Garden Bloggers Bloom Day (GBBD) September 2013

 

Summer arrived on wings of butterflies just in time to wave good-bye.

Society garlic- you can measure how long you've lived in a home by how many times the clumps have been spaded apart .  On triple digit days- stand near a clump and you find yourself craving garlic toast.

The border to hinterlands is mapped by where a thousand shades of green gives way to the taupe of where brush was cleared and the land allowed to lay fallow.

I would not call shrimp plants invasive- their habit is better described as liking local travel. 

 Carpet roses serve visual shots of color when the last summer heat torches the landscape.

Rosa 'Betty Boop' continues to grow like a teenager. 

The 'Cinco de Mayo' roses are earning a more prominent role in the garden.

Instead of display as a pair- next year  I would like to budget to change their use to a hedge.  Which means relocating quite a large rose- stay tuned...

Leaves are a source of color and interest. This little spot was created when a terrarium was allowed to spill into the garden.

The charming little angel faced geranium was planted near a seating wall.

The valerian 'ruber' popped up next to her- nature's version of friendship.  Who am I to interfere?

My shed- the window was long-ago cast-off from a neighbor's remodeling project. It is a blessing to live in a neighborhood with some really good trash):-

Here's a close up of the bedding begonia. The secret to her keeping in good shape  deep into her middle age is regular clipping.

The peppers potted up with roses keep color popping above indigo blue pots in our extra- wide driveway.

'Easy Does It" rose- she doesn't seem to be bothered by the hottest of locations- a curbside hell-strip-   that's another rose you should expect to see more planted here in the coming years.

Azalea 'Inga' blooms sporadically throughout the year. 

I read frogs are considered good luck in Japan. This one is equipped with a motion sensor-

Along with the ceramic chirper across the front porch

No more rabbit droppings on the front carpet. Which is a very good thing.

Begonia' Ginny' was potted here the week my young niece died. That was a decade ago. I never expected to say goodbye to my niece before any of my plants.

I am on my way to say last goodbyes to a dear friend.

If you ever loved someone - tell them.  In the bouquet of life- try not to stuff it with moments of regrets.

Until we meet again- thank you for all YOU do to make the world more beautiful.

 

 May the garden gate still be open to link to May Dreams Gardens Gardens Bloggers Bloom Day

New Stained Glass Window ~ Refurbished, repurposed furniture ~ Thoughts on the Future

"Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? "

~Matthew 6:26 

Soldered. Puttied. Polished.  

As it rests on the patio table top, sunshine plays with the colors and textures of the hand selected glass. As the panel is intended to fit in the top of the Dutch door-  I'm going to be learning about bending brace bar so that the reinforcement is inconspicuous. 

In previous reincarnations, the redwood cabinet was stained the color of brick, then white before this creamy light green was selected as most complimentary of the surroundings.

The second refurbished  bench from one of our parents' gardens rests beneath my study window. It came from a viewing spot along a downhill trail of our garden hinterlands- there is no hurry to return it there. 

 The pale green cabinet was made by my father in 1960 to hold books and magazines in the family room when our parents relocated their 3 daughters from a postage sized lot on the west side of LA  to the roomier lots of unincorporated Whittier. When we closed up the family house 40 years later-  this location turned out to be the perfect size for cabinet. Repainted and topped with Mexican tile, the cabinet is now re- purposed to house the accouterments needed for California living- items like emergency water supply, spa chemicals and lawn games.  

The latest version of the quadcopter- remote controlled kitchen container, scrap wood, cheap plastic and electronics-  has large black  underpinnings- in my imagination -like one of Larry Ellison's racing yachts

 It has always been my deepest desire to live and garden here until my last breath at some impossibly old age. By the Grace of God we've been able to hold still- allowing us the privilege to be custodians of family mementos.

However- if there is one thing in life I've learned- we can guide life- outcomes are not guaranteed. 

Life is, by definition, uncertain. Whatever the future holds and wherever it takes me- may I find a way to replicate the same good cheer as the birds who inspired my newest window. 

Until we meet again - Thank You for all You do to make the world more beautiful. 

Dog Days ~ Stained Glass ~ Putting Discomfort to Good Use

Tahoe and Reno. In this house, they are living proof that it is not IF dogs ruled the world- ours DO.  

Southern California almost made it through summer without a major heat wave. Then last week- the heat and humidity- it was like waking up in Houston. So I could finish the main field of the stained glass project in air conditioned comfort, I broke off the shackles of civilized housekeeping.    

The  Dutch door window has rounded third base towards completion

We tiptoed the board set with carefully arranged glass shapes into the kitchen. One trip and weeks of labor would be scattered like leaves after a whirlwind.  A procession of stained glass paraphernalia  followed- extension cords, soldering iron and grinder are not all that covered every open space.

I am not one who tolerates clutter well- but I know that there is incentive to finish when one is not too comfortable.   Or as in this case- finding benchmarks to work around.

The garden view from my study

Until the Dutch door is actually installed, the window isn't really finished. However, the progress is at a point  where it  can rest. 

In the morning, the office phone will be turned back on.  For my work as a writer, the garden view from my study reminds me to not get too comfortable inside. Heat wave or not- this is a glorious place to work from.  

Until we meet again- Thank you for all YOU do to make the world more beautiful.