Pink season

My garden changes color over the season.  Most of the flowers up to now have been orange, red and yellow.  But now that it's hot as the fires of Hades out there, the main colors change to pink and purple.  It wasn't on purpose.  I'm not sure how my hottest weather plants ended up being these colors.  It just sort of happened by picking up first one and then another plant that could take the heat without paying attention to the colors.  

Last week was a sick week.  Whatever Rob brought home was a nasty bug.  We tested negative for Covid but had coughs and sniffles and chills and even lost our sense of taste for a short time.  I was sick enough that I just laid around.  I couldn't even focus on handwork.  I was recovered by Thursday and Rob the day before, but it made for a long week.  

The swamp lily is blooming.  This plant gets huge.  I've divided it a couple times.  It likes a part sunny spot and the green sword like leaves get 4' long and lie down and crack along the fold lines.  It grows from huge bulbs that can get the size of a softball, or maybe larger if given the opportunity.  In a hard freeze, it does to the ground and makes a watery mess that has to be dealt with quickly before it gets messy.  I wish this plant had a prettier name to go with those pretty flowers.  

All the crepe myrtles are blooming.  I have three.   This very pale pink, a more magenta pink that's just getting started, and a dark purple that hasn't started yet.  This was a potted plant that came from a neighbor when they moved into an apartment.  To the right are some of the purple phlox, still going strong.  

This plant is ruellia, according to my plant identifier.  It grows as a lawn weed here and this picture is from an overgrown lawn up the street.  Rob keeps ours cut, so they don't bloom often.  This is so hardy, growing in the full sun.  It doesn't get very tall.  I'm thinking about taking some and putting it in a pot and trying to grow it.  I'd never plant it in my flower bed for fear it would take over, but maybe I can control it better in a pot.  It grows a pretty flower.  

Okay, not everything in my garden is pink right now.  The spider lily is also in bloom.  This came from a neighbor when she passed and her house was sold.  I took just one bulb and put it in the yard last year.  It's not in the best spot for it.  It's going to get moved into a slightly shadier spot this fall, but it's got a couple of babies coming in around the base, so it must be okay.  The new neighbor must have had hers pulled out and replaced them with gladiolus.  If only she'd asked for a second opinion about that.  

I bought myself an orchid yesterday.  I do love the unusual colors, like green and brown.  This one is tan.  

The week before, when I was feeling icky, I mused whether I should sacrifice an orchid (bring it home and overcare it to death).  Rob shared this, which was PERFECT!

We went antiquing on Saturday after chores were done.  We were going to Luling, but they were having their annual festival (the Watermelon Thump) and we decided that was a lot of people to be shopping around, so we went to our other haunt in Geronimo, TX.  We had lunch at the Grain Bin.  We love their simple and delicious home cooking.  This time, we each had a grilled sandwich and fries.  The turkey and ham had been grilled, but then the sandwiches were grilled and smashed down, the way my Mom used to make grilled cheese.  And, the fries had been dredged in flour before frying, so they had an extra crispiness.  It was not good for us, but it was DELICIOUS food.  We don't eat that way that often, so it's okay.  As my doctor said last week, "Everything in moderation, even moderation."  

Anyway, we didn't buy much.  I think the antique store we were frequenting is having trouble keeping vendors.  They seem to have changed hands and it doesn't seem to be going so well for them.  It's okay.  We had a good run there and brought home way too many things.  I bought a new cookbook.  This is a picture of one just like it because I left mine on the sofa on Saturday and the puppy ate the cover.  She's training us to be much more careful about what we leave lying about.  

It's a really good cookbook.  The manufacturer recipes on cans usually are good.  They just need a little..."moderation".  But, cutting back on the calories and fat in most of these should be really easy.  I've found that a little chicken stock, a little fat free cream, a little flour and some fresh mushrooms make a great substitute for cream of mushroom soup.  

I saw this tea towel in a shop we were in and thought it summed up a lot of crazy very nicely.  If it hadn't been so dang expensive, I'd have bought myself one.  

And, an inspirational thought for the day.  No, really, an inspirational one...I know you're not used to that from me 😂

I don't know what the dems are gonna do after last week, but it sure feels like staying the course is the wrong choice.  I'm not sure Biden is up to governing in a difficult and changing environment.  Nothing against the man.  He's made many great contributions to our country and our democracy.  But, if he can't respond to Trump, how's he going to defeat his next coup attempt?  

Everybody have a great week!  

Lane