Have I ever mentioned this tree? It came to my family as a little spiky branch, only a few inches high, in a brown paper envelope in the mail. We were to plant it in honor of Earth Day, perhaps. My father planted it in my grandparents yard, and now, somewhere around 20 years later, I look at it every day, marveling at the fact that it is as tall in feet as it is old in years.

I’m the worst house blogger ever. Yesterday, I rewired a vintage lamp that has been out of commission for well over a decade. Did I take photos of the process, and then post it as a handy step-by-step guide to show how a few dollars and a half hour of your time can get you a cool new (old) lamp? No. Sigh.

Instead, here’s a photo of some irises I gathered from my garden.

Is it normal that I’ve had lilies all summer long? The same kind is planted at the entrance to my building, and there haven’t been blooms on that plant in months.

This (not so) little guy has been hanging around the yard for the past few days (along with the neighborhood cardinal, whose photo I haven’t been able to snap yet). This morning he squared off against a squirrel… and won.

littlegreengarden:

(via aprilfermin)

I think it would really take my garden up a notch to have this guy running around in there.

Seconded. If I didn’t have just a scrap of land for a garden, I’d be all over this. Not only are peacocks amazing as guard animals, but I had the pleasure of seeing my first albino peacock on a recent trip to Australia, and it took my breath away. I’ll post a photo once they’re up.

Things I do not enjoy: neighbors with questionable taste, and therefore questionable construction crews, using backhoes near my property line… I know everyone in this neighborhood hates trees, grass and plants, and wants to live in a perfect ordered grid of asphalt and gravel, but I happen to be very attached to my bushes.

I also found this little guy while I was digging around. Since my garden is growing only weeds at an alarming rate at this point, I have no need or desire to get rid of him and his friends.

I didn’t notice until this afternoon that my garden has grown quite the crop of mushrooms. I kind of like them, so I think they’ll leave them.

Moss Acres: Detailed Photo