Throwing myself into spring gardening has left him looking for a new best friend.
Where before I was good for long walks in the woods, now I am spending too much time digging in the dirt, something he is not encouraged to do.
I did get down to the river one evening. That gave Beau a chance to explore the woods. The banks were muddy and at one point I came close to making my own slide next to the beaver slide. Both my jeans and the river had a muddy bottom. Catching a nice catfish for dinner made it all worth while.
Lissa and I found tasty morels in the woods. That was good for more exploration for the dog.
It's not that I keep him on a chain, but he seems to need to be close by. I envy him dozing in the nearby shade while I sweat and weed and sweat.
What's happened is the poison ivy, my arch enemy, has taken over the woods. I dare not go back in there now, with those meanies already four feet tall and growing. The best I can do is keep the paths open to Fishing Beach and Clam Beach.
The weather has not been cooperative for my gardening efforts. A late frost on May 16 had me hastily erecting my fencing hoops over the tomato and pepper plants. A couple of tomato plants that were in another part of the garden were cruelly slain.
The cabbages and broccolis were at a vulnerable stage and suffered some damage, from which I'm hopeful that they may recover. I'd read about it in the Stokes catalog for years but forgot they were not always frost-proof.
When Beau sees me clad in my bee suit and veil he knows he will be staying in the house while I check on the hive. Apparently, I've become a big no-fun.
This is just a terribly busy time of year. I'm put in mind of the old adage Never Get a Place Bigger Than Your Wife Can Handle. Even though I'm no longer a wife, it's possible I have spread out too much here. I planted some sweet potatoes up at the Remote Garden, in hopes of adequate rainfall.
Many hours of weeding the grasses out of the bed were required for the planting of seven new daylilies. Lis dug up some Bridal Wreath Spirea for me, and Izzy let me have some plants. All that was not the work of an instant. There were some pussy willows and weeping willows to plant, plus some buttonbush starts and some hostas to divide. Beau got lots of nap time.
Close on the heels of the Killing Frost came hot weather and enough road dust to choke a horse. Living on the north side of the gravel road turned out to be not good, since the wind is generally from the south. It was 91 degrees yesterday, less than a week after a record low of 32.
My daughters always ask me if I have been lying on the chaise and eating bonbons. What are bonbons, anyway?
Beau is going to be delighted today, because it rained. That put a stop to all the mowing, mulching, digging, deadheading, thinning and planting for today. I'll be going down to check on the river. That always makes him smile.
May 23
Here is one happy dog, after we had a lovely long walk where Beau could sniff the wind and follow the deer tracks. Speaking of deer tracks, when I went fishing, I should have noticed the places on the river bank where the deer had lost their footing in the slippery mud. They have better traction with four legs and sharp hooves, compared to my puny two legs and slippery old garden shoes.
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