Sunday, August 29, 2010

Liquid Sunshine ...

...otherwise known as RAIN, is what we are getting right now. A gentle rain, no thunder and lightening and it is nice. Hopefully it will fill our rain barrel enough to cover the patch so we can see if it's going to leak or not. It doesn't have much to go to be up past the area. This rain barrel is 55 inches high with lid and 34 inches in diameter. I measured the inside height and it's 43 inches, so DH did some figuring and the thing holds 169 gallons. If we have a huge amount of rain, that thing will fill up in no time. ~~ It is now up above the patch and so far, it doesn't look like it is leaking. Hurray. Another curbside shopped piece put to use. :-)

Here is a look at the sky earlier, before the rain started.


At the moment I'm not sure what this sweet rose is.



Below is Tork. Look at that serious expression on her face. I figured she either had a glass snake or a lizard, so went closer for a look after taking her picture. It was a big ole' moth. Tork jumped away and I got the moth to climb a stick and took it to some shrubbery.



Our lovely orange hibiscus. I didn't not see the visitors when I took the pictures.











This is a view I see out the scullery window, only zoomed in.
There are pink crepe myrtle blooms,
a pale orange flowering vine,
and the Incense passion flowers.
That is a storage building in the back with tools hanging on the walls.



My favorite of our two different kinds of passion flower.
This one is called 'Incense'.







***

Thought for today:

Gardening is about

enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil,

getting dirty without feeling guilty,

and generally

taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity.

Lindley Karstens, noproblemgarden.com

***


Zone 10 ~ s.e. FL

25 comments:

Marti said...

Beautiful flowers, as always. What a great rain barrel you found! I've been looking for one but haven't found one yet. It would be nice to find one that holds a lot of water like yours without being too wide to put by the house.

Sandy said...

Looking at your beautiful
flowers and listening to
the music is like a breath
of fresh air to me.
Thank you.
Sandy

denimflyz said...

Love the photo of the Passion Flower, absolutly striking.
I love Tork, she looks like a few of mine, and they all get the intense "I'm hunting" mode. She is adorable.
Enjoy your barrel, you lucky lady, I keep looking for a few also, never in the right place at the right time, I will just keep looking.
As always, your photos are gorgous, and your mystical home is a magic tour for the soul. Enjoy your rain.

Tatyana@MySecretGarden said...

The first picture is very dramatic! I love the color of Insence! Wonderful pictures! And, of course, I smiled when I learned that rain is a liquid sunshine!

Ami said...

FlowerLady: Congratulations on your rain barrel, hurray! We purchased two rainbarrels in May right before the rain season. Loving them!

Your orange hibiscus and the passion flowers are so beautiful! If I ever dare to try the vine, I want to grow some passion flowers first!

Karen said...

So glad to hear you were blessed with some gentle rain. The cloud picture was amazing.

The passion flower is absolutely gorgeous, I have never seen anything like it! The different colors and shades of blue and purple, wow!

Mrs. Mac said...

I love your pictures today. The cat one is charming. The passion flower reminds me of a neon light .. nice!

Darla said...

Nice post, hope the rain barrel works like you want it too. Love the Jane Cowell hibiscus!

Floridagirl said...

Beautiful flowers, Flowerlady! Those shots of the hibiscus and passionflower are stunning! And I love that cloudy sky. Nothing more awesome that clouds in a summer sky in Florida. : )

Passionately His said...

I love your hibiscus. Lovely!

Susan said...

Tork is adorable! That orange hibiscus flower is lovely, as is the passionflower. Last week's rain was a blessing to the garden.

Antique ART Garden said...

Tork is too, too cute ! Love the passion flower, hope you are well, luv, Gina

Meems said...

Dear FlowerLady,
Oh, there isn't anything that can compare to the gentle rains we had yesterday. Knowing the garden is being taken care of by the heavens. Beautiful images of the passionflower. They are amazingly intricate creations.

Hope your day is full of loveliness.
Meems

Kimberly said...

Lovely sky! The rain was fabulous yesterday...never a downpour but a steady light rain. Perfect for the landscape!

Your orange hibiscus is gorgeous! I love the color.

I'm envious of your passion flower, too. Mine hasn't bloomed since the caterpillars ate the leaves. The leaves have recuperated nicely but no blooms yet.

Have a great week!!

NanaK said...

I'm so glad that the rain barrel is holding above the patch. The rains we've been getting of late really have helped our gardens grow by leaps and bounds. Tork is a cute kitty. Great picture of him in hunting mode. That soft orange hibiscus is a stunner. Hope the rest of your week is peaceful.

Annie said...

Love those amazing clouds, and that lovely passion flower. It's the first day of Spring here tomorrow, but I don't think we'll see any sun.

Rosie Nixon Fluerty said...

That passion flower is so beautiful - glad you're getting some of that wonderful liquid sunshine.

Morning's Minion said...

I hope your rain isn't the fore-runner of Hurricane Earl.
I do love the expression that cats wear when contemplating something they intend to pounce upon!
The close-ups of your flowers are beautiful--both restful and inspiring to view.

Rebecca said...

Marveling at the beauty of ALL your flowers, but especially the passion flower!

Wishing for just a bit of the liquid sunshine you enjoyed.

Borrowing the quote in your previous post about creativity.

Enjoying the minutes I've spent at your blog this morning.

Connie said...

I am fascinated by the intricate beauty of that passion flower! So lovely.... I wish they were hardy here.

Corner Gardener Sue said...

Hi FlowerLady,
I stopped by to see how you are doing and if you are in the path of the hurricane. They keep talking about North Carolina on the news. It was cool to see some of the places we were at on our vacation in 2007. I hope they don't get hit hard, either.

I enjoyed your post and photos. I love the one of your cat. Your blooms are lovely, too.

Did you put a hose on your rain barrel? We have a short one on one of ours, and none on the other. I like having the hose.

Your bead and floss creations are lovely. Do you paint? You could paint some flowers or something on your rain barrel.

tina said...

That is one great photo of Tork. Such a good show of a cat's personality and concentration. You have a fabulous weekend and I'm hoping for some liquid sun too. Love the new term!

One said...

What a wonderful post! Love that intense look on Tork. The flowers are beautiful too especially Incense. I have a similar hibiscus but red in colour.

jerilanders said...

Well Rainey, I am glad you saved that moth from Tork, little hunter that he is. Hopefully he will find a nasty little grasshopper instead, that is much more of a challenge! Happy weekend to you, Jeri

Vetsy said...

Hi! Flower lady love that orange hibiscus it's pretty"... Tork is a cute little Kitty, she appears to be a soft little puff ball.

I would like to ask a question about your bougainvillea vine, is it as hard to control as a Lady Banks rose or Trumpet vine?