Flowers are Blooming!

Totally, totally, totally procrastinated on running errands today. My excuse? Oh, look at these gorgeous flowers! Who wouldn't want to hang around the house all day, windows open, doing much of nothing!

Besides, I hate shopping.

(My library books are going to be late, but oh well.)

My yard looked like big green weeds, giant weeds, until these beauties popped out.

And so, it's time to figure out the camera, and it's time to try to be "artsy" with my pics. I was trying to capture "flare", too.

Oriental lily, I bought 3 for 1.99 at a local hardware store.

Okay, there's a reason my face is not focused. Because i don't know what i'm doing! The flowers look great though. (My face looks like it's glowing because there's "flare" on it! I look angelic, lol!)

Ooo, flare!

Gladiolas, also bought at local hardware store, 1.99 for 10!

Ooo, flare and gloriosa daisies!

Ooo, flare and coneflowers. Looks like a bubble, want to pop it!

This pic was a pleasant surprise. I think it's one of my favorites.

no mom, i didn't look directly into the sun.

This is my favorite, bar none. it has bokeh and flare. I'm learning.

Have a beautiful day!

Frosty Flowers, Goodbye

Frosted Flowers...and grass. The end of the growing season is here.

It was frosty and foggy this particular morning. I jumped out of my car on my way to work to snap these last photos of my garden in the end-of-it's-season glory.

Alas poor cosmos! I behold your beauty one last time this season.



How different you are from this...




Naked, cold and shivering...
You certainly know how to go out with a bang...



...or shall we call it a "brrr"....?



At least I'll get to enjoy you maiden grass, with your beautiful seedheads throughout winter.



Ah! Sweet hardy Coneflowers! Until we meet again! I'll see you next summer.
Goodbye.

Garden Eye Candy

I'm posting these just because...

...because my garden is in bloom...

...because we worked so hard on it in the rainy spring...

...because i wanted to play with my camera settings...

...because i wanted to see more pictures on my blog...

...because i'm weird...

...because i can...

...because...i'm going to shut up now...

.....

.....


.....

...are you still there?...

I love you summer. xxx ooo.

The Fruits of my Labors

Sorry, it's been too long! Want a sneak peek at what's been keeping me away?







Life and love.



And gardens.




And questions like, what am I gonna do with all that kale? It's taking over the garden.



And, why isn't my cosmos blooming? (According to the internet, it's because my soil is too rich. Phooey. It's just full of sheep poop.) And why can i still smell basil? I weeded it 4 hours ago!

Flowers from my flower bed, flanked on either side with lettuce and kale from our vegatable garden.

We worked hard in our yard this past Spring building new beds and a new raised garden. It's so nice to sit back and enjoy the results.






Well, I'm enjoying the kale anyway, not sure about anyone else, lol!

summer lovin'

So, I have been enjoying my time off. I'm out on my front porch enjoying the breeze blowing through my hair. I know we live off the beaten path, but every time I step out on our porch (it's like a huge covered extension of our house), I feel like I'm on vacation, in a cabin, in the woods. Maybe not my ideal vacation, I prefer the beach, but it's relaxing enough.

(our house, looking up from our lower lot)

After almost 5 years in our house, I still crack up when the farmers down the road feed their cows. A whole chorus of mooing begins. It sounds like they're singing to me! (kidding). Luckily, they're close enough to hear, but too far to smell. Previously we lived where they were close enough to smell, and I said "never again".

(lower lot, still untamed)

We own a few acres; everyone around us also owns at least 2 acres. We all like our privacy. The latest house however is being built close to our house. The owners purchased 26 acres and they have to build right by our house? So they tried 3 other spots and found a coal seam-to unstable to build there. I lack sympathy, they have 26 acres to find another spot. I don't think they were trying hard enough. At least their house isn't facing ours, pheww..

(our current closest neighbors, not the new ones)

And so, with all that land, I'm still trying to tame the yard. It had been strip mined (hence the coal) eons ago. Hubby bought a new riding lawn mower this spring. I love it. I mow the entire yard (the level part) once a week. It takes a couple hours. But if it's nice out, I enjoy it. I've aerated also. Now I need to attack weeds. Hubby needs to attack the sloped area. It's overgrown with wild blackberries and black locust trees. If you have ever thought of purchasing black locust trees...well, hopefully you haven't thought of purchasing black locust trees. They have thorns. They have long brown seedpods. They are extremely prolific. And they have EXTREMELY hard wood. So what I'm saying is, they're ugly and tough to get rid of, like a weed, only bigger.

(More untamed land, weeds plus locust trees)

(Why is there a fork in my yard? That's not even from my set.)

(Tamed yard)

(Awww, a wittle baby wocust twee, isn't he sooo sweet? Wook at his wittle thorns. Ugly little invader.)

(More tamed and untamed yard. We're getting there.)

(Driveway, plus view. the lower lot is beyond all the locust trees.)

So all of my great plans for a new flower bed have gone by the wayside, at least for the time being. The lovely spot I trenched out this past spring is growing: weeds. Sigh. Yards and gardens are a living canvas, right?