Happy May Day.
Good things happen in the garden and life in May.
The strawberries are blooming! I should have some late May or early June berries to eat from my strawberry patch, which I planted last year.
I won a book! The ladies of Garden Rant had a little contest about garden obsession and competitive gardening and I won a copy of Otherwise Normal People: Inside the Thorny World of Competitive Rose Gardening by Aurelia Scott after they saw my post on the Ritual of the First Tomato or maybe it is because I have more hoes than anyone else I know. They also thought a few therapy sessions might be a good idea. I think getting a new garden related book and spending some time out in the garden will be all the therapy I need.
I got the grass cut before the storms rolled in! The skies are overcast and they are predicting ‘strong storms’ so I rushed home from work and cut the lawn before it got bad. It still isn’t raining, so I also had time to pick some more lettuce and take some pictures. Did you know it is the 8th time I’ve cut the grass this year and the 4th year in a row that I cut the grass on the 1st of May? And that in 2005, we had frost on this date? How’s that for useful information from my garden journal?
I am on vacation next week to garden! I’ve started checking the 10 day weather forecast to see how the weather is going to turn out. If you have any control over my weather, please make it in the low 70’s and sunny during the day next week, with maybe a few puffy clouds in the sky. It can rain gently at night, but only between 11:00 PM and 3:00 AM. That would make me very happy.
And the rabbits haven’t eaten my peas (so far)! Maybe it is because of my new kitty cat friend?
Jake first came to visit me the weekend before last. He just showed up in my backyard with his all white fur and steely blue eyes. I was outside playing with him while talking to my mom on the phone and she said if he was hungry I had to feed him and think about keeping him. I could hear my sister in the background asking if she needed to bring over some cat food! I assured them both that this cat was just visting, he was too well groomed and too fat to be a stray.
And I was right. He belongs to the neighbor two doors down. So he is the best kind of cat for me, a visitor, and a hunter, eagerly stalking down his prey, which is hopefully rabbits. As long as he does that, he can come over and stay as long as he wants, even if his owners want him sent home right away.
Jake, Jake, come over today,
Chase those darn rabbits far, far away.
Good things do happen in May.
Happy May Day from May Dreams Gardens!
I thought that maybe the inpossible might be happening; you getting a cat. Just think, if you had you own, it could chase rabbits all the time.
Kathy, the older sister
Arrrggghhh! I wrote a comment, hit submit and poof, it was gone. I hate when that happens!
Anyway…
Maybe Jake will convince you that you need a kitty of your own! We starte out with just one cat and we now have eight. Three inside, five outside. We never thought we’d have more than one, but they have a way of accumulating. LOL.
Congrats on winning the book!
Congratulations on winning the book, Carol. I think of you as a fine example of garden dedication – not as a warning as to what can happen if you buy one hoe too many ;-]
What a pretty cat – does he act as if he can’t hear you? I’ve known several white cats with blue eyes that were deaf – there’s some kind of genetic link. So Jake might have missed out on you crooning that song!!
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Oh, Carol, Jake is so pretty! I hope he is as tough on the rabbits as you need him to be!
Jake is a very pretty cat! Good for you that you get to share him… and benefit from his hunting prowess. 🙂
Kathy… Why get my own cat when the neighbor has one who is getting rid of the rabbits, and I don’t have to take care of it?
Kylee… Thanks, but I just can’t envision having eight cats after not having any!
Annie in Austin… One hoe too many? Is there such a thing? Not in my gardening world. And someone else asked me if the cat was deaf. I’m not sure, I think it might be hard of hearing. I’ll have to experiment with him when he visits again to find out for sure.
Sissy… I hope Jake keeps the rabbits away, too. I am sure counting on him!
Blackswamp Girl… Thanks, I think I’m getting the better deal here. I just have to let him hang around. No litter box or food or vet bills.
Thanks all for the comments!
Congrats on the book . . . maybe it will become another book club selection. We used to have that rare combination, a cat who was a good hunter and was good with children. But she was a praise junkie, too. We had to tell her how wonderful she was after each kill–and she did get a few rabbits, too. I’m not much of an animal person, but I sure did like the way she put the fear of God in the rodents, and never scratched my kids.
Carol, I agree you have the ideal cat situation, but I would keep a few kitty treats on hand to make sure Jake likes your yard best.
Congrats on winning the book! And your kitty friend is so pretty! I’m positive he’s the reason your peas have survived. The bunnies have stopped chomping my parsley, and I’m sure it’s because of the big tomcat I’ve seen hanging around lately.
I have three cats, but they’re all indoor kitties and therefore utterly useless. We had a bird in the house once and all three of them were terrified. The husband and I had to catch it…
Enjoy your new book!!! Love the cat and the May Day celebration. Have you ever heard of the May breakfast ritual? Many of the local groups have them here and I just wondered if it were, perhaps, a regional thing.
You can’t have too many hoes and I haven’t yet had to mow the garden! I love the smell of fresh mowed grass! I will send out the message for clear, cool weather for next week. Lucky you…a week in the garden!
It’s May! Yahoo!!!
Carol, you definately need kitty treats on hand (other than the live rabbits) to keep the kitty coming back, but I would suggest you get permission from the REAL owners in case Kitty is on a special diet. Just say the word, and a kitten will appear at your door – complete with liter box!
My strawberries looked exactly like that the other day. Tiny little green strawberries forming inside of the flower and now they’re completely gone. The squirrels must be hungry this year!
Enjoy the book!
Happy May Day to you too, May Dreamer.
Our cat Athena started out hearing just fine but turned deaf when we moved from loud Chicago to quiet Minneapolis (she was white/blue). She was a dear thing, even if her deafness made her a little nutty.
I wish you well with Jake and the bunny situation. Evil long-eared greens-loving beasties. And congrats, too, with winning the book!
Oh my that Jake looks like my Casper who is now planted in the memory garden with all the forget-me-nots!
I was just in another site and I noticed your comment about the ~night blooming Cereus~ I have just returned from Arizona Foothills and have posted many photos of the desert blossoms! Back to your *Cereus*..I learned that for *one midsummer night
each year its flower *opens as night falls *then closes forever* with the 1st ray of morning sun! I surely will looking for one of those next time! hugs NG
Kathy… Aren’t most cats ‘praise junkies’? I hope he doesn’t get scolded at his real home if he takes his prey home to them.
Colleen… Cats that are afraid of birds? That’s funny!
Ginger… I’ve never heard of the May day breakfest ritual, it must be something regional?
Sister with the Homestead… Keep those kitties at your house. I have a borrowed cat, so I don’t need one of my own!
Anthony… Ack! I’d be crushed if someone ate all my little strawberries before they ripened!
El… I think you’ve described rabbits perfectly. You must be familiar with their evil ways!
NatureGirl… Casper is the perfect name for an all white cat. And I hope my night blooming cereus will bloom again this summer!
Thanks all for the comments and good wishes!
Congrats on the book! Please let us know what you think of it! I loved your tomato post (followed the link and read it!)! And, you do have quite the hoe collection! I got one last year that I am about to drag out called a circle hoe. I’m hoping it will get those last chickweed remnants out.
I think that’s terrific that you can borrow a kitty…hey, whatever works to keep your garden safe!
I cannot imagine having a week in May in my own garden. You are so lucky. Enjoy it!!
Happy May Day to you as well, Carol. Enjoy your week in the garden – I predict good weather for you, a bit on the warm side.