Projects and Flowers. .

Happy Tuesday!!

We have survived graduations. .and 4-H camp. .and almost wheat harvest. .it will be over in a few days. .though it hasn't affected me as much as Devin!

The summer has been rocking right along!

We have been blessed with a TON of rain and beautiful weather this spring. .

And the gardens are spectacular!! Thought I would give a quick tour.

This rose is one that we dug from Jeremy's granddad's house a while after he moved to the nursing home.  He LOVED roses. .and had a ton of rose bushes in his backyard. It only has a light fragrance when it is in a vase. .and the flowers haven't impressed me on the bush until this year!

 

And so, after 3 years of the bush looking crappy in MY yard. .it finally looked good enough to make me cocky about growing more!!  I recently ordered some on sale from Brecks that will smell up my yard I hope!! They have settled in. .and the new bareroot twigs are covered in foliage and two of the 3 new plants have buds!! I will keep you. .and my "records" here posted!!

Here is the memory garden. .the blue atlas cedar is still too sad to take a good close up of. .but, surprisingly, it seems to be making a comeback from the bad winter burn it sustained. .There is yellow Echinacea paradoxa in the back, several types of grasses, Jupitars beard (the pink in the front) and Cardonna purple salvia on the left, with a tiny peek of the Nepeta catnip in the very bottom left. This place is LIT UP with winged creatures all the time!! It's one of my favorite places!! The new daylilies also have buds coming on. .so I will be excited for those to start showing off!

Here's a look from the other side. .in the far back is where the raised bed veggie planters are at! And it is all visible from my favorite rocking chair!

Gallardia are on fire near the pond!

I don't know for sure what this is. .but my Aunt Jane sent seeds from Oregon that I sprinkled out last fall. It is a poppy. .but not like one that I saw in her yard when we were there. .

I neglected to get a picture when this one was in full bloom. .but it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!! It looked just like the light pink. .except it was flaming magenta!! They are really fragile. .so one day-two tops on the blooms. .the wind just takes their breath away!! I am really hopeful that they will reseed where they are!! I initially thought that she had accidentally sent me lettuce seed. .as it looked just like a fancy head of leaf lettuce!! So the gorgeous flowers were a great surprise!!

Memorial weekend 2010

I love Memorial weekend. .it's always a good time for us to get some projects done. .I remembered one of my favorite projects from 2010 when we moved this slipper slide over. .

Here it is 7 years later. .This thing smells so wonderful!! I love the thick scent in the air when I walk early in the morning! I can often smell it 1/2 way down the long driveway!! It is so cool to be able to see the progress of the garden in pictures. .As I was looking for this photo, I enjoyed looking at some of my other blog photos shared all those years back. .just like baby pictures. .it was fun to see how things developed and changed!

Speaking of projects. .This year, I put Devin to work on a dream feature that I had seen on Pinterest. .

I love the bottle tree that Jeremy made for me several years ago. .
(The larkspur was stunning as usual too!)

The tiny one in the front was our first attempt. .

And then I found a photo of one similar to the bigger tree. .which he sweetly crafted for me!

And since then. .I came across an arc full of bottles that I just loved!! I like Moscato. .and have been saving up my cool blue bottles for ever!! Since I took this photo. .I have been dumpster diving at the recycle center and found a few more to add on!

Jeremy figured out that he has a little grinder in his shop that takes the labels right off without scratching the glass. .and then a little dab of break cleaner gets rid of the tacky glue. .and

VOILA!

Happy, happy, happy!!

I thank you for stopping by. .

I have a few more pictures uploaded for later. .so maybe it won't be long until you hear from me again! Enjoy your summer!

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. .

New Blooms on the Block

April showers bring May flowers you know!!

And we have really enjoyed the April showers that are happening nearly weekly!!

Soft colors inferno strip from High Country Gardens is going to town!!

Except that. .

I can count on one hand, how many times I have taken shelter from tornado warnings in my LIFE. .

And twice, during the month of April. .I found myself in a basement with people who were not part of my family. You may remember the episode I talked about at the beginning of the month, when my gardening buddy, Gardener on Sherlock came for a visit and we ended up sharing quality time in the basement with Grant and his video game.

The short pink flowers to the left are Fragrant Persion Stonecress, the taller lavender plants are Napeta (walker's low catnip) dark purple-Cardonna salvia, bright pink blooms are Jupiter's Beard.

Last night. .

At the high school awards banquet. .we joined all of the people in the cafeteria in proceeding to an underground weight room to hang out while we waited for the dangerous weather to pass. .concerned about the coaches, bus drivers, and our kids that had been 1 1/2 hours away at a track meet. .who were hiding out in a church basement!!

Kansas weather. .one just NEVER knows!!

And praise to God, who kept us from danger both times.

Elfin pink penstemon in the inferno garden. .while it is touted to attract hummers. .and I actually saw a hummer over the weekend in the yard. .I haven't seen a hummer on this plant!!

We had a pretty laid back weekend. Tristan got his foot surgically fixed on Friday. .And it went better than expected. After the podiatrist got into his foot, he decided that no canals through the bone needed to be drilled. .and no cartilage grafting either. Just cleaning out bone fragments,and shaving off a bony overgrowth was enough to fix the problem, he thinks. No weight bearing for him until he is seen this week.

He used some camo duct tape to "trick-out" his crutches. .and he has been SUCKING up the attention from any female in the school willing to give it to him!! We are hoping that he can be at least partially weight bearing by Friday, as the one act play that he has the male lead in for forensics, will be performing at state on Friday!!

The only thing that would make this set up a little better, would be solid sides. .so we couldn't hear him!! His mouth moves NON-STOP!

We are still loving the chickens. .One died last week for an unknown reason. .it was the largest plain white one. The others are at a horrifically U-G-L-Y stage of their lives. .and I keep thinking that I need to get some photos. A chicken raising friend looked at them over the weekend and said they looked perfectly normal to him. .I was starting to worry about their big patches of bare skin and hideous appearance!

Here is our home as you drive into the driveway. .the knockout roses are truly a knock-out this year!! Too bad they don't do vases!!

The peach irises are in their glory now. .They, fortunately, do tolerate vases well. .and make a great team with the white peonies and purple larkspur!

The unmarked hot pink peony just has a couple blooms this year. .but we are enjoying them. Cami helped me make a couple floral arrangements Friday. .she got to run the snippers. .and I am lucky to still have all my fingers!

This mini rose bush was given to me by my MIL several years ago after the passing of my first grandma. It is a reliable little pop of color!

Bridal pink rose bush only looks nice this time of the year. .the blooms usually do well in vases. .but I haven't actually gotten any into the vases! Soon the heat and insects will not do nice things to any blooms left. .and the slated high for Saturday is 1-0-2!! WHAT??

This tropicana rose bush is a bright spot out of my kitchen window. It is planted all by itself in a bed that I finally covered up with fabric and mulch to get rid of the bermuda grass. .The bed is in a great spot on the east side of the house. .and has morning sun with afternoon shade. .I haven't decided what to put in the spot yet. .but will be working on that in a year or two. So tropi stays there for now, but will likely move in the future.

This. .has been incredible!!

It was one of the bulbs that I ordered last fall from Brecks. I have never tried allium before. .and this year I planted 2 kinds. .I am so sorry I never grew them before!! This particular variety is Beau Monde (I think. .I'll correct it later if I find an error).

You can see. .

It is HUGE!!

It has been blooming for nearly 2 weeks now. .and has been absolutely covered in butterflies and moths.

Speaking of butterflies. .I have never, EVER seen the winged creatures in the numbers that are in my yard already this spring. All types. .monarchs, red admirals, moths of all types, a number of dragonflies, and I even think I saw a black swallowtail yesterday. .though I never got close enough to ID it. Cami tries to catch them, but is rarely successful. I had to ask her not to chase them through the inferno garden, as she was tromping down the plants, and they weren't recovering!

The sea of larkspur has started. My original clump of butterfly milkweed is among the sea. It will probably be in bloom by next week. It is a pretty striking, the vibrant orange with the hues of blue. A few other milkweed that I started from seed should also be big enough to bloom sometime this summer.

We are at the point of spring, when I have to take an extra moment to inhale deeply as I walk into the backdoor, or around the west yard, as the fragrant honeysuckle are in bloom. The hummingbird I have caught fleeting glances at, goes from the white to the orange and back again. I am hoping that I will have enough other food in bloom to entice him to stick around when the honeysuckle gives it up.

I was happy to find that Devin had taken initiative to fill up the pitcher pump water feature while Missy and I were antiquing a couple weeks ago. .I have really enjoyed listening to his small trickle while mulching and weeding!

Rocky Mountain Penstemon and Cardonna Salvia



Speaking of mulching. .I finished (mostly) mulching in the new memory garden, in which the inferno garden is the main highlight right now. As I dream about what it will look like as it matures, I can hardly wait to see it.

The Amethyst Falls Wisteria vine is blooming. .It should bloom for several months. .I hope so. I haven't really noticed a scent, and the buds seem smallish. .but I see great potential. .and the winged creatures are enjoying it too.

Every day brings new promises of what's to come. .buds on the cosmos, and some coneflowers. .as well as the buds on this Red Hot Poker. I chose it from HCG last year for the foliage, and the promise that hummers liked its blooms. .I'm looking forward to seeing this in it's full glory!

The schedules are beyond hectic now. .

with Jeremy and I having to divide forces to watch kids or take them places. .

so every ounce of serenity and quiet beauty that the gardens and their inhabitants have to offer. .

are a great source energy and refreshment.

 And. .even though this last month of school and everything it brings is just starting. .

I already feel like. . .

THIS!!!

Happy Monday. .

The FIRST day of May!!

Ecclesiastes 2:24-25

There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?