Yard

[Hopalong]

Ugh.
I don't think the book titles are funny at all, I think they're juvenile. And from the drinking behavior, sounds like those neighbors might best be left on their own to grow up the rest of the way. Then again, some people get stuck at age 12 and stay there, poor things.

It's always tricky to bond too much too fast with neighbors, because friendship isn't automatic and there can be awkwardness if it starts super enthusiastic and then goes sour. I went through a really challenging adjustment with one complicated neighbor, but she and I are really okay now. She knows I genuinely am caring, but just not up for the amount of gossip and drama that she is. Since she's gotten a boyfriend it's so much easier. But she's a good soul, basically, and we've found our peace.

Yay, moss. Boo, irresponsible people of all sorts!

Hugs
Hops

[lighter]

I don't know where to put this.... New moss friend L came by to drop off some yard art and buckets I'd sent moss to her in. 

My phone is on the blink.... texts aren't always going through...  camera on and off on the fritz.... her text didn't go through and she just.... showed up.

I was so happy to see her.  We did a tour of the yard, things I'm working on, the garden, a neighbor's Hemlock (It's so sick you wouldn't guess there's a hemlock there)I'm going to treat for wooly adelgid and 4 little Hemlock seedlings I'm trying to grow healthy and strong for my property line.  We caught up and I showed her my yellow spots in the moss still vexing me BUT I put a doughnut hole of happy moss INTO the largest yellow circle to study what happens next.  IF the moss is overtaken at the border, from beneath, if it remains healthy, if yellows all at once...  will give me information.  I'm not going to worry about it.  I'm going to leave it be, for a bit, gather info, then ACT.  Whatever comes of it... it will be OK.
There's a chipmunk digger around in the yellow moss as I write this.  I wonder if... he got scared and jumped onto a tree trunk, waited then went right back into a yellow spot again.  Hmmmmm.  Now he's gone, but it's more information.

I might have to order the felt grow bags online, which is frustrating.  I like to put my hands ON things and take them home when I'm ready to do a project.  Now I'm on the fence about using pots I own, or ordering the grow bags.  My neighbor, 2 doors down, has full sun all way and that's my spot. 

Lighter

[Hopalong]

Paralysis broke yesterday afternoon and I spent time planting flowers and watering flowers and vegs, cleaning/refilling birdbaths. I know part of the reason it broke was because a friend came to patio-sit while I puttered.

Very happy change. Sore and achy today but am going back out there again.

Hugs
Hops

[lighter]

Hops:

I'm glad you're back puttering in the yard.  Filling birdbaths sounds really fulfilling to me.  I love to see them splash happily in the water. 

Did you learn anything from the paralysis?

Lighter

[Hopalong]

I think over time I'll have reflections to share on that, Lighter, but for now I don't want to answer the question. Not your fault--I am brittle about being questioned generally around the subject...M began kind of "monitoring" my progress by asking did you do this or that today, and I really tensed.

So I think it's a fine question but with much appreciation, I'll wait until my own answers or reflections about this lifelong problem float up in their own time.

hugs
Hops

[lighter]

I should have put..." rhetorical" question,  Hops.  Any time I ask these kinds of questions on the board....  I ask without expectation.   

labeling downtime as "paralysis" worries me, for us all,bc it's nonhelpful judgment, IME.  My true expectation was for you to find something useful from the time you spent in stillness.

I don't know about M asking for updates and lists of things you've done or not done on a daily basis.  That sounds very judgy.... very loaded with expectations. It honestly makes my stomach buzz and flip with anxiety to think about it.

My heart wants M to care about your heart... how it feels.... and to express compassion without expectation.  To accept you where you are KNOWING you'll figure it out, bc he trusts and believes in you.

I believe in you, ((Hops.))

[Hopalong]

No worries, Lighter.
It's just a very very sensitive deep issue with shame-bombs buried along the path, so I'm very tender about how and when I speak of it. You know when I am, I'll let it all rip right here!

Ja, M is doing his growing too, which is likewise extreeeeemely gradual (and perhaps from a more-handicapped starting point). I'm holding us both pretty gently right now, as I've pushed him hard the last two weeks in T. I think we're generally still pretty good and only tiiiiiiiime (and lots of patience) will tell.

hugs
Hops

[Hopalong]

[replying to Tupp from one of the virus threads]

I'd love to see that tree, Tupp! Is it out front or out back? Do you know what sort of tree it is?

I can't/won't do birdseed until the bears go back to bed in late fall (hopefully, since global warming is making the region all-season for some bears). So I've just got two baths.

The one out front under my dogwood tree I made from an old cement pedestal (the bath itself cracked), atop which I have parked a big blue-and-cream casserole dish I inherited that has no lid. Looks cute.

On the side patio in the hosta bed it's a shallow big glazed plant saucer atop another simple pedestal (can't remember where I got that one). If I come up with another DIY suitable "bath" I'd put it out back by the mini-patio and veggie beds.

Both the existing ones are straight sight-line for windows opposite either my front room sofa by the big window, or my back room sofa.

There's nothing more fun, ime, than watching a bird just go nuts in a birdbath.

M had a yard adventure of his own yesterday. Very large black snake with a food-bump in its belly got stuck in the deer netting M had put around his baby fig trees. A murder of crows was screeching away at it from the trees. M heroically (hates snakes) snipped netting away, got thumped by the snake (not bitten) while the crows screamed and finally tossed the snake on a stick into his woods to sleep off its dinner.

You will be amazed to hear that M's hyperbole and exaggeration skills were employed to the max: The crows were snapping at my butt! They were going nuts! And the damn snake got me! Must've been EIGHT feet long! It was intense!

For once, I got a kick out of his drama. (Until he repeated the whole story.) LOL.

hugs
Hops

[Hopalong]

Where Covid-19 risk intersects with yard:

Through early fall visiting outdoors will be fine. For after it gets cold though (maybe I should get it now), I'm thinking of a patio propane heater...whatever would be effective enough to allow outdoors visits! A firepit's too big. Patio's long enough for about 4 people to sit eight feet apart, but narrow. House and tall fence block wind on two sides so the patio might adapt to some cozy distance-chats even then. Hope so.

Must hit Amazon and find out the sticker shock.

hugs
Hops

[Hopalong]

Fairly expensive but a bit of maintenance and I think I should just accept the winter months and be grateful I can visit M and vice versa.

Sigh.

[lighter]

Just bundle up and drink warm beverages.

When it gets really cold, pretend you're on a sleigh ride.

I like being outdoors all year round.  This evening I sat on my front porch and watched the trees wave in the wind as the rain threatened then spit a bit.

I loved M's snake, murder of crows, clipping the wildlife netting to toss the snake that thumped him story.  Wow wow wow.... and little fig trees too.

Lighter

[Twoapenny]

[replying to Tupp from one of the virus threads]

I'd love to see that tree, Tupp! Is it out front or out back? Do you know what sort of tree it is?

I can't/won't do birdseed until the bears go back to bed in late fall (hopefully, since global warming is making the region all-season for some bears). So I've just got two baths.

The one out front under my dogwood tree I made from an old cement pedestal (the bath itself cracked), atop which I have parked a big blue-and-cream casserole dish I inherited that has no lid. Looks cute.

On the side patio in the hosta bed it's a shallow big glazed plant saucer atop another simple pedestal (can't remember where I got that one). If I come up with another DIY suitable "bath" I'd put it out back by the mini-patio and veggie beds.

Both the existing ones are straight sight-line for windows opposite either my front room sofa by the big window, or my back room sofa.

There's nothing more fun, ime, than watching a bird just go nuts in a birdbath.

M had a yard adventure of his own yesterday. Very large black snake with a food-bump in its belly got stuck in the deer netting M had put around his baby fig trees. A murder of crows was screeching away at it from the trees. M heroically (hates snakes) snipped netting away, got thumped by the snake (not bitten) while the crows screamed and finally tossed the snake on a stick into his woods to sleep off its dinner.

You will be amazed to hear that M's hyperbole and exaggeration skills were employed to the max: The crows were snapping at my butt! They were going nuts! And the damn snake got me! Must've been EIGHT feet long! It was intense!

For once, I got a kick out of his drama. (Until he repeated the whole story.) LOL.

hugs
Hops

Ha ha!  Oh I bet he is a good storyteller, Hops, even if it is more than once!  Lol.  He's braver than me, a snake would have me running for the hills.  I think I've only seen two my whole life here; they only tend to come out when it's hot and they live on common and heath land mostly, so there's loads of places they can bask without going near people.  I'm glad he didn't get bitten!  But also glad he didn't kill it

The bird baths sound lovely!  I'd love those but I worry about the cats getting to close to the birds.  I think the trees a crab apple; I'm not 100% sure but now we're home all the time I will look it up, I'm just waiting for the 'apples' to get a bit bigger so I can check against the pictures but I'm 99% that's what it is.  It's out the front; I don't have a front garden as such, you have three steps down from the front door to the pavement and the area to the side of that has paving slabs with my little pots on them.  Then you get the pavement and across from that a grass verge that leads to a wall, on the other side of which is a carpark.  So the crab apple tree is directly opposite my front room windows and the top branches of it brush up against son's bedroom window.  The view from his window is lovely; you see the top of that tree and a couple of others along the road as well and then just a few roof tops with hills beyond.  From downstairs you see the tree but then the backs of everyone else's houses and all the rubbish that gets dumped in the car park so not so pretty.  But I've put feeders out in the tree; I was putting food out along the wall but one of the neighbours said it was too easy for her cat to catch birds on there and she kept bringing them in dead so I switched to feeders and have hung them from small branches that can't hold the cats' weight.  It doesn't stop them all sitting out around the tree waiting for a bird to fall (hence my reluctance for bird baths) but I don't think they've caught any for a while now.  Your bird baths sound lovely.  I think once our lovely kitty passes away we won't get another one; I like having the birds visit but it would be nice to do it without the worry of the cat catching them.

[Twoapenny]

The patio heater sounds nice, Hops.  Is there a roof over the patio as well?  Where we lived before there used to be a little hut on the heath that sold cups of tea and coffee; very basic and had been there for years.  Someone took it over and built this framework all around it so that it had a covered area and then put in patio heaters and big comfy blankets on the chairs.  It was so nice sitting there, out of the rain, snuggled up with a hot chocolate watching the ducks go by.  Not that I'm suggesting you build a roof!  Lol.  It's just nice being able to be warm outside when it's cold.  I think it sounds like a good investment in your health and wellbeing through the winter months xx

[Hopalong]

Ahaaaa! https://birdseedandbinoculars.com/wordpress/keeping-cats-out-of-birdbaths/  I like the last one here: https://www.bobvila.com/slideshow/wing-it-14-approaches-to-a-diy-birdbath-44300#cake-stand-bird-bath
I just remembered an old shallow white quiche baking dish (dunno what it's for really) I've never used that'd make a perfect birdbath for the way-back patio. Dunno what to set it on but I'll think of something....

Your simplest answer may be a hanging birdbath. That nice tree can earn its keep!
 
"One DIY birdbath is an ordinary hanging planter. In the center, set in a terra cotta pot upside down and fill in around it with soil and plants. Finally, set a medium-size terra cotta plant saucer on top of the terra cotta pot, hang, fill with water, and wait for the birds to discover it." (Or you could just fill the main planter with something to take up space maybe, like used jars upside down, and fill around those with dirt. That way the only purchase/find you need is a hanging plastic planter and one saucer.) Some flat stones in the bottom of the bath give smaller birds safe footing.
If you find something metal and can drill three holes spaced around the edge, you could even make one use metal clothes hanges wire..... One thing I read suggests painting the outside with acryclic paint .... ooo, colors!

Even simpler if you can find one is a recycled galvanized garbage can lid. I read that the ideal water depth is around 2.5 inches.

Since I have no cats in the yard, I guess due to Pooch, I could set the white one on the ground, which birds also like. It's only about an inch deep but it might work, or maybe I could use that as a base bath for wee birds and add an inverted plant saucer that's a little deeper for the bigger ones.

Oh fun fun fun...

My side patio is roofless, which in summer is wonderful because the one huge tree is just behind the house (TOO close for sensible people) and I can sit and stare into the canopy for ages. Lots of bird and squirrel action. The patio is stone (irregular rejects I got from the stone yard a friend owns) and my yard guy built it for half the cost of companies and did a great job--it's beautiful). Say about 30 feet long and maybe 12' wide with the length on one side lined with stacked reclaimed railroad ties and dirt behind those. About five years back he divided all the front-yard hostas the deer were eating and moved them to the patio raised bed and now they're huge and lush all summer, safe from deer.  A tall wooden property fence is behind the hostas. My neighbor's fragrant tree branches (dunno what) hang over the fence and create nice shade. The rest of the patio is open and mostly sunny (though part gets shade from the big tree) and there's a bit of grass at the back end and a corner bed young friends made of stacked cinderblock pavers, in a curve. There's enough sun for flowers and a shorter fence on the other side for no particular reason. (I just had two climbing roses put there.) I added another short fence at the end, with a gate out to the big yard. Have two big pots with cherry tomatoes on the yard side of that so I can use the fence to secure them as they grow. At the driveway edge I had the fence guy build a nice wooden enclosure for the bins, so it looks pretty welcoming. And if both gates (top of driveway and entrance to back yard) are shut, when friends bring rowdy dogs to play out back we can even close them off the patio for a while.

Incoherent description I'm sure but if we could figure out how to post pics, I would!

hugs
Hops

[Hopalong]

Lord above, CB, 100 degrees F is HOTTTTTTTT.
I would require my own swimming pool, with baby seals.

I'm doubting I'll do the heater (7' tall and 20 pound propane tanks only last 10 hours, and costly, and you hafta buy a cover and it sounds like more work than it's worth)...but I may just find out who's willing to bundle up to socialize!

I could manage a wee fire pit but likely won't bother, I'll just try to seduce people with hot chocolate or Irish coffee...

Stay well, cool and I hope you can sneak out to your patio in early mornings and embark on a long-range project to hand-tame a bunny and a squirrel or two. I had (very patient) neighbors who did that and they took such joy in their visits.

hugs
Hops