Ocean: Friday relief

Well now, this has to be an up day! Worries of night frost are behind us. My pup is bouncy (is there maybe such a thing as too bouncy? Especially before I've had my mug of milky coffee?) and shows no sign of illness. Remarkable! Is she finally shedding her sensitivities? I can't tell of course, but I'll take this day as a gift!

Breakfast is very unremarkable. Too cold to eat outside and in the kitchen, my flowers are on their last breath. Must do something about that today...

Millie naps. This is so much her routine and I enjoy this period of quiet togetherness (even if she often chooses to stare at my feet from underneath the couch) as much as I enjoyed it with the two big dogs.

When she wakes, we do some gardening together. I have a "patio tree" that needs to be transplanted. Millie is there with me, looking for dirt to lick up. She finds it.

Patio trees are my fresh gardening interest. I dont much care about anything at Sally's House except the porch plants, which eventually will make their way to Steffi's House. These are seasonal and 90% of them will wind up in the compost pile come October. But were I to cultivate trees grown in pots, I could bring them in for a continued period of bloom indoors. Theoretically.

Steffi's House (unlike the Sally place) has plenty of sunlight and I can't wait for that aspect of it. To have the last ray leave the living room space by 10 a.m. is depressing. I can't imagine how gloomy winter would be where I am now. With sunshine will come space for over-wintering the patio trees. A new gardening experience for me (as is finding trees that will not kill or upset the digestion of Millie, who is a picky eater but finds things like leaves, grass, twigs and dirt highly attractive).

Just after the noon hour, my pooch and I drive down to the farmette. I think she's getting to recognize the language of "we're going to see Ed at the farm!" (I figure "farmette" is too fru fru for her.) Once again, she is in love with her walk here. A roll in cut grass clippings? Heaven!

Ed is working in the back, clearing fallen trees. He pauses for a break with us.

I swear, Millie is in a state of total bliss.

I comment to Ed that it's just pure sublime to linger like this in the quiet of the farmette lands, with all trees now fully displaying their gentle green. But of course, it's not always like this. We know too well that by mid June, the mosquitoes start to make their presence known, and by early July you cannot let yourself linger in a grassy field for long. By August, you're running to get inside, and if you're crazy enough to want to snip lilies, you have to keep a free hand to slap down the mosquitoes that land on you. You start to hate being outside. The screened porch is your friend. Everything else is... difficult.

But now, on this gorgeous day, lying down on a grassy slope is pure heaven.

I take Millie to doggie day care then. Just for three hours. It's true that she would also get her fill of doggie play at the park, but at the day care place they keep a sharp eye on how the dogs play. Indeed, I ask then today -- how does she manage with the big dogs? One of her human friends tells me -- she mostly ignores them. There's one doodle that is larger than her, but he is very good with little dogs. She likes to play with him. That's my girl -- I think, with some amount of mommy pride!

And then I am finally with my daughter and her two big kids, and we drive out to a nursery to look at trees.

The nursery (K&A) is large and beautiful. So many trees! My daughter wants two small pines and a crab apple. She tells the two kids that they can pick something small as well. Sparrow's choice is indeed small.

Snowdrop's choice? A willow. That will grow. And grow. And grow. It's already big!

Their mom really really wants a crab apple. Unfortunately, the only ones here are... also big! Add to all this the two small pines and a lilac (well yeah!)...