Category Archives: Dogs

Wild azaleas and blueberries 2025-03-20

Down the Not A Driveway, over and under the Hurricane Helene deadfalls, following the dog pack, lies an acre of wild azaleas, plus wild blueberries.

[Blondie, Honeybun, Sky, River, over the deadfall into the wild azaleas]
Blondie, Honeybun, Sky, River, over the deadfall into the wild azaleas

Some of these Rhododendron canescens are already blooming. Many more are just budding.

[Wild azaleas, pine deadfall, and dog on Not A Driveway]
Wild azaleas, pine deadfall, and dog on Not A Driveway

[Wild azaleas and loblolly pine cones]
Wild azaleas and loblolly pine cones

[Closeup red wild azaleas]
Closeup red wild azaleas

[Wild Blueberries]
Wild Blueberries

[Pink wild azaleas]
Pink wild azaleas

[Pale wild azaleas]
Pale wild azaleas

[Wild azalea beneath oak deadfall]
Wild azalea beneath oak deadfall

[Closeup wild azalea beneath oak deadfall]
Closeup wild azalea beneath oak deadfall

“Here Spring was already busy about them: fronds pierced moss and mould, … small flowers were opening in the turf, birds were singing. Ithilien, the garden of Gondor now desolate kept still a dishevelled dryad loveliness.”
—Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit, The Two Towers, JRR Tolkien

-jsq

Gretchen measuring banana leaves 2025-03-19

A few days before, Gretchen whacked off the tops of these banana plants with a machete. She says this is necessary after they freeze in the winter.

[At least a foot]
At least a foot

That leaf measured a foot of growth.

[Sproing]
Sproing

River and Blondie assisted. -jsq

Garter snake and obvlivious dogs 2025-03-18

I almost stepped on it, and the dogs never saw it.

[Garter Snake]
Garter Snake

All four dogs walked right by this harmless (to dogs and humans) eastern garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis.

[Oblivious dogs]
Oblivious dogs

-jsq

Rarely seen: mother and daughter lawnmowers 2025-02-02

Not every day do you see this: the mama mower carrying the child lawnmower.

[Piggyback mowers]
Piggyback mowers

That’s an EGO electric mower. Way better than any of the old gasoline lawnmowers we’ve had: cuts better, starts immediately, easier to handle.

Sniffing about is Sky the dog.

Also, the tractor mower had a hairball.

Or, rather, an electric fence ball.

I’m not saying how long it took me to get that thing out from under there. Continue reading →

Oddly broken plumbing 2025-01-28

Hurricane Helene, or maybe the ice storm after, broke off a woods spigot.

It was a little more complicated to fix than expected.

[Pipe pieces and fixed plumbing]
Pipe pieces and fixed plumbing

I got a replacement part and cut below the break. Continue reading →

Frozen cypress swamp with dogs 2025-01-23

Cold enough the dogs did not want to go into the cypress swamp, after the January 22, 2025, sleet and snow storm.

[Gretchen pokes it with a stick as Blondie, River, and Sky stay high and dry]
Gretchen pokes it with a stick as Blondie, River, and Sky stay high and dry

Honeybun did not even come down to the frozen water’s edge. River, Sky, and Blondie stayed out of the water. Continue reading →