Diary of a Crazy Rabbit Lady, Too

Gardening Day, Take 2

noreply@blogger.com (BunnyKissd) — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 20:43:03 +0000

From left to right: "Barbeque" rosemary, dill, nepeta faassenii "Cat's Meow" (catmint), two astilbe in purple ("Vision in Red" it said) and pink ("Vision in Pink"), delosperma "Ocean Sunset Violet Flare" (ice plant), and achillea "Firefly Fuchsia" (yarrow)

Today was another gardening day. It rained off & on, but the weather was not too hot and there was still enough time to shop for some plants at the local box hardware store and then sow some seeds (late).

The Moon Garden with some of the new plants in situ (in the back).
In front from, left to right, are some mini-roses and a tea rose in front of lavender, artemisia, and the dapples willow.

After getting home and planting up the rosemary in a pot with some previously purchased thyme and purple basil, I chaos-sowed a bunch of seeds I've been saving for far too long. We shall see what takes, but here's a list of what was scattered:

Echinachea
Hyssom
Marigold (Improved Crackerjack)
Forget-Me-Nots
Bachelor's Buttons
Four O'Clocks (Since these were big seeds, I took the time to sow them carefully closer the edge.)
Zinna Queen Lime Red
Cosmos (Buddha's Hand)
Cosmos (Sensation)
Fernleaf Dill (Sown close to where the dill will be planted tomorrow.)
Spotted Bee Balm (Not many of these seeds in the packet, I may buy some plants in the fall.)
Dwarf Sunflower (Planted under the willow on the point side.)

I also scattered some milkweed seeds on the other side of the yard, near the pond, and I am hoping they grow too!

Gardening Day

noreply@blogger.com (BunnyKissd) — Sun, 31 May 2026 23:35:55 +0000

May 31, 2026 - Scenes from the day

Today was gardening day. The weather was very cooperative; no rain, no excessive heat, but plenty of sunshine and a gentle breeze to blow the bugs away. We installed a new shepherds hook in the moon garden on which to hang our anniversary gifts to ourselves: a pretty star-shaped copper bird feeder and a copper crescent moon & star wind chime (22 years = copper). Then we planted the peas and tomatoes in the vegetable garden, and flowers in the small planter on our outdoor table. There was also plenty of time for resting, creating delicious healthy food, and walking & talking lots with my beloved about our plans.

Complaint

noreply@blogger.com (BunnyKissd) — Fri, 22 May 2026 00:10:04 +0000

Sometimes it feels way to hard to do anything.

I need to fix something that broke. It's a simple super glue repair, but first I have to find the super glue, then make sure the surfaces are clean and make sure my desk is protected, then glue & hold, then it's done! But all those steps.

And I have some new ducks I want to add to the dash of my car, but first I'd have to take all the current ducks off my dash, then clean my dash, then rearrange the ducks, then put putty on the bottom of each to hold them in place, then I have a cute new lineup on my dash. So many steps!

New art supplies from Winsor and Newton: Tyrian Purple Watercolour & fancy watercolour postcards, 140lb, cold press

This goes for things I might find fun too. I got a new watercolor in the mail the other day with some watercolor postcards and I LOVE painting! But first I'd have to get out a cup of water, then find the sketchbook with my swatches so I can swatch the new color, then open the postcards, then think of a thing I want to paint (mermaid(s) for mer-May? Bunnies? Flowers?), then I'd get to paint. Exhausting.

How do other people with full time jobs find the time and energy to do anything else!?

Spring is Coming...Here?

noreply@blogger.com (BunnyKissd) — Sun, 05 Apr 2026 11:58:00 +0000

I started this post weeks ago -- in mid-February! -- when snow still covered the ground, and winter still had a grip on us. I had ordered seeds, and the buds had begun to get fat.

February 15, 2026

We had plans to winter sow poppy seeds, but the snow was still so deep.

March 8, 2026

My seeds arrived!

Queen Lime Red Zinnias, Spotted Bee Balm, Colocha Chocolate Green Coleus, and a free packet of Pink Fang Tomato all from Baker Heirloom Seeds (rareseeds.com).

And slowly, the snow melted...

March 25, 2026

...and finally we got the first shoots and flowers!

Crocuses! April 1, 2026, no joke!

I guess it's too late to "winter" sow the poppies!

Spring is Coming

noreply@blogger.com (BunnyKissd) — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 16:56:00 +0000

The garden & "pond" are buried....

The gardens are still covered, even more so now, with deep snow. We are ever so grateful for a working snow blower this year, especially after struggling to clear last year's record snowfalls with just shovels and determination.

February 8, 2026 - Dark-eyed junco, tufted titmouse, and black-capped chickadee

Even the birds and squirrels seem desperate for relief. They empty our feeders faster than we can fill them!

However, despite the snow and cold, the leaf buds on the maple trees are swelling! The temps are toying with 40°F, and even though the groundhog saw his shadow, we all know spring will be here in just about a month!

I need to order some seeds!

The Stillness & Silence of Winter

noreply@blogger.com (BunnyKissd) — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 22:58:00 +0000

The garden & "pond" covered in snow...

There's not much to journal about lately. The gardens are tucked in for the season, and now that the holidays are over, my days are spent battling the snow to get to work and run errands. That leaves me with little energy for creating, but I have plenty of energy for dreaming. I have plans for the flowers and vegetables I want to grow this summer and ideas for how to expand the gardens. I have a lot of seeds leftover from last year, but still have orders I want to place for new plants. For the next few months, I'll be researching the plants that will work well in our zone, finding native alternatives to others, and looking for a few fun annuals.

Winter is Coming

noreply@blogger.com (BunnyKissd) — Sun, 23 Nov 2025 21:00:00 +0000

I meant to write in October, but somehow I didn't. I keep coming back here to write something, but don't really know what to write! The gardens have been put to bed; we've expanded one in preparation for next year and are making even more plans for the yard.

You can see the lightest dusting of snow on the moon garden and raised box edges.

Inside, I'm painting and being creative in a million ways -- yet feeling like I'm not productive enough -- and we're all preparing as best we can for the holidays and the winter weather that's fast approaching. What kinds of things are you doing this time of year?

Turning of the Wheel

noreply@blogger.com (BunnyKissd) — Sun, 21 Sep 2025 19:18:00 +0000

The Autumnal Equinox is tomorrow, the astronomical start of fall in the northern hemisphere, Mabon if you're pagan, a balance between day and night. Labor Day and the start of school signal the end of summer for most, but the summer weather hangs on a few weeks longer, even as the leaves begin to change color and the overnight temps start to drop.

Geese have begun to gather together in preparation for migration, flying overhead morning & evening;
bright red autumn meadowhawks have supplanted the blue & green dragonflies of summer;
but the tropical hibiscus continues to bloom beside the marigolds, and the peppers ripen.

Here at Faerie Gardens, we celebrated the changing seasons with a seasonal feast (if there's no feast, is it even a celebration?) and bonfire, sitting in the dark, talking and laughing until the sun had long since set. It was a wonderful welcome to fall.

Summer

noreply@blogger.com (BunnyKissd) — Sun, 24 Aug 2025 12:42:00 +0000

It's been a busy summer here at Faerie Gardens. The gardens are overflowing with growth -- flowers, fruit, and veggies -- all slowly ripening.

Tumbling Tomatoes

Tiny Sugar Baby Watermelon

Three Frogs

Even the "pond" is alive with frogs!

Gardening Season has Begun

noreply@blogger.com (BunnyKissd) — Sun, 01 Jun 2025 15:02:00 +0000

This has become a gardening blog now, hasn't it...?

It's been pretty cold and rainy most of this spring, but we have managed to get some of the gardening started.

First we got some free compost from the county's main transfer station. Good stuff! There are some sticks and little pieces of plastic, but those are very easily removed, and you can't beat that price!

We started by dumping a bunch in last year's vegetable bed, and on Memorial Day (May 26th), we directly sowed some flower seeds.

Then I dug a little hole to make the start of a more permanent water-feature. I planted the old pot in the soil and surrounded it with some gifted spiderwort, gladiolas, and irises. I have many more to be planted too!!!

I also planted an impulse-purchased clematis near the "pond" but it's not looking so good, and my love has dug a small new bed for us to transplant our tomatoes and pepper plant into. I am also hoping we can get some watermelon plants direct sown before the growing season gets too short!

Finally Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (BunnyKissd) — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 14:00:00 +0000

After months of waiting and days of watching, we finally have our first blooms of the year!

One singular purple crocus!

Two glorious white crocuses! (Even their stems!)

Ravens Calling

noreply@blogger.com (BunnyKissd) — Sat, 01 Feb 2025 19:22:00 +0000

I took my morning walk alone today, a little later than usual, and as I headed out I heard the ravens calling, croaking back & forth to each other. I stopped and took a little video of the trees creaking in the wind, hoping they'd call again while recording, but they didn't. So I walked to the end of the driveway and waited for a truck to pass.

@bunnykissd
Trees cracking in the cold, and crunchy deep snow... I saw a pair of ravens and the fisher!
♬ original sound - Diana Bukowski

As I waited, one raven flew overhead and in the opposite direction from the way I usually walk. After the truck passed, I decided to follow it. It looped in circles overhead, as I called good morning to it, and eventually landed in a tree not far along. I walked faster than usual, trying to keep up, and keep warm; the wind and cold were bitter!

As I approached, it continued to call to another raven, who made a brief appearance, before they both flew across the street over the woods, and perched in trees looking over the valley. I walked closer, hoping to get a better view of them, but instead saw a large dark shape in an evergreen not far from me. My first thought was that it was a great horned owl, but maybe just a strange branch. So I watched and walked a little closer to get a better view.

Then it turned on the branch, and I thought for just a split second it was a big black cat. (We have many stray/barn cats in the neighborhood.) But as it jumped to the ground, I realized it was not the right shape! Bigger, longer body, thicker longer tail... It was a fisher! It had jumped to where I could no longer see it, so I jogged home to tell my beloved!

When I looked at the photos I took of the raven flying away, I noticed that I could see the fisher in the tree!

Bonus Poems

noreply@blogger.com (BunnyKissd) — Sun, 15 Dec 2024 19:02:00 +0000

I was also amused by these two poems:

Duty of the Student
Edward Anthony

It is the duty of the student
Without exception to be prudent.
If smarter than his teacher, tact
Demands that he conceal the fact.

The art on this one just makes me laugh!

Herbert Glerbett

Jack Prelutsky

Herbert Glerbett, rather round

swallowed sherbet by the pound.

fifty pounds of lemon sherbet

went inside of Herbert Glerbett.

With that glop inside his lap

Herbert Glerbett took a nap,

and as he slept, the boy dissolved,

and from the mess a thing evolved --

a thing that is a ghastly green,

a thing the world had never seen,

a puddle thing, a gooey pile

of something strange that does not smile.

Now if you're wise, and if you're sly

you'll swiftly pass this creature by,

it is no longer Herbert Glerbett,

Whatever it is, do not disturb it.

Poetry

noreply@blogger.com (BunnyKissd) — Sun, 15 Dec 2024 18:01:00 +0000

I recently read the book "Poems to Learn by Heart" a collection by Caroline Kennedy and was really moved by this one:

Voices Rising

DreamYard Prep Slam Team

Jesica Blandon, Destiny Campbell, Miosoty Castillo, Denisse Cotto, and Chris Taylor

arranged by Renée Watson

They say,

"Life and Death are in the power of the tongue."

And if this is so,

Our words are oxygen.

Listen.

Let your ears breathe deeply. Take in our palabras.

What we're about to say will save you. Listen.

Do you hear that sound?

That is the sound of a million voices rising.

Our voices rise

For Oscar Grant.

For the Black Friday massacre.

For my abuelo y abuela.

For little girls and boys.

For my mother. My uncle.

For the aborted and abandoned.

We speak for the ones who have been silenced by fear.

By choice. By ignorance.

Shame. Death.

Listen.

Oscar Grant,

My voice rises for the fight you never put up.

Tell that burning steel, "You don't belong here beneath my flesh.

Leave. Go. Don't come back.

My skin is not a crime."

Is it just that some things can't be changed?

How many times can the red blood of black and brown men

be spilled on gray cement and be called an accident?

Listen.

My voice rises for the Black Friday massacre.

A modern day Guérnica.

Our voices rise for the tragedies that don't make the 5 o'clock news.

My voice rises for the children in third world countries.

No education. Little food.

Their struggles taken out of the newspaper

and replaced by articles reporting A-Rod's scandal with steroids.

By celebrity weight gains and break-ups.

Listen.

I know you have problems of your own,

But will you listen?

Will you be different from the thousands of others

who cast us aside because we are young?

Listen.

My voice rises for the girls trapped in four walls with men who think they're sexy.

My voice rises for the times when little girls aren't given the chance to speak for themselves.

Little girls, my voice rises over your screams

of broken innocence.

Like glass bits in the wind,

your screams pierce my lungs.

And I know these words aren't easy on the ears.

Medicine doesn't always taste good going down,

But I promise you --

I-PROMISE-YOU

If you hear this, you will get better.

You will get better once you listen to the sound of hope,

of change.

It's manifestation came in a man and a mantra, "Yes we can."

But hope was birthed through

Me and Me

and Us.

Poets have been pregnant with change for centuries.

We push out revolutions in prose and poems.

Planted word-seeds sowed a long time ago

are just now coming into harvest.

So listen.

This is for the future.

For tomorrow.

Our very breath is the ink that will write future history books.

Our vignettes collect voices of today so tomorrow can survive the future.

Listen.

Can you spare me your eardrum?

Keep your change.

I don't want your money.

Just your heart.

Just want your ears.

Just want you to listen.

Listen and speak.

Speak your story.

Tell someone else's.

And if you can't find enough words to plant,

Sow these.

Nurture these words

and bring them back to me in a million quotes

so I know you were listening.

Bring them back to me fully bloomed

and my voice will rise to Langston and tell him

those dreams deferred are paid in full.

Listen.

Can you hear us now?

Our voices are rising.

Listen.

Put away the distractions:

The iPods, the games.

The reality tv shows,

text messaging and cell phones.

Listen.

Can you hear us now?

Our voices are rising.

Can you hear us now El Barrio?

Can you hear us now New York City?

Or has Sprint dropped this poem?

This one also moved me:

Liberty

Janet S. Wong

I pledge acceptance

of the views,

so different,

that make us America

To listen, to look,

to think, and to learn

One people

sharing the earth

responsible

for liberty

and justice

for all.

Fall Garden

noreply@blogger.com (BunnyKissd) — Sun, 27 Oct 2024 17:34:00 +0000

October 24, 2024

It's time to clean up the garden and put the pond to bed. There are a few warmer days coming up this week, and I want to get the pond drained while we have those warmer temps. That way the froggos will have time to find a better place to hunker down for the winter. Every year there have been frogs hanging out in the bottom of the pond when I emptied it; I can't assume this year will be different. And the pond will freeze solid over the winter, I have no doubt about that.

Also the tomatoes and most of the flowers are done. Ok, we did get some new blossoms on the tomatoes, and the nasturtiums are still blooming, but the growing season is over.

The Black Beauty tomatoes were beautiful, but not as tasty as the Rose de Berne, but I think I'll try a completely different variety next year. Now that I've had some success.

Beets were not a success and I do not know why. Same as last year's lettuce. Maybe I'm a little too haphazard when sowing them?

The pawpaw seedlings are growing well. I hope to keep them well protected this winter and plant them in the ground late next summer.

Time to start thinking about what to grow next year! Beans of some type, I think. Maybe a fast growing watermelon and some kind of squash or pumpkin. MAYBE some corn...??? No I don't think I am ready for that. For sure, I want to map out some gardens and wild areas and plan for more "taming" of the woods.

Beets

noreply@blogger.com (BunnyKissd) — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 20:01:00 +0000

When we went and purchased our tomato plants this spring, we also purchased some beet seeds.

April 27, 2024. Tomatoes and beets purchased.

We planted about half the seeds when planting the tomatoes, but we didn't really get any thing. A few leaves, but no beets, and not enough greens to even add to a salad. I never even took pics of them.

August 31, 2024. No beets yet!

On August 25th, after most of the heat had settled down for the season, we tried again, planting them in the pool garden. They should have germinated by September 11th.

September 12, 2024. Still no beets.

We didn't see them by then, but it had turned a little colder than anticipated, so we were patient.

September 22, 2024. Still nothing.

Another ten days and still nothing.

September 27, 2024. I think the garden is done.

How long does one have to have patience? I think I'm not getting any beets. :(

Finally!

noreply@blogger.com (BunnyKissd) — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 14:49:00 +0000

After waiting and watching for what felt like forever, our tomatoes are finally ripening and ready for picking!

On the left, Black Beauty; on the right, Rose de Berne.

Although I tried, they didn't get consistent watering, thanks to several major rain storms, some of which lasted for days. Even with the cracking, there was no spoiling and still plenty of fruit!

Cracking can happen when the plant is heavily watered, particularly after a drought.

Although I just love the color of the black beauty tomatoes, the flavor of the Rose de Berne is so good!

Tomato sandwich for dinner!

Messages from the Universe

noreply@blogger.com (BunnyKissd) — Sun, 04 Aug 2024 12:47:00 +0000

I've been trying to learn this lesson for many years, but I guess now is the time that the Universe *really* wants me to remember it.

First, my calendar page for August had this quote on it:

Instead of laying down a list of expectation for what your life should be, you can participate in the ongoing discovery of what your life was meant to be. ~ Thomas Kinkade

Then, a friend on Facebook shared the following image with her thoughts:

This shift in thinking helped me ... shift how I approach my work.

It shifted me away from goals and towards trajectory and curation. Curation is gentle. It shifts with circumstances and allows one to continue with the work regardless of how people treat you, regardless of circumstance.

Curating with loving intention. That doesn’t mean always gentle. It does mean finding a way back to love over and over. It does mean focusing on what I can create rather than what others are or are not doing.

Sometimes love looks like defending the vulnerable, standing up for the oppressed, and speaking truth when it isn’t comfortable.

And today, reading emails from the last two weeks, I find this pdf coloring page from Amy at the Coloring Book of Shadows, a 3-card, reflection tarot reading for Lughnasadh:

Sacrifice: What haven't I received that is a blessing in disguise?
Patience: What is worth waiting for?
Gratitude: How can I find peace in what I already have?

via GIPHY

Is the Universe sending any messages your way?

Have you met my friends?

noreply@blogger.com (BunnyKissd) — Mon, 08 Jul 2024 23:04:00 +0000

Just look at these lovely creatures.

I love them so much.

Planter Painted

noreply@blogger.com (BunnyKissd) — Sun, 09 Jun 2024 22:05:00 +0000

Last spring, I decided to paint my planter box. So I took a lot of measurements and did a lot of math to figure out how much paint I'd need of the colors I wanted. Then I had a hard time finding the right exterior paints in the right sized containers in the right colors. And all of a sudden it was winter! So the project was paused.

This spring, when the weather warmed up a little, I went to Walmart, picked out some cheap craft paints in the colors I wanted, and just started slapping paint on! I thinned it out so it would be more like a stain than an actual layer of paint, and I love how it looks!

The spring flowers in the box are pretty much done for the season, but I don't want to cut them down until they've dispersed their seeds, since I thinned them so much last year. However, I've planted some summer flowers amongst them, which will hopefully, before too long, fill everything out nicely. The frogs have even found the pond already!

My next project is getting the garden along the house all mulched and easier to tell from the lawn.

Happy Mother's Day

noreply@blogger.com (BunnyKissd) — Mon, 13 May 2024 00:14:00 +0000

Mommy & Me, August 19, 2023

This is the woman who raised me. She did her best. I love her to the moon and back. ♥♥♥

Hoppy Easter!

noreply@blogger.com (BunnyKissd) — Sun, 31 Mar 2024 20:46:00 +0000

If you're in the mood for some bunny-themed art, check out my RedBubble shop!

A Year of Morning Walks

noreply@blogger.com (BunnyKissd) — Sun, 17 Mar 2024 16:07:00 +0000

Last year on March 19th I took my first daily morning walk. It went something like this:

Sunday, March 19, 2023, 7:52 AM

It wasn't the first morning walk I had taken, but I am surprised that it wasn't the last. Every day we've walked, I've stopped at the end of the driveway to take a photo, or several, to post on Instagram & Facebook. (Originally I was posting them weekly here, but after the photo-inserter tool stopped connecting to my Google Photos, I moved to IG, cross posting from there to FB.)

Wednesday, August 9, 2023, 6:39 AM | Photo credit to Jacqueline

We didn't walk every day: if it was raining too hard, we wouldn't go. It's one thing to get cold -- we can handle the cold for the short time it takes to do our walk -- but it's entirely different thing to get cold and soaked through. That kind of cold sticks for the whole day.

Tuesday, December 19, 2023, 6:44 AM

The hardest days to go were when it was DARK and cold. Sure it got dark in the fall before Daylight Savings Time ended but it wasn't too cold yet, so not too hard, but the days in December and January, when the clouds blocked any light, when the temps were below freezing.... Those were the days I didn't want to leave my cozy bed and wander about outside. It almost seemed pointless.

Tuesday, December 26, 2023, 7:44 AM

But the dark mornings made these gloriously light & color-filled morning all the better. And the benefits to my mental & physical health are worth it. The purpose of taking the walks when first waking up is to get those photons into my eyeballs, to signal to my circadian clock that about 16 hours from now, I need to get sleepy and go to bed. And it has done that. It's also been a mood booster. I might not like getting up and going to work, but taking just these few minutes before jumping into the hustle & bustle of all that really seems to make a difference.

So I plan to continue these daily walks when I first wake up, but after Tuesday, I won't be posting them every single day anymore.

Rum Raisin Rice Pudding on Peach Halves

noreply@blogger.com (BunnyKissd) — Sun, 03 Mar 2024 23:19:00 +0000

When I was little and went to my grandparents' house for dinner, we always had a little dessert afterwards, ice cream, cookies, Jell-O, or a pudding, kind of like this one, rice or tapioca with a canned peach half on the bottom. I don't know how she made hers, but I looked through several recipes and picked out bits & pieces I liked to come up with something that would use only what we had on hand and would still feel like a fancy treat.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of milk
2 tablespoons of uncooked rice
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
canned peach halves (2 halves)
1 tablespoon raisins
1 tablespoon spiced rum
cinnamon

Instructions

In a saucepan, bring milk to a boil.
Add rice and stir well.
Cook covered with lid cracked for 40 minutes - 1 hour over low heat, stirring every 15 minutes or so.
While the rice is cooking, soak your raisins in the rum.
When the rice has cooked for at least 40 minutes, add the raisins & rum to the rice and cook for 5-10 minutes more.
Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and vanilla.
Let sit for 10 minutes to allow sugar to dissolve and flavors to blend.
Put the peach halves on the bottom of a bowl or dessert dish.
Spoon the pudding into dishes and sprinkle with a touch of cinnamon.

The finished puddings!

I divided them into the very same leaded crystal glasses my grandmother used to use and set them in the fridge to chill. After dinner last night, I had one. SO GOOD. And so nostalgic! But with an upgrade! Tonight I beat a little heavy cream into a topping and had the second dish. (My family doesn't like the texture, so it was all mine!)

Topped with homemade whipped cream!

Let me know if you had rice pudding on peach halves growing up and if you still make it!

Fall Out Boy Fanart

noreply@blogger.com (BunnyKissd) — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 17:37:00 +0000

Last month I started playing around with some small-sized watercolor paper that I was given in a Sketchbox the year before and made these Fall Out Boy icon images.

I realized this morning that I never posted the finished paintings anywhere!

I tried to have it uploaded to my RedBubble, but it's been taken down already. :'(

Sadly photos and prints don't do the Opera Pink or shimmery inks any kind of justice. I still love them all though.