GOSIA AND GOOD FENCES

These photos are taken of my neighbor's back yard, and the fences that separate our gardens are just what I needed for Gosia's Good Fences.  

They have a real pretty yard and I love the birdhouses and wind chimes. 

There are signs that the season is changing.  It has been the usual hot and humid summer,  but we have had enough rain this month to keep the grass from going entirely brown.  The rain has sometimes come with heavy thunderstorms.  Yesterday's was  a deluge but no thunder or lightning.

For the first time that I can remember we had mushrooms growing in the back.  I was happy to see them.

"Never lose your sense of wonder!"

~Author Unknown~

 I found a brand new flower also, one that we had not planted.  A small sunflower.  

I am taking part in Good Fences hosted by Gosia.  If you would like to see other fences, or join in with your own, you can go here.  Thank you for hosting Gosia!  

And thank you for looking at today's post.  I wish you all a great weekend.

A TREE IS KNOWN....

"A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds.

A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love."

~Saint Basil~

PAUL J. CIENER BOTANICAL GARDEN, KERNERSVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA

This is the second garden we went to when we were in North Carolina a few weeks ago.  It is the Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden.  You can learn of its history here.  A short bio of the man it was named after states that Paul Ciener grew up in Florida and had a great love of horticulture.  He visited botanical gardens all over the United States and overseas.  In 1975 he moved to Kernersville with his family, where he opened up a Ford dealership.  Feeling that the community had given him so much, it was his wish to pay forward back to the community.  His love of plants set in motion the garden that we toured today.

 It was a lovely visitor center.  We met two ladies at the information desk, one of whom gave us a very good description of the garden as she showed us the map.  She explained that there was a lot of land to expand on, but that we would still find many wonderful blooms growing, and also there was a vegetable garden at the back of the center, and to be sure to take a look at it, which we did.  The garden is another work in progress and it will be very nice to go back in a few years to see the results.

I was very taken with the fact that there were lots of flowers in the parking lot, around the edge and also separating the parking spots.  There were dozens of butterflies and bees to enjoy, and  I spent a lot of time taking photos before I set foot inside the visitor center.  

Black Swallowtail on an orange Zinnia

Bee on a Cosmos flower.

American Lady on Zinnias.

Silver Spotted Skippers  

Ailanthus webworm moth and a 

Japanese Beetle on a Button Bush

(also shown in my first photo)

Trout Lily 

(Click here to look at different types of lilies.)

Sun Flowers

I will have several more photos to share from this garden in a future post.  Thank you for looking and enjoy your day.

RANDOM PHOTOS

I only have the use of my iPad for the next few days and I still am unable to leave comments when using that.  Things will be back to normal after Wednesday and I will be catching up then. 

It is fun to come across unusual mailboxes.  The owners of this one were very creative. 

This is the same photo but it is cropped.

When we go to a new area we like to get off the beaten path, and this often takes us a drive through neighborhoods.  You just never know what you are going to come across.

  Thanks for looking and enjoy your day.

MONDAY RECIPE POST - BLUEBERRY PANCAKE FOR ONE

This recipe doesn't have a website link.  It is  something that I have seen in cookbooks and websites over the years.  I cut the ingredients down so that it would be just right for when I felt like a pancake and hubs wanted something else. It is simple and fast.

Blueberry Pancake for One

1/4 cup of Bisquick (or use 
substitute recipe I shared here)
1 large egg
1/4 cup 2% milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon butter (melted)
1/2 tablespoon butter (for the frypan)
1/4 cup blueberries

Strawberry and blueberries for garnish 
1/8 cup Log Cabin Syrup, or topping of choice


Get ingredients prepared and measured out.

In a small bowl add the Bisquick (or equivalent amount of the substitute recipe), egg, milk, vanilla extract and the 1/2 tablespoon of melted butter.  Mix until well combined.  Gently fold in blueberries.  

Melt the other 1/2 tablespoon of butter in frying pan, or you can use cooking spray.  

Once your frying pan is hot enough, pour batter into it and cook for three to four minutes, or until nicely golden.  Flip and cook on the other side until done.  

Carefully place pancake onto your plate and top with a favorite syrup, maple, blueberry for example.

I used strawberry and blueberry for a garnish, with extras on the side.

I generally have this on the weekend for brunch.  

Thanks for looking everyone and may your week be a great one.

GOOD FENCES FOR GOSIA

This is my contribution for Good Fences hosted by Gosia. 

This pretty log cabin with its white picket fence was found on a quiet country road a few weeks ago. We were in the south western part of Virginia in July. If you would like to see other fences, or join in with your own, you can go here.  

Thank you Gosia and thank you for visiting everyone.  Have a great weekend. I will be back on Monday.

THE NOT SO TOTALLY UNEXPECTED VISITOR - A HAWK

No, not totally unexpected I suppose, hoped for perhaps if I was honest.  The last couple of weeks I have seen flashes of a 'different' kind of a bird and I had thought it was a hawk. Ever hopeful I kept a watch every day but no more sightings, and then....

as I was walking by the patio door I saw a large bird in a tree, with a neighbor's chimney as a backdrop.  It was too far for me to properly see it with my own eyes.  At first I thought it might have been a crow, so thinking I was going to take a picture of said crow, I pointed my camera in its direction and looked through the viewfinder as I focused. 

For the last week the birds have been scarcer than usual, and I was surprised by my Cardinal from yesterday, and then he left in a hurry.  The squirrels have also been hiding but later on I saw one lying flat out hidden under the bottom rail of the deck.  Squirrel was intently looking up at the sky. I said to Gregg that I bet it was hiding from a hawk.  I have seen woodpeckers adopting similar postures in the past.

Why thank you, I will do that!  Ah yes, that must be your good side.

He was certainly looking all around for his next meal, which made me grateful that I hadn't been filling up the bird feeders.  Betwixt and between I felt guilty I was depriving it of its next meal, they have to survive after all, but please don't on my watch.  I expect he will be making his way out of the area before too long, and I will be able to start filling up the bird feeders again.

I went to get my cup of tea in the kitchen.  I was gone for a minute or two, and when I returned it was gone.  The birds and squirrels can breath easy.  I think our hawk has moved on as I haven't seen it since.

What do you think?  A Cooper's Hawk?  Red-shouldered Hawk?  I don't know my Hawks too well. I read that it is a sign of a good ecosystem to have them around, that they keep the rodent population in check, also snakes and other unwanted pests.

It was in the shade of the tree so the colors were considerably muted.

There is a web page here that might help, also here.

Thanks for looking at my hawk post.  I hope you have a visitor that brings you a smile today. Now on your bike my dear hawk and leave my little darlings alone.

THE CARDINAL HIGH ON A BRANCH IN ONE OF OUR TREES

I have been visited by a Red Cardinal every evening for about a week.  It surprised me as I haven't been feeding the birds since hearing of the bear sighting several weeks ago, though I still make sure there is a dish of water out there.  Maybe he comes for that.  

When I thought it was time to fill the feeders again, I spotted a hawk making its temporary home in the trees out back.  I would often see him on the hunt.  I may be waiting a few more days.

No photos of the hawk but the Cardinal posed nicely in a tree out back, even though it was a dull, dreary day.

I hadn't seen a female Cardinal for a couple of months and then one landed on a branch last evening.

She didn't stay long enough for me to get a photo.

The male finally landed on the top of the hanger where I normally keep my sunflower feeder full of birdseed.  I was able to get better photos

 You can read more about him here.  

I'm glad this one decided to visit. 

 Don't you just love that up-do?