Happy Anniversary

This is Judson and Rachel's first wedding anniversary. They were here a couple of weeks ago. It was so good to see them! We are very proud of them. They're going to school and working and building a life for themselves. Of course, we miss them something awful. We're hoping to make a trip to Lexington soon to see them. Love you both!

Wedding Pictures

This was my favorite picture from the wedding. It was warm, but not extremely so. A very sweet ceremony with family and friends.

It was a beautiful wedding and such a fun day. I can't believe it's been a year.

Frankly Floral Art. . .the Wright Way

The Dana-Thomas House Foundation showcased 30 floral artists this weekend. The arrangements were stunning. My mother-in-law Vivian went with me and we both loved it. I want to go back again tomorrow, with pen and paper and more camera knowledge (see following posts).

Front Entrance

All of the designs at the front entrance were by Steve Brickner, of Chesterton IN. A lot of the arrangements included branches, copper wire, exotic tropicals and hanging floral tubes. One of my favorite ones in the house mixed orchids and other tropicals that were beyond belief with ordinary , common-folk garden zinnias.

It's Dark in Here

They never allow pictures in the house. Except this weekend, when cameras were allowed. Yea! Except, NO FLASH. Well, I didn't know how to turn off the flash. So I took this shot with my finger over the flash. You know, that doesn't really eliminate the flash entirely. And they warned they'd throw you out if they caught you flashing. So I refrained from taking any more where the light was so dim. This is taken from one of several music balconies in the house--where the musicians would be playing while people were in the party rooms below.

This was on a landing with lots of those gorgeous FLW stained glass windows. Here's V. As you can see, the arrangement is taller than she is. I took several shots of this one since it was in a place where I didn't need a flash. And then my memory card was full, and I also don't know how to delete previous shots while the card is in my camera. Obviously, I need a lesson or two.

The Heat is Gone (for today anyway)

Temperature

I got tired of being depressed about the crown rot, so Mark took me to Taco Bell for supper tonight. We left the house at 6 pm, and granddaddy's thermometer read 100 degrees. The sweet autumn clematis is shading the side of the porch and growing up onto the roof. It loves this hot weather.

Situational Depression Due to Crown Rot

It's really too ugly to photograph, but this is the state my beautiful Halcyon is in today. Another hosta, one of the ones that PJ gave me, is completely gone, with nothing left standing except the bloom stalks. I researched crown rot last night. Some sites say to use bleach, boiling water, dig up the soil and replace it, blah, blah, blah. Sounds like there's no good way to get rid of it. We did spray fungicide on it this morning. And I may spray some bleach as well. I just hope it doesn't keep spreading. 103 degrees today--which is probably something crown rot LOVES!!! We are supposed to get storms on Tuesday night, then Wednesday's high may only be in the 70's.

Gumbo

Judson and Rachel came to see us last weekend. Their little dogs, Cookie and Gumbo had a great time running through the yard. Here's Gumbo, hiding in the forget-me-nots.

Computer Problems

Our computer has a major illness right now. I'm surprised that I've been able to post. We should be getting a new hard drive on Tuesday, so if there aren't many new posts between now and then, that's why. I told Mark that I have a public now, and my fans would miss me if I'm not here; so he's trying to keep us up and running. This is a shot of the butterfly bush this morning. The guy at Best Buy gave me a quick lesson on macro focus, and it's great. Didn't know we had such a thing.

View from the New Bench

Lots of color these days. We are supposed to get some rain from Hurricane Dennis. I hate that it has to come from a hurricane, but we'll be thankful for any rain we can get.

New Bench

A bargain from Ace Hardware.

Thursday

The news on CNN is awful this morning.  It seems surreal that things like that could be happening when it is so peaceful in the back yard. 

Happy Fourth

We had a nice quiet day with plenty to eat and rain! We miss the boys. I'm going to call them later to see how they spent their holiday.

Garden Seats

Our bench was too rickety to sit on this year, so Mark got to burn it. (He was so happy!) This old chair is ages old, but it's still got life to it.

PJ's Bench

Jeff refurbished this bench that originally came from Noble Park in Paducah.

Mammy's Ink Flowers

Otherwise known as spiderwort. Mama says Mammy took some of these with her whenever she moved.

Daisy Days

These used to be Snowcaps. They were maybe six inches high. But every year they grow taller and taller. I still love them, even though they are now making a foot-tall border.


You can't go wrong with Becky. They multiply like crazy, don't care if they're watered, and they laugh at bugs and mildew.

Tragedy On Golden Pond

A tragic tale of woe comes to us from On Golden Pond in Waltz, Michigan. A giant Blue Heron was sited by a local pond-owner, P.J. Powers, as she was getting ready for her busy day. While sipping her mocha and scurrying about in search of matching socks, out the back window she experienced a horrific site. A giant Blue Heron, also known as "Satan with feathers," was spotted lounging at pondside in the wee hours of the day.
Action reporter Dudley Doodiddly has a live report at the scene of the attack...
Reporter: "Can you tell me ma'am....what did you see?"
Witness: "Well, I was just mindin' my own business and sippin' my mocha, when I saw a HUGE, statuesque mother-(bleeeeep) crane standing by my pond waiting for my fish to surface. I felt like I'd been through a home invasion. Violated. Devastated. Humiliated. Infuriated... Woe is me."
Reporter: "Can you tell me what you did, ma'am?"
Witness: "Yes, sir...I scared him away. I ran out the door and he flew away. He was one big bird."
Reporter: "So, that was the end of the story, ma'am?"
Witness: "No...within 20 minutes, the statue was back. So I ran out the back door and screamed like a monster. Really loud, so I'm sure I woke my neighbors up. It was really hard to go to work. I did not know the fate of my precious little fish. But before I left, I strung a bunch of fishing line all across the pond like a big spider web. I must have looked like a crazy lady."
Reporter: "That's real interestin...but I have a most pressing question for you now. Do you always serve fish-mcmuffins at the fly-thru in your own backyard, ma'am?"
Witness: "No, sir. You are a moron."
(The camera falls to the ground and loud scuffling noises and whimpering shrieks are heard... now back to news anchor, Molly Mygolly): The pond owner and her loving husband fed their fish at dusk that evening, as always. The population appears to be shrinking. At least one sweet little yellow and white fish has been declared Missing in Action (Or Missing in a Bird's Belly?) More news to come as it develops.

It's Friday

With a three-day weekend to "work" in the yard!