For me gardening is a time to connect with nature, not just the plants I tend, but spending time with family and my furry and winged friends, both past and present.
This year we have 12 nests (that I know of), in the trees, vines and bushes in the yard. We have already had more than one round of hatchlings in several of them. Whenever we sit on our deck we can hear the baby birds squawking for more worms. I try to keep the bird baths full of fresh water, especially in the heat that we have had. Robins, finches and doves mostly, and they seem to come back to the same spots year after year.
Stomper
I also have a feral cat “Stomper”, who took up residence in the yard a couple of years ago. I share my potting bench with him, it doubles as his house, and he has a heated bed in there in the winter. When I am gardening, he is usually sitting just a few feet away watching. He is quite shy, and still won’t let me pet him, but will come close to kiss my hand occasionally. I hope that I will eventually earn his trust, after all, I do grow some pretty awesome catnip!
Buddy
But, the ones I miss most in the garden are my wonderful collie, Buddy, whose birthday falls this week, and who loved nothing more than sitting under the trees keeping a watchful eye on his family.
Also, my beautiful kitties, Mischief and Stinky, who loved to birdwatch from the roof of the garden shed my father built for me. There are so many memories to reflect on when out in the garden, another reason I treasure my time there.
Mischief (on top) and Stinky
Soon the butterflies will take over in the side garden looking for nectar in the buddleia bushes, and at night the first fireflies have already appeared, both of which remind me of my grandfather. Who is in your garden?
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