Grieving Gardener

Oh. My. Goodness. Gracious.

On September 2020, a very sad, lonely, and new widow was clawing at anything and everything to keep afloat. After 32 years of marriage, she was alone in a brand new town. In a dream, it came to her that she should write a little blog to help others. She would call it “Grieving Gardener” . By doing this, she ultimately saved her own life, while amusing others with her words.

That “she” was me.

What a journey it’s been! Walking alone through the wilderness of widowhood isn’t an easy thing to do. With only a little dog at my side, a new road stretched out before me. It was up to me to write my own script and then, star in the leading role. Looking back, some things were hilarious, while other ideas were left by the wayside. Some of you have been there, along for the ride.

My readers were my reason to keep going. Those of you that contacted me if I missed a day here or there will be forever remembered. I chose to get up at 4:30 am for years to let the universe know I was still here, even those my husband wasn’t.

In the beginning, I knew nothing about writing a blog. I didn’t even consider myself a writer. I just remembered something a professor had told me long ago. Don’t worry so much about the grammar and spelling. Just tell the darn story. That’s what I’ve tried to do. Tell the story in the best way that I could.

Through the years, I’ve discovered much about blogging. I’ve learned that no matter how many programs you add to your account, you still need a story to write. I’ve also learned the value of something isn’t in the dollars you earn from it. While finding a place to share the most personal details about losing a best friend and mate of 32 years, I began to find my authentic self. The one that I’d lost track of over the years. Self acceptance was a priceless gift I gained through writing.

In the beginning, I’d squeal if I had ten daily reads. I’d carefully write down IP addresses and look up every one of them , learning where my readers lived. Slowly, without fanfare, I picked up a reader here or there, until, I found I was read in 80 foreign countries.

In my fifth widowed year, I no longer consider myself a Grieving Gardener. These days, I’m Glowing, or Glorious, or just Glad, Always and forever a Gardener, but not Grieving. At some point in the healing process, one accepts. I’ve accepted what is. With that comes peace and a huge amount of comfort. It’s impossible to move forward in life without acceptance and release of the past.

In the midst of widowhood, I met the most wonderful gentlemen who was also a Grieving Gardener. Together, we decided to figure out the rest of our forever. Whatever may come, we’ll make the best of it. If our seedlings fail, we’ll plant again. If the rains come, we’ll share our umbrella. When the worst happens, together, we’ll find our way. Each day, we celebrate our miracle born in the midst of two tragedies.

Today, I celebrate 1,000,000 reads. Although I can no longer track every single read (due to a website malfunction), I’ve averaged the daily reads for the last six months. In doing the math, TODAY is the day to celebrate a huge accomplishment.

It seems like only yesterday I celebrated 250,000 reads with Bible Study friends. I awarded myself the Golden Pencil award and they gifted me a beautiful tiara to commemorate the occasion.

When I reached 500,000 hits, I bought myself the Lego Typewriter Kit. (Something I’d wanted for quite some time. ) I even bought the light kit.

But, 1,000,000 reads?.?.?.?.?.?.

There really isn’t a physical item to mark this milestone. I just want to keep writing life as it unfolds here at Winterpast. It’s celebration enough to share this milestone with all of you on this lovely spring day, May 13, 2024.

You can accomplish anything you put your mind to. It takes patience, perseverance, faith, hope, and a positive frame of mind. If I could make it through the Wilderness to the far away meadow of Wonderful, so can you.

Thank you for being a part of this journey. I couldn’t have done it without you.

More tomorrow.

Warmest greetings and best wishes to all the mothers out there! What a well deserved weekend to be pampered and spend time remembering. Mothers handle the heavy lifting of life. This is our weekend.

Here at Winterpast, we’re celebrating the fact that Miss B is out of the hospital and safely back home. As the mother of five boys, she’s earned her place as the Matriarch of the family. We’ll be spending the weekend making sure it’s perfect for her as she continues her recovery.

A special Motherhood Award 2024 goes to Wookie and her six little Wooklets. One week old this morning, they are healthy as they continue to be a very vocal bunch. Wookie hardly leaves their side, caring for their every need. She’s a wonderful mom.

Without other news, here are some pictures of the projects we’ve been working on at Winterpast. Very rarely, I include actual pictures. Today is the day. These are from the gardens of Winterpast and I send them to you with best wishes for a gorgeous weekend.

Mother’s Day is a great day to enjoy some flowers. Enjoy

Back Yard Patio — Left

View from our patio. These plants came from various trips to the hardware store when we couldn’t resist the lure of the garden section. Columbine. Gerber Daisies. Lavender. The very tiny orange Marigolds to the left of the screen were from seeds. The tulips are from bulbs we received as wedding presents. They are planted with a purple pin-cushion plant, which is one the bees love to frequent. The beautiful plant in the cedar planter is Foxglove (Digitalis).

Cherry Tree

This cherry tree is a favorite of our bees. The seedlings above are growing into respectable plants. The alyssum seedlings are starting to bloom. These tiny flowers will feed the bees later in the summer. Four small cherry tomato plants will provide snacks on hot summer days. The interesting red cement tubes are actually painted geological core samples.

Garden Shed and Green House — Potatoes and Seedlings

Three oak 1/2 barrels are full of potatoes. The planters are full of of floral seedlings, including Calendula, Bachelor Buttons, Cosmos, and Shasta Daisies.

Patio — Right

Our beloved bees live behind the chain link fence, built to keep Oliver and Wookie away. The plants in the greenish pot are marigolds, raised from seeds. The bulbs by the flamingo were wedding gifts. Such a thoughtful present for aging honeymooners as they start their life as man and wife.

Greenhouse/She-Shed

Our precious greenhouse! We haven’t named her yet, but this is definitely my She-Shed. 10′ x 14′, it’s the perfect size for two to work. The shelving came from a close-out sale at Walmart. The winds did remove the back window, which now provides for the perfect amount of ventilation for our little building. Our plants are thriving under the 70%-sun-blocking-shade cloth.

One note of caution. This greenhouse continues to be an extreme project that has taken patience. Unless you are living with a craftsman, consider this project a long time before attempting it. Although this looks serene and gorgeous, many hours of repairs and redesign have gotten us to this point. Remember, the price of the greenhouse is only the beginning of a very labor intensive and expensive project.

Garden Bed of Seedlings

This box was last year’s purchase from Costco, deployed this year. The middle section is full of Black-Eyed Susan’s which will grow rhizomes and return next year. There are also Dwarf Sunflowers on each end, Lupine, Echinacea, Bachelor Buttons, and Siberian Wall Flowers. (48 sq. ft.)Our “Banyan” Apricot Tree

Our “Banyan”/Apricot Tree

This is the most beautiful apricot tree in the world, which holds court right in the middle of the Gardens of Winterpast. She’s 20 years old. To Carson’s Apricot Angel from the West — Be ready! We have another bumper crop.

New Seedling Bed

A newly planted bed of seedlings, including Zinnias (regular and small), Echinacea, Sunflowers, and Marigold’s. A few unknowns were planted for fun. For this project, HHH used our small, electric roto-tiller. Not every project needs a farm size tool. This bed is approximately 25 sq. feet.

Our Memorial Garden

Last, but not least, our Memory Garden. Two Japanese Maples, a Rhododendron, and some bulbs were planted in remembrance of our loved ones. It’s nice to have a shady place to rest in the afternoon.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the tour. I promise to include pictures during the growing season so you can watch our gardens grow!

Happy Mother’s Day!

I’ll be back on Monday!

Life with the Wookies is changing every day. They’re a vocal bunch, always humming away whether eating or sleeping. Sometimes it sounds a bit like whining, and others like a bit of singing. You always know if something isn’t quite right. Then, they squeal like the house is on fire until they’re happy again.

These littles will be going to the very best homes, so they need to start photographing early. These days, people find everything on the internet. Even adorable puppies. Many of the earlier Wooklets have their own Instagram followers, living life large on Ventura Beach California. Yes. Only in California are dogs internet influencers.

While HHH gardening yesterday, I decided to try my hand at puppy photography. It did help that they’d just finished eating and were a bit sleepy. Before I even started, I had a theme in mind. Gardeners. Little Gardeners. I found the smallest pots and tiny tools that I could find. Of course, they all needed washing.

Advised to photograph pups on something white, we scurried off to Walmart to find a blanket. Better than that was a fuzzy white bath math marked down to $.25! How lucky was that???

Avoid all shadows when professionally photographing anything. With care, I set up overhead lighting and prepared the white bath mat. On the mat, I placed a galvanized pot of my favorite Johnny-Jump-Ups (one of the few plants that wasn’t grown from seed this year). Two empty pots completed the gardening scene. I was ready for my first victim. I mean puppy.

Well, this puppy was not having the pots, or the bath mat, or mom’s absence. She squealed in distress until Wookie came to the rescue. Nope. I wouldn’t be starting with that one. Angry as a little hornet, she was returned to her nest.

Off to the side, one slept soundly. And so, the process began. The secret is to swaddle the pup with your hand until they go back to sleep. With one deep breath, she was off to dream land and I could position her in which ever way I wanted.

I’m not sure that I got them all photographed, as there were some minor hiccups along the way. Nobody was happy about being placed in a plant pot, so that cute idea went out the window. What I did find was a tiny little basket that served as a puppy bed. Once cuddled inside that, they were out.

Adorable.

Now, I have twelve absolutely great pics locked inside my phone. No matter what I try, they will not transfer to my computer. My second best plan was to share them all with you. Unfortunately, they aren’t shareable with anyone right now. Being a better writer than puppy photographer, it’s back to the drawing board for me.

At this writing, they are screaming again, hoping that mom will come in from the garden. They rarely stop eating and are growing like the weeds of Winterpast. HHH and I marvel at their ability to cry and eat at the same time. These are a healthy little crew of Wooklets.

Tomorrow, they’ll be one week old. How fast they’ve grown and changed already. In a few days, it’ll be time for them to head for California. Until then, I’m off to figure out another theme for their next photo shoot.

More tomorrow.

A few weeks ago, I would have looked at this mess and suggested we get the rake. Today, I see a gold mine of succulent leaves perfect for propagation. The greenhouse experience is leading me towards hobbies I’ve never considered until now.

Amazon makes our lives so much easier. From the comfort of home, I’ve ordered all my peat pots, fertilizers, and even a book on Propagation. “The Plant Propagator’s Bible — A Step-by-Step guide to propagating every plant in your garden by Miranda Smith” has been an interesting addition to our garden library.

A great thing about living in 2024 is that it’s no longer necessary to possess a hard copy of a book. It’s easy to GOOGLE anything at all, even plant propagation. I’m still old school when it comes to preferring a hard copy to a screen version.

Loving succulents of all types, I’ve always wondered if it’s difficult to reproduce them. After reading a section on propagating plants from leaves, a tray of leaves from some old succulents are growing roots in my study, along with leaves from my African violets. Reading the new book, the methods and steps were clearly written. Just trim off some leaves, stick them in the ground, treat with rooting hormone and wait for the magic to happen. So far, the succulents aren’t doing much, but gardening has taught me to be patient with experiments.

If you’ve been to the garden center lately, the insanity goes on and on. For one 2″ potted succulent, you can easily pay $5. I’m beginning to see a gold mine growing right under my greenhouse roof. Probably much more profitable than a basket full of Wooklets once a year.

Last week, we purchased a beautiful lilac plant that is now planted by a table and chairs. After doing research, I discovered it can be propagated by burying a low hanging branch. Leave the branch connected to the plant and burying the middle of the stem, leaving the leaves on the end of the branch to continue growing. By the end of the year, check the stem for a root ball. If present, cut the stem from the plant and you will then have two plants!!! That process is called layering.

As I’m learning all these things, I remember my dad doing these same things with the vines on the ranch. Throughout the year, he’d make two vines out of one. Back then, you couldn’t just run to the store to buy replacement vines. You needed to make your own. Real farmers new these things. Maybe I missed a few lessons along the way.

HHH has been working every day to keep our garden growing. For the rest of the growing season, we’ll observe Bee Monitoring and Miracle Grow and Bee Monitoring Monday’s and SUPERthrive Saturday’s. These two additives have taken nearly dead plants and revived them with his green thumb.

I’ve long been a fan of Miracle Grow. Just spray it on any plant and huge growth will result. Be careful with vegetables. Too much and you might end up with a vigorous plant and no veggies. Just follow the directions closely and watch for beautiful results every time.

SUPERthrive was a new one to me. Last summer, while still dating HHH, he would come over with his quart bottle of liquid gold, asking if he could rejuvinate the roses and other plants. Well, no sane woman would turn down that offer. The plants here at Winterpast started to grow in ways they hadn’t before. Just a capful in a 2-gallon watering can provided amazing results. Again, HHH is my hero!!!

When visiting the hardware store the other day, we saw a rare deal on SUPERthrive. $10 a quart. Now, this is six times lower than the regular price, so we bought some. Don’t. It was a thick, fishy smelling liquid that is nothing like the expensive version. We returned ours to the store for a refund and ordered the real stuff online. It’a available in four ounce, quart or gallon size. Unless you have gardens the size of Winterpast, four ounces will last a season or two.

With the winds still chilly, today is a day to work around the house and keep an eye on the Wooklets. Growing like weeds, they excel at crying when anything is not exactly to their liking. And I mean anything. One of them was just crying as she was nursing. Not an easy thing to do.

Adorable doesn’t even begin to tell you how cute they are. Although we’ve promised ourselves we’d not fall in love with them, of course, we are. Who could resist six little dogs emitting the most intoxicating puppy breath? Impossible.

Propagation is really fun! One Wookie = 6 Wooklets. 10,000 bees in a NUC = 50,000 bees in a working hive. Violets. Succulents. Seedlings. New hobbies keep life interesting!

Whatever you do today, think about propagating a favorite houseplant. Almost every plant can produce more of their own kind in one way or another. Just Google it. Then, you’ll know.

More tomorrow.

Spring 2024 has been one for the books. With 96 mph winds that blew through ripping out fences along the way, to a major winter storm of May, it’s been a wild ride. But then, the weather on the high desert plains of Northwestern Nevada is like that. Just when it suits you, everything changes.

During April, we enjoyed some gorgeous days with temperatures hovering in the mid-70’s. It doesn’t get better than that. The trees of Winterpast thought so, too. All the fruit trees have bloomed, including the Granny Smith, a wedding present from Miss B. The bloom started early with the apricots and plum tree. Following them, the cherry trees gave quite the show. The crab apple is now in the last days of her glorious pink blossoms.

Each tree has had so many bee visitors, a loud buzz can be heard when walking by. No time for stinging attacks, they’re after the pollen.

With all these trees heavy with tiny fruit about now, the news last Friday would frighten any gardener. Especially those that’ve worked as hard as HHH and I have.

“Winter Storm Warning — possibly 2″ of snow on the valley floor by Sunday”.

One thing a farmer learns early in their career. You can’t fight Mother Nature. It’s just not possible, so prepare for the worst. And forget about waving your fists and they sky and getting your panties in a bunch. The wind and clouds don’t care.

For the hundreds of planted seedlings, there wasn’t much we could do. About 200 were still in the greenhouse until transferred into our house. The best frost protection is on the dining room table at Winterpast.

Everyone else survived 50 mph winds. As the trees ripped and rolled around in the gusts, the crops thinned (which needed to happen). A large portion of our apricot crop fell to the ground (at least 350 apricots).

For two days, we worried about how low the temperature would drop. Luckily, it hovered above 32 degrees, so everything survived.

The zucchini plants, now about 3′ in diameter and supporting baby squash, as well as the Hearts of Gold cantaloupe suffered a little wind damage. The onions, garlic, and potatoes, (all pretty hearty), made it just fine.

The Best News of All! The greenhouse stood up to the wind just fine. Not one window blew out and not even the tiniest bit of damage occurred. Finally, we have a chance at enjoying the greenhouse for some years to come!

A bit of news from the High Sierra’s this morning. Last weekend, 2′ of snow fell at Palisades Ski Resort. Some years it’s hard to predict what will happen with the weather, but this fresh snow will allow the some Tahoe ski resorts to stay open until Memorial Day.

Wherever you find yourself today, be grateful if you are enjoying 70 degree weather. Today, we’re again in the 70’s. With summer just around the corner, we’ll soon be wishing for the mild and beautiful days of spring.

More tomorrow.

Things at Winterpast have certainly changed since last Friday at 10:30 AM. In a matter of two hours, six little wooklets entered our world and stole our heart. Just like that.

As I wrote on Friday, I was thinking of everything I needed to pack Oliver for his trip to Puppy Camp. The right amount of food for his stay. Plenty of treats. A Greenie for each day to keep his teeth nice and clean. Everything was together for our 45 mile trip to the west.

At the last minute, HHH and I decided that I would drive Oliver and he would stay back with Wookie just in case she went into labor. Earlier in the week, HHH had discovered a hole under one of our larger plants. He mentioned that perhaps it was Oliver’s handiwork.

There’s one problem with that thinking. Oliver doesn’t dig to looking for a nice cool place to rest. If it’s warm outside, he runs for the air-conditioned house. He does like to dig in the middle of any garden path, but not under plants. Not his style. After looking back on the situation, Wookie was planning the perfect whelping area. Outside under the plants.

Friday morning, she was in and out of the house several times. Sometimes she would disappear behind the greenhouse. Very active and nervous after being rather sedentary, it was obvious that something was off.

So, Oliver and I sat off for party time. He was jumping at the door to go see his favorite Camp Counselor, Michelle. I only need to mention her name and he goes into a frenzy. He loves the kennel and never even looks back. With swimming and lots of friends with whom to play, he loves his time there. Heck, I might be missing a get vacation.

As I mentioned before, it’s not a wise idea to have a male dog around brand new puppies. Although we both think Wookie would take care defending her babies, accidents happen. If there were any accident, it wouldn’t be Oliver’s fault, but ours as his humans.

I would’ve left a little earlier, but at the last minute HHH offered to cook breakfast for me. Not being able to turn that down, we left right after our meal. I drove straight to the kennel and back, talking to CC a bit as I drove. I did miss a call from HHH just as I entered the garage. When I opened the door, he greeted me with the great news.

“Wookie has a puppy! She’s having another now.”

The timing was crazy. Wookie’s puppies weren’t due until next week. Never did we expect the very day Oliver left, I’d pull into the garage to witness the birth of the pups. The timing couldn’t have been better.

Again, on top of our bed, Wookie gave birth to the five pups the vet predicted and then gave us a bonus pup for good luck. The first two were blonde boys. Then, bit of chocolate followed by a lump of coal, both girls. Finally, 2 more Barbie-Blonde girls to finish off the bunch. And, no mistake. They are loud if unhappy.

It’s been a weekend with little sleep. HHH and I have divided up puppy duty, managing to get up six times a night between the two of us. Tiny pups can get rolled up in bedding lost behind mom. This little bunch screams when they aren’t happy. No one could sleep through the noise they make when they’re not happy.

Since then, they’re doing everything newborn pups do. What a blessing to hear their little squeaks as they dream their little puppy dreams. We are having fun just watching Wookie take care of the bunch.

Our fun will be short lived. We’ll have the pups a few more days and then we’ll return them to California. There, Wookie can watch over them while enjoying the beautiful springtime weather. Oliver will be happy to return home, never knowing he really wasn’t the father of the bunch.

Whatever you do today, enjoy springtime. There is so much life exploding all around us. It’s a gorgeous time to be alive, especially for us new dog-grand-mamas and papas.

More tomorrow.

Our Garden Gnomes seem to be entitled and a wee bit lazy. When HHH moved in, he promised that his six little friends were to help us throughout the night, making our garden chores decrease. Maybe they just don’t see the weeds I see. Whatever the reason, the work increases every day.

Life can get complicated at times, especially when multiple gardens are involved. Winterpast provides a full time job for HHH and I. Between transplanting the Iris’s and planting new purchases, HHH is working on toning his upper body. I am working on other muscle groups by getting up and down while planting my littles. We are in the garden at least four hours a day, and sometimes more.

Weeds continue to plague the area. Yesterday, it was a lovely surprise to see the city utility truck burning noxious weeds out of our drainage ditches. Living in the desert, flash floods are a real danger. Each home in our neighborhood sits behind a continuous drainage ditch. Although I’ve never seen them do this before, the city was burning the weeds in the ditches with flame-throwing fire wands. Pretty impressive. Thank goodness I hadn’t just wasted a day weeding ours.

Aside from all that, HHH and I are also the “hired hands” for the rental on St Louis Road. Each week, time is set aside to visit the rental to mow and weed. Luckily, HHH had his house in great shape, so this doesn’t take more than an hour or two. But, each week, we need to pencil in time.

With Mother’s Day so close, Miss B has been a little down. Her yard used to be the most beautiful on the block, but at 86, gardening isn’t something she can do anymore. It saddens me that the day I can no longer garden will come soon enough. No one can remain a sexagenarian forever. It makes me want to garden even more while I can.

The last time we visited her, (with blinds closed), she shared her one wish. A beautiful weed-free yard.

Well, what do you do when your 86 year old mom wants a weed free yard??? You figure out how to make it happen.

One year ago, just before Bible study, I sat alone on a bench waiting for the other women to arrive. A man pulled up in a weathered pickup truck to ask if I had any work for him. His name was Artemio. Such a nice man, he gave me two business cards while I promised him that if I had work, I’d give him a call.

Well, Oliver ate one of the cards before I grabbed the other and put it in my top desk drawer. I’d seen it from time to time over the last year and wished that I could hire him. But, HHH and I were caring for everything at that time.

Yesterday, I found the card and HHH called him. As it turns out, Artemio would LOVE some work and will meet HHH at Miss B’s tomorrow. Not a moment too soon, as Mother’s Day is just around the corner. What a blessing this “Garden Angel” is available to help!!! Miss B will enjoy her gorgeous yard again this summer.

Now, HHH have three landscaping accounts. Maybe we should start a new business….

Whatever you do today, honor your mom in some way. It’s not to early. If you are lucky enough to have a mom on earth, do something nice for her today. If your mom is on the heaven side of things, think of fond memories and consider putting together a memorial garden. Mom’s. They need all the pampering we can give them.

Have a lovely weekend. I’ll be back Monday.

PS — Pretty sure I’ll have a info on the Wooklets by then!!!! Who knows, I might need to make a surprise post this weekend!!

My, oh, my. I’ve admitted this to everyone I know. Don’t worry about me hanging out at a bar. I don’t enjoy even the tiniest bit of alcohol. I DO own my own margarita maker, but that’s strictly for the benefit of those enjoying a party at Winterpast. Gambling isn’t my thing, although I do live in a state in which there are slot machines at the grocery store.

Don’t worry about me spending a small fortune on a new and stylish wardrobe for every new season. Whether honeymooning or cruising the high seas, my suitcase is always full of favorites, not always the newest style. I’ve long since given up shopping at the “IT” stores. Most times, I find exactly what I need at Walmart. Most days, this involves shorts and t-shirts while I garden.

Everyone has their vice and HHH and I share the same one. Gardening. Yesterday, we came up with a reason for a visit to the local hardware store. We needed a few spare parts for the drip system that keeps Winterpast happy and green. That’s all. A cost of around $5.

Once inside the hardware/garden center, it’s like we become possessed by garden spirits. We usually park a good distance away with every intention of walking into the front door to find exactly what we need. But the double doors to the north call us, and we must go.

Yesterday was no different. Over the winter, our beautiful bougainvillea died. With no obvious reason, it died in dormancy, leaving us with a 1/2-oak-barrel to fill. Of course, we could fill it with all the seedlings growing in the greenhouse. But it will be a long time until those plants are large enough to produce blooms.

So there was nothing to do but take a walk through the land of bushes, trees, and flowers. None of the plants on the first few aisles spoke our language. Annuals are no longer on our list. I can sprout plenty of them from seeds. We needed a take-charge kind of bush to command center stage in the middle of our memorial garden.

In case you might have forgotten, we decided to plant a tribute garden in memory of our late spouses. We found two Japanese Maples, one a tiny bit taller than the other. We named them appropriately and talk to them often. Both of these trees are growing like weeds. A memorial garden is a healthy way to remember those you’ve lost along the way.

Well, in the middle of the garden center, I found a plant I truly couldn’t leave without. A pale pink Rhododendron. During my childhood on the farm, my mother always had azaleas in her garden. Inn Central California they were the plant of choice for funeral remembrances. They were plants you could stick in the soil and not look back, and those azaleas loved my mother’s garden.

Rhododendrons and Azaleas are in the same family, but my mother never, ever chose to grow a Rhody. Paeonia’s, azaleas, and roses are my three favorite flowers. Winterpast now has the trifecta of floral happiness for me.

If you buy one plant, another might as well come along for company. By the time we were done, we’d exceeded our original $5 budget by a bunch.

Once home, HHH got to work and planted the two gorgeous additions while I did some sprucing up on the bird houses here at Winterpast since long before me. One is a barn and the other a little blue and white house. Each sit atop a 5″ pole. After cleaning and new paint, we’ll wait for the birds to move in. In the past, the finches have fought over the space. We’ll see what happens this year.

Last night, at dusk, the dance of the hummingbirds began. Two found the fresh syrup in the new feeders and took turns eating and protecting their newly found food source.

Swallowtails. Hummingbirds. Mourning Doves. Robins. Saskatraz Honeybees. Black and Yellow Bumble Bees. Earthworms. Puppies on the way. Just what more do two love birds need??? With a new Rhododendron in the garden and each other, absolutely nothing else.

Whatever you do today, you might want to walk through a nursery. All the flowers are freshly delivered and ready to take home. After being there, you might understand how gardening can take over!

More tomorrow.

Not quite yet, but very, very soon the pitter patter of little paws will be upon us. With an expanding waistline, Wookie has entered her last week of pregnancy. This has been very hard on her, and will be her last littler. This summer, she’ll take a little trip to the vet and be done with motherhood forever.

As so many do, HHH has a breeding agreement with a close family member regarding Wookie. After meeting her motherly obligation, she will now be our very own family dog. That’s a wonderful thing, as I don’t know that Wookie, HHH, or could handle the thought of future litters.

Puppies are a wonderful thing to experience. Puppy breath is intoxicating. Their little noises are endearing. For the first few weeks of life, Wookie will do all the work. From cleaning up after the pups in every way, to feeding them until their little bellies look like they’ll pop, she’ll do it all. And then, around four weeks, she’ll begin to grow weary of the littles.

Last year, HHH and I kept the littles until they were four weeks old. By then, I had fallen in love with “Tiger” and Miss B (HHH’s mom) had fallen in love with “Bingo”. There weren’t many times when the puppies were left in the spare room where Wookie tended them. One or two were always out and on a human lap, enjoying cuddle time.

The heavier lifting comes after four weeks, when teething begins. From what I hear, “Tiger”, “Bingo” and the crew did a number on some base-boards in California. Just part of the deal when puppies are involved.

Wookie is a funny dog. She smiles with purpose. When something is really funny, she smiles so big she sneezes. She gets her feelings hurt very easily and quickly learned the “No’s” around Winterpast. She’s the best mother dog I’ve ever been around and seems to enjoy her time with the pups.

These days, she can’t eat big meals. She likes to snack and lounge. Yesterday was the first day HHH and I felt the littles as they kicked in her belly. Poor Wookie. It won’t be much longer.

After the wooklets are here, we’ll love them up and then take them across the Sierra’s to California where they will learn to see, walk, bark, and find their forever homes. Time goes so fast so we’ll need to enjoy every moment of our time with them.

As for Oliver, please don’t mention to him that he’s not the dad. He’s sure he is. To hide this fact from him when there’s no dachshund in the bunch, he’ll be off at puppy camp. All kidding aside, it can be dangerous to have a male dog near a litter of puppies. Seeing how he handles toads and small birds, I’m not taking any chances with the wooklets. He’ll have a great time at camp, while we tend to new puppies.

Spring is jumping up all around us. The mustangs are showing off their new foal. And, as you already know, the garden is doing fine. Yesterday, HHH planted large and small pumpkins, and watermelon. Last night, we shared homemade vanilla ice cream and our home-grown strawberries with chocolate syrup. Life doesn’t get any better than that.

Whatever you do today, hug your dog or cat. They’re so important in our lives, giving us attention when we need it. They provide entertainment and unconditional love without asking for anything in return. Winterpast wouldn’t be the same without Wookie and Ollie.

More tomorrow.

Our little hive is exploding with life!!! With a most beautiful queen in charge of things, the population of bees is about to explode and our garden will surely benefit. If you look carefully at the picture above, there is one bee that looks different from the rest. That’s our queen!

Yesterday, the human Queen of the Bees stopped by for a hive inspection. It’s always a little nerve-wracking to have someone come look under the hood of a new hobby. What if we’ve been doing something all wrong??? Well, that’s why we asked a professional for a wellness check.

Queen of the Bees has twelve hives of her very own for over a decade now. One year, she harvested 1,500 pounds of honey from her girls. We refer to them as the “girls” because the “boys” don’t do much. The queen has only one mating experience in her lifetime and can produce 1.5 million bees while never leaving the hive again. The “boys” just hang out and attract mites. Not very good for hive productivity.

Our bees have been spoiled with all the fruit blossoms. We’re almost done with the apricot, cherry, and plum blossoms. The apple blossoms are almost complete. The crab apple tree is exploding with pretty pink flowers and many bees hang out there. Until the Russian Oliver bloom begins, they’ll depend on us for a little help. Once the natural bloom begins, they’ll be off and running.

When we looked in the hive today, the Queen of the Bees mentioned that if we’d waited one more week, our Queen and her subjects would have swarmed, looking for more room to lay eggs. In two weeks’ time, she has filled eight frames with brood and a little honey. There was absolutely no room left in which to expand.

Quick as a cricket, HHH brought out the second story of the hive. With eight additional frames and the in-hive feeder, she’ll have plenty of space to grow her family. To survive, bees need pollen, nectar, and tree sap. Our town is rich with all these things, just like it was meant to bee.

Ninja Neighbor has commented on delightful visits from our “girls”. I hope the neighborhood appreciates all the hard work that bees do as they pollinate our plants.

For the next month, we’ll check them once a week to make sure everything remains happy and healthy. Sometime in the next four weeks, we’ll pull their syrup and pollen patties, because it will be time for them to forage on their own.

There are so many lessons we learn each time we work the bees. Don’t swipe bees away, but flick them. If you have too many bees hanging on a frame, tap the frame pretty hard and they’ll fall off. Don’t use too much smoke when working them. They don’t like to be rolled in any way. Give them time to see what you’re planning to do and they’ll move out of the way. They love to dance at the entrance of the hive. Most importantly, move slowly.

Not all bees are the quiet and loving Saskatraz variety, like ours.

Last week, a man and his daughter were in Las Vegas, headed towards practice of some time. Walking through a park they’d visited before, a few bees started to follow them. The dad did the right thing. He told his daughter to stay calm and keep walking.

In the wink of an eye, bees attacked. The dad tried his best to take the brunt of the stings, getting stung about 100 times. He was well enough to drive them to the hospital, where doctors and nurses worked to remove all the stingers. You just never know what can happen with wild animals. They are wild and they are animals. Happily, this man and his daughter lived to talk about their experience.

Whatever you do today, you might want to read a little about bees. There is a great article about Bees and Balls. It seems that someone had enough time to watch enough bees and learned that sometimes, they like to play for no reason. Go outside. Really look at our world. It’s an amazing place.

More tomorrow.