The courtesan and the gardener

This weekend was so nice out, after some major garden cleanup and running of errands I just wanted to relax in the sun on my front porch and read. Problem was, nothing in the current stack fit my mood. So, I went to my bookcase. Yes, that's right, I still take to the old fashioned hard cover and paper.. I like the smell of books. After pulling one or two down, I settled on a classic. Camille. The classic love story of Armand, a man of society and the french courtesan, Marguerite. I am now a 19th century parisian. I love reading these old novels. the language is wonderful, the people so proper, or not. There really was a strong line of right and wrong, and one did not cross if for fear of bringing an entire families reputation down. I long for such maners and polite society, yet without the persecution that went with it.

It was hard to turn on the TV after my escape to the wealth and luxury of paris in the late 1800's and see the kardashions commentary as they walked through NY. My job, advertsiing and web nuts seemd insidgnificant, after haveing cried with Camille as she sacrificed her only happiness for the beneift of the man she loved. I find myself wanting to darn shalls, hats, gloves and move through the night in carriages with escorts. I currently feel totally misplaced in 2011, while my mind is still back a couple of centuries. I loved the the formality. Today we email and tweet, then they sent letters via servants.

I loved the escape. It was calming and wonderful. I may escape to England next, perhaps from the point of view of Jane Austin. Or maybe the Bronte's. No Dickens, nothing dark... sad maybe, but not dark. He was dark. Somethign that allows me to explore the life, gardens, and cutlture of the time with polite people narrating it all for me. A polite society. A time when Snookie didn't exist, or if she did, she would have been banned to the streets for her bahavior, her family honor distroyed and her position in life stripped, as well as her fortune.

Oh ... bring me a bouquet of camillias, and polite society. Is it time for tea?

Let them eat cake!

This winter has been exceptionally cold, and we had two pretty impressive snow falls. So, I decided to help nature along and feed the birds. I have all these bird houses around and my goddaughter asked me one day, you house the birds, where's the bird feeders? My responce was "my yard is a bird feeder." And that's true. I have something blooming all year long. Berries in abundance. seeds, plants, trees, there's plenty for them to eat, and there must be, because I have a ton of birds in the yard.

Well, as far as I could tell, the only one's benefiting from the new drive thru bird feeders I intalled were the squirrels. Until they finally broke the feeder.

I gave up. But not soon enough. I had already planted the idea of easy food in their squirrel brains, and while they were at it they found a nice opening in my shed roof and figured, hmm.... shelter too. So, almost $400 later, I have a guy on my shed roof setting a trap to catch the squirrels that have decided to build a nest in my shed.

I watched the squirrell for a couple of days go in and out. They also chewed the hold in the roof bigger, for ease of use I thought, but no, it's their marking. The bite marks indicate it's theirs.

I could cohabitate with the critters. I do feel bad, they worked so hard. But I will not be able to go into my shed, They can be very territorial, at least thats what the young man from ZooPro told me. He also said they'll take them about 10 miles out, that will insure they won't come back. So, I make my coffe trying not to look outside at the trap.
I woudl freak if I saw the thing in there. And my hired Daniel Boone will come back every day for 10 days to insure they're gone and then patch up any holes that will insure they can't get in again.

And I'll forgo the feeders, which by the way according to Trapper Dan, is the number one reason people get critters in the house.

It's like my friend once told me about this man that used to stop over all the time. I was compaining how he would just pop in unexpected, and sit and chat. Which he did one day when she was here, and of course, being brought up the way I was, I offered him a cup of coffe, and asked if he had breakfast yet.. so on. My friend exclaims, "no wonder he keeps coming back, you're feeding the critter!"