Strangely, despite the river level here in the city being the highest in decades, we have been told by city hall to limit our water use in the last week or so, due to problems with the filters at the water treatment plant. Seems like all the excess debris carried along by the flooding and fast-moving river is playing havoc with the system, so despite there being more water than ever flowing through the city, we can't make full use of it. I have some issues with the way these limitations have been implemented, but am being compliant with the request as best I can. I don't recall this having happened even in the severe drought years of past decades, so it's kind of ironic that it takes an unusually large amount of water to make conservation efforts be put into place. As one of my somewhat cynical friends observed, by next year they'll be putting water rates up due to not enough having been consumed this year and subsequent falling revenues at the city utilities. Could happen.
Shot one was taken last week in the town north of the city where my local family lives. We were heading over to the achievement day ceremonies at my grandson's school, and I noticed this observer in a house window. The window is on an upper split level of the house, so the dog has a wonderful warm and sunny vantage point where he/she can relax in comfort while still keeping an eye on passers-by.
Shot three shows some of the branches on one of our front yard flowering shrubs. It looked odd the other night when we headed out to walk the dogs, and on closer inspection I discovered that it was covered in fine cobwebs, as shown in the photo, and there were hundreds of little spiders all over it.
The wrens are nesting in the nice glazed clay birdhouse that we have hanging in our big cedar tree. I don't know if they are the wrens of earlier in the season who were nesting a while back by the oak, or if they are a new pair. Either could be possible, although I tend to the theory that it's the original pair starting a second family in this new location. Wrens are so territorial that I can't imagine having two pairs in the same yard, even though they are relatively far apart. This tree hangs over our deck and is right outside the studio balcony, so we can enjoy their sweet song all day as we all go about our business.
Shot five is from the front yard pathway, and shows the brilliant lilies in bloom, nicely set off by the rich colour of the smoke bush. Both of these plants are somewhat notable. The lilies are the little potted ones that you can buy at this time of year at the grocery store as a potted plant. Once they have stopped blooming in their pots, if you plant them outside they will turn into wonderful big yard plants. I have these "popsicle orange" ones, and another bunch, not yet in bloom, that are a beautiful clear bright yellow. The smoke bush is doing very well in our yard, which is somewhat odd as it is considered a chancy one in this zone. We planted a couple when we redid the front yard a few years ago (took out all the grass to the horror of some of the more conventional neighbours) and didn't really have strong hopes that they would last. Not only have they lasted, but they survived the dreadful winter of a couple of years ago that took out many bushes that *are* for this zone and had survived, up to that point, for many years.
That's just another of the many "go figure" things about gardening in this climate.
