August | 2017 | Garden Variety Life

While watering the garden this morning, I watched the solar eclipse reflected on the lawn. Hundreds of tiny crescents sparkled through the leaves of the apple tree.

solar eclipse through the leaves garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC, Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

The taller gary oak beside the driveway cast shade with similar crescents peaking through the leaves.

I’d heard about this indirect way of watching the eclipse, but honestly, I still don’t “get” how it works.

I get how the temperature cools a bit.
I get how the sunlight seems just a touch dimmer.
But the dancing crescents in the shade? Kinda magic if you ask me.

As the moon shifted & revealed the sun, the magic morphed back into plain old dappled shade.

-30-

urban black tail deer tree garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC, Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

I was only away for a couple of months – – 3 at the most.

C had his hands’ full holding down the fort in my absence. Aside from watering the plants in the courtyard, the garden was left alone…
or so I thought.

Upon my return, the new crew that had taken over pruning, shearing & fertilizing, met me at the gate. One even approached us boldly to say hello.

There were 2 does, at least 1 fawn, and a very large-looking buck.

A family business!
Operating gratis!!

Feeling a bit ungrateful, I asked them to continue their duties elsewhere & give our blooms a rest. The does were very polite, gracefully jogging to the next yard. But the buck was much more grudging about it. Perhaps that was because the kiddies were too scatter-brained in following mum’s example right away. Following his crew, he walked slowly & purposefully away.
(Definitely the foreman.)