The Muse

A Week in May Revisited

5.25.20-6.01.20

On 5.22.20 the Vegetable Garden was completely set in (sowed and planted).

The Vegetable Garden as shown on 6.05.20

The week that followed:

Monday morning 5.25.20: Bird Watching, Dog Walking and a Racist phone call to the Police.
Monday night 5.25.20: George Floyd murdered by the Minneapolis Police in their custody.
Tuesday night 5.26.20: Protest and looting erupt in Minneapolis.
Wednesday 5.27.20: The death toll in the U.S. from Covid-19 surpasses 100,000.
Thursday 5.28.20: Crowds protesting the murder of George Floyd, Police brutality and racism, spread throughout the U.S.
Friday 5.29.20: Derek Chavin charged with 3rd degree murder in the death of George Floyd.
Friday evening 5.29.20: Visited the Garden Muse.
Saturday 5.30.20: Space X became the first commercially built and operated spacecraft to send someone into space. Successfully launched two astronauts towards the European space station.
Monday 6.01.20: The President, Federal agents and police infringed, ignored , and violated the very first amendment rights of peaceful protesters gathered in a public place. Violating the first amendment right of others was done for the sole purpose to stage a photo-op.

Excessive force, Police brutality, Racism and Systemic discrimination are a fact of life in today’s U.S.

RIP: George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Brianna Taylor, and Manual Ellis

Spruce Tree, Hawthorns, Bees, Snakes, Birds Nest, Madness, and the Virus

Not necessary in that order.

What does a Rhododendron bush blooming and Muse’s Madness have in common? Nothing!
But I like the slide show and I like the song. So there you have it.

Finally after 10 years, cutting up the large fallen spruce tree.

Cutting back the the second side of the overgrown Hawthorn Hedge.

The second row of Hawthorns still needs to be cut back 3.31.20

Both sides of the Hawthorn hedge now are cut back. The yard slowly being transformed.

Birds nest and the Intruder

Back in March it was decided to leave tearing down the Hardy Kiwi arbor for a later date. The idea was, after discovering a Morning Doves nest with two eggs, leaving the arbor alone would allow the doves to hatch their eggs and raise the brood. The activity in the area was too much for the doves. Instincts told the doves the neighborhood was now unfit to raise a family. The nest and eggs were abandoned. Nature directed the doves to find a new home and build another nest for their family raring.

Unfortunately, while clearing out the fallen spruce tree, another morning doves nest with one egg was discovered. I hope I haven’t disturbed another nest of the same Morning Dove pair. That would be terribly sad. But I was not done. Minutes later I disturbed and uncovered a Robin’s nest with three beautiful blue/green eggs.

In a months time three birds nest with eggs waiting to be hatched were clumsily discovered forcing the parents to abandon all their instinct driven hard work and hopes of procreation. The mates(Nature telling them they are Failed Parents) will be driven to work even harder to find a new home and start new broods.

After years of allowing the yard to become overgrown, I have declared to all settlers that this is their yard, their sanctuary. All are welcome. Probably many of the same mating pairs have been coming back numerous seasons to start new families. Now, on a whim to be industrious, I am an intruder, a thoughtless invader selfishly playing in the yard with little care, destroying the homes of several species.

Morning Doves nest in the old fallen spruce tree.

Robins nest in the thicket surrounding the old Spruce.

Under the leaf litter of the Hawthorn hedge.

Virus

Tomorrow 05.20.20 the Governor has declared will be the start of easing quarantine and stay at home restrictions. Mostly affected will be small businesses. Is this the beginning of the end of a pandemic or the end of the beginning for new norms of society?

Numbers: State 3,408 deaths reported. US 90,694 deaths reported. World wide 318,000 deaths reported.

It is unsettling to hear individual deaths and tragedies labeled and reported as statistics. Nothing is more defined, singular, deeply felt and impacting than the lose of a life.

Bees and Apple Blossoms

Images from the Yard 5.13-5.17

Fountain

I was tired and had to lay down. At least a crow flew by to add to the photo.

End of April Beginning of May

Preparing and tilling the new vegetable garden for sowing. End of April.

Beginning of May

Old vegetable garden all cleaned up. Continued to clean the old Butterfly Garden. Digging up and pulling out Tree of Heaven and Wisteria runners.

Digging up Wisteria/ Tree of Heaven runners

Male Catbird early April
Staking his territory above the old Rose Arbor

Beginning of May Catbird Courtship circling the old Rose Garden

Photos from the Yard 4.30-5.04

Playhouse October 2009
The rundown version
https://www.artwanted.com/nhawthorn/gallery/

After Twelves of neglect the Hops still come back.

View looking past the old fish pond and rose garden

Looking past the Ornamental Cherry Tree and the old goat shed towards the conservation land.

One Month

4.15.20-4.22.20

Still clearing and cleaning the old veg/fruit garden and the old butterfly garden. The work is slow (and I am feeling old) and laborious. Will need to re- till, a little, the new vegetable patch and start sowing and planting, real soon.

Removed the old black plastic mulch and continued raking the old runners and bramble stocks. Almost ready to till and design some garden beds.

The going is slow, but now I can actually see the old veg. garden becoming a garden, again.

Taking down the old Blueberry Fencing.

All that is left., 4 living blueberry bushes and one dead bush. The rest were overwhelmed and rotted away.

Photos from the Yard 4.15.20-4.23.20

I know the peach tree is barely alive and its diseased. But its survived many years being neglected.

Easter Sunday

4.12.20

Three Birthdays
Quarantined
Hospitalized
Postulated

Easter Sunday
Faith
Hope
Assurance

Souls alone
Social distant,
Families miles apart
The day is not 
Celebrated.

Working in the old Butterfly Garden. Time to tackle the overgrown Burning Bush hedge. Perhaps it won’t be a shade garden. A secret garden still?

Burning bush hedge. Standing 8′ tall, 7′ wide.

The Hedge cut down. The old Butterfly Garden differently won’t be a shade garden.

The burning bush hedge cut down, but the runners from the spreading wisteria are unbelievable.

Photos from the yard 4.12.20/4.13.20/4.14.20

Hybrid Wild and Ornamental Cherry decided on its own to grow in the middle of the playscape.

From the past an old photo of the Rose Garden (2008) during its heyday. Making an appearance in an artist’s portfolio.

/http://Artwanted.com/nhawthorn/gallery/

Daffodils and Eggs

Daffodils are the first to bloom.  
In the old forsaken garden.      
Daffodils are the last to be.                
In the old forsaken garden.

Gone are the Roses, the Clematis, 
the  False Blue Indigo Disrespected 
and neglected, their needs never met.                     
Wild Sweet Peas, Wisteria, and  
even Trumpet vine, Offered only a 
token Stubbornness.

The Picket and the Arbor Rotting,
Peeling, Crumbling, falling  
Into the Earth they go back.        
Human made, but Nature taken.

Ragweed, Pigweed, and Goldenrod 
Are the tenants now, haphazard  
and thoughtless.                                        
They are lazy and disorganized.     
They just grow and propagate,        
Just grow and propagate.

The first to be seen, the last to be 
They give a glimpse of a prosperous past.                                                       
And announce the Austerity 
of a solemn present.                       
Daffodils, just don't know when to quit.

04.05.20

Continue to work and clean in the old butterfly garden and the old veg. garden. Spent time clearing the old grape trellis and the old hardy kiwi/ hop arbor. Uncovered the bench and disturbed the nest of a pair of morning doves. Work stopped on the arbor. Will wait 5-6 weeks for the dove pair to finish raising their family.

Old home of grapes, hardy kiwi, and hops

Slowly clearing away the dead vines and bitter sweet. The arbor is barely standing.

Underneath the arbor the uncomfortable bench.

On top of the arbor two eggs in the dove’s nest. Will leave the arbor alone for 5-6 weeks. Allow time to raise the brood.

Unburied the metal arbor that leads into the back side of the old butterfly garden. Raked and cut through old dead vines in the garden.

View from the back side of the old veg. garden. Every single garden that ever existed is completely overgrown and neglected.

Photos from the yard 04.05.20

04.07.20

Photos from the yard 04.07.20

Climbing hydrangea on an old locust tree.

Quarantine Spring Blog

Quarantine Spring
Shuttered Playscapes
Fearful Elderly
Families hiding distress with 
disquieting Normalcy.

Expects overwhelmed and shaken
The numbers grow
Society waits for Clemency
From Something that is neither 
caring nor alive.

TP

03.31.20 The last day of March

Change of plans, removing the the roots and runners of the Tree of Heaven from the old veg. Garden will take time. Will clear the old pumpkin patch and till to start an early spring Garden.