Mammy's Chair

The one in the middle came from mammy's.  I had two of them, but one day I sat in one and it just kept going back and back and back in slow motion til I was lying on the ground upside down.  I laughed so hard I cried.  Wish I had  a video of it.  This one seems to be holding up pretty good, but I don't sit in it any more.  The other two came from a junk store.   They probably aren't as old as mammy's, but they might have belonged to someone's grandma.

Thursday Lilies

The orange lilies are gone.  All gone.  One more lily wave to go for this season--great big beautiful white ones  just beginning to bloom out now.

Wednesday Susans

Book Reviews

It's been a good summer for reading!

The Scent of Rain & Lightning, Nancy Pickard, about a girl whose parents were killed when she was little and what happens when the man who was sent to prison for their murders 23 years ago is set free.

Fly Away Home--Jennifer Weiner's latest fun read about a family of women whose lives are all being turned upside down. 

Missing, by Chevy Stevens--oh my gosh, a creepy creepy story about a woman who is abducted.  The entire story was told over the course of her therapy sessions.

Every Last One--best Anna Quindlen novel since Black & Blue!

Daylily Resolution

This is one of the last daylilies that I added to the garden.  For the past few years, I've been saying "no more daylilies. . . .  I have plenty thank you. . . . oh I couldn't possibly, where would I put it?". . . and then I see something like this over on Gotta Garden and I think,  well, maybe I could move some things around. . .

Farmer's Market Glads

 

I look forward to the glad lady at the Saturday morning farmer's market every year.   Her glads are so beautiful, they last all week, and I'll take a weekly standing order please :)

Sunday Container

A little tip of  malabar spinach finding it's way to the top.

StarGazers

My lily sculpture (from The Farm) has traveled around the yard this year, following the lilies as they bloom.  It'll be moving over to the latest--and last--ones that are budding up now for August. 

Photo Shoot

More Betsy & Kyle

   

 

We went to the water park. . . TwIcE!  Betsy loved to aim the horses that spouted water out of their noses :)

 

She ran and ran. . .  and then ran some more.

Here she is with her friend Rachel.

Kyle wasn't quite so sure of the whole water thing.

Happy parents.

Swinging!

So so much fun with Betsy & Kyle at the park.  We're heading back to work today, in the rAiN!, which is so welcome for this late-July time of year.  But you know we'll be remembering all those precious minutes that we had with Betsy & Kyle and looking forward to our next visit!

Morning Coffee

I've been having my morning coffee on Judson and Rachel's front porch over the last few days.  Beautiful crepe myrtles  blooming in her front yard.  We had a wonderful time and wait til you see the pictures of Betsy & Kyle!  So glad to be home again, but we're missing them something awful right now.

Flower Arranger

Another design in a flower arranger from The Farm by Rich Zimmerman.  This one went to work with me last week and it outlasted me. Flowers at work are a good thing.  And so are the flower arrangers.  More on those later. . . 

And who knew deep purple perfume nicotiana would last so long as a cut flower?   From now on, sowing more of that, and keeping it deadheaded!

Garden Vases

 

Cleome in a pitcher and sweet peas in a jar.

Tuesday Lilies

 

More  Scheherazade  from The Lily Garden.  

They're spectacular this year.

Zinnias in an Armature

Lily Garden

Scheherazade from The Lily Garden.

 

And another one from The Lily Garden, maybe lillium henryi.  I'm terrible about keeping the names of plants in the garden!  Anyway, everybody who sees these wants to know what they are and where they came from.  They've been in the garden for several years and they were well worth the extra money that The Lily Garden charges for their specialty bulbs.  

I bought these back when I was collecting one new daylily every year, one new hosta, one new lily, etc.  I'm not so much into that now since I'm working on shrubs and trees.  But ya know, that lillium leucanthum on TLG's website looks awfully tempting--especially with that dark-chocolate-raspberry-8-foot description.  Now where could I put those??

Henry Ford Quote

I caught a little bit of a round-table discussion on The Deadliest Catch last night.  Fishermen from Alaska who are living still with the effects of the Exxon Valdez spill were talking to Gulf fishermen.  I didn't hear much bitterness. . . more like okay-it-is-what-it-is-now-what-can-we-do-to-make-it-better kind of thinking. It's an amazing sight to see that relentless stream of oil gushing from the earth and feel so helpless.  I haven't been down to Florida for years.  Never been to the gulf states.  But I want to go down and eat in somebody's restaurant and leave a big tip.  It's something I could do.  

The ironic thing is I'll have to buy gas to do it.

In the Garden with Peggy

My mom has a small farm in her backyard garden--strawberries and raspberries and green beans, corn, okra and tomatoes and peas, and of course, gorgeous flowers.  Her pond is the focal point--she's one of the original upcyclyers and repurposers :-)  Love her  custom-made fences of sticks and jute. 

Here she is with Charlie in the garden.  Last year they made a cute little video of one of their harvests.  Maybe they'll do that again this year?!

Happy Independence Day!

PJ & Mama took me to a little shop in Michigan to look at Kirk's Folly jewelry.   This pin came home with me and I've really enjoyed wearing it this week.  Wait til you see the santa moon that PJ bought for me!  

It's been a great Fourth weekend so far.  The Farm with Gail yesterday, Into The Woods with V at the Muni last night, and today we're just hanging out, eating fresh vegetables from this week's farmer's market.  

 Isaac is  in Colorado on an exciting adventure.  We're looking forward to seeing Betsy & Kyle, Judson & Rachel in the next week or two.  Hope everyone is having a good Fourth too!