Too many things to do - Tuesday

Ok, on a previous post I mentioned that this is NOT a hydrangea. It turns out that it is actually going to be a rather large deciduous tree. It was only about 2 1/2 feet tall when I first transplanted it.  I moved it to a sunny location in the back area of the house.  Bad move.

 These little puppies more than tripled in height in just one year. Yes, there are two. Both now clear the rooftop.  

Mystery Plant Monday

Today's post is an update on all things in the garden, although I do have a mystery or two to solve there as well. I can hardly believe that these are my hydrangeas. Love this plant! I have two varieties: the top is a vibrant violet purple, the bottom is a beautiful sky blue with creme centers. Nature is amazing for sure!

 Now for the rest of the garden tour . . .

Simply Sunday

Mystery Plant Monday!

THESE ARE NOT HYDRENGEAS

Last summer, mum pulled the dead plants out of these garden beds and relocated what she *thought* were hydrengeas from another garden. They were too small to identify, so she figured they'd keep here outside the downstairs office windows until they were big enough.

They tripled in size from last spring until now, haha!

So now they are the topic of mum's first mystery plant of the season. Mum clipped one of the shoots, making sure she had enough leaves for identification, then went hunting: 

leaves - Lobed vs Toothed

bark characteristics

Location etc

Mom used a tree identifier from the Arbor Day Foundation (http://www.arborday.org/trees/whattree/) Answered a series of questions and came out with two possibilities.

And the answer is . . . tree! Beech or Birch

They are still too young to tell- but either way, they'll get 60-80 ft tall!

DEFINITELY planning to relocate these suckers while we still can. The thought right now is maybe putting them by the dog kennel, to give it some eventual shade in the years to come. THAT  however would require digging a rather large whole in our Irish soil - rocks every two inches! We will need more than a shovel for that.

Wishful Wednesday - Meeting Finn (finally!)

Finn & the kitties meeting for the first time.  He's had a long day already, but seems in fine spirits.  Settled into the car ride after the flight and earl ride to the aiport this morning.  He's had a nice 'migratory walk' and has checked out his new digs. After eating, he snacked on a pig ear, then settled in for a nap. He's currenty asleep on my foot. 

He has his first puppy class later. We'll see how that goes. 

Project Puppy - here he is!

** I originally pepared this post two weeks ago, when we were supposed to get the fuzball. I delayed posting it because, alas, he caught a cold. We wanted to make sure he was well and healthy before moving forward so we waited for the clean bill of health.  Fingers crossed, he should arrive this afternoon. **


June 30, 2014: As I am sitting at the courthouse awaiting the opportunity to do my civic duty, I can't stop thinking about our impending puppydom.  Today's post  is all about the puppy! Isn't he the cutest fuzball!!!

Mama is "Cherokee" from Comancheria Tibetan Mastiff Kennels. Papa is "Cochise" from the same. Puppy, named Fionnlagh (old Gaelic) and will be called Finn, will have mom's coloring, but maybe not so red. These pictures are from the breeder.

Here you can see better puppy's size. Both mom and dad are on the larger size for the breed; dad stands 29+ inches at the shoulders. 

Now for the cuteness!!!  These are from when he was a wee one: 

I think our little guy is on the left - I can tell by the mustache under his nose. :)

about 11 weeks old

We have all the goodies set, though I'm thinking about a baby monitor while we housebreak. He's going to be downstairs and I won't here him with my door closed (I don't like sleeping with my cats). Still deciding on that.  Can hardly wait to meet this little guy in person. 

Getting Crafty - a Big Pillow for my Comfy Chair!

Now that I have a sewing room again, I can widdle down those projects that accumulate. This outdoor pillow was one of them.  I had a bunch of  denim I had been saving and wanted to try a new quilt technique on a smaller scale before I make a park quilt out of the denim.  BTW: I flipped the milk can upside down for a side table until I put a top on it right side up - but that's a different project.

Project Puppy

One of the numerous projects going on here at RiverHaven is the dog run. This weekend, the girl-child and I attached a shade awning. The "NOT Hydrangea" trees we are transplanting won't be big enough to offer any significant  shade for a few years and the kennel gets full summer sun.  

The other reason for the cover is to protect puppy from eagles we have flying about. Until he is bigger, he could be tempting bait (a la The Proposal - see clip below).

Snapshot Saturday

The weather's gorgeous and we're doing the last minute touches on Puppy-proofing the house- so enjoy a few snap shots taken while on watering patrol.

Chicken Improv

Coyote trouble means the Ladies are on lock down until we can get a larger area fenced off for them. They have been less than thrilled so  to make up for it I did put together some chicken treats/entertainment.