Buckets of Blooms

When it's summer in Colorado we have monsoon rains-- nothing like Southeast Asia, but maybe an inch or so at a time. Enough to flood low places in farm fields and yards. Very good for the crops and my pasture grass which seems mostly dead. It will also make the weeds grow.

Flowers love the rain but with the wind were rather droopy and bedraggled. The photo below was taken a few weeks before the rain so everything looks OK.

However, after the last two storms and all the wind, now is a good time for the summer trim.

Buckets of blooms.

Even though the trim looks severe, the flowers will return in a week or two and the pots will be full of blooms once more.

Having blooming flowers in August and September made it easier to snip, snip, snip.

I know they'll be back to making me happy.

Fresh Peaches

I love it when the Colorado peaches are ripe and they make their way to the eastern plains!

Of course, it doesn't hurt that the people working at Pope's told me at church that there were some in at the produce stand. Thanks, Tracy!

Wash, 

drop in boiling hot water for a minute, 

peel the skin, 

slice, 

sprinkle with Fruit Fresh

 and a wee bit of sugar. 

Oh my! 

So good in the tummy!

♥♫

Vintage Garden

Each visit to my childhood home brings new sights in the garden. Walking to the door leads me past these lavender bells that were in the yard even when my grandparents lived here, although most likely not in the same spot. They are Lady Bells, (Adenophora).

And this bed of flowers where I pulled weeds on my last visit had  grown so much!

The Tam juniper shrubs, on the right, were planted by me and I remember the small gallon pots cost $1.00! Now they are taller than I am. Could it be because that was most likely around 50 years ago? No wonder I am O.L.D.

 

Below you can see the tall bushes -- ancient lilacs and to the left are the old farmstead roses, the ones that bloom once early in June. The white building in the background is the garage, NOT attached to the house as most are today.

I love the bay window outside and in, even when I have to wash it. We are careful when we do it as the windows are the old wavy glass and very fragile. Again, NOT the modern double paned windows of today. No need to wash the siding as the rain did a good job of it.

Then on into the house I go, over and over with the bags of groceries that I shop for on the way here. No outside chores today, just inside cleaning. And as always, my 89 year old wonder of a mother makes a very tasty lunch, including desert!

♥♫

Critters

Gargoyles are supposed to act as guardians and defend your home from intruders.

There are several in my garden doing a great job of looking cute whereas some are very menacing and scary looking.

My colleagues at school had given me a gift certificate to our local garden center for my retirement so I looked around for the longest time and brought home "Defending Gargoyle", below.

However, I think my gargoyles missed the memo about protecting and keeping away evil spirits, otherwise known as naughty cats.
 

Because this is the second time my window box of ferns has landed on the sidewalk. Thank goodness the asparagus ferns seem to bounce right back!

♥♫

Out My Front Door

Pots of flowers greet me as I go out to water early in the morning.  
Because it is HOT right now I try to keep them happy with lots of water and try to remember to fertilize them.

The lilies are blooming.

I've had them so long I no longer remember their names.

Petunias do well in the prairie heat.

Walking to the faucet also makes me happy. I'm thankful I have a well for water.

I didn't count pots this spring. I might do that one morning when I'm bored.

Enjoy the color around you this weekend. 

♥♫

Estes Park

Two nights, two days, two cuties fishing. I must say that this is the first time I actually realized how relaxing it is to just sit and look at the beautiful scenery while fishing. They were fishing and I was looking!

Poor Alex, Maxx's dad,  had to stay home and work.

Success!! Being patient paid off as two nice trout were cleaned and packed in ice for the trip home.

I was happy watching the two of them fish and going into town to see some of the beautiful flowers. Mountain towns always have the prettiest hanging baskets. My theory is they get more intense light and it is cooler at the higher altitude than out here on the plains where it should reach 100 today.

♥♫

Our Firecracker

Sarah took this picture of her grandpa on his 91st birthday yesterday.

We had a grand celebration!

♥♫