I'll be back...

The crepe myrtle outside my kitchen window is in it's second bloom. I declare the second-bloom aroma is more super-licious than the first! In my opinion, a crepe myrtle is a must-have-in-the-garden plant -
its bloom time is months.

After taking time off to prepare for a week of two twilight tours and a give-away tea,

I'll be back,

...next week!

...happy gardening!

ox

bird cages

i love me bird cages!

and i need another bird cage like i needed another...

well...like i needed another birdcage!
...i couldn't resist!

love the details...

i found it at the GW
where a dozen other people were wandering around.
it sat there waiting for me! :)
i don't need to do a thing to it -
except find a place for it!

after a ten day break from blogging
due to a busy, busy week of  two twilight garden tours
and a promised give-away tea -
i'll be back...
next week! :)

...blessedness!

ox

reasons

I haven't posted for a bit, partially because I was busy, the gardens and I were dry and preparing for the twilight tour coming up next Tuesday. It's coming to the countdown but right now, I feel on track. And the rains are a wonderful boon, greening the grass up very nicely...thank you, Jesus!

My wisteria is throwing out some blooms and shoots galore!

 In this lovely heat, it needs trimming back again.

It's also doing this fifteen feet away...

NOT GOOD!

Yes, it's coming up between the deck floor and the house.

I guess pleasureable things aren't free, either! :)

Until after the tour...

...happygardening

ox

busy-ness!

i haven't posted for a bit due to the twilight garden tour coming up next tuesday night.

i'm grateful for the beautiful rains we're having after several weeks of dry and hot weather,

which makes it easy to work the ground and pull the weeds.

i'm mostly excited to do the fun stuff and giving myself plenty of time

so that next tuesday i'll be prepared early in time.

a few teasers...

until then! :)

...blessedness!

ox

broken stuff

i decided to change the dishes on the dinning room shelf

and chose to use my small collection of ironstone.

after changing it, i left the room and heard a CRASH BANG...

oh dear!

this heavy shelf didn't budge in the six years we lived here...

the ironstone must have added too much weight

and the shelf slipped loose from the nails.

two were salvageable, the pitcher having a small chip that can be repaired.

the shelf looks like this for now...

but needs some more tweaking.

any ideas? i'm all out of 'em! :)

last week i moved a bench into another spot,

placed a birdhouse, wooden mailbox, a jug with flowers on it.

walked outside last evening and saw this...

a collapsed bench!

but considereing it was a fence before a bench,

and i had it for...oh...fifteen years or more

and it sat outside all that time...

well - there it is!

this was a good a reminder of what is important...

- it was just dishes and a bench -

- things come and go -

- happiness is not possessions -

and...

- there's more out there somewhere! :)

...blessedness!

ox

Shoshanna's Kitchen - Episode 3 - Kid Smoothies

Porch Post Arbor

Funky Junk's Gitter Done! is in its second month of encouraging one to get a project finished or to share one already done. This arbor began when wooden porch posts were traded for vinyl posts at a church and were very quickly claimed by myself. They've been in storage for some years when finally, this spring I got an idea  to create an arbor out of them for my zepherine drouhin rose. 

This space was a forlorn, windswept space between the playhouse and the gazebo with a cornfield on the other side of the arborvitaes where the cornstalks ended up in the yard during winter time.

I tried different ideas but nothing really clicked till I remembered these stored porch posts.

Mr D placed the posts over re-bar, five feet apart,

 

 using 3/4" pvc pipe, pushed them into the hollow top of the post,

and using a heavy screw to hold it all together.

  I floored it in with slate pieces I had fa-eva that in its 'before' life, 

served lots of other jobs and planted creeping thyme between it.

It is now a place of beauty and perfect for my rose, where in its other location, suffered majorly from lack of moisture and wind so much so, by the middle of summer,she was a sad-looking rose.

She looks lovely with the wrought iron set I got at the GW at an enormous bargain.The hanging light is for display only and will be switched our for another light that holds a candle in a glass vase, found at a yard sale.

 Pics of that are coming in another post after the twilight tour the end of the month.
This was an easy and fun project to do!

Josiah

it was Josiah's turn for his birthday treat

 to go out with grandpa and grandma to Village Greens.

we are in a high nineties to triple digit heatwave right now

and it was VERY warm -

but we had a good time together.

Josiah is seven and well on his way to becoming a good player. 

his first of this game hole-in-one...

then he had a second one!

(grandma forgot to take a picture of that one)

the Barn shot is a favorite but a little difficult to do for the youngins.'

as the door opens, one has to learn to co-ordinate the swing

with the rhythm of it to get the ball in...

a challenge for a seven year old!

a few pictures of this lovely course...

Village Greens has two courses

and we start out with the smaller one,

but they soon ask for the bigger one.

Grandpa is usually the winner!

we finished the evening off with an ice cream cone -
they still had the strawberry cheesecake as their feature flavor...
yum-yum!

...blessedness!

ox

garden tour

for several years i've dreamed of doing a twilight garden tour

and always lost the courage to do it.

last summer i took the plunge and after making a verbal commitment,

  i had to follow through. :)

i contacted a nearby friend, Lena, and she consented to share,
not only her gardens but her lovely restored Victorian home.
 

woo-hoo!

the tour is tuesday, July 27 from 7-9:30 pm.
our homes are close together and there are two and one half hours
to wander around our homes and gardens.

several pictures of our gardens...

if you want more info or a flyer

 contact me at fleurcottage@ymail.com and i will mail you one.

we hope to see some of you here!

...blessedness!

ox

twilight garden tour

I've dreamed about doing a twilight tour for several years and 'chickened' out for those same several years. Last summer, I made a verbal commitment, so I could no longer 'chicken' out of it. :) I contacted another garden lover and asked if she would want to be a part of it and was delighted when she consented. Sam and Lena bought an old Victorian house in 1988, restored it and redesigned the gardens. At her suggestion, this will be a house and garden tour.

The tour is from 7:00-9:30 PM on Tuesday evening, July 27, giving our guests two and half hours to linger between our two homes, which are within a one half mile apart. It is a donation based fund-raiser for our church, and tickets are not needed. I can be contacted at Fleurcottage@ymail.com if you need more info. If you want a flyer, send me your address and I'll mail you one.

Several pictures of our gardens...

We hope to see you then!

...happy gardening!

ox

Bird Bath Fountain

I saw this birdbath 'fountain' at a friend's house years ago and love this idea so much I keep it in my gardens.

I consider it a classic that never outwears its welcome! 

It's very simple to put together. Two different sizes of birdbaths and a finial, stacked on top of each other.

It gives the effect of a fountain without the work of one. This is surrounded by lavender...

another classic that doesn't wear out its welcome here!

I love the patina the years have given to it. The birds love it too, when it'clean and keep water in it!

It really is easy-peasy with a rich look.

(linking up to funky junk)

taking the girls out...

last evening we took the girls out for their birthdays to village greens,

a tradition we do when they turn five.

village greens is the very nicest place to mini golf!

such excitement!
sarah is five and serena is six -
it was sarah's first time and serena's second time.

it was cuteness to watch the older instruct the younger!

waiting for our turn -
the big party ahead of us graciously left us do a go-ahead.

for some reason only girls can think of,
it was important to pose on the top seat.
after a teeny, tiny argument, grandma took a picture of both! :)

posing with their animal of choice at the 'barn' hole...

we finished off the evening with ice cream.

grandpa's scoop fell off his cone but was rescued -
delicious strawberry cheesecake...
yumminess!
a fun and funny evening!

...blessedness!

ox