The Hammock

While I'm waiting on the next round of blooms, I've taken to spending a fair amount of time laying in the hammock. It's located between two white oaks in the backyard at the edge of The Wild.



Until 2pm, it receives dappled sun through the dense canopy of oaks, maples, magnolias, and what I think are Black gum trees. Probably planted too close, there's a Leyland Cypress that will some day provide afternoon shade.



In the hammock, the sky is barely visible to the East.



From the driveway, it's hidden from view. As the roses and potager fill in, it will disappear completely.



In summer, a cool breeze flows through the Wild. It's dark and cool back here. English Ivy and periwinkle cover the ground. A few redbud seedlings have been spotted this year. They'll be moved next spring to the edges of the thicket where they can get a little more sunlight.



Laying in the hammock is where I get some of my ideas. One came to me a few days ago. Why not plant one of the Foster Hollies in the shrub island. Something would have to be moved. Maybe that dwarf loropetalum that's going to be swallowed up soon. It now resides at the base of the Muskogee crape myrtle which blooms lavender for 100+ days. The fall coloring is bright orange to red and is spectacular.



It's 63 degrees. The high today should reach into the upper 70s. I've already watered the tomatoes I set out yesterday. I also watered the upper potager where beans and cucumbers are up. Squash will arrive next. The nasturtiums have already started to sprout in between.

Bats

I ended the day almost the same way it began. After dinner, I went out to the hammock. While I was laying there watching the clouds roll by, listening to the last of the birds, and wondering what that squirrel was eating, I noticed a bat flying in circles around the backyard. In the past year and a half, I've managed to increase the size of the yard by taking out some trees and overgrown shrubs. There's a lot more sky to see and plenty of room for bats to move around. I see a lot of them during the summer just before dark.

Tonight, it was just a single bat. Flying erratic circles and loops and figure-8 patterns. He'd swoop down every now and then to fetch some critter near the grass. About 5 minutes later, another bat joined him. The two chased each other round and round. Eventually the suitor (or competitor) disappeared. The hammock is attached to a flowering maple on one end. There were moths fluttering around the tips of the branches where the flowers are opening. The bat and I had a near miss experience.

Normally, I'm not a squeamish person, but being hit in the face by a bat isn't something that I want to experience. So I left him to his task of finding bugs and critters. I've been thinking about building a bat house for a while now. I need to do that soon. Maybe that will help get rid a few thousand of the mosquitoes in the yard every summer.

Wordless Wednesday Morning

Ok, so it's not really a wordless Wednesday for me. But for an hour this morning, it was. I had my coffee outside. I listened to the birds and the sounds of the traffic on the highway a couple miles away. I actually sat and enjoyed the moment rather than thinking about all the things going on in life, or planning my next move in the garden, or worrying about obligations. Sometimes, doing nothing can be far more rewarding.

It's 52 degrees and partly sunny. There's a chill in the air. Thunderstorms expected this evening.