HMy tomatoes in their glory days.
This has been a busy week. No, I wasn’t out buying shoes (I wish!). After months of awful weather and a recovering thumb, I am finally able to do some outdoor work.
Here are some observations from a few days of trimming, planting, weeding and whatnot (the whatnot part may include adult libations).
A very unhappy mama mouse. Source: Google
Mothers of another sort – I have a small garden. Just enough for a few tomato plants, herbs and some cutting zinnias. Oh, yes and the mother of all catnip plants.
While preparing to plant I came across two mothers. One was a furry spider with an egg sack hanging on its butt. I don’t freak out with spiders (except in the shower, I need my own space there!) but furry ones are creepy. I was the good person and rehomed it to the edge where it wouldn’t be in the way and wished it a good life.
They looked a little younger than these but you get the idea. Source: ehow
I use hay to keep the weeds down. As I was moving it around I found two teeny tiny baby field mice. They didn’t have fur and their eyes weren’t open so they were new. I covered them up and worked on the other end.
Within a minute the mama came running over and gave me the look. (You know the look! Your mama gave it to you when you did something bad.) I tried to assure her that I wouldn’t harm her babies but she wasn’t having any of that. She knew I couldn’t resist such a treat. I would come back and sneak a peek at them later to see how they are doing. I would name them and invite them to Thanksgiving dinner (as guests, not as an hor d’oeuvre). Her kids were not on display so she moved them.
Gland relocation — As you age, stuff moves around. Stuff that is on your body (yes, I know screwdrivers and remotes move around too). Whatever was formerly perky is now hovering much lower. I found that my sweat glands moved. They used to be under my arms. Now they are under my boobs. How did that happen and what is the purpose of sweating there?
The best planning goes astray — It doesn’t matter how well I plan, I always end up working in the heat of the day. It is overcast when I start and as soon as I finish but for the four hours I work, the sun beats down mercilessly.
I got a lot done. My plants are in and things are looking good. A little work outside is healing and so rewarding. But nothing is as rewarding as coming across two new moms no matter what the species is.
Author note: I couldn’t bring myself to post a picture of the furry spider. Those things are creepy to look at.
Views and Mews by Coffee Kat 
I am impressed that you have such great respect for spiders and things and most especially for their mothers and babies. I tell them how sorry I am before I kill them. And now I am feeling awfully guilty. 🙂
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Kill them? Little mothers and their babies? I only kill mosquitoes (who deserve to die) and crunch hardshell insects like those damn stink bugs. Oh wait, I rehome those too.
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I bet Mama Mouse smelled a rat . . . or a cat . . . and decided to play it safe and hide her babies from the Farmer’s Wife!
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So true. I’m sure I smell like cat to a critter with a good nose.
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I could totally see Mama Mouse giving you “the look” — yes, we’ve all gotten it, at one point or another.
I am with you on the planning – despite my best intentions of working outside in the cool morning hours, coffee and blogging gets in the way and, the next thing I know, it’s 80 and boiling out there. Ugh!
Fun post, MJ
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Yes I like to blog in the morning when my mind is fresh. That leaves me working outside in the afternoon with a hat and sunscreen.
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I can take spiders, but rodents? I can’t manage very well. I love to work in my garden, but I think if I found field mice I’d have to stay indoors! I’m so glad you’re enjoying some wonderful garden time. After a long winter it must feel so welcome! 🙂
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It is welcome and it’s funny how some folks don’t like spiders and some don’t like rodents. The little mama was kind of cute and had attitude.
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I laughed picturing you having a stare down with momma mouse. 🙂 Not a fan of the furry spiders. We have Brown Recluse spider down here…they’re poisonous, so I keep my eyes peeled for them.
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The recluse may be in Pennsylvania but we don’t see them around here. We don’t get any venomous wildlife or that would curtail my activities! Nearby in the Pocono Mountains I believe they have rattle snakes. We just have voracious deer.
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Spring and life renewing itself is a wonderful thing. However, anything with more than four legs is enough for me to declare it a terrorist, and therefore it has to be put down. Bye-bye furry spider. But its great that the weather has improved enough to allow you to get out and work around the place.
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The great weather? That was so yesterday. Today was cold and windy. Definitely bi-polar!
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LOL Sorry Kate. But I’m almost certain Summer will arrive by Christmas. :O)
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That’s right, I am moving into you nice California house!
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I’ll alert the wife.
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Love planting, don’t like mice. You have tomato’s already?
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Oh no! That picture is from 2012. My plants are about 6 inches tall. Mice are ok as long as they aren’t in my house. We have a lot of wildlife locally and they are food for the hawks and foxes.
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What is it about that time of day… I plan to get out and take photos in the early morning before the midday sun hovers directly overhead but no matter how early I get out of bed, I ALWAYS end up taking pictures between 11 and 3 when it’s all high contrast and over exposure!
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I think time moves faster in the morning. Or it moves faster when I’m trying to get things done. Or it moves fast all the time!
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I have the same problems. Except in my case it’s chipmunks and the weather is too cold. But the issues are the same: I plan time to work outside and whammo something weirdo happens.
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Today is cold. Yesterday was hot. The weather is bi-polar for sure.
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I tend to schedule my walks and outdoor work when it suits me, which means I’m inside doing something else when the weather’s nice and as soon as I walk out the door, it starts raining. I guess the sun and rain have their own schedule.
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We have had so little truly hot humid weather but I worked outside in all of it. Today is an overcast day with temp hitting 65. Perfect for working and I’m inside catching up. Guess we all have the wrong schedules.
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Hahahaha, yes, the “Mom” look. It transcends all barriers, including species.
Yes, you are a good person for rehoming the spiders I do it with the black and brown widows at our house all the time. I even have a speech: “No, no, you really don’t want this awful location next to the hose. The traffic and noise are terrible. Let’s find you a quieter place, perhaps one with a view? The banana tree is lovely this time of year…”
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I have a similar conversation but it’s more along the lines of “now this is for your own good!”
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We have gophers… I hate gophers! But, on my morning walk I came across a tiny baby gopher (not in my yard, thank goodness) and couldn’t help myself from worrying about why such a tiny thing was all by itself above ground.
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There is something so helpless about baby critters that brings out the very little maternal instinct I have.
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Oh god, I would have been calling for Hubby to move the spider, but the little mouse I’d have no problem with (though I wouldn’t want them in the boat!)
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They wouldn’t be so good in a boat!
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I’m not a fan of furry spiders or tiny mice but would have relocated/left them like you. I’ve done a little planting and plan on doing more this weekend (I hope). I’ve got a tiny plot of land too and have now started growing veggies in pots on my deck. Sun, sweat…I hear ya!
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I do like to garden but am doing less and less as time goes on. I still like to get my hands a little dirty though. That is what has kept us from moving into a condo or over 55 community. They don’t allow vegetable plants at all! Bummer!
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I’ve discovered the only thing creepier than a furry spider is making your bed in the morning and seeing that you’ve not only been sleeping with a furry spider but it was THAT close that you rolled on it in your sleep and smothered it, blah. Now when it comes to furry spiders it’s every creature for themselves! 🙂
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Eyew! That’s as bad as finding one when you are naked in the shower! Maybe worse.
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I think naked in the shower would be worse as ignorance can sometimes be bliss.
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Knowing that I slept with one would make me so neurotic when I went to bed the next day. Where there’s one there’s more.
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Don’t mess with Mama! (your field mouse is a lot cuter than the ugly roof rats around here.)
YEA for cloudy and overcast skies!
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Today is cool and overcast and working outside isn’t in my plans. How does it happen that my plans and the weather don’t work together?
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