Our bird feeders last about 2 days and then we have to refill them. We love our bird-filled yard, too. Still scorching hot here, too, and while longing for some relief, I don't want it to come too soon! Life whips by and I'd live it to slow down! Visiting from Share It One More Time...

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    1. Thank you so much Carole. Yes, squirrels are cute. You said it best: adorable and sneaky. Enjoy your birds and each day as it comes. (My feeder is lasting about a week before refilling).

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  10. Beautiful post with stunning photo's. No change here but hot, hot, hot.

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    1. Thank you for your nice comments Valerie, always much appreciated. Hopefully, it will cool down a bit soon. We're having lower temps this weekend but I know the 90s are roaring back next week.

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  11. Beautiful photography of your garden.

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    1. Thank you very much Donna. I enjoy photography and keep trying to improve.

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  12. Such a beautiful and fun post! First let me say I am loving the Thistle! I need that in my life and my garden. Second your fur baby squirrel is too cute! I tried coating my front yard bird feeder with Pam, the spray oil stuff? All I ended up doing was greasing a squirrel...LOL He wrapped his legs around the greasy pole and shimmied up to the food. It's ironic, he spills less food then the birds do. I finally just gave up and let him entertain us.

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    1. Oh Christine, your story is so funny. I can just picture that squirrel! One thing to consider with thistle. It spreads fairly easily but you can pull out the seedlings when they're little. Thanks for visiting me in my garden.

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  13. Lucky you! The gardens in my area have all fallen to sleep in this heat (another heat advisory today). It won't cool off until October (if we are lucky). August = UGHust here. Your post is lovely and made me smile. Happy Monday!

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    1. Thank you Snap. I have to remember your word: UGHust! Stay cool my friend.

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  14. We are still enjoying our summertime here and I'm so glad because it was very late starting on the Island. Your pictures all tell a story and those birdies are so very welcome here at our feeder. We tried using vaseline on the shepherd's hook but it didn't stop the pesky squirrels. I will try cooking oil next. Thank you for sharing with us.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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    1. Thank you so much Sandi. Always fun to hear from you. Glad you are finally getting some summer weather. It must be beautiful there.

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  15. So funny! I was feeling a change in our Vermont air today and I was daydreaming about the season ahead. Actually, I always feel that late summer is a season in itself!
    Love your pictures!

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    1. Thank you so much Marie-Helene. Lucky you to live in Vermont; the fall season must be breathtaking there. I agree that late summer is its own season. What shall we call it?

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  16. Hi Pat! Your photos are lovely. I especially enjoyed your little visitors. Our "feels like" temperature was 105 yesterday and I long for cooler temperatures. I'm visiting from Marty's party. Have a wonderful week!
    Blessings from Lynda at Still Woods Farmhouse

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    1. Thank you very much Lynda. Wow!, 105 is a bit warm for me. I'm sitting in front of a fan as I write this and it's only 90 today. Stay cool and I hope you visit again soon.

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  17. Hi Pat! Your photos are lovely. I especially enjoyed your little visitors. Our "feels like" temperature was 105 yesterday and I long for cooler temperatures. I'm visiting from Marty's party. Have a wonderful week!
    Blessings from Lynda at Still Woods Farmhouse

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  18. Love your pictures!
    Yes, it is a small change that I feel in the air...even though we are in So. Cal., to us it's noticeable. The birds are the biggest clue...as they gather together getting ready for a migration.
    Some birds are already gone, (though most people in this area have no clue), and as my Hubby says, "It's the light!"...
    Though we have some days coming that are traditionally very hot, Fall is just about here....
    Nancy
    wildoakdesigns.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind comments Nancy.I used to live in So. Calif. and remember missing the change in seasons. We usually headed to a place called Horse Meadows in the mountains for a bit of Fall. Enjoy your birds and the cooler weather to come.

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  19. You have the best pictures! It is still summer here in AL. And seriously, I don't want it to end until August is over. But I do notice the sun is different in the sky on my after work walks.
    :) gwingal

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    1. Thank you very much Nikki, always appreciate your comments. After a hot day like today (90+), I guess it's still summer here too. The nice weather usually extends into Fall here in Colorado so there's lots of nice days ahead. Enjoy your walks!

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  20. Hi Pat, yes; I am feeling the subtle change here in Utah as well. In July we woke to 80 degrees in the early morning so I am enjoying that it is slightly cooler. I have zinnias, hibiscus, phlox, coneflowers, and sunflowers gracing my summer garden. I'm in no hurry for fall because winter follows. :) Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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    1. Thanks for visiting Jann. Always fun to hear from you in UT. I'm absolutely in no hurry for winter but do enjoy Fall. I spent the morning mulching my beds so, even though the flowers are waning, it looks neat. Your late-summer garden sounds beautiful.

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  21. Your photos are lovely, and I love the way you write :) It's very descriptive and poetic. I should try oiling the shepherd's hooks here, too. What a good idea to keep those pesky squirrels away. We have an even bigger problem with grackles, though!

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    1. Thank you so much Julie. I'm so glad you enjoy my blog and took a moment to comment. You made me smile saying I was poetic!

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  22. Good Morning, I also have noticed the Equinoxe have changed for the season just a little bit! I laughed over your little vegetable oil on the pole and said they slipped right down, how comical.
    Blessings, Roxy

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    1. Thank you very much Roxy. This morning the temp was only 52 and I noticed the sun coming into the house at a different angle. Have a wonderful weekend.

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  23. Pat, Glad you were able thwart the squirrel from the bird seed. Thanks for sharing your wonderful photos. The bird ones are my favorites. Sylvia D.

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    1. Hi Sylvia, Thank you for taking a moment to comment, always much appreciated. So far, the squirrel and cats have been unsuccessful and the birds are getting fat. I can't believe how fast they're going through the seed.

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  24. I always love the change of sesons. Nothing gets me more excited than seeing the first fall colored leaf! Thanks for sharing at Home Sweet Home!

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  25. I thoroughly enjoyed the late summer tour of your garden, Pat. I especially enjoyed your story about watching the squirrel try to climb your oiled shepherd's crook--lol!! Thanks for sharing with us at Vintage Charm :)

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  26. Your garden is looking gorgeous Pat and I love that cheeky little squirrel. We don;t have squirrel's in Australia, but we do have possums, which are just as cheeky I suspect.
    Thanks for sharing at Shabbilicious Friday :)

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