It's beginning to look a lot like Autumn! (Tuesday's Truths WK 223)

Welcome to my 223rd episode of my Tuesday's Truths series. As you undoubtedly know, dear reader, tomorow is the first day of fall and my truth for this segment is this: 

It is beginning to look a lot like autumn in my rooftop garden (a partial view of it is featured in the image atop this entry).

The photo directly belows shows that my Crepe myrtle seems to enjoy this time of year, evidenced by her brilliant pink blooms.

This next picture indicates that my Pyracantha coccinea (AKA Orange Charmer) is looking marvelous after Juan V pruned her. She knows that she has bragging rights for she is featured in my first garden-themed movie, The Kiwi Speaks Fifteen Minutes of Fame...almost (which can be viewed on Vimeo and/or You Tube.)

My Sweet Autumn Clematis was also included in the aforementioned movie and in the image directly below, she can be found climbing up a trellis and sporting her white flowers, with many more waiting to bloom as evidenced by the many buds she is "wearing."

Another "character" in my aforementioned movie is my Japanese Red Maple who is honored to share his home (container) with pumpkins and squashes.

Not ones to be out done by others, both my Anemone and Contorted Hazelnut are flourishing (and have many buds) too, as seen in the next picture.

Up next is a photo-op of my Smoke bush who is thrilled to be sharing her container with an array of pumpkins and a few squashes.

My Beech tree  (below) is especially happy for the opportunity to share her container with pumpkins — particularly since she suffered severe trauma when my landlord hacked her back in May.

Additionally, my Coral Bells Heuchera is thrilled to stand alongside my "urban hedge" (metal custom shelving currently being occupied by a number of pumpkins and squashes).

All of the aforementioned flora and much more that grows here are featured in each version of my books which have "Words In Our Beak" in their title.

National Garden Meditation Day 2021

According to a web-page for National Calender Day, today, May 3rd is National Garden Meditation Day. Here is part of what they have to say re this hoiday: 

"National Garden Meditation Day, annually on May 3rd, encourages everyone to take time for one’s self and relax. Working in the garden, tending to the plants and flowers, or resting quietly on a bench on a beautiful day in the garden are forms of meditation. Both can be restorative to the soul and a refreshing way to be out in nature. Meditation and gardening offer many benefits. When you couple it with the outdoor peace of a garden, you also get to enjoy the benefits nature has to offer."

Part of my National Garden Meditation Day was spent working with Juan V (JV) in my garden and the photo atop this entry shows how it looked when we finished in the early afternoon. At the northend of my garden I have a newcomer.

Squirrel Appreciation Day 2021

Today, January 21st, is the annual day to celebrate Squirrel Apppreciation Day. I've written about this holiday within a number of venues including entires on this blog.

These animals can provide a lot of entertainment when you observe them as I've done in both Central Park and Riverside Park over the years when I've encountered various types including Cinnamon Variant squirrels, Black squirrels and Eastern gray squirrels.

On July 8th 2020, shortly after NYC started to begin easing up on lockdown restrictions (many of which were subsequently put back in place) which had been in effect since March due  to the devastating consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, I had the chance to watch squirrels from my window for they began to visit the Ailanthus Trees in my buildings courtyard and as you might surmise from the photo-ops atop this entry, their antics gave me many reaons to smile during those isolating times.

My Pumpkin Patch

PUMPKINS ON MY URBAN HEDGE VIEW ONE 

PUMPKINS ON MY URBAN HEDGE VIEW TWO

I now have a pumpkin patch in my rooftop garden! The photo atop this entry shows views of pumpkins atop one of my urban hedges.

Squirrels got this! "When this old world starts getting you down....." GO UP ON THE ROOF (Wednesday's Wisdom)

THIS SHRUB IS FEATURED IN VOL 1

I noticed that my visiting squirrel (whose antics have been covered here on my blog) has a "boo-boo" on his/her forehead (as seen in the picture atop this entry, where he/she is enjoying being in the home of my shrub known as a Pyracantha coccinea AKA Orange Charmer).

My Jumping Squirrel (Tuesday's Truths WK 189)

THIS SHRUB IS FEATURED IN VOL 1

In recent blog posts (including one published on 7-8-2020) and one published on 7-19-2020), I've been discussing my observations of a lone squirrel who has been spending a lot of his/her time in my rooftop garden.

One thing I've noticed is his/her's incredible ability to jump. She/he often enters my place by jumping from the trees in an adjacent courtyard on to one of the pole that supports my string lights and from there she jumps on to a stake in the container of my Japanese Larch (Larix Kaempferi) as seen in the photo atop this entry.

"Social Distancing" MAY be the wrong phrase. (Monday's Memo)

MY GARDEN IS THE SETTING FOR MY BOOK SERIES

The other day a lone Mourning dove and a young American robin came to my garden and spent time in the home of my Pyracantha coccinea (AKA Orange Charmer). She is a shrub that is featured in my garden-themed movie, The Kiwi Speaks! Fifteen Minutes of Fame... almost, which can be viewed on Vimeo and/or You Tube. These birds spending time in the home of my shrub can be seen in the image atop this entry and if they look familiar to you, dear reader, it may be because I included them in yesterday's blog post.

Sunday's Sequel (Re my 7-8-2020 Blog Post)

Squirrel Visiting My Rooftop Garden
(which is the setting for my book series)

Squirrel Visiting My Rooftop Garden
(which is the setting for my book series)

As I mentioned in a recent entry, A Day in the Life of my Pyracantha coccinea (7-8-2020), here on blogger, I've had a new visitor to my rooftop garden and he/she can be seen in the images atop this entry.

During all the many years that I've had my garden, I've never seen a squirrel here, nor have I seen one in the trees within my courtyard. Upon my seeing this quirky character, I did some research to see what poets as well as scholars have said about squirrels, and I was thrilled to come upon the following words of Saint Francis of Assisi:

A Day in the Life of my Pyracantha coccinea

A squirrel was digging up the soil in the container (in my rooftop garden) that houses my shrub known as a Pyracantha coccinea (also called Orange Charmer). I’ve never seen a squirrel in my place but that doesn’t mean one hasn’t been here. As soon as I realized the creature was there, she/he jumped into a tree within my courtyard and then to another tree (an image of this creature can be seen in the picture atop this entry.