Greetings and salutations, everyone; yes, once again it is I, your popular (and modest) host, Mani the purebred border collie, here today to fill you in on all the fascinating things that have been going on here. You may remember me from such posts as “Next To Nothing”, among so many, many others.
Here I am in a characteristic pose.
You can see how furiously busy I am.
In fact, hardly anything has been going on here, except a lot of weed-pulling, and even more smooth-brome digging. The guy I live with seriously detests this stuff. But you can see some progress has been made in the “way back”.
The buffalo grass lawn does look fairly awful right now, but when the cool-season grasses that aren’t supposed to be there anyway go dormant in the summer things will look better.
The blue lyme grass that was where the trash can is was moved across the lawn to its place by the owl posts. Some of the smooth brome that had invaded the blue lyme was removed. The grass might not stay there if it keeps getting swamped by the smooth brome; that makes a terrible and unsightly mess.
It rained day before yesterday. In the evening. About a third of an inch. The guy I live with had to get out the ladder and clean pine needles out of the gutter before it started to rain. It’s been a very dry May.
The shade garden is still green, though when the colchicum foliage turns brown the whole area will look a lot less green. The snowdrops, on the left, are already dying down for the summer.
And the dragon arum, Dracunculus vulgaris, is still growing. That’s a Solomon’s seal, behind it, that came from his mom’s garden. She got it from her best friend who passed away years ago. 
None of the plants he ordered have been planted yet. They probably should have been three days ago, to enjoy the rain. But they weren’t.
The guy I live with still hasn’t gone anywhere. He said maybe when they life the “Safer at Home” advisory he’ll go up and see his friend, because he really misses her.
And he misses being able to go out to lunch, all that stuff.
He’s having groceries delivered and totally freaks out washing everything, though he was sort of that way before. Not a germophobe, really, but someone who washes his hands a lot.
The LPs have begun to arrive. A total of four. There might not be that many more. You never know.
This was the first one. His wife had it when they first met, and it so strongly reminds him of that time he was afraid he couldn’t listen to it, but here it is anyway.
He ordered some headphones, but they have an adapter to use with this laptop and with the phone, so that’s about all that’s happened.
Really not much of a post. I went on my walk this evening, and a truck backfired or something on the highway. I got scared, but the guy I live with said for me not to spoil my walk, and he betterized everything by taking me into the sea of smooth brome (some of which has been mowed) so I could look for voles and stuff.
And even explore along the creek bed. There’s a whole lot of sand in there, and interesting little holes, or I guess you might say caves.
Until next time, then.
the miserable gardener 
Why does the guy you live with need to go anywhere while you are there?
Well, to see his friend, for one very important thing.
To take you out on a trip?
I haven’t been in a while. There have been all kinds of interruptions. I did get to go to Guanella Pass and maybe one day we’ll get to do that again.
Like the picture with Mani at the window checking things out.
Notice lots of ivy like I have here in Oregon.
Thanks. The guy I live with says the ivy has gotten out of control, like so many other things.
Mew mew mew Mani you restin yore chin on THE window ledge iss THE sweetest foto…LadyMew iss ‘ohinn an ahinn’ over yore foto as mee typess!!
That Brome stuff soundss purrty inntense! LadyMew an mee think yore yard an garden are lovelee butt wee not know a Grass from A Brome…..mew mew mew…..
A few reesritctionss have been sorta lifted here as of tomorrow butt LadyMew iss still stayin at home….wee MITE go fore mee to get a Mani/Pedi Fursday….wee see…..
That LP cover iss furry kewl…wee hope yore ‘guy’ will get sum more Lp’ss an build hiss collection again…..
Mee sorry you gotted spooked. Mee did last nite too! Sumone was shootin fire crackurss an mee ‘booked it under THE bed!’…..
Enjoy yore walk mee frend…..
**purrss** BellaDharma
Thanks. You can see all the smooth brome in the field. Seed was sowed there to prevent erosion. The field does flood from time to time.
The guy I live with doesn’t feel like going much of anywhere though he does miss his friend. They talk on the phone a lot.
She has a cat.
There are four LPs here now. A couple that he used to have but gave away cost a whole lot of money to replace. So I guess they won’t be.
Iss funny how many men like women who have Catss while THE men have Dogss…..wee shuud do a study ’bout this Mani!!!
Sum reestrictionss got lifted here butt LadyMew iss NOT goin anywhere. Shee does not want to be out when Virus spikess again! (Shee iss sure it will come to a 2nd wave….)
Those 4 LP’ss sound furry speshell to yore “Guy”….mee hopess hee will enjoy them…..
**purrss** BellaDharma
The guy I live with’s friend had a cat when they met, but she passed away. Very old cat. The guy I live with told his friend maybe she should get another cat, and I think her son found one for her, and there’s more happiness now.
I’m not sure if there will be much going out here. There are so many awful things being discovered about the virus.
The headphones came in the mail today but he still hasn’t ordered a phono preamplifier and headphone amplifier. Those will be next.
Then maybe some hi-fi equipment, again, for downstairs. Maybe not. Who knows.
Mani, I showed my dog your windowsill set up and he said he’d like for me to arrange for something similar facing our back garden. We have sliding glass doors but he has to hold his own head up. We feels very cheated indeed.
The guy I live with said he hadn’t seen me do that before. It’s probably that he wasn’t paying any attention.
That sill, or whatever you call it, has been worn down by border collie toenails for over thirty years. The guy I live with keeps saying he’ll paint it again, but I think you know how that goes.
There’s nothing like a low window is there Mani, for a dog’s viewing pleasure and ease? We have safety glass now because one time the girls had a fairly serious disagreement in front of the window and they went through it. I am very relieved there were no serious injuries. I can’t say the same for the paint on the window ledges which has been removed in many spots. They are always vigorously on the job. As are you, right Mani? You look very vigorous in the picture. That smooth brome in the field looks very, well, smooth and nice to walk upon. I’m surprised you have ivy because it’s so dry and harsh there. But then I remember the yards in California just covered with the stuff. I like that album cover. It could go on the wall….
I agree. The pain is all gone from the sill. The windows are super-cheap aluminum double-paned pieces of, well, you get the idea.
You can’t see the bullet hole in one. (The guy I live with said it was a pellet gun, not a bullet hole, but that that sounded more wild-west-y.)
I really like to bark like crazy when anyone comes up the walk so the guy I live with has put some cardboard boxes with friendly instructions on them right in front of the garage door. I’ve scared a couple of delivery people.
The smooth brome that’s mowed is pretty stuff, actually. There’s more ivy elsewhere in the garden and it takes it pretty dry. It was one of those things he thought he wanted…
This tune https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLObKntdYcU makes him think of his wife the first couple of weeks after they met, and it makes him cry, a lot.
That tune is very beautiful. Thank you for sharing the link.
You’re welcome. It is very nice, isn’t it?
The guy I live with said he might share links for the other albums, too.
That is wonderful music. I tried to add some to my Pandora stations but I’ll have to search a little harder because I got a lot of singing which I don’t want. I want something more like the Peruvian flute music….Thank you!
You’re welcome. There is singing with some of the groups. A lot of the recordings are out of print now. Paul Simon made Urumbamba fashionable; you know, El Condor Pasa.
Try this group, maybe a lot of stuff available. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iMrKlVvkDI
Or this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2UlnSgsmvk “Playing sikus” (the “Pan flutes”).
Guamary is also good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qilmH7w8Q8
All the tracks linked to are from that album, long out of print.
The guy I live with says this music is so strangely evocative, of something.
My not-pure-bred Border collie, Boo, would hate to have a low window like that! He’d see all sorts of things he’d rather not. Children walking to school. The mail truck in person, not just the sound. An ant on the glass. He is a nervous wreck in our own backyard! I say the guy you live with is very wise to still be staying in. I haven’t been out of the house (includes garden) or car in pretty much two months I go for car rides, like a dog! Fortunately, I have a son who lives with me who shops. He does buy strange brands though. He bought Boo tiny dog biscuits!
It’s quite possible that the lowness of the sill allows me to see things I possibly shouldn’t, because I get very agitated. I start barking and the guy I live with yells at me because it’s so startling.
I think there’s some echo of how the purebred border collies who lived here before me behaved. Chess was particularly vicious and deadly when people walked up the front walk. The mail carrier, UPS and FedEx people were all terrified of him. Slipper too.
We occasionally get weird things when we get deliveries. The flour tortillas were the tiny street taco type. The guy I live with loves food like that but then decided not to do any more cooking for a while.
(We are very lucky to live close to quite a few restaurants that deliver.)
Meow meow LadyMew was not going to ‘dopt after ‘angel’ Unkell Siddhartha Henry went to Purr Land. Butt LadyMew had purromised him shee wuud go an get mee from Sheltur where mee lived alone inn a room with a raydio….
Maybee that iss why mee not like musick alot?? Anyway LadyMew sayss shee does not reegret ‘doptin mee at all….
Mee hopess yore ‘Guy’ …getss all his musick itemss so hee can enjoy his musick again.
Sum thingss have opened up here butt wee all think it iss too soon…let us hope wee nto have seckond wave rite Mani?
The guy I live with said when he knew Chess was going, he wasn’t sure what he was going to do. He was the last living link to Cindy. After Chess died, the guy I live with had two days of “freedom”, where he could like leave the front door completely open (the front door is always open here but the screen door is locked), but then he couldn’t stand it any more and just happened to find an ad for puppies on the internet. Then he lost it because he didn’t know how to raise a puppy. But he got me, as maybe you can tell.
He’s pretty uneasy about going out these days. I suppose he’ll just have to get over it eventually.
Mew mew mw Hu’manss are furry compleecated aren’t they Mani??? LadyMew cuud not deel wtih a kitten anymore so iss a guud thing mee was 6 1/2 yeerss when shee came fore mee….
LadyMew sayss to tell yore ‘guy’ shee iss nervuss too…shee DID go out with Aunty Melinda fore a walk to corner storess an efurryone keeped their diss-tance.
Shee iss goin with Aunty Sheila to do bankin an grocereess an Pet Valu Wednesday…mask, glovess an a purrayer!!!
**purrss** BellaDharma
Yes, humans can be weird. (The guy I live with says, “Oh, totally unlike purebred border collies.”)
There are a lot of issues going on with mask-wearing, the purpose of which is to protect other people, not the one wearing the mask. So he’s a little hesitant about going out and encountering people who aren’t wearing masks.
Though he does miss his friend….
Mew mew or Oriental Shorthair kittiess Mani!!! LadyMew sayss mee iss a bit weered. Me iss a bit eggcentrick 😉
An yore ‘Guy’ iss rite ’bout maskss. LadyMew wearss herss when goin to Bank an Groceree storess. Shee iss wurried ’bout gettin THE Virus so shee iss carefull. An shee sayss she getss nerrvuss when unmasked peepell get close to her!!! Shee sayss shee wantss to run away from them….not beecause they are bad peepell; just beecause they are NOT wearin a mask!
LadyMew missess Aunty Mary-Ellen. Iss over 3 monthss since they went shoppin or out fore coffee together….not quite THE same as yore ‘Guy’ an his lady frend butt simmylar mee thinkss….
It’s probably similar; missing someone you like being around.
People not wearing masks is how the virus spreads, but especially in enclosed places like rooms. The guy I live with met one guy who wasn’t wearing a mask when he got close and said he was “certain” he didn’t have the virus. E.S.P. maybe, lol.
Not a very good day today, here. It’s the tenth anniversary of Slipper’s passing and the guy I live with said we already did a post last year and anyway he wasn’t feeling very well because of the smell coming from next door.
The orioles are back, though.
Yeah mee thinkss our Hu’manss missin their frendss iss purrty simmylar. LadyMew told mee shee wuud bee so lonlee without mee bein here. Mee felt guud!
Youss’ have Orioless?? Furry kewl Mani. An wee has a bad smell inn buildin: Skunk Weed butt at front of buildin; not inn our place….it iss SO-O gross! Mee hopess yore Guy feelss bettur soon.
Mee iss sorry ’bout Slippurr an mee *bowss mee head* inn memoree of him.
***purrss*** BellaDharma
Thanks. Slipper died here, on the back patio, with Chess at his side, so at least they had that.
We are supposed to make our humans feel loved and happy, because we get that back, from them.
It’s been raining here all day long. Really and truly.
Mee-yow Mani that was furry sad ’bout Slippurr….an Chess was there too?? Yore Guy must have bin so furry sad….
Mee thinkss wee both take grate care of our Hu’manss….
Sorry ’bout THE rain. Did you stay inn yore ‘fprt’ alot??
**purrss** BellaDharma
Chess was right there on the back patio. Slipper was really sick. The guy I live with was grateful, though, that Slipper went at home.
I did stay in my fort, thinking it would thunder, because it almost always does, but didn’t yesterday.
Poor Slippurr an Chess an yore Guy…it must have been so furry sad fore efurryone. Iss bettur to pass on to Purr Land at home….
An iss bettur to bee safe than sorry an freeked out bye Thunder Mani! 😉
Better at home, for sure.
Thunder is scary but so far, knock on wood, there’s been only one day of it so far. Some summers it can be every day, and all day long. Pretty tiresome. And scary.