Another Bloomin' Update

The peony bloomed last week.  (Note peony in the singular)  I rewarded it by chopping it off and putting it in a beautiful green glass vase so I could enjoy it more.  (Note that you can see the table top in this picture.) 

The second bud has refused to open.  I have offered it more water and a promise of amnesty.  Still I am counting the peony transplant project a success for this year.   

The paprika yarrow has come into its own. 

The flame plant is thriving in the hanging basket.  Evidently it helps that I did not water it with vinegar this year.

 The Stella d'oro day lillies are both doing well in the front beds.

And just a teaser--the lupine(a new perennial this year) has the promise of a bloom.  (And the orange daylillies have buds like crazy.)

But possibly my most favorite bloom is in the SFG.  The chocolate cherry tomato plants have little chocolate cherry tomato blossoms.  I can't wait!

 

East Side Story--the Sequel

A note of interest concerning my previous post about the west side of my house: It really happened on the east side.  (Thanks to my less directionally challenged readers for pointing that out to me.)  Much has been happening there since my last post.

The Goob dug a hole. 

And the STP helped him haul away the grass we have worked three summers to grow.  The Goob does not understand this process.  Much in the same way he can not figure out why I water and fertilize the grass, as it only makes it grow so he has to mow it more often.  Anyway he overcame his aversion to the project with the promise of money.

Next we will haul gravel and sand and rocks to fill the hole back in.  There is not enough money in the checking account to convince the Goob that this makes any sense or that he wants any part of it.

I , on the other hand, can't wait.

In fact, I've already started. 

I love it when a plan comes together. 

You Say Frittatta, I Say Fritata

Made the STP iced chai semi-latte tea today. Because he is a good dad.
And I made him a frittata with asparagus, orange peppers, and parmesan cheese.  Which is a fancy way of saying 'baked eggs with all the leftovers in the fridge'.  Because I was raised by a good dad.
Come to think of it, maybe that's where I got my incredible cooking skills.

The Other Side of the Mountain

 The reason we went for a drive on Monday was to see the snow in the mountains. 

We were not disappointed.

It was raining, but the STP got out of the truck to give you some perspective.  Things are looking good for sledding on the first day of Summer.

Odometer Reading of the Week

92526

Not the best pictures, but I was driving at the time.  And I am giving myself extra credit for even recognizing such a cool number.  (Plus I had to stand on my head to take the second picture.)

In Velvet

As usual, I almost missed the picture of the deer altogether.

The STP thinks I can not photograph anything that moves faster than lichen.  (And truthfully sometimes I can't get that in focus.)

But this was the evening when I got a picture of the moose (and the baby moose).

And the same evening the hummingbird sat long enough for me to get in a shot or two.










So if you're thinking just forget about the deer, just look at this:

All that, and a slice of mountain medley pie at Bear Creek Lodge. 

 Oh, and did I mention that the sun set again tonight?

What's Blooming II--Pots and Planters

I stuck my camera up in the hanging basket to see if anything was blooming.  I think this one is in need of some miracle gro.

The other hanging pot just has red petunias in it. I have visions of this growing and overflowing like the baskets in Wilmore, KY. Usually the things I put in this pot shrivel and die, but this could be the year of flourish and overflow,

Speaking of dead and dying, I bought these little crispy yellow things at a yardsale.  I never get anything to grow in these front flower pots.  Mostly because I can't remember to water them.  I don't hold out a lot of hope for these guys, but they sure are cute now in my blue pots, aren't they?

Petunias grow well in my planters.  This year they are both my fillers...





...and my thrillers.

The color scheme this year is purple, red and yellow.

I tried some new things in the boxes.  Yellow marigolds and a new yellow spiller. 

Purple verbena and those red things the STP likes along with the usual red geraniums. 

I'm pretty pleased with the results so far.   

(Thinking that growing flowers is not unlike raising children. Lots of hope and promise.  Lots of work and attention required.  And if you choose which pictures you take and share, you can make them look good.) 



What's Blooming--in the Beds

Yarrow-apple blossom

Yarrow--Paprika  (Just a sprinkling so far)

The pink coral bells are coming into their own.

And they have developed a mutant growth of albino bells.

The iris are just as pretty as last year, but not as prolific.

 The Johnny Jump Ups are exceptionally prolific, spreading wildly among the rocks along the front beds.

This is a new yellow lily.  The plants are tiny, but they managed to produce two flowers each. 

 This is the clematis that I invested in last year.  It wintered over and is starting up the side of the trellis.  I'm not going to put morning glories on the trellis this year.  Hopefully the clematis will grow wildly over the summer.

And the peonies are still in the bud stage, but if all goes well and the creek doesn't rise, I should have two blossoms soon.  I'm just a little nervous because, according to the experts, peonies detest being transplanted and the creek has been rising.  I'll keep you posted.

Stop The Car

The sun is setting again.

On Stranger Tides

Does it get any stranger than this?

Dinner and a movie (in 3D) with my two favorite guys.

The Effect of a Roadside Billboard on a Weak Mind

It takes forever to drive across Nebraska.  So more than half way across the state, at the suggestion of a roadside billboard, the STP and I decided to make our trip home from Kansas City just a little longer.  (Because 30 hours together in the car wasn't enough togetherness for us.)  Hence our stop at this marvel of the Nebraskan countryside.

Oh, no wait.  This is just Nebraskan countryside (minus the marvel) at the site the STP's Smart Droid Phone GPS App took us to.  Arriving at destination?  I think not.  Recalculating...

Now we have arrived at the truly marvelous site. 

 The STP and I took the obligatory tourist pictures.

Because who knows when we will pass this way again.

Alliance, Nebraska. Home of Carhenge.

According to the official website (and I cut and paste):

Remember: While Carhenge is open 24/7/365, the preferred times for visiting are during the daylight hours.

Having been there, I think this is excellent advice, as it is hard to get good touristy pictures in the dark. (The thought of a game of flashlight tag here does, however, spark my imagination.)  Alas, we had to get back in the car and continue on the road, but this was certainly worth the detour and a fitting place for anyone traveling by car across Nebraska to stop and stretch their legs. 
I've heard that someone has arranged rocks in a similar circular pattern in a field in England. A weak attempt, no doubt, to create their own marvelous tourist attraction. 

Up To The Plate

The STP ate barbeque in Kansas City.  At the barbeque place featured in the state special on the History channel.  Because Mr Personality is naturally drawn to popular places.  (I missed it because I was reading something.)
We did share a meal with family friends at a place called the Flying Saucer.  (Because you can take the STP out of Mars, but you can't take Mars out of the STP.)  They did not have a flying saucer ala Mars Boro, but they did have 200 varieties of beer.

If you tried all 200, you could be a member of the UFO Club. 

Don't imagine that we were there for the beer.

We were there for the food.

And to gather decorating ideas.

And ministry ideas.

Just picture offering plates lining the walls of the church sanctuary.  Embossed with the names of tithers and their favorite scripture quotes. 

I expect giving will increase significantly.