Garden and Nature, a Saturday Stroll

An early morning stroll through the back garden with Lola revealed a few items still in a healthy bloom. At this time of year, in Western Pennsylvania, Summer lingers long. We still have 14 official days of Summer left and I have every intention of enjoying it. 

These are French Onion Chives in bloom, the deer do not like them!

 My gardens have been decimated by deer again this season. It is very upsetting but when I see the babies and their mummies, I have to give them a little leeway. I need to find a way to better handle this next Summer. After spending much time and money to adorn the beds, the little stinkers and turkeys have quite a go. A big salad bar for them! 

 These petunias are part of a much larger basket but they are the survivors. While much is wilting and dying-off, these continue to bloom. 

 The Lavender Blue Hydrangia never fail to bring a smile. 

We had a giant cherry tree, probably 60-70 feet high and about 3 feet in diameter develop a crack during a storm recently. I noted it accidentally while walking in the side yard that faces the barn.  Well, as I stood there it continued to split, it was unnerving. The road in front of our house is currently closed during the construction of a culvert bridge and landslide repair. The tree, if it fell, would have struck the workers! Egad! We had an emergency tree surgeon come to remove it. It took several workers and lots of skill because it was perched on a steep bank. When it was finally down I took a a deep breath. I would have been devastated if anyone had been injured as a result of that tree falling. It was pure divine providence that I happened to be there at the time. I rarely go over there! 

The tree saga will continue soon. We have been affected by the fungus that attacks all spruce and pine in the area. We have about 14 trees that have to be cut down and removed. It is a huge job and our trusty tree team will return in about a month to take care of that. 

Have a lovely week end. It is like the swan song of Summer, these last weeks of September. Soon I will be knee deep in leaves!