My Estate :-)

I arrived home from Iowa City about 11, having stopped for a visit with Mom. It rained all the way but the radar looks clear now, so hopefully we won't get any more waterlogged.
I fed the cats and when the rain stopped I fed the rabbits, the dogs, the birds. I still have a junky cough today so I thought I'd go lie down for a rest and fell asleep on those soft down pocket pillows.

It is so incredible here to listen to the birds. You'd think you were at some magnificent gardens. At my feeders I have goldfinches, purple finches, rosebreasted grosbeaks, cardinals, orioles, and even a short term visitor, the indigo bunting. Of course there are woodpeckers, sparrows, nuthatches, chickadees, titmice and ground feeders like doves and chipping sparrows. The wrens don't visit the feeders but sing all day. The hummingbirds just hum. :-) I think if the sounds were sold as a recording it would be considered a bit over the top and unbelievable. But, I get to hear it every day. And I love the sound of the wind in the firs and the giant white pine that was Elizabeth's first Christmas tree.
When I open the door I'm likely to see the pesky squirrels, the dashing (as in dashing about) chipmunks, or the poky possum. Or calves and colts! :-) Chip the Chipmunk has holes beneath the pile of concrete blocks and in the rocks around the fern edged ornamental pool, and a run under the house to connect easily with the perennial bed along the fence. Life is good for him as long as the cats are inside. He sometimes sits on the rock pile and "chips" his song. I can usually say hi to him a few times a day. I should be unhappy with him as he probably has runs through the rose roots. Oh, well, I'm not going to chase him away. The deer I'd like to see from a bit more of a distance. Having them walk right up near the door as if they'd come on in if I talked to them a bit more is not helpful to a garden.
My flower gardens make me happy most every minute of every spring, summer, and fall day. With a little elbow grease, a reliance on sales on perennials, and a dividing of ones I've had, I can have gardens the equal of anyone. Another of those "richer than I you cannot be for I had a mother who read to me" feelings. (I had that, too.) Let's see, "Richer than I you cannot be, for I have gardens, and birds, and a cup of tea..." Add in books, a cozy bed, and I really am easily made happy.