Planted

Young's Nursery delivered and planted our Japanese maple. Harry came out to oversee the proper placement.

I was told to keep the tree watered in this extremely dry and unusually warm weather. The Japanese maple is fairly bug resistant and deer typically do not eat the leaves. Hopefully the tree will have a long and healthy life.


I am amazed by how different the walkway and stone wall look, now that the tree is in place.

Not Hungry

Cooper is still not interested in eating.

The vet had suggested a special low fat diet for Cooper. This canned food is something that Coop has enjoyed eating previously.

After 4 days of not eating, I can hear Coop's stomach grumble. When I put out his food, he sniffs and walks away.

The one thing that Coop is interested is Milkbones. Is that like a child wanting candy but not vegetables with dinner ?

Egg-Plant

The Easter bunny managed to find us, even though we spent Easter on Long Island.

I received this Egg-Plant in my basket. The egg is ceramic. You crack the top and add water. In 2 weeks, snapdragons should begin to grow. The egg is now sitting on the kitchen window sill soaking up the sun.

Sick

Cooper has been skipping meals, but  I was not too worried. We had spent several days away from home and I know that staying in a new location is stressful.

When we returned home, Cooper refused to look at his kibble. After 24 hours of vomiting, I knew it was time to call the Norwalk Vet Hospital.

The vet examined Cooper and ran blood tests. The blood work showed that Cooper has Pancreatitis.

Cooper will not be allowed to eat for the next 24 hours. After that, he will be given small portions of a bland diet. The vet warned that symptoms tend to get much worse before they get better. I added Resolve carpet cleaner to the top of my grocery list.

Why we like Harry

We had a new walkway installed at our home last spring. This year we wanted to have a Japanese maple planted along the walkway. In February, I spoke with Harry, the landscaper at Young's Nursery. Harry said that Japanese maples would start to arrive in April and I should contact him at that time.

I spoke to Harry this week. Harry asked what kind of maple we wanted. It turns out that there are MANY types of Japanese maples. Did we want a vertical or a cascading ? Green or red or purple leaves ? Did the ultimate height or width matter ?

Harry gave me the name of several possibilities to research and then suggested we stop by Young's to see what they had in stock.  After looking online, we visited Young's. The Japanese maples do not have their leaves yet, so the trees looked very different than what we saw on the Internet.

We decided on a cascading Crimson Queen. The trees we saw were small (5-7 years old) and we wanted something larger. We drove home and I immediately called Harry to request that he look for a larger (10-15 year old) tree.

Five minutes later the phone rang and Harry said, "I heard you were at the Nursery . I just missed you." Harry said that they had a large Crimson Queen in Woodbury and suggested we drive there to see it.

 I said. "If you think it is nice, we will take it." There was silence and Harry said, " These plants are like pieces of sculpture and it is important that you see the tree without it leaves. Plus such an old tree is very expensive and I want to be sure you are satisfied." If we liked the tree, it would have to be dug out immediately (before leaves appeared) or we would have to wait until Oct! I again said, we would buy it sight unseen, but Harry was adamant we visit the tree. Jeff and I agreed that we would be at Woodbury the next day.

Five minutes later, the phone rang again. Harry had found a large Crimson Queen in Wilton, could we come to see it ? Jeff and  I jumped in the car and were there in 5 minutes. The cascading limbs had an interesting appearance and we agreed to buy the tree.

I asked  Harry when they could install the tree. Harry said, "When will you be home ?" I asked if we needed to be there, since his crew built the wall and knew where the tree should be planted. Harry was aghast, "We need you to say where it should be placed and how it should be positioned. Once it is away from all the other trees, it will look very different. Did we want the tree to look best pulling into the driveway, walking up the stairs or when viewing from the sitting wall ?"

So much for just digging a hole and dropping the tree in it. I am hoping our maple can be planted in the next few weeks.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Over the last few weeks, the ducks have been coming to the pond less and less. I had not seen the hen in a while, but the drake still shows up occasionally for breakfast.

Jeff and I went to walk the dogs at 6:30 am and the male was waiting at the edge of the pond. I immediately grabbed some corn and brought it to him.

When I took the dogs out at noon, I was surprised to see the pair floating in the middle of the pond. I scooped up some more corn and placed it at the edge of the pond.

In the evening, I saw the ducks again sitting at the edge of the pond. I said to Jeff, "They can't be hungry for dinner...can they ?" Jeff said, "Why do you think they are here - they want CORN." I went back to the garage, got more corn and brought it to the pond.

The ducks immediately gobbled up all the corn. I guess that we are no longer a wildlife Bed & Breakfast, but a full service restaurant.

Happy Easter

Wishing you a wonderful Easter and a basket full of chocolate bunnies!

Just Hanging Out

Lately, Otis likes to spend his time laying at the top of the stairs or stretching out on the stairs.

I think that Otis likes to look out the front door and keep watch for anyone or anything who approaches.

Dueling Owls

We awoke early in the morning to the hooting of owls. As soon as Otis hears an owl, he begins to whine and run from window to window. All hopes of sleep are lost.

As we walked up the driveway, I saw one of the owls flutter in a tree. This was the first time I got to see our Great Horned Owl up close. I was surprised by how big and broad he/she was. The hawks that frequent our yard are svelte in comparison.

The owl was screeching and when he stopped another owl would respond. A few steps further down the driveway and we spotted the second owl. The owls kept hooting back and forth.

After a few minutes, one owl flew towards the other, almost brushing the owl still perched in the tree. This caused the perched owl to fly off. Soon the first owl followed.

Seeing these beautiful birds made getting up early worthwhile.

Photo by George Jameson

Almost Easter

I couldn't resist these beautiful Easter flowers. My tulips never survive the deer, so I really enjoy seeing them flower in the house.

The Easter lily should be flowering just in time for Easter.

Danny's Spot

When Danny passed away, we planted a tree hydrangea in his memory.

The other day, I noticed the female mallard walking around Danny's bush. The hen then sat down behind the bush. I wondered if the duck might be looking for a nesting spot.

I immediately wondered what Danny would think about a duck selecting his special place to nest. I decided that it would be fitting for the ducks and Danny to still be connected .

Unfortunately, the hen did not choose to lay her eggs in our yard. She has not been around for a few days, but the drake still shows up for breakfast. I believe the duck is now sitting on her nest somewhere.

Take Out

Jeff and I were at the Danbury Fair mall late in the evening. We had eaten dinner at home. I thought dessert at The Cheesecake Factory would be a great way to end the day.

We went into the restaurant and were told there would be an hour wait for a table. Thankfully, there is a takeout counter for anyone who wants dessert to go.

Jeff ordered the Black Out cake. I ordered the Tuxedo Cheesecake ( layers of  Fudge Cake, Chocolate Cheesecake, Vanilla Mascarpone Mousse and Chocolate) . Both were delicious.

Pink

I love the color of these roses.

Tuna

I decided to make a tuna sandwich for lunch. I opened up the foil bag and placed the tuna into a bowl.

As the smell of tuna filled the air, both dog's noses went into overdrive. They raced over to the counter where I was mixing the tuna. I am not sure if the tuna reminded Cooper and Otis of their salmon kibble or if they just love smelly things.

I made my sandwich and the dogs gathered around me as I sat at the table to eat. The dogs were drooling and whining. Grilling a steak on the barbecue, does not get them this excited.

When I finished eating, I scraped the remaining tuna into the dog's bowls. In two seconds, the bowls were licked clean.

In bloom

The amaryllis is beautiful!

Happy St Patrick's Day

Cooper claims that his green collar makes him Irish.Otis claims that his beautiful red coat proves he is of Irish descent.

We are all Irish today! Wear something green and have fun today.

Crocus

The calendar still says winter, but these beautiful crocus scream SPRING!

It's Back

The world's tallest amaryllis is back. After flowering last spring, the plant spent the summer on the deck. It should be blooming soon.

Sunny Days

Cooper and Otis love being outside on these beautiful days

Breaking Ice

When we returned from Philadelphia, I did not see the ducks on the pond. I wondered if after a few days without breakfast, they had moved to another location. With 50 pounds of corn in the garage, I hoped they would return.

When I opened the blinds this morning, I saw the ducks on the pond. I immediately went into the garage, grabbed a scoop of corn and headed outside.

When I got to the pond, I realized that ice had formed along the edge and only the middle was unfrozen. The ducks tried to swim to me, but they were not strong enough to break through the ice.  I threw some corn onto the ice, but the ducks just quacked softly and would not reach for it.

By kicking the ice with my heel, I managed to break it  Unfortunately,  there was still a few feet of ice between the ducks and I. I grabbed a long tree limb and began to shatter the ice. The noise of the limb hitting the ice scared the ducks and they swam as far away as possible.  Eventually there was a free path for the ducks. I sprinkled the corn on the ground and went to walk the dogs. The mallards slowly swam over and ate.

I can't help but wonder what our neighbors must think.