Now they are 5!

Happy birthday M&D! Here is a tour for you!

Oscar is playing "fish games" on Eric's birthday present to himself, this absurd (but satisfying) tv aka computer monitor.

The tiny allium mix is starting to flower! I can't wait to see where I planted the drumstick alliums (I have an idea but there are little onion-looking guys coming up all over, so it will be a surprise).

 The copper rose is just covered with flowers right now. Each flower lasts only a day or so, so the petal output is also tremendous. It smells like lemon Pez.

The view into our now-enclosed side yard. The tree makes it slightly difficult to access, but I like the tree. We're trying to negotiate a solution...

The original rose in the side yard. These flowers last a long time and smell just like roses should.

Last fall when I was making this garden Eric surprised me with three hostas. Since it was fall, they all looked like dead sticks. But no! Here they are, so happy and variegated.

The apple tree, for the first time ever, is covered in apples. The peach tree, sadly, has peach borer and will die soon, and also has no peaches. Applesauce anyone? Or maybe some cider? There is no Poppins to chomp all the green apples, but I bet John will oblige.

 The paramecium is full of things! See if you can spot them all!
- a pink peony (present from Eric - he gets the best presents for me!)
- a red but unsmelly rose
- perennial batchelor's button
- crocosmia
- hibiscus
- (drumstick?) allium
- yarrow
- white peony (also from Eric) (both peonies also looked like sticks when I planted them. Dormancy is amazing!)
- pink peony (present from Great-Gramma)
- giant peony (from Wayside Gardens)
- pansies
- crazy hellebore
- old grape hyacinths
- everything else is weeds and doesn't count.

The fence garden is humming along, thanks to the gardener at the nursery who suggested plants that might actually make it. The brunnera just finished blooming (sorry dad).

Eric is setting up his first grilling experience on the smokey joe - his birthday present from me. And Oscar is "making a volcano".

The woodland paradise now has snapdragons and alyssum (and some annual bachelor's buttons that haven't died yet!)

 We set up ol' Drooley today. Oscar was very excited to see him again and John, true to form, tried to climb into the basin. In the foreground you may notice some seedlings - these are from some of the infinite marigold seeds Oscar helped me plant.

 And in the very corner are the lovely violets. It feels so extravagant to have multiples of one kind of plant, next to each other! And they smell very good. John really likes picking these flowers.

 Looking the other way, the grapes are waking up rapidly and are very happy on the trellis Eric made for them. He got to use the air compressor and the staple gun, and only had to go to Home Depot once!

Cute garden troll. So clean, so quiet. Five stars.

The transplant of the side-yard rose is also very happy right now. John also likes to pick these flowers - I think chance has prevented him from learning about roses so far.

Closer to the house, things aren't as exciting, but the irises are bomb and the sweet pea is starting to figure out vertical growth (being tied to the trellis helped convince it a little).

A bee! The raspberries were covered with them. And out front the yucca is blooming, and is also aswarm. There is a little hope, perhaps.

Oscar moved on to making much grander volcanoes. He even allowed John to help.

The grilled dinner was excellent, soon Eric will be a grill master too. I hope you liked the tour!

Happy birthday Eric!

Today is Eric's birthday. Happy birthday Eric! (He says "you're welcome.")

Oscar and I made him a key lime pie. We used the smitten kitchen recipe. Here are some pictures - pounding the crust, the baked crust, the lime devastation, the finished item, and the old man himself!

One day I'll show you all the pictures Oscar has been taking lately. It is very nice to see through his camera lens, from time to time, and then return to reality. The garden is lovely and bonkers, but you'll have to take my word for that just now.

Cleaning

Eric got out the air compressor to clean the humidifier and his computer, and Oscar helped a little bit.

Tomorrow I'm going to San Francisco to see Annie and Wiley and the newest little baby! Expect no posts from me until Wednesday, although Eric may surprise you.

But where's your bass?

Hiding up there are also a harmonica holder and ocarina. And to the right of the little guitar is the piano, and in the garage... Well, that's a whole nother adventure. But I think there might be a bass or two in there.

And Eric threatens that one day we'll get a koto/dobro/zither to round out the collection, but I don't think it can go on the wall.

Happy Mother's Day!

John's new best bud is his daddo's shoe.

The cats' new best bud is Oscar, who brings them tiny bits of catmint leaves every five minutes or so.

This afternoon Oscar got hold of a multicolor highlighter. Here he is talking on his phone.

And John joined in, talking on his Popsicle stick phone.

To pet a cat....

The garden just a month ago!

I don't think these pictures have been posted yet. They are pretty old but they show the little woodland flowers we have behind the patio, which are all done now.

Here Oscar is being the troll that lives under the bridge. When I say he shouldn't eat me, he says, "Be off with you!" In the most imperious voice.

I had to move inside to safety!

I think these are all the good ones. We went to the BSPM departmental awards ceremony tonight, and so both the kids have been seriously anti-sleep. Oscar is currently kicking the wall with his feet, and it's almost 10:00! He's going to be a real cranky pants tomorrow for sure. Eric didn't even win any prizes. Oh well.

John finds the sink again