Cats, gardens, fences, mica

It's in the back, middle,
with a wee fence.

back, between the trees
-seriously, cannot see it from the deck!

I've been working hard on cleaning up and extending my garden.

It's always been my go-to therapy in summer, getting hands dirty, being creative!

Now, I'm thinking it might be a silly thing to do. I cannot see the garden from the house. There are many trees in the front yard.

But the garden was begun by the previous owners, there were three good gardeners, and it needed work. I have pretty much neglected it until this year, other things taking priority. I've sort of been taking it a bit too far.

The front yard is growing up!

The trick about Lanark County hills are that they are full of limestone rock. The ground cover is very shallow. The lovely fences, which I have written about on Friday, simply perch cleverly on top of the dirt and rock. The more I dug, the more rock I found.

I worked on the garden last week, and whilst watering, I spotted lovely wee pieces of Mica, embedded in the dirt. Now, Mica used to be mined in the early 1800s. It was used as glass, until people figured out how to make glass. You can see it in very old lamps and diving suits. I've got some terrific pieces here. It really is like gold, as it washes down the hill with the silt.

Mica

Mica

Lots of rock exposes

I managed to transplant a few plants from the other gardens, but you know how it is. You need plants that require a certain amount of tolerance for either light or shade, heat or cool.

Hubby had left at 6 a.m. to take the car in for service, in the city. I awoke at 5:00 with him, and it is amazing how much you can get done in a day, when you are gainfully unemployed.

Hubby came home at 10:00, planned his special cleansing diet menus, and figured he'd have to go back into town and get some stuff. He asked if I needed anything. I asked if he could pick up some annuals: zinnia, petunias, perhaps?

There is nothing like sending hubby, he does a fabulous job. They were out of these, but he came home with some pansies.

such shallow soil base

As I worked, the odd cat would come by and I'd stop and we'd mush.

Clumps of weeds, not so much a worry hitting a cat on the head!

Dorah followed me as I was weeding. Eventually, she got bored and Daisy came by. As I removed small pieces of sandstone rock I'd chuck them over onto the back side of the hill.
Unfortunately, Daisy thought it was a good sign of frogs or something, and would run after them.
Daisy and I sat and had a rest on the upturned plant pot. She had a short attention span, as did Dorah, and off they went. Even Buster, safely ensconced in the Muskoka Room (he must have had a good night on the town early this morning), was snoring happily.

Wee Daisy on the bench.

Saturdays C.#37

Dorah rests in the Muskoka Chair

Buster konked out in the Muskoka Room
-he eschews the cat bed...