August Blooms

Everyone has recuperated well from the camping excursion, except me that is!! As I was getting ready for work Monday morning, I bent over and stood up. That was it. . . bent over and stood up. . .and found that my back no longer felt like working. I hobbled around long enough to decide it wasn't going to improve on its own. Called our friendly physical therapist at home and met her in her office before her first patient. She was able to straighten me up so walking was at least slightly more comfortable. I wandered around a little and decided to suck it up and get on with the day. Saw the chiropracter Tuesday afternoon to adjust the neck from the wakeboard accident a couple weeks ago. I stopped counting after I heard 10 vertebrae crack. So yesterday was better. . a little. And today I am moving at about 75% normal speed. I think I am on the mend. Our secretary giggled Monday afternoon and apologized for laughing at my misery and went on to say that she was just used to me shooting out of my office door like a rocket, and now I am shuffling like an OOOOLLD lady! She kept expecting to see Maxine (from crabby road cartoons) standing behind her! Needless to say, I am getting none of my yardwork done that I slated for this week. I did finally get 3 little pints of jalepeno slices canned last night--sitting at the kitchen table. I had 4 done but one broke in the water bath--never had that happen and I was ticked off about it too!!

So decided I would show off what is blooming in the garden lately! Initially I thought my little friend in the first 2 photos was a mutant grasshopper, but farmers around say that they are a species too. YUCK. I thought he might be tasty dipped in chocolate--a full meal!

We are getting ready to mulch in the area for the new flower bed on the east side of the house along the sidewalks. That is where I intend to put another preplanned garden from High Country Gardens and I have several rose bushes and some grasses that I want to move. I thought they would work in that patch as well.

The flower below is a double click cosmo that I started by throwing seeds out on the ground. I love the double petals. Think it needs to repeat here next year!

My golden rod has done very well. It came as 3 little pots from Roots and Rhizomes last spring, and has really gotten tall and bushy. I have never grown goldenrod nor have I seen pictures of it, but had read about it somewhere and thought it would be a good choice for our climate. I haven't been sorry yet!! (And contrary to popular belief, it doesn't invoke allergic responses!)

The blue mist spirea are BEAUTIFUL!! They have made a nice little hedge of periwinkle blue. What a magnet for flying creatures. There are probably 30 or more bumblebees on them at a time. As well as monarchs and other little bees and butterflies. I don't notice the scent like I used to, but love the colors!!

The Russian Garden is still just flowering its little heart out!! Will snap some more pictures next month--it is fun for me to see how much it has grown too! I got the Avena grass today to replace the one that died. So C and I stuffed it in the hole and watered it in.

Here's the Dark Knight butterfly bush that I planted this spring. I got it as a memorial from my grandfathers death last summer from the hospital. I have poured the water to it all summer and it looks like it's out of the woods till next spring. Hopefully the root system will be good enough to have some reserve!

Finally got some pictures of the butterfly week or milk weed that I started from seed this past winter. They have really taken off, and should bless us year after year now (and the monarchs! This is a host plant for them, so maybe we will see some hatch next year!) I FINALLY saw a male cardinal in my yard the other night! I have been waiting for 11 years for that to happen!! I have seen a female several different times, but never a male. The birds are easier to spot since the drastic "elm tree masacre" that took place here a couple weeks ago! The poor little things didn't know what to do or where to go!

Our fall projects are quickly beginning! J ordered an outdoor wood furnace that will heat the house in the winter and minimize our usage of propane. It came last Friday after we left to camp. The guys mixed and poured the cement base tonight. I suppose he will work on that this weekend. Next my greenhouse showed up today! YEAH!! We need to unwrap and inspect packages this weekend to make sure everything looks okay! The little outdoor furnace will also hook into the greenhouse to heat it. And since the furnace needs water to circulate inside, J is going to run a line to the greehouse too, so watering will be a snap! So, sounds like a lot of work coming up. Too bad my back hurts so much! Hope it is better in a few weeks so I can gather limestone to haul out from mom and dad's. I am hoping to change the western Kansas topography enough that we will be able to enjoy that eastern Kansas rain!!

The kids survived another week of school. D is TIRED!! and GROUCHY! T loves football and his first game will be next week already! G still loves junior high and seems to be thriving in his school work! C still has better things to do than to pee on the potty. Well, that's our lives in a nutshell. Hoping for a cooler, quiet weekend around here!