Finding Zen

 Of course I didn't find Zen (if you know me at all, you know I'll never be Zen-like!).  

But I did find my COVID19 critter!  Since it's not possible to go to any shows (and there are few and far between) and only online versions are available, I've been hunting for the perfect addition to my collection from home.  I browsed all the good shows as they came up (and can recommend the eBears shows and the Bearhugs4you shows) but I didn't find anyone who spoke to me.  I have to admit, imagination seems to be lacking, probably a victim of COVID19.   Anyway, finally in August things began to open up here in earnest and with safety protocols in place we could start to explore around Mount Forest.  Hanover was one of our first stops, which has a lovely main street and the Hanover Flea and Farmers' Market.   

And at the Market we explored the isles and on a top shelf I spotted a Steiff Waldi.  A Steiff in excellent condition!  I rolled him around in my hands, checked for moth damage, slid my mask down so I could sniff him for mildew or smoke, and debated his price.  He has his button, his yellow ear tag and original green leather collar too.  

I'm very familiar with Waldi as he has been a character in my life since childhood:  my sister has a life-sized one that was a gift from my grandmother.  It was therefore particularly nice that of all the Steiff out there I should find a Waldi of my own.  And I named him Zen because in 2020 that what you need most!   

So despite all the hurdles and being disappointed with the online offerings, I added one perfect pup to my hug.  

And thank you Rose for using all your reference guides in an effort to try to date my Waldi!  It seems that the 1970s were a time when Steiff didn't really record its creations well.  

And now?  With Hallowe'en coming, I'm looking forward to the upcoming Bewitching Peddlers of Halloween show on September 19!

Green to Gold

It's September already and I realize I never got around to sharing our beautiful garden!  

  This is our first Spring and Summer here so we had very little idea of what would appear in the flower beds.  We brought quite a few plants from the old house and dug them in here and there late last fall, but what would happen in Spring was a mystery!  

  And there was COVID19 to consider.  Because of COVID19 we ended up with a super LOVELY garden, not only due to all the time we spent working on it but also money.  Since we couldn't go on vacation, we splurged on the garden.

  In the Spring we planted Clematis along the fence.  They were a little too far along for Spring plants, so hopefully next year they'll be more in step with the seasons and fill out.

All around the deck and gazebo, we have a collection of hostas, many we brought with us from the old house.  

I needed a place for my memorial stones, and so here is the dog's memory garden.  This was where the former owners had their compost bins and was very neglected.  Starting from scratch after cleaning that all up (we now have compost pick-up once a week),  I wanted a flowering dogwood but learned they do not tolerate Black Walnut trees, so we selected a Cypress, a Staghorn Sumac and a Lemony Lace Elderberry.

Beside the doggy garden we were surprised by poppies, poppies, poppies!  We enjoyed clusters of poppies in early Summer all along part of the back fence!

I'd brought along the Evening Primrose and they survived the move, looking good!

There's this patch under one of the walnut trees that made a good spot for a faery garden.  I found these blue shiny stones BURIED in the front lawn... how they got there we'll never know.   But obviously they wanted to sparkle and shine again so here they are.

A friend gave us this exotic plant with lovely leaves and strange, intricate flowers... they look fragile but they are hardy and lasted a long time.  At the old house the plant was beneath a maple tree where it didn't get what it needed but here it came forth with this lovely crown of blooms!  (Thank you Olga!)

Over the course of the season, we watched the garlic grow.  The scapes developed into curled dragon heads which then opened and looked entirely alien!  The "garlic pearls" are now being eaten, but we planted a few too.

Another treat was this lovely phlox!  It's right on our driveway and smelt wonderful for a good long while.

And our vacation money?  It brought home for us this incredible garden rock.  Mom always wanted one, and here it is, all 1522 pounds!  It's not going anywhere.  

And we have Black-Eyed Susans, big clusters of them!  This was also a lovely surprise, and a glorious finish to Summer.  (Don't look at the lawn... it's all crab grass and weeds!  We're furiously pulling it out by clumps before the seeds spread!)