Sitting in the Garden

What a gorgeous day. The last day of August; where did the summer go? Now technically, we have until the 20th or so of September for the Autumnal Equinox and the true start of fall and the end of summer, but once the kids return to school it feels like the end of summer. So after running around to appointments and errands, I decided to sit outside and enjoy a cup a coffee and my garden. I'm currently reading about the philosophy of Zen and tried focusing on the present moment. The yard was full of activity. The birds were all lining up for a turn at the feeder. They hop from branch to branch overhead and swoop from tree to tree across the yard. There were the usual suspects: chickadees, gold finches, nuthatches, and even a woodpecker. I shut my eyes and just listened to their songs and chatter. I also heard the drone of a distant lawnmower and the whine of the crickets and cicadas. Ah peace! Only to be broken by the rumbling of the school bus coming down the street returning the little darlings to me.

Vermont's Wildflower Farm

Just south of the Shelburne Museum on Route 7, you will find Vermont's Wildflower Farm, the "seediest place in Vermont."

They have a lovely garden walk through a meadow, down into the woods, and around to a pond. In the meadow, I found this milkweed plant with a nice cluster of pods.

Where there's Milkweed, there will be Monarch Butterflies, just like this one.

Although Monarch's lay their eggs on the milkweed plant for their hatchling caterpillers to eat the leaves, I photographed this butterfly on a Cone Flower or Echinacea. Extracts from this plant are believed to stimulate the immune system and are commonly used as a natural cold preventative.

Gardens at the Shelburne Museum

At the Shelburne Museum, there were many beautiful gardens. This formal one greets visitors when they first come onto the property through the ticket building. This border is found outside one of the cottages on the property.

At this time, the museum is sponsoring an exhibit of Georgia O'Keeffe paintings. Outside of the building housing the exhibit, you will find this garden inspired by her work.

Modern Day Postcard

Once upon a time, you would have purchased these images on a card, written a pithy comment ending in wish you were here and posted it in a mail box. Today, I've captured these images with my digital camera, down loaded to my laptop, and using the hotel's free wi-fi service I can send this out to the world to see.

We are visiting Shelburne, VT this week. It has been perfect weather for touring across the state. These pictures are from the Shelburne Museum. This museum is not your typical museum. Electra Webb began collecting buildings and items of Americana to fill them in the 1960s. Today the Museum trustees continue her mission.

The kids loved touring through the paddle wheel steamship the Ticonderoga. This ship was built in 1906 for a mere $162,232.65 and could carry up to 1070 passengers (only 6 lifeboats), and used 2 tons of coal an hour to achieve top cruising speed 23 miles per hour.

This covered bridge was brought to the Museum grounds and once served as the entrance until weight concerns caused the Trustees to create an alternate entrance. The Museum also includes a round barn, a Shaker barn, a horseshoe shaped barn, a vast collection of carriages and sleighs, quilts, toys, and even a lighthouse. It is definitely a great place to visit. Wish you were all here with us!

Weeds, Weeds, and More Weeds

The hot, humid weather in New England has spurred on the growth of the weeds in my lawn and garden. In the intense heat, there was no way I was going outside to pull weeds. Then to my chagrin, I came down with swimmer's ear and was proscribed an antibiotic which made me sensitive to the sun. The threat posed by mosquitoes and West Nile Virus kept me in at twilight. Finally, today we had moderate temperatures and I was determined to tackle the weeds.

You have got to love the names chosen for weeds. I have previously posted a picture and description of carpetweed, which lived up to its name this month and carpeted a vast area of the yard. The beauty pictured here is named spotted spurge. The spotted spurge is a drudge for sure. It's everywhere. I have seen it in the lawns of my neighbors, so I am not alone in battling this blight. When left to its own devices it can cover up to 16 inches of ground. In a way it is nice to know just what you are doing battle with. In reviewing several websites, I have identified many of the other weeds growing in the yard. Now if only I could be as successful at eradicating them as I have been in indentifing them.