from the confines of my patio…

I love my buzzing, bountiful, bustling bees. They are spirited and determined as they burrow their way in and out of the pink, purple and orange. We exist in harmony on my patio, eyeing one another as we go about our business. And those bees have a whole bunch of eyes (like five) so they can witness my lounging and wine imbibing from all angles. I have only been stung one time and it was totally my fault… but man oh man did that sucker hurt. I forgave the bee.

I know, I KNOW…I’ve heard it be told too that bees die after they sting… ohhhh the guilt! However, being the queen of DE-NILE, and Google’s reassurance that stinging bumblebees don’t die, I have no doubt my precious prickling pollinator must have been a bumblebee! No wonder those fuzzy-wuzzies are my favorite. Like tiny stuffed animals they hover; their tiny wings keeping them aloft. I am absolved of all guilt… right?

Hummingbirds love our garden and they visit with regularity. Partial to the bright orange or red, and with their impressive darting about and zippy wings, they are hell bent on mesmerizing us. Legend has it that they bring love, good luck and joy to those that spot them. I SEE YOU… so bring it on already!

Then there is OUR cardinal. We’ve named him ‘Red’. He enjoys our red maple tree and occasionally perches on the back of one of our chairs as if to join in the conversation. ‘Red’ helped himself to one of our succulents and I watched as he dragged and dropped over and over until he gave up… I guess he bit off a bit more than he could chew (ha-ha). He brought a “friend” to visit… we are anxiously awaiting a big announcement. And his song is always recognizable cause it’s the best… like top of the charts in the top 100 Bird Calls Billboard.

Our TO-MAY-TOE/TO-MAH-TOES have produced in a most bountiful fashion this summer. They are delish and best just picked and warm from the sun… like candy. Our BAY-ZIL/BAH-ZIL has been prolific. Nothing yums-up a Caprese salad or fork-twirling pasta OR greens-up a pesto like a bunch of BAY-ZIL/BAH-ZIL! Just rubbing the leaves as I stroll on by is intoxicating… fantastico, delizioso! A basket of fresh focaccia, meatballs simmering and a scoop, or three, of gelato and I’m an official Italian mama.

We TALK TO  the bees, the hummingbirds and ‘Red’…. we TALK TO our plants and ABOUT our plants and inquire, “have you seen ‘Red’ today?”. I will admit to you, and only you, that we refer to our plants by name. Willow, Lolly, Big Ed… you get the idea.

We most definitely have gone a bit wackadoodle, patio-cray-cray, buzzy-flappy-singsongy-nutty this year… but can you blame us??

we’re isolated,

sequestered,

cut off,

distanced,

quarantined…

we are marooned on the patio.

Don’t judge.

~addendum: that was all so 2020.

~addendum #2: It’s 2022 and having tested positive for Covid – here we are. Yet again 😩