Colors and insects that mark the end of Spring

It's June - I got bit by my first horsefly today, and Mara too. Now it will be dodgy everytime I go outside, trying to not get bitten. As always it got me in the back of my arm - they're smart hunters, they go for where they know you can't see them. This one got greedy and cut me too hard and I noticed him before he got too much of me. If they're careful, they get a good long meal before you notice. This must be a skill they learn over the Summer, and it's day one of horsefly season today.

At the end of May I got some pics of our yard - even my husband was in awe of the colors. I may have exceeded our flower budget this year due to my parents' visit.



Our little pond by the street. I've started to toss coins in it, hoping this will catch on and we'll become wealthy.



The island we made last year - with the Penus tree and Rhodie from J's mom on the right. Yes, it's pronounced Penus (Latin: Pinis somethingorother) - when she was discussing the tree with the seller last year on my birthday, everytime they said Penus I felt like snickering, because they did it with such nonchalance. Right, the word for the anatomical part is pronounced differently in German.



When we wanted to build the barn there, we tried to move the purple Rhodie, because it was magnificent. We failed. Today it has recovered and is draping over our barn. I hope it completely envelops it someday - I love it!




One of my cat's catnip plants. Gotta have catnip!



Need more lilacs.



No idea what this is, except it's a ground cover of some sort that has to be intensely cut back every year.



These are dark purple, almost black IRL. *shrug*



I call these my "circus tent" Petunias. A few days ago I came out to find every single flower eaten by slugs. I put more bait out, and now a few blossoms are returning. Geez, if you only knew the amount of poison I put on our property.....



J's mom was kind enough to just give me this alu hanging basket when I saw it at her house. I LOVE hanging baskets that are not the typical plastic coat hanger type - you know? The kind at all the flower shops? I like original, unique hanging baskets. J's mom always gives me the best gifts.





I know you can't see the viola in the white planter very well, but I've learned how to keep pansies/viola blooming from April through August. I'm very proud of myself. There's a lot of slug bait involved: )



Corn flowers, I think. I cannot have enough blue flowers.



This is my "jungle plant" - I have no idea what it is, the leaves are massive. I hope it spreads and spreads.



Two days ago we hit 90 degrees F and I was desperate for a way to cool down. Since we've been here, 6 years, we've never attempted to set up the pool that came with the house. The only place we have that has 4 meters of flat land is our driveway, and when J suggested it I said, "Brilliant! We won't have to kill our lawn, even if it were flat." Now that it's set up, we see it has 3 small leaks but there is so much water in there, the water level hasn't decreased noticeably in 2 days. When it finally does, I'll patch it with my pond patch kit and hope for the best. So far we haven't even been in it, because it cooled down immediately after we set it up: (  I keep the ladder there and a floating thingy for animals to use so they won't drown. I had this horrible thought that we'd find our cat in there dead. The horse was very, very concerned about the pool, but walked by it calmly today.



This is my newest recipe - asparagus arugula pasta salad (light on the pasta, as you can see). Parmesan flakes and pine nuts, mostly lemon juice and garlic for flavor. I've made it twice now and eaten it until I was almost ill, and then ate some more. I love asparagus season! (We only can get asparagus in May and June in Germany.)



And this is a true rarity - I've never in 8 years bought a vegetable that says: Ursprung - USA. Yay, American sweet potatoes! What a long journey you made! I wonder why?




May is the season of the May Beetle. The horrible, horrible creature that is about 2 inches long. It was at my head level as I walked out of my front door, and I fruck out. Every Single May.



They are supposed to be good luck, and the song Ladybird Ladybird was originally based on this insect, with similar themes - children dying in a fire, parents dying in a fire, or a war. (Did I already blog this? I'm having deja vu.)



Parting shot of my mom with her trophy, our dinner - two tiny trout from our ponds. Our fish guys wouldn't give us a big one for some reason, and I've never eaten such small trout here. Joel cleaned them for us and was going to filet them but our knives are too dull. Oh well, they tasted fine! Joel called my mom Tom Sawyer as she walked down our street with the fish over her shoulder.

Spring is over, the brutal Summer begins. I'm ready - I have my AC unit in my house, and a leaky pool. Any day now the donkey should lose her Winter coat. Right?