Who's At The Door ?

I was on a conference call when the doorbell rang. Coop and Otis charged down the stairs and ran to the front door, barking as they went.

I raced to the door  with phone in hand and saw a delivery man holding a Happy Birthday balloon and a red box. I managed to push Coop to the side and opened the door. The delivery was from Edible Arrangements. Since Otis could not get around me, he decided to squeeze between my legs. I put the phone to my shoulder, grabbed the box with one hand and tried to push Oti back with the other.

The man said it is ok if they come out, I like dogs. I said, if they get out they may not come back. The man was holding a proof of delivery form in his hand. I asked if I needed to sign for this. The man was nice and said, you have your hands full (literally),  I can do that. He then shut the door, while I held Otis back.

I saw the man laughing as he walked back to his car. Looking back at the crazy scene, I am laughing too. So much for 6 weeks of good citizen/meet and greet training!

The box was full of giant chocolate covered strawberries. Once my phone call ended, I ate one. It was DELICIOUS! A big thank you to my LI family for the wonderful gift.

3 Years

Still miss you, Danny. Always will.

Turtle Crossing

When we walked the dogs this morning, I saw the turtle heading towards the driveway. Cooper and Otis spotted the turtle and began to bark. The turtle turned around and walked surprisingly quickly back into the pond.

I am wondering if the turtle is still interested in nesting near the walkway. I hope not, as I do not want the new landscaping ruined. Seeing the turtle twice in a few days makes me wonder.....

Born to Run

Otis is a big dog and not very light on his feet. When I walk Otis, he follows slowly behind Cooper, sniffing every blade of grass.  However, Otis becomes a different dog when he is off leash.

Jeff was with Otis in the back yard. I was walking up the driveway. I was almost to the top of the drive, when I heard a noise behind me. I turned around and there was Otis running full out, quickly closing the distance between us. The sun was shining, Oti's coat was gleaming and I could see his muscles ripple as he ran.

Otis has never looked more beautiful. As I watched Otis run, I was amazed by just how graceful he was. Otis caught up with me and wagged his tail, as if to say, got you! Jeff and I were now at opposite ends of the driveway. Otis saw Jeff and raced off towards him. Otis was unbelievably happy to be running free on a beautiful morning. I could not help but smile.

Westport Community Theatre

With Jeff out of town, our Westport family invited me to dinner and a show. Dinner was at Bogey's in Westport. Bogey's is a casual restaurant with a menu ranging from salads, sandwiches, steak and seafood. Both the food and service were good.

The play was Sabrina Fair at the Westport Community Theatre, in the basement of the Westport Town Hall. I had never been to the WCT before. The theatre is fairly small and there is not a bad seat in the house. We had second row, center stage seats. The start of the show was a little rocky with audio and lighting issues. However, these were resolved and the play was delightful. If you would like to see live theatre at reasonable prices, consider going to the WCT.

A Golden Celebration

We attended the Norwalk Community Chorale Golden Celebration spring concert. The chorale has been putting on free Christmas and Spring concerts for 50 years. This fabulous concert lasted for 2 hours.


I was very impressed by the range of music that was presented. Songs from Les Miserables, The Sound of Music, West Side Story, The Wizard of Oz, and Phantom of the Opera rang throughout the concert hall. 

One of my favorite parts of the concert was when veterans were asked to stand and be recognized for their service to our country. The Battle Hymn of the Republic was then sung in honor of all those who have fought or are fighting to protect the USA.

For the Chorale to learn so many songs and perform them perfectly, they must have spent significant time practicing. At the end of the concert, I cheered long and loud for all the members who brought a beautiful night of music to Norwalk.

Turtle

It seems that our neighbors are not the only ones curious about our new walkway.

When Jeff went out the front door this morning, he was greeted by this turtle, who was digging in the newly planted grass.

 I am not sure why the turtle decided to dig up the hillside and destroy all the new grass.Thankfully, no eggs were laid. The last thing we need is hatchlings in our front yard.

I was surprised to see a turtle so far from the pond.  From the large size, I would assume this turtle is several years old.

Gorgeous

Our Westport family stopped by with this beautiful bouquet of peonies from their garden. I think they are stunning!

 How nice to have family who are willing to share their garden's bounty.

Disappearing balls

I am starting to wonder if the raccoon plays tennis. I always leave tennis balls on the deck for the dogs to play with. I have noticed that over the past few days the balls are disappearing.

At first I thought the dogs were bringing the balls into the house with them. However, I have not found extra balls in the basement or upstairs. I thought perhaps the balls had fallen off the deck, but they are not in the yard.

I can't imagine anyone wanting a chewed tennis ball, but then again you never know.

Peony Festival II

While at Cricket Hill Gardens, I spoke with the owner about my tree peony. I explained that the peony had been recently  moved and I was not sure what to do.

The woman was very nice and explained that moving a tree peony once it has developed leaves is dangerous and can kill the plant. She suggested leaving the peony where it was until late Sept. To try and help strengthen the peony, she gave me a sample of special fertilizer to apply immediately and again in Sept.

The woman explained that the peony would probably not flower next year, since it was stressed. I explained that I just wanted it to survive. She suggested to baby the tree this summer with monthly applications of fish emulsion fertilizer. Having already invested 4 years into this one foot tree, I am willing to give some extra effort to keep it alive.

Peony Festival

While searching for information about tree peonies, I found the Cricket Hill Garden website. This nursery, in Thomaston, CT specializes in Chinese tree peonies. The Cricket Hill website said that there was a peony festival held in May thru mid-June and that everyone was welcome to tour their gardens.

Thomaston is about 1 hour from Wilton, but worth the trip. The gardens were fantastic. There were hundreds of tree peonies and herbaceous peonies in bloom. Umbrellas are placed over the plants to protect the blooms from the sun and provide a longer bloom time.

There are whimsical glass sculptures scattered throughout the gardens. If you are in the Thomaston area, I would definitely recommend stopping to view these beautiful flowers.

Lucky Day

Going to Stew Leonard's on a holiday weekend is pure insanity. On a normal weekend, Stew's is crowded, but even the overflow lot is packed on holidays.

I would have avoided this store, but the $5.99/lb lobster sale lured me in. I knew luck was on my side when there was no one ahead of me at the seafood counter. I placed my order and was handed a  big 1.5 lb lobster.

On the way out of the store, we decided to stop for ice cream. As we were waiting on line, a man carrying a cone stopped and asked if we had coupons for free ice cream ? I said no. He said you do now and handed me his grocery receipt! It turns out that of you spend  $100 at Stew's you are entitled to a free ice cream. This  man had bought $300 worth of coffee and earned 3 free ice cream cones. I was so startled by the suddenness of the encounter, I forgot to say thanks. Jeff was quicker thinking and said thank you very much.

As I sat outside eating my blueberry frozen yogurt, I thought what a nice man. I hope he realizes his kind gesture was appreciated.

Howling

I was working in the office. Cooper and Otis were sleeping in the bedroom. Suddenly, I heard a long high pitched howl. It sounded like one of the dogs was in significant pain.

I raced into the bedroom and saw Coop stretched out on the bed with his head raised, howling. I petted Coop and the noise stopped.

Coop was perfectly fine. I don't know why Coop began to howl. I was just glad it did not happen while I was on a conference call.

Otis was completely unphased and never even stirred.

Peony Tree

The peony tree that I purchased several years ago has had a tough time. Last year we moved the peony to an extremely sunny spot and it flowered for the first time. I was hopeful that this year the plant would really begin to flourish.

Unfortunately, the peony was moved during the walkway construction and once again placed in a shady spot. I know that transplanting the peony in the spring was not good for the plant's health. I do not want to move the peony again until the fall.

I am concerned that this plant may not survive in its current location. My only hope is that the despite being uprooted, the peony has managed to flower. The constant rain had bruised the petals, but it is still attractive.

Bedtime

It was getting late in the evening and the fox had tucked the kits into bed (under the shed) for the night. As the fox was crossing the yard, Cooper spotted him. Cooper began to bark and would not stop.

The fox stopped and looked at the house. It was obvious the fox knew the dog was inside, but he was torn about leaving the defenseless kits. The fox turned around and took a step towards the shed.

I told Cooper he was not being very hospitable and got him to be quiet. The fox waited a moment and hearing silence, jumped onto the stone wall and headed into the woods. I assume the fox was going to hunt for a meal.  I am sure it is a full time job trying to feed 3 kits.

The Red Barn

We ate Sunday brunch at the Red Barn in Westport. Driving by on weekends, I always notice how crowded  the parking lot is at this restaurant. I thought it must be good if it is so popular.  We were lucky that our Westport family could join us.

The Red Barn was packed with people, including a baby and bridal shower. The food was good and plentiful. There was a carving station with beef, ham, pork and salmon. The menu included scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, home fries, salads, fruit, pasta, shrimp, bagels, pastries and cakes.

With a large number of  people in such a small space, the noise level is high. Being seated next to the piano made conversation difficult.  If you are looking for a relaxing way to spend a Sunday afternoon, I would recommend eating at the Red Barn. Reservations are required, so call in advance.

Jewelry Designs

With birthday season approaching, we headed to Jewelry Designs in  Danbury, CT. I had read that this jewelry store matched new gemstones to those you already have. I thought this would be a great chance to finally get a pair of opal earrings made to match my pendant.

At Jewelry Designs, the sales clerk asked what we were interested in. Before I could  take my necklace off, she said we will not have anything that matches what you are wearing. As I looked at the opals on display, I saw several that were milky white or soft green, not the deep dark color of mine. The clerk talked to the owner who said they do most of their opal buying in Oct. The clerk took a picture of my opal and said they would keep an eye out for a possible match when they next purchased opals.

I told Jeff we might need to travel back to Australia to buy matching earrings.....Oh, and while we're there, why not stop in New Zealand  ?? Jeff's response was it would be easier to search the internet for a jeweler specializing in opals.

Before & After

 This was the original walkway.

This is the new walkway.

Having spent our entire budget on hardscaping means the landscaping will wait until next year.

I really like the new walkway. Harry at Young's created a great design and his crew brought it to life beautifully. I think that our curb appeal has definitely increased.

Let There Be Light

 

The column and stair lights have been installed.

Vet Checkup

Otis had his annual exam with Dr Duffy. Otis lost 3 pounds and now weighs 80 pounds. Dr Duffy said Otis had wonderful muscle tone. I half-jokingly said this was from Oti always pulling me down the road on our walks. Dr Duffy said Otis was in great health!

A little girl was in the waiting room. She came over and petted Otis for quite a while.  Otis must have had interactions with young kids in his earlier life. She petted Otis on the head,  back, legs, belly and feet and he was completely at ease.