Hello Friends! Welcome to this week’s roundup of what’s happening in the Vanha Talo Suomi gardens.

The term ’roundup’ means different things to different people. I think of a horrible product & chemical company but also the less horrible, more incorrigible group of youth/teens who for years used to speed past the house using the dirt farmer’s lane to cut through a large swath of the neighborhood – on their way to the weekly Saturday evening ’roundup’ at the ABC restaurant/gas station near the highway. Droves of kids would scoot past the house on all manner of moped, mini-bike, and illegal modified exhaust dirt bike as soon as the snow was gone, headed to the roundup where all their friends were gathering every Saturday night at 17:00, for what I don’t know. Hanging out. Socializing. On their way to better and more interesting places than the parking lot of the ABC, I am imaging.

This year, knock wood – not one kid has whizzed past. It’s a first! I know I’ve just jinxed myself – and this being a Saturday too – but something has happened to all those kids! There’s got to be a new hangout – and the roundup is happening somewhere else, and good riddance! There were a few times the kids weren’t so nice, and weren’t very interested in being polite nor being careful. One time I was nearly run down! I think by now, many of them have moved on to four-wheel motor vehicles, and have outgrown the dirt bikes so many of the Finnish youth use to get to school, and to the local roundup!

Roundup is a good word for a summation of the highlights of the week – and that will be the gist of today’s post. No measurable rain, so you guessed it, we’re back into the yellow caution for forest fire potential. Where the heck is all the rain!?? This is beyond ridiculous. Sunny days with no end in sight – who could complain! Only gardeners and every farmer in Finland, who must also be wondering what the hell is going on.

There have been a few unexpected visitors to the garden, but not the two-legged garden enthusiast kind we really enjoy having visit! Behold my surprise at 06:30 am Thursday morning while waiting for the coffee to brew. A casual glance out of the windows overlooking the backyard.

This buck was actually quite huge and really startled me. Definitely wasn’t expecting to see that in the garden! He was so big, he just hopped easily over the fence, meandered the pathways like he owned the place – IDK maybe he does – stood under the apple tree there munching, then proceeded to find his way back over the fence by the time I was out the door and opening all the gates. I only noticed the damage much later in the day. The bugger had walked along the path, munching the tops off several of the hostas just ready to go into flower. There were a few leaves eaten, but thankfully he didn’t bother to stay long enough to do any further damage. Sure hope he doesn’t plan on a repeat visit!!

Also while carting the mulch to a bed, I nearly, quite literally was about to run this guy over with the wheelbarrow, when a dark color caught my eye and registered as ‘foreign’ ‘strange’ not supposed to be there. I stopped moving forward in the nick of time. Otherwise, this visitor would have surely been one very unhappy camper.

Okay. Let’s play a little game. How long is that snake in your opinion?? I was assured later by Pekka, when I showed him the photos, that it’s a harmless snake – which I guess must be searching for the remainder of the voles which devastated so many items this past winter. I hope the snake concentrates on the voles, and not the frogs, which I’ve also seen hopping around out there.

This final visitor is one of several we have in various places in the garden. They like a stacked rock wall near the cellar door, as the rocks make a good hideout – but I think that’s where the snake was headed! drats! Another lizard zipped across a gravel pathway much further away, just in front of my oncoming wheelbarrow – another near miss. He had different markings and seemed out of place considering there weren’t many good hideouts for a lizard where he darted past, too much open space. A good thing then that the lizard was incredibly fast. Too fast for me to get a photo, but as both hands were already full gripping the wheelbarrow handles, no chance either way.

Fun fact: Finland doesn’t have any turtles. Not much of a fun fact – rather sad, really. I like seeing turtles swimming and sitting on logs. We have lizards, frogs and snakes though, and now you’ve seen the proof, except I now realize I have not included photos of the frogs! You’ll just have to take my word for it := )

I’m guessing we’ll have everything sorted with this mulching of beds in time for the grass to somewhat recover from the zillion wheelbarrow trips and my feet stomping the grass to paste. But one never knows that sort of thing, until you know, right at the last minute. Seeing how everything in the garden is somehow managing to perform and bedazzle us with blooms, scent and color – and we’ve worked so hard to get everything looking tops, maybe it would be a good time for everyone to come see the garden, take a stroll and enjoy all those nicely mulched beds!

We’ll be hosting an open garden event August 6th, 2023 10:00-17:00 – if you have the mind & interest to see what’s happening with your very own eyes, then please come and see us – we’d be delighted to see you for either a guided tour around or you can wander at your leisure. If you’ve been here before, then you should know there’s much that’s been added, so it won’t look exactly as it did when you were last here. If you’re a first-timer, we’re located at Routelantie 20, 08350 Lohja. Street parking. Wear comfortable shoes, no dogs allowed. Supervised children welcome. Rain or shine. Tervetuloa, Welcome, Välkommen!

Not much more to say, really. I’ve got the end in sight, with this garden spruce-up. With only three more beds to cover in mulch – which should be easy going now that the harder parts have all been finished! Yippee!!

Pekka will put together something resembling an announcement on Facebook about the open garden event, but in case he doesn’t get to it, this is your announcement! 😀 I might say something again as the date draws near. I’m good for that!

Until next time ❤ Kate @ Vanha Talo Suomi