Yard, Gardens, Birds and Critters

I Don’t Listen By Mary J Williams © I told myself Before going outside Just do the watering Nothing else on the side Did I listen to me I don’t think I did I grabbed the clippers I thought I had hid Over to a bush Growing out of another plant This will not do That is my rant! Take the clippers to it Cut that bush down Did the ID first Before cutting to the ground A Possumhaw Holly Was the name of the bush No clue where it came from Cutting was hard, then gave a big push Well, that is cut down Try to dig out another time As long as I don’t hurt The crepe myrtle that’s mine Then trimmed out Two Coreopsis growing there Even pulled weeds More and more I swear Trimmed up the Bee Balm No seed tops to save All eaten up Nothing for another day I then begin to water I am all worn out I didn’t listen to myself Now I’m sore and going to pout          ...

Today Was Another Day By Mary J Williams © Today was another day Digging all by hand Pulling up all that sod For a plan, oh, so, grand But..I am a little old 79 to be exact Sitting down and digging Is hard and that’s a fact Derrick has been helping If he couldn’t, I would cry It would be a year for me I say with a great big sigh Even with Derrick’s help It’s still taking some time It’s hard work digging up sod Not to mention all the grime Chris helped out today Brought the truck over to me Picked me up to go to Menard’s Compost and mulch, at a little fee Seven bags of one Twenty bags of the other Unloaded at the house Hopefully won’t need another Going to till that compost in Then the mulch will go down Still want a new path from the drive How? I say with a frown I found out there are five trees I have that need planted They are in pots by the drive There for a long time, granted Last year at Arbor Day I swear I had their names Looked today and ...

My Front Yard Makeover By Mary J Williams © When I get one of those Thoughts in my head It’s usually when I’m asleep Laying in my bed No harm in thinking That’s what people say But when you implement it They then say, “No Way!” I had the dream Of doing the front yard Digging up the sod It didn’t seem so hard I got my Grandson Derrick To help me dig and lift Two days of doing this I really feel like Sh – t! My shoulders hurt My hands hurt too My legs are throbbing We’re only half through It’s just the side of the yard Under the Pin Oak trees Where lots of shade plants live And little violets I see As we are digging And moving out the sod I moved a worm or two And replanted a violet pod Derrick worked the wheelbarrow Moving sod, to the space in the back Where the shed used sit Filling the area so not even a crack More to do tomorrow Hopefully another three feet Rain is coming in And I don’t accept defeat We will keep trucking along Until the sod is gone Then compost and mulch And then th...

I Went Outside By Mary J Williams I went outside And what did I see All the weeds and leaves Grinning at me You’re too old To harm us now I’ll show you I said And then I showed them how I picked up sticks Saved several worms Picked them all up And threw them very firm In another flower bed Did those worms fly At least they won’t be blown And maybe they wouldn’t die As I was blowing leaves I had to stop and look around So many things happening In the grass on the ground A teeny tiny flower I don’t know what it is I hope I can I D it I will put it on a Facebook quiz Then I saw the wild onion Growing every where Right in the middle of Anemone Probably choke them out, I swear I was dumping my bag of leaves And I couldn’t believe my eyes There were two daffodils Blooming where the water did rise It’s a runoff area From the streets above And there were those daffodils A surprise for me that I love   On my way back up the hill I was startled to see Candy Tuft starting to bloom I smiled at...

Leaves In My Yard By Mary J Williams © I just realized The way the wind was blowing A lot of my leaf mulch Blew about and was going To the neighbor’s yard They blow their leaves anyway They don’t like the leaves On the their yard to stay I leave my leaves Mulch is what they are But in these heavy winds They could go far Or maybe just next door To the neighbors they did go They are going to be upset When again they will have to blow Or maybe they went farther Down the hill to the back There they can stay And not cause any flack! I still have lots of leaves They keep my perennials warm In this cold, cold weather And in any snowstorm I went outside to check And boy was I surprised To see how many leaves In my yard, did still abide I didn’t lose any That is for sure I have all the neighbors Of that I can assure I will have plenty of leaves Plants won’t have a care Even the yard will have enough Good for pollinators everywhere The wind is still gently blowing I have an easy way to tell A wi...

Dance of the Leaves By Mary J Williams © I stand outside The wind is blowing The leaves are in the air They don’t know where they’re going Some are flying around and around not really knowing where they are bound Some from the South Are blowing to the North And yet some from the West are blowing back and forth Take your blower out Blow the leaves off the yard It doesn't take long It’s not really hard Go inside the house And just sit a spell Look back outside More leaves there will dwell It’s a useless job right now The leaves will just return They like our yards When will we ever learn All the leaves I blew today Are right back there and more Leaves love living Just outside my door Let the leaves blow In the wind, let them play It’s fun to watch them That’s what I say  

How I Feel By Mary J Williams © I was at the store A donut did I see Went to the case Picked some out for me Thought of what’s for supper What do I need to buy Grabbed a bag of carrots Then gave a great big sigh There were some lovely green beans When can I eat those I will have to clean and snap So, they were what I chose Wanted something different To go with the roast beef Hope that’s okay with hubby And he doesn’t give me grief Home, I went with my groceries Planning ahead is hard Think I will take a walk And take pictures of my yard It’s pretty darn windy out Which makes it pretty cold I have my jacket on My camera I will hold Look at the survivors Flowers still in bloom Temps below freezing Dying was not their doom Inside and cooking Gardening feels like this Flowers and fresh air Snapping green beans is bliss Even watching Starlings And the sparrows too Bathing and splashing the water How can winter make me blue Snapdragons Vinca               ...

 I realized this morning I use the bending for many, many things. I went on the deck and got the birdfeeder with the nuts in it. It was almost empty. Bent over to get the can out. It has a lock handle so had to pull on it, while bending, open it and the top of the feeder, fill the feeder, and then shut everything back down, while bending. If you read the blog yesterday (poem) you will know I injured my back by pulling on weeds. At the time, I was very tired from pulling weeds two days at the church, plus carrying and putting down mulch.   This morning was another of those days that I almost did more then I should. Here is the story, in poem form, of course! Don’t Look Down By Mary J Williams © Early morning 6:32 a.m. Recycle stuff was in my hand Out to the can at the curb I went I did not look upon the land As I came back I saw a spot Looked almost like a coin I bent over to pick it up The back gave out a groan I stood up with the thing It was metallic but aluminum f...

Don’t Know When to Quit By Mary J Williams © No outside work for me today                                           My back and arms say no Too much digging and pulling So, now I’m moving slow Played a couple of games Did some email too Going to the library Give hubby something to do   On the way home Stopped at East End Drug Talked about our dogs That we all give big hugs Then on to the house I knew what I had to do Pulled in and parked Bag of weeds, quite a few Hauled the bag down the hill Bag’s bottom is nice and hard So slid it down, no lifting Time to empty, I'm out of yard Here I have to lift But two handles help me do it Then just twist back and forth The stuff comes out bit by bit Back up the hill What do gardeners do? They see a weed growing there And more then just a few So, bend and pull And pull some more One’s a little tough It’s quite a chore Uh oh, the back g...

I am back in the house! I was "just going to do" the watering. I don't know how to "just do" anything.  I ended up pulling out weeds and grass from around the pots along the sidewalk, then decided to move the pots, dug all the grass and weeds under and around them. Have a couple more to do but, that will be another day!  Plus, while watering, I see these things growing that aren't suppose to be there and I just have to stop and pull them out. Then you end up with a pile and I went down the drive and got the old container and lugged it up the hill and filled half of it with all that stuff. LOL!  I can't "just do", one thing.  Then, lol, I interrupted myself, while getting the shovel to dig out the grass and stuff, saw the bird seed cylinder on the workbench, so stopped and got the saw and cut it into 6 pieces. Brought the shovels and the seed up front. Took the seed in the house and to the deck and decided to get the meal worms and put them out...

 “Ahem” By Mary J Williams © Going to put water in the birdbath But the water is awful hot Sun shining on the hose all day Use it that way, I’d better not Leaned over the edge of the banister Running the water from the hose Looked to my right at a movement A Groundhog, heaven knows Put down the hose and entered the house Walked to the back room Grabbed up my camera I have a good zoom I didn’t make it outside just then Hubby spilled his Pills Right into my cup of hot coffee Cleaned up first, that I will Then back out the door Looked over the side There was the Groundhog He didn’t even hide I took a quick picture And then realized there were two Took a couple of more On clover they both do chew I watched for a bit The bigger one disappeared Buried in the bushes Along side the fence it appears The darker one is still chewing I made the “Ahem” sound Cleared my voice quite loud And that Groundhog was backyard bound Took off on the run Down the side yard To the back woods My sound s...

One Hour By Mary J Williams © I went out to weed Picking up sticks along the way Digging up wild onions I think it’s time to play There are tons of honeysuckle That needs to be removed A couple of branches trimmed On the Redbud, to improve My mind thinks I can do it The body not so much Only an hour of bending And I think I need a crutch I still have to empty the bag Which means a walk downhill I am just praying I make it And I don’t have a spill After the bag is emptied Back up the hill I go Still want to put out birdseed I will just do it slow Bird seed is out Gardening shoes removed One hour is all I can do This day, that was proved   Front side by driveway- Yes, I use leaves as mulch down to the driveway

Just One Day By Mary J Williams © Yesterday, driving around I looked in the many yards I didn’t see one flower And that, sure was hard One day later Driving down the street Flowers were everywhere To everyone they did greet Just one day, just One day Now blooms are on a tree Just one day is what it was Before, I wasn’t patient, you see Today, as I was driving All the flowers in bloom Forsythia was too Guess it’s the sun, I assume It’s only the low fifties And the wind is blowing hard Yet those flowers all popped out In everybody’s yard Yes, even in my own Where there were none yesterday I have Hyacinth and Anemone And the Daffodils are out to play I feel better now Not so awfully blue I should have had more patience Just one more day would do!

  The Squirrel and the Chipmunk By Mary J Williams © Standing outside With the water hose on I glance at a movement See a squirrel and now it’s gone Must have jumped to the tree As now he is on the ground Running to the raised bed Is where he is bound Uh Oh, there is a chipmunk The squirrel scared away He was in that bed But he didn’t stay He ran to the tree Started up the side Getting away from the squirrel Trying to hide It was just a few minutes And the squirrel took chase Over to the tree No time did he waste I saw the chipmunk Out on a limb I think the squirrel gave up He was chasing on a whim He came back down Over to another tree he went I never saw the chipmunk again The squirrel lost his scent. This is a perfect picture found on the Internet!

  What Could it Be? By Mary J Williams © I am watering The plants in front of me When out of the corner of my eye A butterfly I see I see it floating around The wind carrying it too First in one direction Then another it flew I watched it for awhile Then slowly it came down Then before I knew it It dropped onto the ground Not a butterfly I saw But a leaf blowing around That was gently falling With the wind, to the ground It was a peaceful moment I noticed more leaves then Silently they are falling I’m sure I will see them again

Taking Out My Frustrations! By Mary J Williams How do you take on frustrations? Me, I walked out the door Looked all around There is the plant to trim, I swore Not only that Split up those Dracena plants They’ve gotten way too big I’m saying with a rant! Nobody wants it I have already asked Everyone has one And they get big pretty fast I repotted a couple of pieces To a more manageable size Now I know for sure There will be new shoots to rise I cut the top out of two! Corm plants they are That were mighty big Their height was bizarre I watered the ones That I planted before Yesterday’s work Or should I say chore Pulled up some crabgrass Mixed in with the Sedum Also, some zoysia Didn’t really need them. My frustration is gone Not as sore as yesterday Didn’t do as much But I kept the blues at bay!

  Yard Work and Pain By Mary J Williams © Was going outside But don’t think I will My hips are killing me And I’m standing still! Working outside For the last couple of days Gave me some pains That won’t go away I can do stuff in the house But that’s gonna hurt too Vacuuming is the Worst thing I could do. But darn it It has to be done Who else is there? And it sure ain’t no fun I will think about it At least for awhile Then maybe start I say with a smile Yep, I complain Who doesn’t when older? Comes with the age I say over my shoulder I still love my yard Like working in it If I wouldn’t attempt All to be done in a minute!

 There was a squirrel on the deck and Lacy finally spotted it. The squirrel ran towards the roof, but I was standing there and let out a loud "ARRGH"! LOL! Needless to say, the squirrel made a U turn and ran for the banister of the steps. Lacy is fast but not that fast and the Squirrel made it to the back fence ran along it for a bit, got down on the ground, ran to the shed, up and over the top, to disappear in the trees behind!  I kept telling Lacy there was a squirrel in the flat bird feeder, but she ignored me. She did, however walk down that way and the squirrel took off!  Watching him run across the top of the fence, jumping to the crabapple tree, moving from there to a good position. I am on the deck saying, "You can't jump from there, (just as the squirrel did just that), OH, I guess you can!"  Now squirrel is in the neighbor's young maple tree. Goes up, moves over a branch, goes up, comes back down then over and jumps to the large maple tree! I see a...

A Squirrel on Father’s Day  By Mary J Williams ©  It’s Father’s Day today  Got up early doing a tribute to my Dad  Found a poem I wrote  Lots of pictures I had  It was still real early  So, decided to go outside  Needed to water the plants  I didn’t want them to die  I just had to bend over  And pick a weed or two  Pulled out the dead pansies  Leaving them in the pots wouldn’t do  A little pile of weeds  Laying everywhere  But I am also watering  So, at this time, I don’t care  I caught a little movement  In the corner of my eye  It was a critter running at me  No time to think, I cry  I swung that hose around  As fast as I could  Yelling funny sounds  It’s running right to where I stood  Nope, he veered to the left  He jumped up in the tree  I’m still spraying the hose  In the direction he could be  I’m Bad!  I am laughing out loud...

 It's gardening time but no more big plots across the river. I just don't feel like I can do it on the large scale. Keeping up with my yard and having some veggies planted in the flower beds will be plenty.  The problem is, my yard has been let go for so long, mostly the sides and back, I have lots to keep me busy right here at home! The beginning is going on   Gardening at Home By Mary J Williams © I gave up the garden plots Over across the river All that work Just made me shiver Trying to do some planting But doing it at home Planting in the flower beds I just need some loam Almanac said 28, 29, or 30 To put the potatoes in the ground Didn’t know when the next time For planting would come around So, I dug and I dug Then got the tiller going Up and down the area A place for the growing I added some soil Don’t think it was the right kind But I used it anyway Getting done was on my mind Tilled that soil in A trench was then made Potatoes were put in And covered with my sp...