Never a wasted moment

This weekend was chores.  Chores all the time, it seemed.  We trimmed the trees off the roof and cleaned some more in the garage, and Rob and I went through more of our clothes and packed several boxes for goodwill.  And, that was in addition to the usual watering and cooking and tidying up around the place.

I hardly got any quilting done.  But, the dining table got completely uncovered for the first time since we brought things home from Linda's and we changed the table cloth.  It might sound like we are really boring people.  But, in reality, we have 8 weeks of special projects that aren't really chores because they don't have to be done at a certain time, but they still have to be done sometime.  And, we were too busy to get to them, and now, I guess we're knocking them out as part of our grieving process. 

That leaves me with garden pictures.  Unfortunately, it's August, so there's not much happening in the garden.  I can't remember what that orange flower is (but it's on the tip of my tongue).  It's among some pink Mexican petunias and some fading garden phlox and really shines out there.  I can see it peeking through from the kitchen window when I do the dishes. 

 

The Cinco de Mayo rose.  This is a knockout and blooms almost continuously, but this time of year, it only gives a few petals in each flower.  Earlier this year, it was a much fuller bloom. 

 

 

Esperanza loves the heat.  I picked a seed pod off someone's plant a few years ago, and now I have my own.  It's not very significant in the garden, until this time of year, when it shines.  Dies back to the ground in winter so it is growing while spring flowers are blooming.  And, now it's providing much needed shade to some of those spring bloomers while they rest from their bloom work.

 

 

Bougainvilla.  This didn't flower for a really, really long time, but it's finally started to put out some color at the ends of the branches.  This is another larger plant that is giving some shade to the recovering daylilies and iris, both of which are putting out next year's growth now. 

 

 

More phlox.  These like it here, so I grow them all over the place.  These get more sun and they are much more purple than the ones in the shade.  But, they all came from the same starter that my Mom brought me from a friend's yard, in the 90's.  These are laying down because it was watering day.  the flower heads are so heavy that the plants can't hold them up. 

 

 

And, all of that takes water.  And, mother nature isn't really cooperating in that area, so most of it comes from a hose.  My watering schedule only gives me Mondays off.  The other days, I'm either dragging a sprinkler through it or watering pots with a hand held.  But, even in August, it's beautiful and in September it will recover and in October, it will be back to itself and in November, the reds will bloom and in December, there will be citrus and camellias.  Another complete cycle. 

 

Okay, so that's it for me today.  Enough about water.  It's time for a shower and to get ready to start this wonderful day and this wonderful week, and all this wonderful is about to make me sick.  So, before I make myself ill, I'm going to head out into the day.  And, who knows.  It might be wonderful.

 

Yours too!

 

Lane