Chaos Reigns.

6-20-25 VERMONT: As they say, if it’s not one thing, it's another. First the dishwasher didn’t work, and after trying the circuit breakers and checking the electrical connection to the machine, we concluded the appliance was broken. We arranged for a new unit, and for it to be installed Tuesday. 

Next there was no hot water, I the checked the pilot, out, and re-lit it, and it worked, but the plumber said have the gas company should check the thermocouple. They said the unit was installed in 1996, and now everything is wrong, so it needs a replacement, to be scheduled.  

The parts for Judy’s car are on the way, we are informed—we’ll see.

Today was very windy, but with Scott’s help we got the doors changed to screens and the benches deployed in the yard. Yesterday we got 0.1 inch of rain and the day before 0.75 inches.

Yesterday it was incredibly hot, and we ran the heat pump AC and needed a window fan at night. The previous days it was cold and and we had a fire. That’s the chaos we expect.

New blooms: Jacobs ladder, Solomons seal, false Solomons seal, chive, Diablo, peony, bishops weed, celandine.

Peonies, with the roses, are the stars of June.

Irises--blue,yellow, white.

The thyme is right for flowers.

Knapweed with tiger swallowtail.

Mid-Summer.

6-16-25 VERMONT: I came north yesterday. The traffic was light and the trip uneventful—the way I like them. I brought the tomatoes and herbs and some cuttings from California curtesy of Siobhan. She gave me pieces of aeonium and Crassula ovata [money plant, jade plant]. They’re both succulents, so they don’t need much water, just lots of sun. I potted them in NJ and brought them to VT for the summer. Neither is hardy for the Northeast. All the plants are now settled on the deck.

Today I treated the ponds for algae and clarity, filled the hummingbird feeders, counted the new blooms and took pix. That doesn’t sound like much, but with all the rest periods, it was my day’s work. 

The robins have a new brood. I saw blue birds, phoebes and swallows today. There are at least two turtles in the lower pond now. The upper pond is still draining into the lower pond. A merganser landed on the lower pond yesterday but left before her picture was taken.

Judy and the dogs will join me later this week.

New blooms: NJ-St Johns wort, beauty berry.

                      VT-Wentworth viburnum, lupin, poppy, Asian lilac, roses, thyme, dianthus, hybrid daylily, blue star, iris, Itoh peony, weigela, abelia, bachelor button, baptisia, meadow rue, knapweed, master wort, bridal wreath spirea, anemone.

Itoh peony come in unusual colors and here in VT come out a few days ahead of the regular peonies.

Poppies are so vivid.

On the pond bank, poppies in front, roses in the back and iris in the middle.

Also on the pond bank, lupin, anemone, Japanese primrose, iris.

More pond bank, yellow flag iris and reflections.

Tiger swallowtail on the last of the azaleas.

Los Gatos Weekend.

6-7-25 LOS GATOS, CALIFORNIA: We flew from Newark, EWR, to San Fran, SFO, with no delays or cancellations and arrived 20 minutes early. We were  met by Eoin and Siobhan. I used a wheelchair to get to the gate and from the gate. Especially in SFO, there are millions of gates and miles of walking necessary.

In Los Gatos we connected with Joe and Jon and went to dinner downtown at a Korean place. It was excellent. By the time dinner was over it was way past our bedtime, and we checked into Hotel Los Gatos for an early or late bedtime depending on which time zone you use.

This morning we drove to Monterey Bay Aquarium and joined hundreds of other fish lovers for the exhibits, inside and outside. We saw kelp forests, sea otters inside and outside, jelly fish, tropical reefs, shore birds, penguins, skates, sea lions, pelicans, leopard sharks, clown fish, and a thousand tiny humans. In the bay we also saw kayakers, sailors, fishermen, paragliders. The last time we were here, Eoin and Joe were in a stroller, this time I wished I was in a stroller. By mid-afternoon everybody was fished out and we went to dinner at a nearby place, The Fish Hopper, one of many choices on Cannery Row. After dinner, we returned to Los Gatos and hung out at the house playing with their rambunctious dogs, Juno and Friday. 

Tomorrow back to EWR. 

Jelly Fish swimming up and down.

From Siobhan's garden a bird of paradise.

From Siobhan also, aeonium, a succulent.

Outside of the aquarium, coromorants on the rocks.

The kelp forest and inhabitants.

Tufted Puffin.

African penguins.

Sea Otters.

Killdeer.

A reminder of early days in Monterey.

The Hot Arrives.

6-5-26 SHORT HILLS: Hot, hot, hot with 90+ predicted today. The plants and shrubs seem to like it.

New blooms: southern magnolia.

Here it is, first southern magnolia flower.

Another rose.

Magnolia Suprise.

6-5-26 SHORT HILLS: Hot, hot, hot with 90+ predicted today. The plants and shrubs seem to like it.

New blooms: southern magnolia.

Southern magnolia with a early surprise.

Catalpa tree also blooming.

Today Feels Like Summer.

6-3-25 SHORT HILLS: The rain has stopped, but the ground is still damp, and the sprinklers are off. Today is in the eighties—summer is here! I have been weeding and pruning. Otherwise we have been doing doctor visits, and Judy has been doing dog therapy visits.

We had dinner at Serenade with Ronnie and Bebe. Sunday we went into the city to visit the newly re-opened Frick. The art is magnificent, but the building is the star. No pix are allowed except for the fountain court. Friday we fly to San Fran for the weekend to see the Cali folks.    

New blooms: rose, stewartia.

Tree peony opened about one day after the other peonies, similar but different.

Stewartia is a small tree with lots of these white flowers touched with pink.

A gate we passed while in line at he Frick.

The center court at the Frick.

Rose partially open.

Now fully open.

Visitor to the yard behind the birdbath.

More Rain.

5-29-25 SHORT HILLS: Our trip south was uneventful. The bright sunshine when we left Vermont gradually gave way to clouds, and by evening there was drizzle. The next day it rained steadily, dumping 0.55 inches on top of the 1.2 inches that we got last week. Everything is soggy, and more rain is predicted.

We are both running errands and having medical visits. The sprinkler system is now repaired. We’ll need it when dry July and August come around.

New blooms: peony, tree peony, holly, red spirea. 

Peony. I like the single flower better than the usual many petalled.

Here's the whole plant, doing well in the shade.

Holly tree, female. The green things in the center of each of the small flowers will become a red berry in the fall if they get fertilized by pollen from a male tree. Hence the need for pollinators.

Holly tree, male. The center of the four petaled flower is just a yellow dot, the four stamens have the pollen available for collection by bees or other bugs.

Red spirea looking wet and soggy.

The Rain Finally Stopped.

5-26-25 VERMONT: Alison left Sunday morning, and Danna and Lily left this morning. We took care of chores, Judy converted the beds from winter to summer format, and I planted the flowers from Brown’s. They were: penstemon, P. barbatus, ‘Pink Pearl’, iris, I. Germanica, ‘Wintry Sky’, and poppy, Papaver orientalis, ‘Beauty of Livermore’. They all went on the pond bank beds. 

Today was beautiful, sunny with a little breeze that sometimes kept the black flies in check. I saw three turtles out in the afternoon sun today. Judy and I had dinner at Murphy’s and head back to NJ tomorrow.

 

The white flower is bane berry and the blue stuff is forget-me-not.

This three incher is bunchberry. Look at the flower. It should remind you of its relative the dogwood tree.

Typical Memorial Day in Vermont.

5-25-25 VERMONT: We came up on Wednesday for the first big weekend of the summer. Thursday, Friday and Saturday we had rain and cold. Today, Sunday, it stopped raining, but is still in the fifties. Nevertheless trees are leafing out, and the gardens are in bloom. The upper pond dam has been repaired, and the waterfall is flowing. 

The robin family is in residence on top of the lantern between the two houses. It’s a good location under the eaves, out of the rain and most of the wind, and they aren’t to upset about us in the house. We saw a female merganser on the pond Thursday, and Lily says she saw ducks and a heron on the pond today.

Danna and Lily came up on Thursday night and Alison came up Friday morning. Friday night we went to Casa Brava Tapas and Saturday night we went to Cloudland Farm, which was packed but we had a table by the fireplace. Tonight we’re going to the Baited Hook on Lake Mascoma. Danna’s birthday was a few days ago so the girls baked a chocolate cake, and this morning we celebrated with sparklers and candles on top.

Saturday morning we all went to Brown’s Nursery where Alison bought a couple tons of perennials for Sea Cliff, while I bought three plants. Judy saw peach trees there and now wants to plant them here—I’m not sure where they could go but am working on it. We went to the Norwich Farmers Market before Brown’s. 

New blooms: lilac, Mohican viburnum, forget-me-not, violet, geranium, alkanet, epimedium, azalea, Japanese primrose, bane berry, bleeding heart, Virginia bluebell, trillium, ajuga, lamium, honey suckle, burning bush, Lily-of-the-valley, apple, tiarella, creeping Veronica, strawberry, saucer magnolia, dandelion, pulmonaria, spurge, sweet woodruff, Jack-in-the-pulpit, ginger, white star, water avens, bunchberry, marsh marigold.  

Lady merganser testing the waters--too many dogs.

Robin with take-out for the kids. [Danna's pic]

Hungry beaks to feed.

Chipping sparrow with apple blossoms.

There's at least one turtle in the pond.

At the Farmers Market, sweepers.

Farmers Market.

Happy BD to Danna!

Apple tree.

Bleeding Hearts under the apple tree.

Mid-May.

5-20-25 SHORT HILLS: We’ve been here for a few days, so it’s time to move on—to Vermont tomorrow. It’s been on the cool side here, sixties and windy. There was a lot of rain, 2.6 inches, and more tomorrow. We are both caught up on PT visits and doctor visits for the moment.

The grackles finally seem to have moved on. The feeders stay full for more than a day.

Of the three ash trees we are watching, one looks great, one pretty good and one not good. We’ll see at the end of the summer.

New blooms: leucothoe, Japanese snowball, tulip tree, wild strawberry.

Leucothoe flowers with little white bells, not unlike blueberry, andromeda, Lily-of-the-valley.

Leucothoe bush is a sprawling structure with thousands of flowers.

Kousa dogwood is just starting.

Japanese snowball is a tree with lots of hanging flowers.

A closer look at the Japanese snowball.

Wild Strawberries, three yellow flowers and one red fruit.

Tulip tree with vaguely tulip-like flowers.