Hollyhock

Hollyhock
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

It's high summer in Kent, CT, and the hollyhocks are in bloom. The bees are thrilled and so am I. Hollyhocks are considered "old-fashioned." There was a time when every home had hollyhocks by the door in summer as a sign of welcome. I like them because, aside from being beautiful, they are absolutely no work once they get established. They grow very tall, spread out and bloom for weeks. My kind of gardening.

The tomatoes are coming along. Just a few plants this year: plum tomatoes for red sauce and an heirloom for color and flavor. It seems such a long time between when the flowers blossom and the fruit is ripe. I'll just have to be patient. There are so many risks in the intervening weeks: bugs, animals, too much rain, too little rain. Oy. In September I hope to be making a lot of sauce. The freezer is empty in anticipation.

The yard was full of birds this week. Periodically a whole slew of house finches flew in chattering and singing. There are lots of immature birds. Some are old enough to feed themselves, although they still hang out in sort of a family group, but some are still fluttering their wings and chirping and demanding to be feed--mostly by their fathers. Good to know that in the bird world some dads contribute to child-rearing.

Also on the list of immatures: downy woodpeckers, rose-breasted grosbeaks, chipping sparrows and one hairy woodpecker. There are probably more immatures, but sometimes it's hard to know who's immature and who's not. Saw four kinds of woodpeckers out of a possible six: downy, hairy, red-bellied, flicker. I'd love to find that pileated again...but that's another entry.