Blooms, lost-found, tide will turn, lots of photos

Hello Folks ~

I hope you are all doing well. I want to thank you again for get well wishes and prayers for DH. He is getting better and we are thankful for that. Since it hurts him to chew food, I’ve been making him smoothies for breakfast, and different soups for lunch and supper. We’ve had pumpkin/potato, potato/carrot, cauliflower/broccoli and there’s a pot of split pea soup for tomorrow. I’ve been adding organic beef and vegetable broths, herbs, spices, onion and garlic. I want to make a beet soup next. These soups are all blended so that he can just drink it up from a cup. 

I am so glad that he’s doing better. There’s still a way to go until he’s back to normal, but he’s so much better than he was. As oldsters, we think we are still able to do things, but age, heat, humidity, vitamin depletion, etc. can and do take their toll. We’ve learned from this experience in many ways. I’ve also been thinking more about those in chronic pain and about care-givers.

We felt a change in the air today when we were out running an errand.  It is the end of Sept. so there should be some changes going on and we enjoyed being outside.

Over the past week or so I ‘lost’ two things, couldn’t find them anywhere and I looked high and low. I finally told DH (dear husband) and he started thinking of places for me to look, some I had already looked into and others, no findy items. Yesterday morning I was still frustrated by not being able to find them,  I picked up my library book bag and ‘found’ one of the items, an embroidery book underneath. I let out a whoop and DH said you’re going to find the ‘scissors' next.  Between 5-10 minutes later, I was sitting here in my chair, and pulled the bigger scizzors out of their pouch stuck my fingers in the space, and lo and behold, there was the pair I was looking for. I was thrilled.  I hate misplacing things.  I usually find them sooner than I did these two items. I’ve been flustered and preoccupied with DH and how he’s feeling that it’s a wonder I didn’t lose more things.

The little scissors I got when my late MIL passed away, with other craft items, so they mean a lot to me. I love the patina on them.

You can see that the scissors each have their own little space in my pincushion, scissor and debris bag,(I won this several years ago in a drawing and love it).  I absentmindedly put the little scissors in the wrong pouch, then put the larger scissors on top of them. Now they are where they belong once again. Sheesh.

This is the heart I’ve been working on. I added the lace stitched on with French knots. I’ve still more embroidery and beading to do before I feel it is finished. The colors are a bit more subdued than in these two photos, because of the lighting.

This is a little heart I worked on the past few days.  I love it.  It is 2 1/2 inches wide by 2 1/4 inches high.

Now, here are blooms I took photos of yesterday morning. It was very cloudy.

Blanket flowers

A weed, that I think is a Florida native, not sure though.

A fallen frangipani bloom.

Hibiscus

Passion flower. These are so amazing I can’t quit taking photos of them.  They are still blooming and there are quite a few buds too.

Philippine violet

An old poinsettia that is getting ready for it’s time of year.

Salvia greggii

La Marne roses.

Louis Philippe

Climbing Maman Cochet

Louis Philippe growing up over my shed.

Front gate from the sidewalk.

Side front entry gate into patio area, off the driveway.

Driveway gate. I love the plumbago from next door, very pretty.

That’s it from soggy s.e. FL. We had quite a bit of rain over the weekend and lots of cloud cover. I hope today to be able to wash and hang out laundry as we’re supposed to have some sunshine and little if any rain.

I’ll close this with a quote I came across recently.

FlowerLady Lorraine

***

“When you get in a tight place and everything goes against you,

till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer,

never give up then,

for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn”.

Harriet Beecher Stowe, abolitionist and author.

Latest project and blooms

Good afternoon Friends ~ What a gray, very windy, look like rain day it has been since we got up this morning. We’ve only had a few sprinkles so far and over 3” of rain is predicted over the next few days. We could use the rain. Tomorrow is supposed to be a pretty wet day. This is how it has looked all day.

Well, today is Saturday, and I didn’t have to work like I usually do. I worked Wed. through Fri, and my boss went in today to unload the truck from the Round Top, TX show.

This morning DH and I worked on the picket fencing by the Gypsy Shed. Yesterday morning before work, we worked on the gate. We ‘curbside shopped’ this picket fencing in March of last year. Someone had cut their fencing into 20-32 inch sections when they threw it out. I was so excited when I saw this, as I love picket fencing. I had originally thought I would put it around the main garden, but there really wouldn’t have been enough for that. So earlier this year, we put up the now painted section. DH put the ball finial on top of the 4x4 post and I love it. I took this picture this morning because I thought it was going to pour all day, so wanted to get a picture of our forward progress.

We decided to do more work since it wasn’t raining, just very, very windy. Two more 4x4 posts went into the ground, fence sections were screwed to 2x4’s and two more finials were placed on the 4x4 posts. I love it and look forward to working this area as weather permits. I don’t work again until Thursday, but with rain predicted every day I think, I might not get a lot done. I need to scrub down the fencing with TSP before I paint.

It is a real joy to find stuff curbside, then put it to original use, or reuse/repurpose. We are thankful for all the ‘freebies’ we have been blessed with.

This picture was taken the other morning from inside the scullery. I was washing dishes and saw this blue jay enjoying the bath, (which needs to be cleaned out) and ran for the camera. He flew off after I took the picture.

Mexican petunia.

My favorite passion flower vine. I just love these colors and this vine is growing next to the Gypsy shed, which will have purple and orange colors on the outside.

This is Mexican sage. I love the velvety green/gray leaves and the sweet flowers.

This is a little still life in my seating area at the back of the main garden.

I want to say thank you to my new followers who recently started following, and thank you to all the rest of my followers too. Your comments are much appreciated and I enjoy visiting your blogs also. We learn, and are encouraged and inspired by each other.

Thank you ~

If you count all your assets,

you always show a profit.

Robert Quillen

One of my favorite vines

Good afternoon Folks ~ I hope you are having a nice Sunday. It is very hot and humid here.  It is 3:30 p.m. est, 91 degrees and with the heat/humidity index feels like it is 102.  We were out this morning sweating buckets and it was absolutely miserable out.  Sheesh!  We will be so glad when summer is over, but for us that won’t be until sometime in October, if we are lucky.

While we were out working, a loaf of garlic/herb bread was baking in the bread machine.  It smelled so wonderful in here when we came in.  In a little while I’m going to get dough going in the machine for pizza tonight.  I’ve got to get the Italian sausage cooked and then make the sauce from scratch too.

When I came out here to my little space this morning, I noticed what looked like a book laying under my heart pattern pages.  I lifted the pages and this is what I saw underneath.

I was thrilled. DH got it at a yard sale he stopped at yesterday for 50 cents.  It is a wonderful book.

Now, on to the passion vine flowers.  I can’t quit taking pictures of these blooms.  They are so amazing, the colors wonderful and the scent is sweet.

The tendrils grasp onto anything and everything.  This particular vine is growing up one of my dwarf white bauhinia trees.

Thanks for visiting, viewing and your kind comments left behind. They mean a lot.

***

Every vine climbing and blossoming

tells of love and joy

Robert G. Ingersoll

***

 

Summer Project

Good afternoon Folks, It is a gray, very warm and humid day. We’ve been having rain off and on for several days now, and for that we are very thankful. Everything is greening up down here, and before long it will be a tropical jungle once again. I thought I’d write more about our restoration/repurposing project. We call this our stationary gypsy wagon. The fiberglass half of this was the camper on an old pickup that had seen better days. We took the camper body off, and sold the truck last autumn. DH used his CAD program to draw up plans and we’ve been using as much materials as we already have either from other projects or curbside shopped. Plus 4 small stained glass windows we bought years ago. We have three tin panels that we are using on the roof. We have some terra cotta colored roofing paint that we found that is great stuff, and will be painting the tin with it. It feels so good to be using up ‘stuff’ from our stash. I’ve already been working on the courtyard garden that is on the back side/east side of the gypsy wagon. On the south side will be a partial view into the ‘secret garden’, DH’s workshop and our screened room where the jacuzzi is. Below is a picture of the front side. DH will be making a door, using the paned glass window, shown at the bottom of my last post. Here is the first of two little stained glass windows that for the front wall. You can see the bougainvillea from our neighbor’s property in the center piece. This is a side view. I know this doesn’t look like much now, and some of you might be running and hiding your eyes, but it will look much better when it is finished. We have two matching top windows that we found curbside many years ago, and have now put them to use above the windows in the original camper. All four of these windows have a sliding glass panel and a screen to let in breezes. The side facing us is where the little refrigerator, tiny stainless steel sink, and the propane stove go, with a small counter. The refrigerator runs on either electricity or propane. Here is a look at the inside as it is right now, well, we do that the window in on the right now. This little space is only 6’x8’. We were given the back window which cranks out and is also tinted for sun and double paned. We installed a frame on the inside of windows space and put in a screen the other morning. We are going to insulate it with foam board and also 2” thick styrofoam. The walls and ceiling will be paneling painted white.DH is going to paint faux tiles on the floor, and then I’ll put an old Oriental rug in there too. We will put a bench under the back window all across the back. We will use the two canvas folding chairs, cleaned up, and a nice couple of solid wood TV trays also. We want to keep it airy looking in here. Once the counter and little appliances are back on the other side where they were originally, it will start feeling cramped .The other night we thought of using this space to sleep in while we remodel our bedroom, with flooring we have stacked in DH’s workshop, and paint the walls. We have an old Army cot that DH will sleep on where the chairs are now sitting and I will sleep on the cushioned bench at the back. Here is the back. We will have two more little stained glass windows on either side of the window in the top wood. I just thought of these two little windows the other night. They were sitting in my scullery window. I told DH my idea and he thought it a good idea. I took a picture of one of the windows which is below this picture. We have siding to go on over the tar papered wall over the window. This is the view of the courtyard in progress from inside. You can see my ‘solar dryer’. This is a pleasant area to hang out the laundry. Butterflies, birds, bees and hummingbirds, foliage, wonderful scents.

The flower below is on my bush Grand Duke Jasmine. It is loaded with these wonderful smelling flowers.

These two are in bloom in the hedge of the ‘secret garden’, which is to the south of the courtyard area. The ‘Incense’ passion bloom fills the air with its sweet scent too.

My friend Nanci, who has the shop next to where I work, gave me 5 orchids that I’ve shown the flowers of before. I was thrilled to say the least. She was going away for a few weeks and didn’t want them to die. She had already lost a couple of plants. I don’t know the name of this orchid or what type it is. I hope and am pretty sure that someone out there will be able to tell me. Here is a picture I took and posted awhile back. They have big oval shaped leaves. They had all seen better days, but I hope to keep them alive and have them thrive.

Ok, that’s it for now. I hope you all are keeping as cool as possible. Don’t work too hard, or too long in the heat and drink plenty of water.

The sky is dark, the wind is blowing, and thunder is rolling.

Bye for now.