Ally, Ally, Quite Contrary…

May 5, 2016May 5, 2016 / Ally Bean / 44 Comments

How does your Spring garden grow?

Glad you asked. Here are few photos of the backyard.

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A maroon pansy, planted last fall, has returned and is looking pretty.

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The gray stone path on the hillside is happy to be the center of attention between salvia and boxwoods.

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A hosta and a catmint with tiny purple blooms stand side-by-side under the deck, thrilled with the wet + cool weather.

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The pachysandra patch directs your attention into the forest, which is amazingly green this Spring.

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And up on the deck, a potted orange gerbera daisy suggests that Summer is around the corner.

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HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY, everyone.

Make it a good one.

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N Is For Nuts, Please Note

April 16, 2016May 6, 2021 / Ally Bean / 32 Comments

Nuttier than a squirrel’s pantry

… is a way to say someone is crazy, while not saying directly that someone is crazy. It’s a cute turn of phrase, correct in the right context. ‘Ya know?

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THE OTHER MORNING I was looking out into the forest behind our house, admiring the color green, when I noticed that Fuzzy the Squirrel was on the ground, up to something.

He rarely allows his little paws to touch the ground, preferring to stay above it all in the trees… or in our gutters… or on our deck. I was intrigued.

I’D BEEN THINKING ABOUT the origins of the saying, nuttier than a squirrel’s pantry, all morning. So when I saw Fuzzy, in a flash of inspiration, I decided to ask him if he could explain the meaning of this saying, from his point of view.

Straight from the squirrel’s mouth, so to speak.

WELL, MY GENTLE READERS, I was not prepared for what our favorite squirrel had to say. But I give him credit, he told it like it is. He didn’t mince words, nor did he spare my feelings.

YOU SEE, COME TO FIND OUT, from a squirrel’s perspective, this seemingly innocent and silly human saying, is offensive and disparaging.

Squirrels take it personally, looking down upon us humans who say it. To them, this saying is animalist. Decidedly not PC.

And inaccurate, as Fuzzy was quick to point out before he scampered away. “Lady, we got more than nuts in our pantries. We got seeds and leaves– and sometimes a good old-fashioned purloined tomato from your very own pots of veggies.”

Thus he confirmed that: 1) he did steal those tomatoes years ago; and 2) that squirrels might not be as nutty as we humans think they are.

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The First Day Of Spring: Blue, Yellow, Orange, Green

March 23, 2016July 1, 2025 / Ally Bean / 39 Comments

The skies were unbelievably clear on Sunday morning. Memorable, even. The colors of our world looked spectacular.

Because of this we decided to go for a walk around a city park.

The park was almost deserted, despite it being a beautiful day. No one else wanted to enjoy nature, I guess.

Here are few photos. Just because.

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I’ve got a busy week going on here.

I’ll end this post by wishing you, my gentle readers, a Happy Easter.

Catch up with you next week, kids.

The Squirrel Days Of Winter

March 4, 2016March 4, 2016 / Ally Bean / 39 Comments

I stepped out onto our deck to enjoy the fresh air and clear skies. I wasn’t thinking about much of anything when I sensed that I wasn’t alone.

I looked up into the trees that form our backyard and guess who was up there waving hello? None other than your friend and mine, Fuzzy the Squirrel.

He looked to be in good shape. I’m figuring he’s around at least 5 years old, which is pretty old for a squirrel who lives in the wild, if you can call our backyard the wild.

I did notice that while he was twisting around to tidy up his fur, he was hanging tough on his tree branch, not even bothering to give me a second glance.

He seemed to be content to just sit up there, not barking or doing much of anything. I’ve never seen him so calm and Zen-like.

So I took a few photos of him, watched him as he dozed off to sleep– and couldn’t help but wonder how much longer my blog posts will be featuring Fuzzy the Squirrel. [Read more about him here.]