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No single picture of spirea does the bush justice because there is so much to appreciate in it.
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The minute parts of fully formed flowers, decorated this morning with tiny beads of dew.
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To me, the buds are equally enchanting.
There are combinations of buds, flowers and leaves by the multitude, all so lovely.
Like so many other Spring flowers, they are ephemeral, like one huge celebration that is soon over.
It is all the more appreciated this year, as last Spring was rather lack-luster.
In my inept way I pruned both the spirea and the lilac in the Fall, talking as I snipped, asking what was needed.
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Whether it is true that plants “like” being talked to, I couldn’t say but I’ve always been inclined to believe it and I do know that the few successes I’ve had with gardening came when I followed my instinct rather than a guideline.
When I investigated the lilac toward the end of last autumn, I found that it had become crowded, or so it seemed.
At any rate, I gave it some breathing room and it seems to have responded so I must make a point of checking on it more carefully.
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If you can fully surrender to it, I truly believe that instinct will not lead you astray. You have to have faith in your surrender and that is the very hard part. The moment you think about it, you have lost the trust.
In my case, it comes more naturally when dealing with the cats in my care.
Just now, Lily sauntered up to stare at me and I knew exactly what she wanted.
While rummaging around for cat harnesses recently, I dug out a soft brush that had been put away and forgotten.
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Perhaps most cats don’t care to be groomed, but many do. How could I have forgotten how much Lily enjoys it? She likes being combed but this soft brush sends her into raptures.
So I’d given her a good session the other day and this morning I could see in her face that she was asking for another grooming.
The amount of fur that came off her could make a whole other cat. Later on I must attend to Blackie who also loves to be brushed.
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Show a brush to some of the others and you’ll get bloodied!
“Oh yes! Right there behind my ear!”
Pete posted something today about “Tortitude”, which anyone who knows a tortoiseshell cat will be familiar with.
Orange tabbies have attitude as well and I have always considered Lily to be half and half.
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She certainly has personality and knows how to express it. She is the most endearing of cats.
Lily was one of my first fosters and she has been with us for 17 years, so she is a link to the little gang I had back in Washington that all died so quickly in succession.
…and she just came to poke me for another session.
She’ll be bald at this rate.
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Speaking of endearing redheads…
Happily, the fox kits seem to have abandoned playing by the road in favour of the grass beneath our apple tree where they are out of other people’s sight – within full view of ours!
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So far, we’ve only seen two of them there.
We’d like to know #3 is alright but there’s no reason to think it’s not.
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The boldest was up on the patio the other night, happily scooping up peanuts.
Probably this little chap!
The baby foxes are adorable. Ollie used to like being brushed, but only when he was moulting. I presumed it made him feel itchy and the brushing gave him some relief. Despite his short fur, you could fill a bin-bag with what came off him.
Best wishes, Pete.
Mr. Bowie and Jimi loved to be brushed. Niki doesn’t like it so far, but I’m not giving up…
The fox kits look so so so adorable…
Thank you so much, Carolyn, for the delightful post! The brushing of the cat that loves it and the young foxes that are so cute!
Joanna
What a lovely feeling your blog post has given me! Thank you!
Talking of redheads, I was just reading some thing or other about a new discovery about why ginger cats are ginger. But I can’t remember what it said.
As I understand it, there is a mutation of the X chromosome which is also why most ginger tabbies are male. Though most calicos and torties are female…not sure why that is.
Oh, I love those foxes!! Made my day.