frogs.
I finally took a break from unpacking boxes (of books, clothes, candles, candleholders, files for the office, files for work, art supplies, more books…) and took a peek out in the yard. Even though it’s been raining (some) it was parched out there. That’s the way it goes in Oregon, in the spring. You think everything’s getting a good drink, then you realize that some of the plants are below the eves, under the trees, or just need more of a drink than they were getting.
I found the shovel, some gardening gloves and…….. planted. We divided plants at the old place before we moved (half of the stuff was so overcrowded it wasn’t blooming anymore). My mom gave me some plants, and I had a bunch of stuff potted already that i just brought with me. My girlfriend J gave me a strawberry planter box, as a housewarming gift, so nice! So we ended up with quite a few plants that need to go… somewhere. I already planted columbine, peonies and Hockey God bought me a hanging basket. The yard is (tentatively, creeping along) starting to feel like mine. We have several blueberry bushes, and two Granny Smith apple trees (yay!) and… bees! My mom bought my son a Mason bee house for his birthday.
He and his dad hung it up on the shed, and within 24 hours the bees had found it. We noticed today that they started making their little dirt mounds in there, for extra protection? It’s cool. We need to help save the bees, y’all, they’re having a rough go of it. That is no good.
Mason bees, by the by, do not sting, says Wacky Boy and his grandma.
Today I planted…
1) a snowball bush
2) Japanese iris
3) more iris
4) my daughter’s birthday asters (they are fantastic — purple and glorious and quadruple their territory every year)
5) and…. what else? black fancy grass
6) a small rosebush
7) some sedum (the former owners left us those) and………
wow. a little tiny tree frog went flying out of the grass and down by the shed, in between my planting the asters and the black fancy grass.
i don’t know what to do with frogs, being a City Girl. so i yelled for Wacky Boy and Hockey God, and they played with him (let him crawl all over my son’s hand and arm — sticky little feet, really adorable), took some pictures and waited for Wacky Girl to get home from walking her friend home, so she could see him. “Ahhhhhh!”
Last week my son spotted two garter snakes. Today it was:
“Snakes eat frogs!”
“Yeah, that’s the way the world goes ’round, son.”
We didn’t have ribbity frogs, tree frogs, deer, snakes, any kinds of critters like that at our old place, although i once saw 2 raccoons and once i saw a rat.
okay, and a little mouse one time, running under the fence. I have those frogs that one lone frog in the tank, but that’s different.
i like it out here.
what kinds of critters do you have in your part of the world?
— wm
, 
.
We have “peepers” spring frogs here, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_Peeper
Go and listen to the sound file and that’s what it sounds like here in the spring, it’s when we know spring is here. We have a stream behind our house that goes down to a beaver pond, it’s a great walk. We have had a bear in our yard, deer eat my hosta and then there are fisher cats, so our house cats don’t go outside.
Lucky you to be gardening. I totally cleared the front of my yard 3 weeks ago and ended up with some Poison Oak rash two days later. Then this past Thursday, I used the same gloves to plant some new bushes in new bark mulch, I was a sight yesterday. Had to call for some drugs for the itching and the swollen eye. But I love to putter in the garden and just need to dress better with new gloves.
We did the same thing when we moved by taking plants with us. Makes it feel more like home, doesn’t it?
April 25th, 2010 | #
Ooooh! The yard! How I’d love to see it! (And now I’m like 3,000 miles closer to you! Not that I’m stalking you or anything…)
My new house boasts a small but attractive yard filled with dandilions, tumbleweed, and thistle. And did you know that thistle is especially prickly when it’s the dried out remains from last year? How exciting!
The only life in our garden is my son when he runs out on the deck to “get some air”, whatever that means. I can only guess what goes on in a 4 year old’s mind.
;)
April 25th, 2010 | #
Jennymcb, cool, i’ll listen to it with my son tomorrow. And… bears? Deer? Beavers? Oh man oh man I am envious.
WackyMummy, dandelions, thistles, etc. all have healing, medicinal purposes, y’know. You could start wildcrafting! We like to get some air here, too, it’s v. refreshing for body, mind and soul.
happy Sunday night, yins. I will TRY to take pix and post them — you know how bad i am about that.
April 25th, 2010 | #
In Trinidad, we had everything jungly! Including Kermit the toilet frog and Boris the bedroom tarantula and the snake in the bathroom… Getting used to having less creatures in the house here in the civilized world!
April 26th, 2010 | #
You could start a zoo! We have a fat family of raccoons that forage in our compost bin and a woodpecker family.
April 26th, 2010 | #
Nan, i love the Trini stories, especially about the guppies and betas swimming wild. What do you have now, girl? Squirrels, i bet ;)
TOL, we had downy woodpeckers at the old place —
http://www.hww.ca/hww2.asp?id=39
i left behind their feeders and a note, i hope the new people are feeding them. We have a sweet little hummingbird — metallic green feathers — who stops by every morning here.
April 26th, 2010 | #
I saw a opossum out on the fence a few weeks ago. The dogs went insane. My dad says they are like giant rats and live in the sewers (cuz we moved out of the country and into the city, so I was surprised to see it). I am glad it went away, I can’t live with the yapping.
April 27th, 2010 | #
Yup, we have the famous Red Squirrel, and the big impostor grey squirrel who is the DEMISE of the little red squirrel… I like them both, but don’t tell anyone English!
We have a fox nearby, we see him pop into the schoolyard every night.
I have noticed a few bees this week, and have planted lots of wildflower seeds for the summer.
We saw PHEASANTS! For real, in a field! And all kinds of literary birds: “Is it a blackbird, or a starling?”
April 27th, 2010 | #
We have hummingbirds from late April until September, then they migrate south. I saw my first one of the year yesterday. So cute.
April 30th, 2010 | #