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Thursday 28 April 2022

Incentive vs. Worst April Ever ?

This is the first year I have taken so long to post in the Spring. I could say the weather is totally to blame because it has been the worst April I can remember .. so cold, windy, rainy .. totally not conducive to garden clean up. Especially if the gardener TOTALLY skipped Fall clean up. Which I have sworn (in front of a witness, aka Garden PA) never to skip again .. the fall out, pun intended, is ginormous, and I am still paying the price of too many hours last Sunday bowing and scraping , literally, to at least make a start at uncovering the garden and plants I think should be there . I will even confess there were some daffodils that went yellow under the wet mat of dead leaves .. YUCK !



So these are the few pictures I snapped in a hurry under the morning sun which still kept a lot of shade cast on most of the garden. Yet the hellebore looked almost decent enough to publish. It will be a crazy next few weeks because once the garden really starts to wake up it is a ferocious beast that needs so much attention I am even now quaking in my boots (well, I am in my pajamas at the moment but my boots at at the deck door quivering as I type) .. I need to knuckle under and grit my teeth.

So .. one of the reasons , well a huge reason, that I missed Fall clean up was because of these two characters. Last Spring we lost our beloved Sophie, who was a Lynx Point Siamese, going on 18 years, to cancer. We thought we would never have another cat again because the heartache of the loss was so profound. I also never thought, I would find another sweet soul Lynx  Point Siamese like Sophie.
What is it about thinking something so strongly one way, and then having it turn out completely another way ? I stumbled on a breeder of Lynx Point Siamese just in Bath, not far from Kingston .. it was her first attempt of creating Lynx Point and I some how I zoned in on it all. The next weird turn was that we decided to have two sisters, to keep each other company. You will have to take my word for it that these two are sisters from the same litter. To roll the dice and breed a Lynx Point you have one parent a "tabby" but the other parent has to be a purebred "dark" point .. either a Seal or Chocolate Point.
Not all kittens will be a Lynx Point, and in fact there can be a Snowshoe Siamese created from this genetic combination ... thus Gracie the Lynx Point and Willow the Snowshoe .. they were born July 31/2021.
I'm sorry I haven't kept up with reading blogs .. I will try to do better !!


12 comments:

Nadezda said...

Dear Joy, I'm glad you're blogging and gardening. Your hellebore looks wonderful. Seems that new family members are happy in your home.

Anonymous said...

Your hellebores are looking lovely; and welcome to the two sisters. Here is Edmonton we have crocuses & squill so far. I do see two hellebore buds, however, so hope springs eternal!

Kris Peterson said...

Your hellebores are gorgeous despite your personal recriminations concerning maintenance issues. Your new kittens are sweet and I can entirely appreciate your decision to adopt both. Seeing them tugged at my heart. Long ago, I adopted 2 Lynx Point brothers from a "rescue" organization, which I subsequently decided was probably a front for a kitten mill. They were sick from the start - my vet urged me to return them - and they had serious medical issues throughout their lives. I lost Max to congestive heart failure before he turned 7 but Ming held on until he was 12. I still carry a picture of them in better days in my wallet.

Hoover Boo said...

It's tough to garden when the weather is bad, and gardening in wet soil just doesn't work. Your hellebores are gorgeous, so your garden can't be all bad!

What beautiful, beautiful kitties! It is so hard to lose a pet--I miss every one that has passed. We must love them every moment we have them--I'm sure you do with yours.

Beth at PlantPostings said...

Yes, a very weird spring here in the Midwest, too. I'm so tired of feeling cold, and so looking forward to late spring and summer this year. Your Hellebores are beautiful!

RobinL said...

Those kitties are gorgeous, no wonder you were distracted! We have lots of blooms now, it's nearly frost free time. But I still think it was a lousy spring, too many cool and rainy days for my tastes. But at least we didn't have April snow this year!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Thank you all for stopping by ! I have tried to visit your blogs and leave comments . it seems our blogging community is shrinking every year now and I am sorry to see that. I'm not a facebook or instagram kind of gal .. I guess I will be left behind in the dust eventually ? LOL

Snowbird said...

Oh no, so very sorry to hear of the loss of Sophie, how heartbreaking. She was obviously beloved and adored so was lucky to have you.
Goodness, how beautiful Gracie and Willow are, clearly you were meant to have them. I look forward to seeing and hearing more about them.
That first spring clean is always horrendous, I'm still working on it. Beautiful hellebores, they are clearly happy.xxx

Sara - Villa Emilia said...

Your Hellebores and new kittens are beautiful! I'm one of those that will keep blogging and visiting blogs because no social networking service is as comforting and inspiring as blogs. :D
Have a happy and warm May!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Thank you Snowbird .. I appreciate your condolences .. it was a heart breaking road but we know we did our best for her .. I think she may have gotten a hoot over these two girls because they can be so comical. Then again she loved being an only "child" ;-)

Sara thank you for commenting and I probably will do the same .. just at a slower pace, I think you are so right though .. garden blogging is peaceful , interesting and beautiful ;-)
All the best to you as well !

Andrea said...

BESTILL MY HEART are those the helleborus I sent you? WOW. Just WOW. Hello from beyond yonder!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Andrea leave it to you to find "your" hellebore ! ... good lord girl you have been submerged for some time ;-)