Jaci Dawn

This was a lazy weekend. It was not so much by choice, but by a simple lack of water.

I woke up Saturday morning with foot cramps. Foot cramps became leg cramps throughout the morning. I realized rather quickly that it was more than likely a simple case of dehydration. Except it wasn’t that simple: by mid-afternoon, my legs were still occasionally cramping despite the copious amount of water I drank throughout the day. I added lemonade and juice to my regime, swallowed potassium and magnesium supplements and by eventide the cramping had abated.

This morning I went out and bought some Gatorade (which I detest) in an effort to replace the electrolytes my body was missing. Usually I can get that with lemonade but since I was so stupid as to let myself become severely dehydrated, I needed an extra boost. Today was much the same: taking in copious amounts of water and supplementing my normally healthy diet with minerals like potassium and magnesium. The spasms died off Saturday afternoon late, but I don’t want to take a chance of returning to that miserable place any time soon.

It was too uncomfortable to try to do anything: if I paused or knelt, some muscle in one or both legs would scream out for hydration. If I rested, the cramping would come on suddenly and I’d have to be up, walking. Flexing the muscles is the only way out of a cramp and walking was the only effective way to flex the muscles.

Since I was otherwise occupied in nervous movement, I was not very effective as a house cleaner or gardener. That isn’t to say I was completely lazy: I did the minimum work in the house and I managed to get most of the front yard whipped into shape and I read a lot. I finished one book and started the sequel.

And I drank a lot of healthy fluids.

I sat outside in the shade and read when I wasn’t flexing my muscles to fight off the constant cramping.

The Anna’s hummingbirds paid me several visits, often hovering six feet away from my face with their heads tipped slightly: “Who are you and why are you sitting in my garden?” Of course I never had my camera handy when they paused to ask me that question.

Once I looked up from my book and saw the female Anna’s hovering a few feet from Harvey’s nose: “Are you dangerous? Will you chase me? Is it safe to hover in the flowers by you?” Harvey answered with a blink.

The Anna’s love my hummingbird feeders, but they also love the flowers currently in bloom in my yard.

The cerinthe retorta (above) and the salvia “hot lips” are both big hits with the hummers, along with the fading Russian sage and the gladiolas. I’m very happy the hummers are happy.

The bees are happy, too. I think I have mentioned it here before, but we love bees. All kinds of bees: mason bees, sweat bees, honey bees, bumble bees and all the bees no one ever notices in their yard. Wasps are tolerated as well (except I am not too fond of yellowjackets in August). Hornets can be tolerated as long as their nest is in someone else’s yard. We usually have a dozen mud-daubers hovering around the garage, but I haven’t seen them this summer.

There are so many kinds of bumblebees. They are not usually very shy, either. This one stayed where he was on the fading blossoms of oregano for several photos. He was a small bumblebee and pale yellow. Just look at his eyes! he seems to be taking in the camera as much as it is taking him in.

In the limited space allotted to Bees, Wasps, and Kin in the Audubon Field Guide to Insects of North America, I think this might be a “Digger Wasp” but I can’t be certain because the definition of their territory is more southern. Whatever it is, it loves the Pearly Everlasting  (Anaphalis margaritacea) that I transplanted to my garden from the mountains. Pearly Everlasting is a favorite flower of mine, too. The wasp is not an aggressive wasp but is certainly a bright color addition.

I like this black-and-white striped bee.

Honey bees are not native to the North Americas. They were introduced by homesick Europeans – one of the few invasive species that have done us a good turn rather than a bad turn. I would love to know where the hive is: which park? There’s one to the east of us, one to the south of us, and a wild one to the north of us. Or is there a bee-keeper in the neighborhood?

I don’t know if this is the same black-and-white bee as in the former photo. I don’t think so: I think this one is a larger bee. But I could be very wrong.

In other random garden news, I paid $35 for this. I did not splurge on it, but gave it a lot of thought. I saw several interesting wind chimes by this artist at the Oregon City Farmer’s Market a couple weeks ago. She had a sign posted on her booth:

Sure, you can make it yourself. But be honest: you won’t. But I will.

I thought about that for two weeks. I would make it myself. But in the interest of helping a fellow artist along, I decided to buy a wind chime from her.

And promptly lost her business card. But if you live near Oregon City, just go to the Farmer’s Market. She’ll be there.

I bought this from my cousin at last year’s Family Reunion. She bought it somewhere and regifted it at the reunion. I would have a hard time putting all that flatware out in my yard except some other artist drilled it, hung it, soldered it and created art out of it.

But I have no problem with china.

I do not usually get a photo of this. Don asked me about it the other night: did I ever see bees on it?

No, because it is only open when it is night or heavily overcast. It’s an Evening Primrose. I do not know how it came to be in my yard – I didn’t plant it – but I am not going to weed it back out now that it has drifted here. I remember the Evening Primroses from my childhood in Nevada, bright stars of color in the fading sunlight.

I have seen moths gathering around it. In Nevada, we often caught Hummingbird moths by the Evening Primroses.

Have I mentioned that we did not plant a vegetable garden this year? It was too cold and wet for the months when we should have been planting and then we were off on vacation. So I was surprised to find this volunteer in my back shade garden. And look: now I even have a couple small tomatoes! Wonder if they’ll ripen or not?

I almost forgot to share this! The neighborhood cats have discovered that there is a fresh source of water in our front yard. Apparently their owners do not set out water dishes for them and so they find our birdbath a welcome addition. Hmmm – the guilty owner is even in the background! One of four of their cats can be found in our birdbath at different times.

Of course, if she has water in a dish for her cats, I apologize. But by the frequency in which I find cats in the bird bath, I doubt it. I do not go out of my way to chase the thirsty animals off but they are afraid of me and run, anyway.

Speaking of bird baths… this is what Donald convinced me we needed to do with my wrought-iron planter: a bird bath in the back yard for the small birds. The ceramic dish was a Goodwill purchase.

My buddy. Despite the dehydration and cramps, we went on two walks this weekend and we hung out in the back yard together. I even took him out into the front yard for awhile when I was cleaning out from under the rhododendrons.

Remember those neighbor cats? Well, one came around the corner of the fence, unprepared to meet a big dog in the front yard. And Harvey? Harvey managed to flip himself over when he hit the end of the tether I had him on. It was actually rather funny, but I expect he wasn’t amused.

Just me.