Blooms of June. .

We have had sooo much moisture over the last month.

We've seen nearly 4.5 inches of the wet stuff over the last few weeks. .

we have had LOTS of wind. .

and ice pellets from the sky.

Did I  mention that we have had wind?!?

Even when it wasn't raining!

The flowers and weeds grow alike, as you might see with the giant broadleafed, stickery-sided weed in the center of my lovely blooms in the photo!

The larkspur are starting to pop!! My favorite is the dark purple. .

There is also a lighter purple. .

and sometimes an occasional pink or white.

These reseed like C-R-A-Z-Y. .

but they are easy to pull. .

And they sure brighten up the spot!

(Sara. .a great choice for instant color in your new yard!!!)

Last summer the hummingbird that visited was all over them. .

I haven't noticed any hummers as of yet.

This guy has been FOUR years in the waiting!!

One of my gardening patients brought me some milkweed seed years ago. .

I thought it was the tuberosa. .

which is a brilliant orange color, and truly a favorite of mine. .

I started some from seed. .

and expected them to bloom the second year or so. .

But instead of blooms the next year. .

I wasn't even sure that the plants in the spots where I THOUGHT I planted milkweed. .

WERE milkweed!!

They DIDN'T look like the orange clump of milkweed that I have. .

and so I was confused for the entire summer as to WHAT it was. .

But, because they were big plants. .

and definitely coming from the same spot I started them in. .

I left them!

Last summer, I waited for blooms. .

But none came. .

The plants continued to grow, and any time I would pop a stalk in half. .

The milky fluid came from them, leading me to believe they WERE milkweed.

I finally asked her about them at one of her appointments. 

And she advised me that it was the common milkweed. .

So I left them and continued to wait!

SOMEHOW. .

it has spread to include about a dozen plants in the same area. .

and since it HADN'T bloomed or set seed yet. .

That has me a little concerned.

BUT, they are blooming now. .

And they are gorgeous blooms, worth the wait. .

Plus, they look nice with the larkspur. .

AND. .

They are essential for monarch butterflies. .

So, they will stay!

To the west of the milkweed. .

 in the garden along the driveway. .

The red hot pokers are blooming, as is the passed-along pink penstemon to the right.

These red hot pokers are, interestingly, ALL yellow. .

And this clump has the more commonly seen variety. .

Which just so happens to be the variety that I ordered a few years ago.

This is the first year that they have really bloomed well, last year was just a flower on each plant. .

And since I had never seen the blooms before, I don't think I noticed the difference.

But it makes me wonder if I got a yellow one by accident.

They are pretty. .

And they are substantial plants (BIG).

I think they are adding alot to the beds they are in.

They are native to Africa;

And though I've lost one of the three I planted 3 years ago. .

The other two are flourishing now.

And they add a nice contrast to their places. .

They are also supposed to be hummingbird magnets. .

Hmmm. .

Here's a close up photo of the pink penstemon with the purple larkspur. .

There SHOULD be hummingbirds here. .

RIGHT??

Sigh!

The pink knock out roses are on FIRE. .

And if you look into the background, the pond is hiding beyond the tall green plants in the shadow. Those plants are a nice mixture of Mexican hats and gray headed coneflowers. There are a few scattered blossoms right now, but I imagine within the week, the plants will be L-O-A-D-E-D with blossoms and winged creatures!

Speaking of winged creatures. .

I spied a couple of giant bumble bees working the perennial snapdragons.

The Texas red yucca is blooming. .

I showed the light pink stalk with buds on it last week.

Still no blooms on the big plant.

Can you say

H-U-M-M-I-N-G-B-I-R-D

M-A-G-N-E-T????

Why, oh WHY don't they hear me? Sniff!

But on a more cheerful note. .

The coronation gold yarrow has just started blooming too.

And it's very. . .

Cheery!

Back around to the new patio. .

You can see my hen and chick flock in the rock planter. .

As well as my funnel planters. .

That I single handedly screwed into the post. .

Well, not really using just a single hand (yuk, yuk, yuk!). .
You know what I mean!

Anyway. .

A couple weeks into summer vacation finds. .

Two big boys working full time jobs while cramming in golf, frog hunting and fishing in their spare time. They will both be counselors at 4-H camp this coming week. .and then get home, repack, and head out for football camp at the end of the week. Devin and Cami have been attending a bible camp each afternoon this past week plus some pool and library time. .

and all the kids attended our 4-H Safari themed day camp. .

two as counselors and two as campers. .

and one mom that worked as the snack and lunch lady. .

hopefully pictures and stories to come.

Devin will get to go to 4-H camp next week too. .

 and Cami will have to stay home to keep her dad in line. .

Wish her luck!!

Enjoy your weekend!

A Dream Come True. .

I know that there are several of you that have been on the edge of your seats waiting for this unveiling. .

Maybe not on the edge of your seats. .

but waiting. .

and waiting. .

AND

waiting!!!

Me too. .

It seemed like it took a looooong time. .

From March 14th when they starting to do the foundation work. .

And the looooonnng weeks that followed. .

as walls came down. .

and walls went up. .

and DUST went everywhere!!

EVERYWHERE, I tell you!!!

                                     

And NOW. .

it doesn't even look like the same place!!

There is a little bit of metal trim work that needs to be finished yet. .

And the steps and railing to the old door on the left got finished by Jeremy this past weekend. .

Kelsey is also planning on building the media cabinet to the specs of about 10 photos put together :-)

Not really that many. .

but several. .

THAT, however won't be done for another month or so!

Some furnishings went in. .

My favorite corner is this one. .

The doors of this cabinet that Jeremy built for me were old windows from a local hotel. .

We had a little disagreement about where the shelves needed to go. .

and so. .

since I happened to get there AFTER he had just finished gluing and nailing them in. .

I lost!!  Oh well!

It made a handy library and game storage to entice people in the room to hang out and relax!!

I scored the old ladder at the outdoor flea market last month. .

And. .

thanks to Pinterest. .

was able to fix a pretty cool wall hanging!!

Speaking of Pinterest. .

This old window was taken from my great grandparents homestead. .

And my friend Missy and I enjoyed a bottle of wine. .

While it took us ALL afternoon to figure out how to cut the vinyl on her Cricket. .

And it DIDN'T take us all afternoon BECAUSE of the wine!!

That window is now at home hanging over our bed!

I thought I would also share a picture of how the tiny baby dresses turned out too. .

I'm feeling more settled now. .

And even though the position of my bed has changed. .

I am no longer waking up every night trying to decide where I am!!

I got lots of cleaning and rearranging done while Cami laid on the couch sick over Memorial weekend. .

And moved a few things around on my walls as I nabbed photos and "stuff" to decorate my new room. .

My first aid collection moved around a little. .

The bottom Red Cross poster was one of my new ones from the flea market. .

It was from 1917. .

I googled it. .

Amazing thing, this Internet!!

The potential for knowledge is UNLIMITED!!!

And. .

then I had to fix the spot where the first aid things WERE. .

I totally loved how that spot turned out!!

I love change!!

Usually. .

The other accomplishment of the weekend was setting the pitcher pump feature back up!!

Kelsey was not too impressed that I placed ROCK on his CONCRETE. .

AND, though he didn't say a word. .

His LOOK said it ALL!

It is STRATEGICALLY placed right out of the sun room windows. .

so I can hear the trickle while the windows are open. .

It's also really protected against the blustery Kansas winds. .

And I haven't even had to refill the reservoir yet. .

 even though the winds gusted up to 30-40 mph EVERY day for a week!!

I had to be in OKC a few weeks ago, and was able to find some hostas that grow to 50 inches tall!

And enjoyed picking out a Wichita Blue juniper and two dwarf Alberta BLUE spruce trees.

The Annabelle hydrangeas that I transplanted from a girl I work with will fill out the rest of the new garden spot nicely! I finished placing the rock around the north side of the feature, and planted a WHOLE flock of hen and chicks generously shared by a friend!!

I am LOVING it!!

We then moved this old oblong tank, stolen from my mother. .

really, it was LEFT at her new house by the previous owners. .

And they were fixing to load it up and take it to the dump before I RESCUED it for a more glorious existence!! There is a clump of purple fountain grass in the middle that I overwintered and divided. .

And two clumps of lemon grass that I started from seed on either side. .

Some overwintered sweet potato vine and some purchased purple and yellow petunias finished it off.

The two pots on either side on the ground are ALSO lemon grass. .

I was GOING to put them into the tank. .

BUT, I couldn't get them out of the pots!!

I hope they do well!!

They DO taste like lemon. .

And I'd like to learn to cook with it this summer too. .

I'll keep ya posted on that!

In other gardening news. .

Here is our veggie garden. .

We rescued the galvanized tubs from the front of the garden right along the driveway. .

They were doing nothing but growing weeds there, since it was difficult to water. .

And they now hold the perennial herbs as well as one green bean plant. .

 traded to me for a start of lemon grass. .

and some dill that Grant started in the greenhouse.

The green pots hold the tomatos, two varieties of cucumbers, assorted pepper plants and purple and green basil. .

And the round pots have more basil, cantalope, watermelon, and carrots.

So far it seems to be working out well!

The memory garden is also looking INCREDIBLE!!

I can view this from the new sunroom and patio area!

This collection of plants. .

Soft colors inferno strip. .

was purchased 3 years ago or 4 from High Country Gardens. .

and has finally come into itself!!

ALL the plants are blooming at the same time. .

And it is literally ABLAZE with winged insects of all kinds!!

The very faint purple spikes at the back right are Nepeta (catmint) Walker's low. .The dark purple in the background is Cardonna Sage, the light purple  in the middle is Rocky Mountain Penstemon, the hot pink on the left is Jupiter's Beard, and the light pink in front is Elfin Pink Penstemon. There is also some hot pink ground cover poppy mallow blooming (in the photo before this one). .as well as hot pink dianthus and light pink clumps of something that I can't name right now.

Further back in the bed are some transplanted clumps of silver and purple Lamb's ear. .

This festive looking Tropicana rose bush that I transplanted before the construction started in March. .

He has NEVER looked happier!!

Some Love Lies Bleeding that I started in the greenhouse. .

I think it is hysterical that this little tiny 6 inch long stalk. .

Is now sporting a 6 inch long flower spike too!!

The plant is supposed to be nearly 5 feet tall. .

With big, droopy flower clusters. .

Hoping it happens!!

The Amythest Falls Wisteria shrub is really taking off now. .

There is a ton of new growth. .

and some flowers.

This was one of the plants that I bought with money given in memory of my dad last spring. .

It is supposed to be a more drought tolerant wisteria. .

I can't WAIT until the clusters of purple hang off of the arbor near it!!

 Come back soon. .

These blossoms are from LAST week. .

 since I couldn't get them uploaded because of blogspot issues. .

in time to jive with my schedule. .

The gardens are changing by the DAY. .

And I'll have more photos again soon!

Until then. .

Be safe. .

And be blessed!!

Thanks for dropping in on us. .

An Adventure. .

We LOVE adventures at our house. .

After much craziness and sickness Memorial weekend. .

And on a glorious evening with NO wind. .

We decided to do a little "pasture trip."

With our new trusty little golf cart. .

Explained to me as "a HECK of a deal!"

We found that the hillsides of our little grass pasture were more FULL of blooms than they had been a few weeks ago. .

Yellows, oranges, blues, pinks, white, and purples. .

And this year. .

lots and lots of GREEN!

The golf cart is such a quiet ride. .

so the peacefulness of the trip was maintained. .

UNTIL. .

the cart wouldn't restart after we stopped to take pictures. .

Guess who drew the straw to walk BACK to the house to get the 4-wheeler and jumper cables??

Yup. .

ME!

Can you see the golf cart way back there. .

NO??

Let me zoom in my 30x optical camera lens. .

There they are. .

waiting patiently. .

While I continued to take pictures and walk. .

I was totally ECSTATIC to find this. .

Wild blue indigo growing in our pasture. .

I have NEVER seen it in our part of the country. .

And so I ordered a few of them from High Country gardens. .

2 of which are still surviving, but not blooming yet!

There were a good number of plants blooming down in the bottoms of the hills. .

but none that I could see from the driveway!

They were my favorite wildflower from childhood. .

I recall picking bouquets with them in it with my mom. .

and they lasted a long time!!

Since I rarely wear anything around the house but flip flops. .

I was SURE glad I spied THIS little guy before I found him with my toes!!

It's amazing that cactus AND wildflowers can thrive in the same acreage of vegetation!!

But they do!

Aren't God's creations magnificent!!

Hope you have a BLESSED Monday. .

And be sure and stop back by this week. .

The remodel is DONE. .

And the proof. .

is in the pictures!!

May Showers. .AND May Flowers!

Oh My!!

What a whirlwind of activities!!

School is now officially OUT. .

And summer vacation is IN!

We have been to play day for Devin. .

Preschool graduation for Camille (complete with the caps and a processional). .

And though the weather hasn't been perfect for gardening. .

We are getting some of that squeezed in!

We had nearly 3 inches of rain last weekend after high school graduation. .

See how my back yard looked after it came in a torrential fashion?!

We also had hail with it. .

But not as large as the hail that broke through multiple panes of my greenhouse the week before!!

We have had quite a bit of rain this spring. .

and cooler temperatures than the last two years at this time. .

So, we are hopeful for a break in the drought pattern!

The rains filled my pond to the brim!

And the pasture pond that belongs to our neighbor!!

It's been a while since there was water there. .

And it was a beautiful site for sore eyes!

We enjoyed a little pasture tour the one beautiful evening we had. .

And found some great wildflowers. .

that I don't even think we saw last spring!

This is what I love about Kansas when it is nice. .

Big, wide open spaces. .

and super blue skies. .

The yucca plants are nearly blooming. .

I will have to go out this weekend and see if I can capture a photo. .

They are SOOO gorgeous in full bloom!

The yard is starting to explode with color too. .

I have been hard at work planting, planting, planting. .

and watering, watering, watering. .

over the last several years. .

But THIS year. .

Things finally seem to be coming together. .

and it is looking like a garden instead of random plants and bushes!

Two of the three honeysuckle bushes survived. .

I thought they would be fragrant. .

but they aren't.

I was going to yank them back out. .

but they have a nice dense habit, that will be good for wildlife. .

And they do produce some red berries, that always seem to get eaten. .

So they will stay. .

not to mention,

I am liking the upright structural element that they are finally providing in their garden spots!

The spirea that I snatched from my mother in laws hedge are ready to bloom. .

and the dwarf spruce trees in the background are turning that wonderful shade of 'new-growth blue'. .

The spiky foliage in the foreground is a red hot poker, and I noticed in the last couple days that it will be blooming soon too!

The iris are blooming. .

This peach one is probably one of my favorites. .

I don't think we had ONE iris blossom last year. .

But the plants are loaded this year. .

I even found this pink and white bloom. .

that I think came from my friend Sally. .

I've never seen it before!

The Russian garden is looking pretty pathetic. .

but better, after Grant spent some time weeding out the cheat grass!

I was pretty surprised to find this long, tall bud in the Texas Red Yucca plant. .

The surprising part was, that the same type of plant right next to this one. .

which is about quadruple the size of this little guy. .

Has NO blooms yet. .

It should finish opening any day now. .

And is more red than the pink color it was at the beginning of the week when I snagged the photo.

THAT should be a hummingbird magnet for SURE!

My other hummingbird magnet. .

The orange honeysuckle. .

 is blooming and climbing up the structure. .

but I haven't noticed any hummingbirds coming near it. .

Maybe this weekend as I have time to sit, I'll see one!

The neighbor said she has seen several already.

Nellie Moser clematis is blooming. .

And so is the primrose plant that I got from Garden on Sherlock Street last spring. .

Speaking of GonSS. .

I was hoping for a real live tour of her Garden tomorrow. .

That was. .

until Miss Thing ended up with the stomach flu this evening. .

Now I'm just hoping for a little sleep tonight. .

and that the Lysol and Clorox will effectively protect the rest of us!

Sickness wasn't what I had on my agenda for the weekend. .

But. .

It is what it is!

And. .

in between some cleaning tasks. .

and a little gardening. .

I hope I'll find time to just sit still. .

And enjoy all nature has to offer!

Hope you have time to do some of that too!!

Enjoy your long weekend!