Monday, June 7, 2010

A reminder of how dependent we have become on modern technology. Sunday a squall roared thru the area driven by wind gusts of almost 60 mph. The power went out and stayed out all afternoon. No water, no lights or electricity, couldn’t read, couldn’t watch TV, couldn’t even clean house. About 8 pm , when the ComEd truck finally drove up and a little Howie Mandel-looking guy jumped out, I almost ran out and hugged him.


This morning a reminder of a different kind. This time it involved my border collie who had a close encounter with the call of the wild. I let her outdoors at 5 am and as usual, she made her rounds investigating the scents of animals passing thru her yard over night. About ten minutes later I heard her bark. I walked outside expecting to see some raccoon in a huff waddle across the lawn, instead a coyote jumped out from under a spruce and made a run at Aggie. I jumped off the porch and poof, the coyote disappeared like smoke. Aggie wasn’t upset, nor was she injured but I was upset and still am. This is the first time in 21 years a coyote has ever threatened one of my pets. I know they do attack pets in other areas but seldom do they attack female dogs or dogs as large as a border collie.


Note from Blogger: Monday, June 07, 2010

We're aware of isolated access issues in certain regions within the US. We're investigating this now and will follow-up as soon as we have more information to share. Thanks for your patience in the meantime.


Apparently I am in ‘certain regions within the US ’ because I couldn't post a comment on any blogs nor publish my own blog on today. My week is not off to a good start! Hope the entire week won’t be like this:)




Today’s photos are of oriental poppy, Allegro. I haven’t had an oriental poppy for years but have been admiring the ones I see on blogs. I found Allegro, red with a black center, locally last June and decided to add it to my garden.




This spring the foliage put an a pretty amazing growth spurt and suddenly I have super-poppy eating up a three foot by three foot hunk of garden real estate. The second shock comes when Allegro blooms in bright orange instead of red. Orange isn’t my favorite color, not even close.




32 comments:

Phillip Oliver said...

I hope things get better soon. We've been having phone problems off and on for weeks now. They finally told us that we need to get new phones. At least the Internet is okay!

Gardener on Sherlock Street said...

I was out of blogger last night and early this morning too. :-p
Your poppies are stunning. I like the glow of the sunlight you caught in your photo.

Louise said...

Snork! I just gave away a honeysuckle I bought a couple of weeks ago because I decided I just couldn't live with the ORANGE color. Your photos are beautiful, as usual. I don't know much about poppies, but I hope, for your sake, that they have a short blooming period.

Gail said...

Marnie, I am so sorry that the coyote was aggressive toward your dog~That is rare...Glad all ended well. and the poppy shots are wonderful! gail

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

I was also in a "certain region" -- the comments did show up eventually, but sometimes I kept trying and now I look all OCD, lol! Glad Aggie wasn't hurt. We were lucky not to lose power in all the storms we had. Normally my street loses power when everyone else still has it! I remember some things, like can't be on computer or watch TV, but I still try to turn on lights, DUH!

Southern Lady said...

We hear coyotes a lot in our area at night. Our animals have never been attacked, but some of our neighbor's have. They can be pretty brutal to a small pet. Hopefully that one was scared away for good. Carla

Pat said...

OMG coyotes !
I'd be freaking out.
Hope they stay away.
Thanks for the blogger update and your poppies are wonderful !

Anonymous said...

That would of freaked me out Marnie! I just have to deal with squirrels, birds and the occasional bunny. Nothing that scary. Love that poppy, orange is one of my favorite colors in summer. It really pops on sunny days and looks great with purple. :)

100 Thoughts of Love said...

i am not an orange loving person...except in the garden...I can't get enough of the orange, blue, and white combo! these are gorgeous!

Lisa at Greenbow said...

What a scare having a coyote charge your dog. Hopefully with your help the coyote won't be back. Your poppies are beautiful. There is something wrong with mine. I will have to post a picture to see if anyone can tell me what is attacking my poppy.

Susie said...

Oh girl those poppies are gorgeous!

I would have been scared too if a coyote had jumped out at my dog. I'm glad your dog wasn't hurt.

Dee @ Red Dirt Ramblings said...

Marnie, I think your poppy is pretty but I understand how you feel when something you don't enjoy takes up a lot of real estate in your garden. Happened to me many times.

I'm so glad your sweet Border Collie wasn't harmed. From the BC's I know, she might have given that coyote more than he bargained for. Was winter especially hard where you live? Maybe it was a she-coyote and had pups?

Odd.~~Dee

BeadedTail said...

How scary about the coyote going after Aggie! I'm so glad you scared it off and hopefully it doesn't come back either. I do hope the rest of your week goes well!

Rose said...

I'm not a big fan of orange either, but 'Allegro' is a beauty! I planted some poppy seeds this spring, but I'm afraid way too late so I'll be surprised to see any bloom. Of course, they were the annuals, so they won't be as big and beautiful as 'Allegro' if they do show up.

I am in one of those "certain regions," too, because I tried to write a post early this afternoon and couldn't. But I could post comments, even though I kept getting an error message. Frustrating.

I'm so glad Aggie is safe! I can hear coyotes howling at night here, too, and I worry what Sophie might do if confronted with one.

troutbirder said...

Love those poppies. So vivid. Coyotes not so much. That's pretty brazen although I've seen some coyotes as big as sixty pounds.

tina said...

That is a scary thing to have a coyote come after your pet. So glad no one was hurt. Hang tough, Monday is gone now it only goes up from here.

Sherri said...

Wow that would have scared me to see a coyote go after my dog! When we lived in rural northwestern NJ we had coyotes and I was always afraid our sheep would get killed by them but they never attacked them. Sorry about the poppies Marnie-orange isn't my favorite color either! Hope you week gets better!

Darla said...

Oh my gosh! Coyotes will attack humans as well. We had one growl at a neighbor last year, do be careful...Orange may not be your favorite color, but that poppy is gorgeous! Sorry about the power outage..

Dawn said...

Oh my! I think a good spot for the ole' rifle would be next to the door! How frightening!
I love those poppies, they seem to bloom looking like tissue paper flowers.

ShySongbird said...

So glad Aggie is unscathed, Marnie, what a blessing you went to investigate!

Glad also that you got your power back, the upside though was that it was a very good excuse for not cleaning the house :)

I have two Oriental Poppies, one looks very like yours but I can't remember the name of mine. I rather like the bright cheerful colour but I agree, it does take up an awful lot of room! Lovely photos of yours though.

I have been having similar trouble with blogger on and off for weeks now but have found no mention of anyone else having similar trouble here, it can be a real pain!

joey said...

Wow, a lot going on over here, Marnie, while I was away! I'm not a huge fan of coyotes ... reports here too of aggression so happy all is OK. I adore your orange poppy (I have pink) ... try calming it down with Siberian Iris, a lovely companion that blooms at the same time. OPs do take up a lot of room and are not too handsome after they bloom. I overplant with daylilies that hide the ratty foliage.

JC said...

So glad your dog is ok. We hear coyotes but I haven't seen one in my yard ... yet.

I used to have poppies in my old yard. This yard is surrounded by woods and well I don't have a lot of room for beauties such as they are.

Kathleen said...

I hope the week improves Marnie. Whenever we lose power, or water, or any service, it reminds me how dependent we are on these things. Not sure I could have lived 100 years ago??
About the coyote, that has been happening in Colorado neighborhoods for quite some time now. In fact, some cities are having to develop laws about how to deal with them. They've definitely taken a number of pets but usually smaller ones. I go outside with my dog (Lhasa Apso) at night now (probably should during the day too) because I hear them howling in the field behind my house then. I hope your dog stays safe.
The poppy is beautiful. I usually save back some annuals to plant where the foliage dies back because, like you said, it takes up such a big area.
ps I wish you lived closer too ~ I'd love a truckload of Siberian Iris!! (and another gardening buddy!)

Beth said...

How scary with your dog! We sometimes get eagles that fly around and I remember when our little Schnauzer was a puppy, one eagle was flying near our backyard .... seems like we have to be on the lookout for natural predators ...

Morning Glories in Round Rock said...

I do hope the rest of the week is going better for you, Marnie. Your Oriental Poppies are gorgeous--but then, I don't mind big splotches of orange in the garden. ;-) My mother had them along the back fence row when I was growing up. I remember just how big they were. They do make a statement.

I am so glad that Aggie didn't tangle with the coyote. My daughter has them at her place south of Austin. They can't keep cats or dogs outside. I think as the rural areas keep getting squeezed down, we will see them more.

Cheryl said...

Marnie....that is definately not a good way to start the week.

I am so glad you were able to stop the coyote in it's tracks and your dog was safe from harm. I understand you being alarmed.....our pets are also our family.....

When I moved to the farmhouse the garden was full of orange oriental poppies. Like you it is not one of my favourite colours. I have removed most of them, apart from a group in the island bed. After eight years I am getting used to them, and adding more orange blooms to the garden, calendula, african marigolds etc. Perhaps they may grow on you??? With time.......

Manuela@A Cultivated Nest said...

Scary encounter with the coyote! We supposedly have them in our neighborhood although I've never seen one. A few years ago a lot of outside cats went missing and everyone said it was the coyotes. So glad your dog is ok!

Beautiful poppy photos!

Manuela

oldcrow61 said...

I can relate to how dependent we are on the power and water, etc. We become so complacent about it all that when we lose it, it's a bit of a shock, lol. We have coyotes around here as well but they haven't caused a great problem as yet. Glad your dog wasn't hurt. I have those same oriental poppies. They are glorious when in bloom. A wonderful shock of colour.

D said...

Marnie, thank goodness Aggie is fine. I am amazed at the wildlife we are experiencing here: last year one of our neighbor's cats was attacked by a cougar; another neighbor's cat is gone to who knows what; last month there was a bear and her two cubs roaming around; and last week my husband had a coyote cross in front of him which driving up to our house.... and we live only 2 miles outside the city limit.

I hope the rest of your week goes well and that you enjoy the upcoming weekend.

F Cameron said...

Glad your dog is okay. There are now coyotes in our area, too. I've not seen one here.

Lovely poppies! Exquisite photos!


PS I have been having so many problem with Blogger--photos, posting my blog, leaving comments on other blogs. Free...you what you pay for?

Anonymous said...

Marnie~~ Wow. That is just scary. Had you waited just a few more seconds... I shiver at the thought.

The battery on my laptop lasts for about twenty minutes so a power outage for me is a similar annoyance. Not only that but my pond pumps go out and my beloved water trickle is muted. Forget the fact that my food might rot in a tepid refrigerator. My pond pump is out. Yes I've got odd priorities. :)

Nice of Howie to take time from his busy Hollywood-hoopla and fix the problem. :)

You know, my blog got very few hits on the post before the current one. I wondered if all my buddies were on vacation or just didn't like me anymore. :)

I've had very few problems with Blogger but they are bound to happen. I hope Cameron won't give up.

Judy said...

I love that last shot, with the sunlight coming through the petals!!!
On another note - re coyotes, sort of. During the winter, a teenager took her dog for a walk, and he was caught in a leghold trap, set illegally. She went to try and help him, and her hand was caught in another. It took her a couple hours to drag the log home, nearly a mile. Then she couldn't maneuovre the log so she could get to the phone. her father came home from work about then. Still scares me to think of it.