Mid May blooms

 

Consider the lilies how they grow:

they toil not,

they spin not;

and yet I say unto you,

that Solomon in all his glory

was not arrayed like one of these.

Luke 12:27  (KJV)

Another gray and windy day

Good afternoon everyone ~ Hope you all are having or have had a great weekend.

We were ‘supposed’ to get rain last weekend, got a few sprinkles, more rain is expected over the next couple of days and I do hope we get some.  We’ve had a few light sprinkles today.

I was able to get the picket fencing washed down with TSP and what a difference.  Now when the weather is not so iffy I can paint it. Yippee!

DH has finished framing the pair of little stained glass windows for the back/east wall of the gypsy shed, and has the lines marked out ready to cut.  That will be done in the next day or so and then the windows will be inserted.

I’m going to be raking out smoothly as possible the area between the clothesline and the gypsy shed so that I can lay down some tar paper before laying down broken paver stones fit together as much as possible.  The paper will keep ants and weeds from wreaking havoc with the area.

I have been visiting the Stitchin’ Fingers website and am being inspired left and right.  I just can’t get over all the wonderful needlework out there. My mind is reeling, my fingers itchin to start a new project.

I haven’t done much in the way of gardening this past week. Although, wait a minute, what’s this fading blister from? Ah yes, we trimmed some tree branches that were hanging over the fence from the apt. complex and I trimmed the front hedgerow too. We have more limbs all along the driveway to take care of, a little at a time as we are only allowed to put out so much a week for them to come pick up, to take to their facility and ground to mulch. It is free to the public any time.

So, here are pics from the week.

I’ll start off with an early morning picture the other day, just before the sun started coming up.

French tarragon

Philippine violets

Louis Philippe roses

Back of the gypsy shed with window lines drawn on.

One of the waiting windows.

Fall decoration in the kitchen porch entry.

Our weather is a tad cooler and I saw predictions for the end of the month where the temps are supposed to get down into the late 50’s.  That is really going to be nice, if it happens.

Hope you all have a great week wherever you are, whatever you are doing. If any are going through rough times, may you feel God’s love and peace surrounding you. He is with us always, it’s just that we sometimes do not notice.

******

"Winter is an etching,
 
spring a watercolor,
 
summer an oil painting

and autumn a mosaic of them all."

Stanley Horowitz

******

A wet Friday morning

Good morning Friends ~ I do hope you all will have a nice long weekend here in the US. I hope everyone else around the world has a nice normal weekend too.

My heart goes out to all of those who are having to deal with clean up from Irene. Who have lost homes and businesses. May love and healing surround them at this time.

Having gone through three hurricanes, we have an inkling of the devastation, and dealing with clean up and going without power as we did for 13 days. Going through hardships and heartache makes us appreciate all the many blessings we do have.  May we be even more thankful for them and not take them for granted when things are going smoothly.

We have been having lots and lots of steady, heavy rains.  Some are noisy thunderstorms, others are just heavy downpours of rain for hours on end.

Our gardens are even becoming more of a jungle where I haven’t worked yet, so I’ll have plenty to do in the coming weeks, in between rain and work.

Here is one bloom for this morning ~ Philippine Violet.  I love the color and the hardiness of this plant.

***

How beautiful is the rain!
After the dust and the heat,
In the broad and fiery street,
In the narrow lane,
How beautiful is the rain!
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Rain in Summer

December Blooms

Dear Friends,

While a lot of you are having snow,
ice storms and cold, bleak weather,
we are having mild temps.
This is when plants grow best
without the summer's heat frying everything in sight.
My gardens are NOT really at their best,
as I've lots of work to do in them,
but there are flowers all around
in spite of what needs to be done.

I went out this morning and took some pictures.
Hope they brighten your days,
and give you something to look forward to
with your own gardens come spring.

At least you all get to take a break,
gardening here is a 365 days a year happening.

Enjoy ~ FlowerLady

******

This is my shed's garden.

Tomato blossoms.

Phillipine violet

Morning glories.

Same mgs from a different angle.

La Marne roses.

La Marne roses again.

Hibiscus, not sure what kind.

This is a double purple datura bloom about to open.
Probably will be tomorrow.

Same bloom, different view.
Notice two more buds near the base of this bloom.

Angel wing begonias.

******

"From December to March,
there are for many of us three gardens -
the garden outdoors,
the garden of pots and bowls in the house,
and the garden of the mind's eye."

Katherine S. White