Lavender Bees and Annabel

The lavender is in full bloom right now and these beautiful little yellow bees have found there summer home. I think these are Golden, Northern Bumble Bees. The small dancing yellow bodies against the green and blue of the lavender is breathtaking. I must have taken 50 photos to get a few good ones. The last photo on the bottom right is, I think, a Mining Bee. They are all over the place aroung here but usually alone. They don't hang in groups like the little yellow ones do. This little guy was getting ready for bed. I was able to touch him. He was moving very slow and didn't fly away. I use to read the boys a story about a sleepy little bee. Maybe this is him.
Yes, it's Annabel. She's still here and she's made this place her own. She controls the mouse and lizard population, catches dragonflies midair and stares down the dogs when they bark at her. She has earned her right to be a critter on 3 Dog Farm, which we now call 2 Dogs and a Cat Farm. Although she is more like a dog than any cat we ever had before. She follows me on my walks ( or I should say.., LEADS me.) and has had stand offs with the deer that come into the yard looking for water and cracked corn. Yes, the prospector leaves food for the deer. I use to think he had an ulterior motive but I don't think he does. He's too soft hearted and now the does bring their babies. You just can't think "meat on the table" when you see these sweet, spotted babies with their mommies.
Anyway, Annie has settled in to her life here and, before it got warmer, we were closing her into the garage at night. Yesterday was one of our first hot days and so the garage gets way to hot to close her up in there. We leave the back door ajar and hope that she has the common sense to stay out of harms way at night. The foxes and coyote have been very active before and after the full moon. They come in close and make a lot of noise. I hope Annabel stays in the confines of the house area and watches her back.
Isn't she a beautiful cat?

I'm leaving in a few hours to see Mom and my sister. I'll be back on Thursday.

Wine, Art, Music and Birthday Cake

Friday night I packed up my gourds and met a friend in Amador City. This is , as I have said before, my favorite little town on Highway 49 in the Mother Lode. They were having a celebration of Wine, Art and Music Friday evening and for the second year in a row, we sold gourd art on the main street. Christy( a fellow gourd club member) and I set up a table at about 4;30 p.m. and introduced ourselves to the people next to us from Drytown Winery. Then, about 5:00 folks started arriving and the music began to play. The weather was beautiful. We have had a mild summer so far (knock on wood) and there was NO SMOKE like last year, when we had such awful fires in the area.

Everyone had a great time and we sold some gourds; the wine flowed and the music was wonderful. This festival personifies the Mother Lode, Foothill , laid back kind of feeling that drew us to this area 13 years ago. Lovely town, nice people and respect for the budding wine industry that can hold it's own against all the big wine areas in California. Lots of artist were represented and the wine tasting, as always, was a great success.

Yesterday the Prospector, the Pupster and I went to Stockton to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday. She's 88 yrs old and doing very well. We had a bar-b-que lunch and her brother came up from southern California to help her celebrate. I think that grandma Vi had a good time. This woman has always been wonderful to me and welcomed me into their family, 44 years ago, with open arms and respect. She deserved this nice day.

Today is going to be a lot warmer. I went out early and watered the garden. Now, I need to pick some basilico, cook some beets and clean the house before I curl up into a little ball and take a nap this afternoon. I love being retired but I don't know what happen to my energy level. I get up and feel like I can lick the world and then, by lunch, that energy is gone with the afternoon winds. C,est la vie....

In Search of my Mother's Garden, I Found My Own

"This very act of planting a seed in the earth
has in it to me something beautiful.
I always do it with a joy that is largely mixed with awe."
-Celia Thaxter-

So how are your gardens growing? Artie at "Color Outside the Lines" is hosting @....http://niagaranovice.blogspot.com/Stop by this Blog and check out all the other blogs that show their gardens on Sundays. I hope you had a lovely weekend.