Still a thrill!

It's late Sunday afternoon and I'm writing this post in the gazebo. The day started overcast but the sun came out around 1 PM and it has been a perfect afternoon. I was able to take a lot of photos around the garden. The birdsong is beautiful, feeders are full so many are enjoying supper. 

Perhaps you are tired of seeing my hydrangeas! If you were here in person I would probably be boring when I insist on traipsing through the garden showing you the massive blooms - actually it's not a very large garden and we could cover it in less than 10 minutes, and then I'd offer you a cup of tea in the gazebo so you could sit and listen to the birds. If you really love flowers I'm sure you'd enjoy it at this special time of year. The daylilies are lovely now - just wish their gorgeous blooms would last longer, 'weeklilies' would be great after all the energy they put into flowering for such a brief moment in time, and making us sigh at the splendid colors shining from dawn to dusk.

 

My neighbor is leaving town again this week - taking Ms. Nala cat with him as he'll be gone quite a while. Instead of cat sitting - which I did all last week - I'm now garden sitting as he has given me authority over his vegetable patch! Instead of flowers I may just be checking in here with notes on tomatoes, cucumbers and radishes, all of which are already coming along nicely out there in the sunshine. It's just a hop over the low brick wall where I've planted sunflower seeds which the deer haven't discovered. . . . . . yet!  A healthy looking squash of some type has joined the group, things are getting quite exciting and visions of fresh tomatoes in my salads are making me happy. Cook books are being leafed through for new ideas for summer cold plates . . . . . . 

Wishing you a great week ahead. Thanks for stopping by, you are great friends and knowing we can still blog and stay in touch means a lot to me.

Refreshing the front porch -

Yesterday I went shopping. 

No, not grocery shopping which seems to be what I've done mostly since

 the pandemic started. This was real 'go with a girl friend' shopping to a

 store well known here in the USA, HOMEGOODS!  

We had a ball - the type of fun one can only have with

 a true friend of many, many years.  A friend whom you know so well

 and are so comfortable with, you can share all and anything, laugh,

 giggle, shed a tear, and on looking back you've done it all and more in

 thirty five plus years. . . . . . that's how I feel when with Loretta. 

She has been an awesome friend in so many ways and I love her dearly.

Our small house has a small front porch. It's nothing spectacular but it is
 a place to enjoy the outdoors. Bob and I sit out there a lot, especially in

 the late afternoon at this time of year - usually with a drink, sometimes

 a snack, and something to read. People stop to visit now and then. 

With distancing of the past months we have felt safe entertaining

 one or two at a time with a cup of tea or glass of wine in the open air.

We do a lot of waving and have short chats with passersby - usually the 

younger neighbors who pull off their earbuds and pocket their phones

for a few minutes which is appreciated. The cul-de-sac stays busy 

enough with turning delivery vehicles, dog walkers, a few younger

 children on trikes, and some runners usually in the cooler air of

 morning.

So did I buy anything?

Just this all cotton, woven in Turkey, casual mat. I like the pattern and

 blue and white colors, and think it just brightens up the concrete floor

 of the porch for these summer afternoons. It's machine washable

 if necessary, however I think I'd probably just hose it off and let it

 dry in the sun. It's a bit hefty and might finish off my aging

 washing machine!

Have a feeling the hydrangeas may require a major pruning soon - or we'll be 

invisible on the porch - or rather too secluded and will miss all the action 

in the street. . . . . . .or perhaps be forgotten about, lol!

Do you have a front porch?

Do your neighbors stop to chat?

What would you enjoy drinking on the porch on a

 hot summer afternoon?

A nice French rosé is chilled and waiting!

 

Quick hello........while fluttering by!

I need to take a little break.

All is good but always a lot going on here.

Am I slowing down?

Does it just take longer to do things?

Do I have too much on my plate?

I feel like I'm always 'chasing my tail' and can't catch up!

House and garden chores call me every day.

I need to get away for a break, but that's impossible now.

More major back yard tree felling planned for this week,

 if the rains stay away.

But next month will be different - planning to get on a plane and

head north after such a long time tethered to the ground.

I really need a vacation - this 'staycation' has become far too

long. I'm so ready to fly off. . . . . .not just flutter around!!!

First view this season of a beautiful Painted Lady checking the

 hydrangeas before she flew away!

I told you . . . . . . . .

. . . . . more garden stories would be shared soon!

Parsley & Nikko Blue hydrangea

So, this morning after heavy rain yesterday afternoon and through the night

 hours, I woke later than usual as it was dark and dreary outside. I had

 nothing planned which required more than a good mug of fresh coffee, 

waterproof shoes, and my phone. I stepped onto sopping wet grass - 

looking much greener and healthier for hours of rain - and just walked 

around the house snapping away at what I considered pretty and colorful,

 though most plants and shrubs were dripping and bending. . . . .especially

 the heavy mophead blue hydrangeas.

This is my one lace-cap hydrangea, named Twist and Shout. 

Several years old now, it has pushed through the split rail fence into

 my neighbor's garden - fortunately he doesn't mind!

The big bright green tree centered in the background, is my Celeste fig.

Many of you already know the story of this tree. Planted from a gallon pot 

many years back, and now after several major prunings - including a

 professional one last year when it got totally out of hand - is still huge and 

always the talk of the neighborhood! Looks like plenty of figs now popping

 out for later picking, usually in late July into August.

I so love this beautiful tree. It holds bird feeders, nesting boxes, now and

 then a woven nest is cradled in the branches, lanterns glow in the evening

 hours. It's massive circumference shades a bird bath, azaleas, and a new

 hydrangea will be planted under it soon. . . . . and bluebells and daffodils

have a happy place to thrive in springtime.

Endless Summer hydrangea - huge again despite a good pruning late last winter.

Pots of herbs are coming along well - above the early planting of basil, 

parsley, sage and dill seeds, below the later planted small pots of the

 same seeds alongside an old pot of mint. Pots holding Morning glories

 and Moonflowers already climbing up the fishing line I tied to the

 porch to give them a leg up!

Another Endless Summer - far too big really - but loaded with blooms

 some of which I'll cut and dry later perhaps. The acer is also in need of 

a professional pruning, removing some lower branches to open it up and

 make it look more ornamental  - we've been awaiting our tree guy for

 weeks - so hopefully he'll show up soon.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Chilly morning in April -

 ........but the sun is shining and there is so much to be thankful for.

A busy day ahead once it warms up. Last night was the second night in a row with close to freezing temperatures - so unexpected this late in April and following that mini heatwave we experienced recently.  I pulled the new pots of hydrangeas awaiting planting, the hanging Boston ferns etc. onto the front porch and covered all with sheets - couldn't do anything with the large growing shrubs so they were left to fend off the chill best they could.  

A quick walk around this morning and all looks saved rather than frost-bitten thankfully. The garden is full of life with many squirrels, Chippy the chipmunk is stuffing his cheeks, Northern flicker showing his long tongue at the suet cake, a  sparrow rests on the snowball bush, and an ever-sweet Mourning dove is enjoying a sunny morning drink. The Spanish bluebells are fading but still standing sturdy and proud. The new plants have been moved out into the sunshine..........tomorrow heavy rain is expected so no watering needed today. Most of my seeds are planted - lots of vining Moonflowers and Morning glories in pots, along with summertime cooking herbs. I may be moving them to the porch tonight so they won't be drowned tomorrow!

Sunday in the Garden -

It's on days like this when all the hard, dirty, tiring work pays off!

Again, I walked early in the garden today to take these photos.

A little more rain during the night worked wonders and much is

 blooming. 

Unfortunately the pollen continues and air quality is poor with a gusty

breeze blowing. Not sure whether to head outside and do some garden

 work or just sit here and continue sneezing!

We still have a lot to do regarding hardscaping - a new

low wall across the back bed, re-do the pathways, and perhaps

remove a couple more very old trees, one of which was struck by 

lightning and is damaged. 

As we know. . . . . . ."a garden is a thing of beauty and a job forever."

September song -

"Best I love September's yellow,

Morns of dew-strung gossamer,

Thoughtful days without a stir,

Rooky clamours, brazen leaves,

Stubble dotted o'er with sheaves -

More than Spring's bright uncontrol

Suit the Autumn of my soul." 

~ Alex. Smith ~

The month of September brings the autumnal equinox on

 Tuesday the 22nd - the official date of the new season.  

Usually though we think of the first day of September as

 being the arrival of Autumn.

The garden is changing rapidly now. After the horrendous rains here on Monday night - we were pounded and flooded with 6 inches - things are looking different. 

To top it all off we are now in a heatwave with the heat index temperature reaching 105F yesterday, higher today with as much as 110F of heavy, moist air making any outdoor work or activity not only miserable but very dangerous!

Sadly, no Horse chestnut trees growing here but I do still have one

 copper-hued conker brought back from England many years ago! 

I like to hold it, roll it in my hand and and reminisce about my 

childhood Autumn days.

We spent a little time outside yesterday, early morning, Bob doing storm

 damage cleanup, me digging out the amaryllis bulbs and deadheading the

 now brown and dry blooms from the hydrangeas.

This is my first try at keeping my winter blooming bulbs through spring and

 summer in hopes I can force them back into bloom around the holiday season. 

 I had planted the 4 large bulbs into the garden in May (see their beautiful 

leaves above), and one pleasantly surprised me with a baby!

They now have to remain in a cool place until their re-potting in November.

As cool places are hard to find at present - the potting shed is like an oven -

I've put them in a box and keeping them in the air conditioned house -

just hoping there are no bugs creeping around of course!

Speaking of creeping creatures, while working on the two large hydrangeas

 bushes in front of the porch, a sudden movement startled me and Charlie

 gecko appeared clinging to a stem.  He seems to live in this area of the 

garden where I have placed a large shallow dish which I keep filled with 

water. . . . initially for the bees but perhaps also a good watering place for

 Charlie (who could be Charlene as I did see a very tiny gecko around also

 this summer!).

Last, but never least, another visitor was on the porch this morning, drinking from the fountain and peering in the dining room window with the usual sparkle in his/her eye. . . . . . and I'm sure awaiting a tip top acorn season ahead!!!