yardgranny6's Blog

 First off there are some flowers in my gardens that just LOVE this SC hot, hot heat even though they have not gotten much rain.

Then there is this fantastic new toy that UPS will be bringing to my house one day next week. Mulching has been a tough job on my body this year, for reasons we won't discuss. So in a visit with my friends the Gardening Rogers couple, he says come look at my new toy. And that was all it took. I works much like an old fashioned blind that rolls up and down.  It just straps onto the tailgate of your truck, has a handle that your turn and it pulls whatever you have on the truck bed right off. They used 9 loads of compost in their gardens this year. She got in and drove the truck very slowly and he turned the handle. As the truck moved along the mulch just came right out in a nice layer and then he took his tiller and tilled it under. Of couse my friend uses his Golf Cart to tamp down the soil just enough so it is good for sowing his seed.

Here is the website: 

  http://www.loadhandler.c
om.

  There is a video but it works better if you save it on your computer.  Go check it out, worth every penny spent.

We actually got some rain last evening but it did nothing as far as the heat goes. Seems the whole US in sweltering right now.  I am going to set up the sprinkler again tonight to hit another area of the gardens. Just hate to lose plants that have been doted on and of course cost money to put into the gardens.

 The Angel Trumpets are just about ready to burst with blooms. Hope to get some photos of them in the next week or so. The new AG 'Snowbank' will need to be put into a pot this weekend along with the newest member of the Cuphea family (salvadorensis)  a big name for a small plant.

All in all things a doing fine in the hot and humid South Carolina Linda B Gardens

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that we have had two very cloudy days here in sunny SC? It was only 90 yesterday and right now at 6pm it is only 79 degrees. Very humid though.

Have not been in the yard much the past few days. Two of them were doctor days for various reasons plus my trying to keep my neck in place. The Tens Unit works well and when I finish this that is what I will be doing, relaxing with electrodes on my shoulders. Works great to keep the tenseness away.

Did put my little zinnia sprouts in the ground today. With the clouds and a bit of rainy in the air them should do well.

The Snowbank variegated Angel Trumpet came this week along with a new Cuphea. The instructions said to keep them in a cool sunny place until they got re-established before potting/planting. So they are happily awaiting their spot in the gardens. They came so well packaged and looked so good straight out of the box. This company had even cut apart an old Priority Mail box, refolded it, taped it and that is how the plants were shipped with lots of shredded and folded newspapers. Thrifty companies I like.

My neighbor friend has found that one of her Cuphea 'Bat Face' actually dropped a seed last year and now she has a new plant growing with a bloom. One of the cuttings I put in water has a good root system now. We are happy to know we can get new plants without cost of a purchase. They are a patented plant too just like this new Angel Trumpet, but I am sure she and I will be putting them in our gardens next year.

My son and his wife purchased a Desert Rose plant three years ago. Have been taking it in and out of the house during the year and have finally been rewarded with a blossom. This is a cactus (I think)  plant, the one that looks like an elephants foot at the base. I have seen extremely big ones costing hundreds of dollars.

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Oh My ---- A picture and a blog I just read spurred this flurry of information.  I love butterflies and do grow Fennel which will serve for egg laying, feeding the caterpiller, holding the Chryalis and necter for the adult. Enjoy your butterfly experiences. Linda B

This is will tell you which plant go with the different butterflies:  

  Milkweed -  Monarch Butterfly; 

 Spicebush -  Spicebush Swallowtail;              Paw-Paw - Tiger Swallowtail;

  Parsley, Dill, Fennel -   Black Swallowtail

Too see Monarch information, visit here:

http://aggie-horticulture
.tamu.edu/galveston/monarch_bu
tterfly.htm

Too see Eastern Swallowtail information, visit here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/w
iki/Papilio_glaucus

To see the difference between Moths and Butterflies, visit here: 

http://www.shrewsbury-ma.
gov/schools/beal/curriculum/bu
tterfly/mothorbutterfly.html<
/a>

much going on in the garden the past few days. Too hot and using the shovel, rake and then the vaccum pulled my neck all out of whack. So I have been taking it easy for a change. Did go out this am and cut back some dead blooms and stems, checked on all the pots and plants. In spite of all the heat and no rain, things look pretty good.

The Pencil tree is dead I think. It was looking really good until a week or so ago. Now the leaves are dry and fall off when I touch them. Hopefully my garden center will let me replace it.  The white Texas Star plant does not look so well either so I will check on getting that one replaced. It was pretty root bound coming out of the pot and I tried cutting into it to get it untangled a bit. That may not have been the best idea as it turns out.

Otherwise some things are thriving. Like Mr Brown Tail, I see him every day. This morning he was chilling under the cover of clumps of Iris. He doesn't like the other bed that was cleaned out now. Not enough cover there. Have not gotten any bunny repellant as yet.

The grandchildren that visit my back fence neighbor found out that a kitty has been around. They tried for over an hour to 'meow' him out from under a bush. They did say he would come close enough for them to touch but then ran. Don't know if they ever were able to hold on to him. I asked if they thought their parents would let them keep him and although they muttered 'we think so' I believe they knew it would take some doing.

Grandcat 'Olivia' has not returned home and I would think by now she would have shown up. Since she was a stray when they got her, my son said that she decided to walk back to where she came from. Who knows, a pretty cat like that would get taken in and her collar thrown out if someone really wanted her. My opinion is when they found out how fiesty and loud she is they would put her right back on the street. Olivia just likes her freedom.

Going to try some computer 'work' today. Not getting much done sitting here on GG though am I? This is more fun by and large but this is a project that needs doing. Soooooooooooo

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Think I am going to have to do some discipline with Mr Brown Tail. He seems to love the Rudbeckia in my gardens, both small and large. There are some special plants there from the Big Sky Series that I don't want chewed upon. And actually the one I thought I had lost is in the garden after all. Must have moved a couple of babies and just didn't remember doing it. The Harvest Moon looks to be starting to bloom. My Twilight has a couple of flowers and the Sunrise has a very pretty bloom on it.  Need to take pix soon.

The ole truck is now working for the son for a couple of weeks. His little black 'Cabriola sp?) is sitting in its place. This car looks like the VW Rabbit and son says it is the same except it is a convertible. Very old and he has been a good mechanic at keeping it going.  This son has not been feeling too well lately and was concerned he was having gall bladder problems. Turns out it is very small kidney stones. So now both my boys have joined me in the K-stone club. My mom had them as well and so did my brother. Gall stones also are in my family history. Guess that just makes us a bunch of 'rocky' people. (or is that stoned people?) 

Finished mowing the grass this morning. Just couldn't go any longer last evening and left the last little bit for later. How is it that we fight the weeds, but in all honesty after they are mowed they look just nice and green. Maybe we should give in and just be thankful we have something covering the dirt.

Pruned back that huge clump of blackeyed susans. They were not looking good at all. Then I found some kind of 'nasty' at the base of my Black HH. Sprayed some safer product on it plus taking all the dead and ugly looking leaves off and cutting the stalk way back. I may be extra glad I saved seeds next year. Also found something had wilted down the leaves of some of the young  tall cutleaf Rudebeckia so I pulled them up. I think it may be a moisture problem as the HH and R are in the same bed. Might not be enough air circulation in that area. Will be keeping my eye on that bed.

Here are a few pictures taken this week. My neighbor had another Crinum lily to bloom this week and her blackeyed susans are gorgeous.  Found my second Fairy statue for the Fairy Garden that is coming closer to being a reality. The plant table with my house plants,  the rock pool has a new froggy, this one I purchased a few years ago in honor of my grandson (now 21) who played Tuba in the marching band. And pictures of the leaf of a variegated Angel Trumpet called Snowbank that called my name when someone on GG posted its information. Also just had to purchase with my neighbor some Giant Lily Trees  from Brecks. It was a good sale and together we each receive 5 plants to try. I love the pix I seen here on GG and in magazines of these beauties.

Tuba Dude in the upper right side of the pool.

New Fairy statue for the Fairy Garden.

neighbors Blackeyed Susan

Plant Stand - a new blue pot on sale at my local Food Lion.

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is about to come to an end for this round. There is one more small area left and then pathways will have to wait until the truck comes back home again. And that is fine with me. My bod wonders what I am trying to do this year? 

The little bunny is growing and looks to be about 10 inches long now. Have decided to just let him do whatever it is that bunnies do. My neighbor and I love to sit together and watch him in the yard in the evenings. He is not afraid of me anymore and doesn't scamper away unless I get right up on him. He has really been sniffing his home turf the past couple of days. That mulch must have many smells he doesn't recognize. He has been eating some seed that falls under the bird feeder. So his diet has a variety for him to dine on.

I put some bleach in the little rock pool yesterday and it has cleared up and looks much better. I thnk it cleared out the tubing as well because the bubbler seems to be putting out more water. I have enjoyed the little pool. Will be looking for something to plant in that area that is evergreen. The herb garden has rosemary, and lavender that gives a bit of color for the drab months. The chainlink fence needs to have coverage for the winter as well.  It will be wonderful to have all of the mulching done around the yard. My guess is at least three more truck loads by winter will be needed. I do not want to have to mulch again next year. Not on as grand a scale as last year and this. Way too much work.

My little grand cat Olivia has decided to run away. (You can see her in my grandpets photo album.)  For some reason this summer she has just flown out the door everytime someone goes in or out. So they decided to just let her roam. At first they would hear her at the door and she would have stood up so she could see in the screen. She would eat and rest and be ready to roam again. Now she has gone on a journey we guess. I made a few flyers for them to put out and she has a tag with their phone number in case someone should find her. She is a meower and a bit fiesty so if she has been taken in they might just be ready to send her home soon. 

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some mulch was laid. I tell you right now that the dry weather was bad for every living thing except me. A promise to myself not to grumble when we got rain is holding up. However, I did not mention a thing in that promise about HUMIDITY!  It just does me in.

Was able to cut back the Oregano, rake off the tiny spouts of grass beginning to grow (it loves the rain and humidity) put down some seed control, lay newspapers and spread about 6 cart loads of mulch. It is just so worth the effort when you step back and see it all nice and clean. Hopefully tomorrow will be the day that the back side of this bed will look great with new mulch. Was wondering all morning what the bunny will think when he comes out this evening.

We received another 1/2 inch of rain last evening. So far this month it is reported that 5.59 inches have fallen in our area. Much needed too. The rest of the week is promising thunderstorms of some kind every afternoon/evening.

My purple reblooming Iris has a nice shaft of buds. One opened yesterday without my even noticing it was there. The Cardinal Flower has grown well this year. One stalk is about 2 1/2 feet high with lots of red buds showing. Speaking of red buds I do think my little Rose Of Sharon is red! It was so happy to be able to see just that slight touch of color.

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this day. Got outside and saw all the things that needed cleaning out first, lily stems, deadheading the Salvia and Gailardia. Cutting the flowers off the fennel. Seems the flowers entice the wasp that lays eggs on the caterpillers, not to be done in my beds. Did see one cat already. And I am sure there are many little dot size eggs on the fennel. They glisten like wee dew drops on the lacy leaves.

Put more hummer food in the feeders. They were right pesky with one another this evening. Mr Brown Tail was out as usual, this time eating an old leaf of a gladiola. He is moving around more and more in the yard. He even passed right by my feet on the carport. That was a real surprise.

Felt the need to check out the pump in my rock pool. I was going to put some bleach in it to help clear out the algea but did not have any. Don't know when I have not had bleach in the house. Used to keep some in the shed, none there either. Just made sure the tubing was clear and the pump was not getting stopped up. It all looked good and is bubbling right along.

Put some house plants on the plant stand that received a new coat of paint. Looks really nice. Watered all those that are on the carport. When passing by my new pencil tree in the container by the front fence, I realized it looks really dried out. And with all the rain we have had. Weather channel reports 5.4 inches so far this month. Drought or Drown? Never know do we.  Will need to watch to see if the gutter is pouring down on this new tree. And be sure to give it an extra drink.

Did some ironing  and watched a TV movie this afternoon. Between yesterdays cleaning spree and this morning in the heat/humidity, I needed a bit of a rest.  Tomorrow will be soon enough to get busy again.

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Have been great days. Saturday evening as I sat waiting for my bunny to come out for dinner, I was privileged to watch a pair of hummers.  They did come to the feeders but the best thing was being able to watch them in the garden.

They took necter from the herbs that were in bloom, butterfly bush, some red salvia, and the biggest surprise to me was that they also visited the tomato blossoms. Then the bunny did come out but instead of going straight to the grass, he headed for the bird feeder and seemed to munch on some seed that had fallen there. I do know he eats the seed heads of the grass. (It needs mowing again). So I suppose bunnies do eat some seed.

Then today I got a wild hair and put the sunroom area back together. WHEW!!! It was a job. My plan all along was not to do this until I could clean the hardwood floor. So I moved all the furniture and rugs out, got out the sponge mop, the vinegar water spray and a big towel. As I did this three step procedure I began to wonder if todays young women clean the same way we ladies do that learned at our moms and grandmothers knees? From sprinkling the clothes before using that HOT iron to stretching the curtains out in the sunshine. Anyone out there remember of ever used a curtain stretcher?

 It took all afternoon to get that job completed. It does look ever so much better. After having all the seed trays everywhere, those lanky and sad Hibiscus plus Mr Cereus inside all winter, the room was looking pretty bad. Mr Cereus has had a haircut.  I took him outside, cut off all the newer and better looking leaves and put them into a hanging basket.  I am going to cut it back and place those cuttings into a pot of soil and take it to the next Master Gardener meeting. The pot will stay in the garder until I see if it will begin to grow, if not, out it goes. (I think I have already said this in my last blog. Oh well just skip over it ;)  This room will stay  in its present form from now on. No moving stuff around to bring plants inside my dry/dusty house. I really get tired of looking at them and my African Violets need more attention than they have been getting. Some of those have begun to bloom again. Always worth waiting for them to finish their rest period.

Mulch in the truck waiting to be hauled to the garden. This is my hope for tomorrow, that I can get a good start on it. My son needs to borrow the truck again for a week or so. He is ready to put the engine in his El Camino (can't remember the year) and he has a deck repair job to do. So little truck will be on the move again.

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in the gardens for me. Those weather fronts that  came bursting through last week messed with my joints which limits my desire and ability to bend and do much digging.  They seem to have passed today. Bright sunshine with a high of only 90 expected this afternoon.

So the little plant table I created out of old wooden window valences some years ago got a much needed coat of paint. When we moved into this house those old  knotty pine valences were one of the first things to go. They were stored for a bit of time until one an idea came to make a small low bench for my day care tots to sit on outside. The one son still at home was a teenager and he nailed a wood plank on top for me. They kids got the most use out of that thing. After those years were over and there were no more little ones, I decided to make a planter table out of it. My carpenter skills are quite laughable but I managed to cut a plank to make for legs and put a shelf on the bottom to stabalize it and WA-LA there you go. It has held my plants for a lot of years now.     

Then I tackled Mr Cereus the night blooming cactus. He is just not a good looker at all. That plant had put out from the root the longest skinniest shoots I ever saw. That did not cause him to be any better looking. Did manage to get the plant out doors and after some long critical looks on my part, decided to cut the better looking leaves off and root them in a hanging basket. This is now hanging under Gramma Dogwood, she really is a good babysitter for most anything I choose to sit under her boughs.

The rest of the plant will get cut back, the better shoots put in some soil to share at the next Master Gardener meeting. Then the original plant will be put under the tree to see if anything comes up from the root during the summer. If not - then in the trash it will go come frost.  So if any of you want a cutting, let me know and I will mail it to you. 

Have seen in a couple of my magazines, front yard flower gardens. As my lawn is nearly non-existant, this idea really appeals to me. Am considering asking my Garden Center to send someone over to look and give suggestions. My only thought is how it will look to a buyer in the future. I hope this will be many years from now but it is something to comsider. I am a person that needs to vision things. Though I am accepting of things that come with life, joy or sadness. Think that is the 'dreamer' in me. Even as a child I would dream about a new event coming about in our family. Baby sister was a great dream and I actually got to name her, but the reality set in after a few months. Babies are actually a lot of work.

Sowed a few seeds around in different places and am seeing some of them sprout out now.  Some Hollyhock blend from Wintersown are showing, the Balsom is coming up and I think I see a few of the Cosmos Picatee seed sprouting. A few Malva Zebrinas are coming up and maybe a few Bachelow Buttons.  So far so good. Time will tell how many actually become plants. Still need to set out the baby zinnias the were started a few weeks ago, and the Gomphrena sprouts are getting bigger too. So there will be a bit of color later in the summer.

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My computer decided not to pull up on the internet saturday. A call to Roadrunner did the trick. Seems my modem couldn't find my computer. He did some trick on his end and then he said he had found me. Made me glad I was fully dressed. Then the darn thing wanted to freeze up on me, the cursor was hiding and my keyboard was lit up like a Christmas tree. I finally just turned off the power source, turned it back on until it finally found its faculties again and we were in business. Why do our computers do that to us? I must do backup as I think this one is telling me something. Too much to remember and not enough mind left to work with. Sounds just like me.

We actually got some decent rain last night. 2 1/2 inches. Friends on down a few miles got more than 4 inches. This is the couple that have inherited my three Tropical Hibiscus. They took some leaf cuttings from my crazyman Cereus cactus last year and I must go see the one they have in a hanging basket. She says it is just hanging down and looking good. A greenhouse is the only way to go for tropicals in this state. They really need the warmth and humidity and on a steady basis. Something my house never has.

Did go and get the first load of mulch today. It was cooking hot too. Did not feel too well this morning so I didn't push to put any of it down. Did pull a few more weedy things though. I have this 'grass' that grows in my beds. It is just really long leaves and would grow very tall if I did not pull them out. I wonder if it is part of the bird seed or if it perhaps came in with some mulch at one time. One of the drawbacks of mulch from all over town. It is easy to pull up and even better when it is a little on the tall side.

Mr Brown Tail was out this evening, it is so fun to sit and watch this little creature. Have seen him 'wash' his face a couple of times. Makes me wonder if the grass tickles his nose. He seems to be quite at home in my yard. Of course one little cute bunny is fine, but I don't want a whole group of them. What is the term for a family of bunnies? Can't think of it right now.

I was watching a hummer feed and there was a wasp sitting on the bottle. He would rear up kinda when the hummer pulled his head up. They did this several times. After the hummer left the wasp got down to drink some more and just plain flat out FELL off the feeder to the ground. A drunk wasp!! Hope he sleeps it off tonight. He might be a bit testy in the morning.

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was a very productive day. The biggy weeding job is finished. Just a little ordinary clean up and we are ready for mulch. Have not seen Mr Brown Tail in a couple of days and now I have cleaned out his hiding places. So don't know if he will be back to visit me.

Our family 4th was good, lots of food and of course good people to talk to. I even ate 2 cupcakes. Glory, Glory they did taste good. It is so odd having to watch food intake. My dad called me 'skinny-linny' as a young girl. In my late teens and early twenties I even had to eat to gain a few pounds. At 5'5" I only weighed sopping wet 105 pounds. That was a lot of pounds ago. Age will do some nasty things to your body. For one thing my taste buds decided just about everything tasted good. Then started the upswing in body pounds. So now it is making good food choices. Of course anything chocolate and sweet or starchy are my favorites.

Have begun to make mental notes for future garden plans. There is a small circle of lavendar lilies that need to be seperated and I want to keep that little spot in the big bed, so I think next year (or I may try to start some seed now) there will be Butterfly Weed in that spot. It is hard to get started so I may purchase some new plants this fall. Our farmers market will have their fall festival and I may be able to find some at that time.

I have a plant called Dicliptera suberecta. Actually there are three in the gardens. One is blooming and the hummingbirds are supposed to like this one. I will be watching to see if they feed on this plant.

I took cuttings and rooted them over the winter and I don't think they are hardy here, so may have to do this again.

  This picture is from the internet.

I discovered some coneflower plants underneath the weeds. A couple I had forgotten were in the big bed and another I had moved when I began my White Garden. Which is doing well right now. The White Lantana is finally beginning to set buds and flowers. It took a bit of time for it to get used to the new 'digs'. The Crazy Daisy is blooming, the white portulaca is thriving as are the white vincas. The white Angel Trumpets are growing and soon will set buds for their big summer show. I have a yellow and a pink AG that are blooming now. They are just so worth the waiting for them to grow and flourish.  Isn't that right John? He loves AG's as much as I do - just think 20 in one bed - way to go John.

While I was weeding this morning, I realized I was getting oh so close to the oregano that is blooming. And that means lots of bees. How was I going to get at all those weedy plants and not get the bees all steamed up. Found out if you just disturb them a 'little' they will move to another area. So I used the trowel and the leaf rake to move the plants and hold them away from where I needed to work.  They buzzed happily and I hurried to finish my work. Then put a bit of mulch around the Dicliptera and a Tibouchina plant that actually came back for me this year. Thought this would be a good idea as they had been protected from the sun by the weedy plants. A little water and they should be good to go until a big watering can be done during the evening.

My Rock Pool is not doing to well and it might be necessary to prop it up and see if there is a problem with the little pump. It is so dry here that some of the water may be evaporating but it just is not flowing like I think it should. Not a job I look forward to but one that may need doing.

Last I looked - it was 98 degrees.

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Happy Holidays Everyone, Celebrate the Freedoms we have in our USA.

My Tropical Hibiscus are going to a new home. It seems I am just not a good gardener for indoor plants. At least the ones that seem to require more care than I give them. There are two variegated leaf with a red bloom and one with a double coral bloom. Both are beautiful plants and will thrive under the tender care of my friends the Rogers. This is the couple that hatch Monarchs and Swallowtail butterflies.

You can see a few pictures of some of their gardens in the Rogers photo album. They have a great greenhouse where these plants will live during the winter. By spring that place is just bursting with plants and color.

Did get the grass mowed this morning. Or rather I evened out the nice green weeds in the back and gave the front a dusting over the poor dried front yard. Only a little space with any growing green out there right now. Will be the last mowing for the front until after it gets its makeover in a few weeks. Then there will be a new bed of mulch for a few new plants and some great nutrient laden mulch for the bare spots. I am hopeful that the front lawn will look much better by fall and certainly next years growing season.

Planted some flower seed today by using the scratch the ground, toss some seed, cover a bit and water. Just to see what happens. Did decide to make my 'seed box' a place for strawberries next year. Seeds and I don't get along any better that me with the houseplants. Except for my African Violets who just sit and give me love. They have passed the dormant stage for the most part and are beginning to bloom again. One or two need bigger pots, so that is another thing to add to the Garden To Do list.

Seeds I put out were from some of you GG'ers. So thanks ahead of time and here is hoping this method works better than trying to make a real bed. Balsam and Cosmos together, Malva Zebrina, Bachelor Buttons and a packet of mixed Hollyhock from wintersown.org. I love to see what happens. Now to remember where I put them and to give them water. My Garden Journal should help keep me on track.

Have the colored butter beans cooking, will start the corn on the cob soon and I think I am going to cook up some squash and onions to take to the sons for a celebration. They are grilling hotdogs and hamburgers I think plus whatever else is brought by other family members. I am looking forward to it.

I have a friend named Donna and she called to tell me she was getting married. She sounded just like a school girl. So precious. She and her intended 'Don' will tie the knot Sunday right after their church service. Can't wait to be there. She and her Don sing in the choir, bowl and now she is teaching him to dance. Here's hoping they have a wonderful wedding and a lifetime of good things.

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What a busy day, non-stop it feels like.  First the Y and water class with a good workout. Then home to shower and dress for running errands.

Hubby found a hat rack for 12 of his favorite ball caps. Now to decide where to hang it. Then lunch at Ruby Tuesday - NO I did not stay on my diet as far as portion. Did have salmon, shrimp and broccoli. It was oh so yummy.

Then a run through JCPenny and came out with a beautiful orchid pair of jeans, two shirts and a pair of capri pants in a pink shade.  On to the CVS and the last stop at Food Lion, my favorite grocery. We have had a time with our little grocery and thought a few times over the years it would close. Now we know it will stay a while. It was one of the stores to get a complete re-model. It looks so nice and they opened up a part of the back to put nice bathrooms and a bench in the area.

So you know I did not do any yard work this day. It was almost 2pm before we got home. Hubby's foot he sprained was hurting a lot, so we called the doctor and went in for and x-ray. Sure enough he had a fracture in the little toe whose nail now faces the outside of his foot. Nothing to do but wait until it heals and quits hurting. They doctor gently suggested he wear comfortable shoes so as not to hit it during the healing process. So at this point it is 5pm, we closed up the shop. All those nurses, etc were out of there in a hurry. They have Firday off. Just think a three day weekend. I remember those times and it was sheer pleasure.

There are plants in my gardens that I have not had to put water on in many years. Things like the pink vinca, the wild ageratum even some of the Iris are drooping. Water had to be put on most everything and this time I just took the hose around and gave everyone a good soaking. Mr Brown Tail was out when I first went out to water. He zig zagged all over the yard so he wouldn't get caught. I did find that he has been nibbling on my Ruellia ground cover plants. I have had the pink for a number of years and purchased the white last year. It is a plant that does very well in all kinds of weather. There is also the cousin of Ruellia - the Mexican Petunia in purple in the beds. For some reason I never have had it to bloom like I would like. A few nice purple flowers at a time though it does love to travel around out there. So you would think it would reward me with a large flush of blossoms.

Will need to mow in the morning so I can get started on weeding the flower bed. We will be going to the sons house for July 4th to have dinner and enjoy their company. I have fresh corn on the cob and colored butted beans to cook. They will add the hotdogs and hamburgers. Once again I will be eating too much and enjoying immensely.

More To Come Later

Is the date of my dear daughters birthday. She is a real sweetheart. Loves to garden, cook, write, sketch, sew. She is just a domesticated darling. For her birthday she received a Yogurt Maker. In the last couple of years she has gone vegetarian. Still eats dairy and eggs which are both very good for you. Owns her home there in Oklahoma and works editing for an online company at home. Not a bad deal. She says her car just sits all alone most of the time, so she is thrifty as well. Has a wonderful companion that treats her like a queen, nice guy who also loves to garden,  is a good cook and raises finches. It is a great joy for a parent to know their children are happy in the lives they chose for themselves.

The patio is weed free and been treated for the ants that decided to set up housekeeping underneath. As I was out there pulling and tugging on the weeds I thought it would be interesting to be able to see through the pavers and the earth to the ants tunnels beneath. I don't bother with ants unless it is the fire ant, but these little guys just want to crawl all over you when you try to sit out there and they will take a nibble once in awhile. So they needed to be tamed.

My little bunny came out into the lawn this evening. I got a couple of decent pictures of him and a video of his hopping across to the dogwood bed. Earlier in the day I removed the netting from the blueberry plant as it had stopped bearing and there were only a few left that were drying up. My thought was that Mr Brown Tail might enjoy a treat. And did he ever and me with a front row seat - but NO camera. That is when I decided to retrieve it and got the video. He was eating grass which is great  maybe I should  get a goat to join the menagerie in my back yard so I won't ever have to mow again. Might even get some fresh compost that way.

Then Mr Squirrel got caught in the act of gnawing a sunflower head right off into the yard. It was so funny. When I first opened the door to go out, he was actually sitting on top of the bent seedhead picking a seed or two and eating them. When I returned from fetching my camera he was fussing with one of his siblings? and wasn't about to let him come up the stalk. That is when he decided to gnaw off his treasure. When I went to look at what he had done, he ran off course and I could tell that he was actually eating on the back of the seedhead where it was nice and juicy. There were four sunflowers that had been felled during the early morning. They are a busy bunch of critters.

Tomorrow is errand/shopping day. Since so many gardening chores were accomplished this week, I will enjoy getting out and about.  Hubby's foot is still hurting him some and I don't know how much walking he will be able to do. Hoping that our Target store has those electric carts like Walmart has. That way he can enjoy himself while we browse around. He has a large collection of ball hats so we will be looking for a couple of hat racks to display them.

Now it is time for some much needed rest.

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started with a trip to the Y for water class. It was good and I didn't get so tired this time. Getting built up to workout for an hour takes a few times.

Then I came home and finished cleaning the pathway through the garden. So glad that is done. Tomorrow will be the day for cleaning out the little patio. Those pavers can grow almost any plant through those little cracks. But the only thing left when I get through will be the pretty pink vincas. I do let them come right up through the pavers. They bring a bit of joy to my heart.

The grass needs to be mowed again and if time permits that will be the job to do after the patio. That should give the grass time to dry out from the nighttime dew. Wish dew was enough to keep plants alive, but alas it is not. My longest hose sprung a leak today. I knew there was a weak spot but couldn't find it a week or so ago. Sure found it today! Got a little wet in the process. So tonight I will go and see if I can repair it. First the easy way with some nylon tape. Then the cut and repair if that does not work.

Now I know why I want time in my gardens to do the fun things like, deadhead, weed (just a little) and cut back leggy plants. It is because those things are always need to be done. This year I am actually getting the time to do just that.

I saw where Bsmitch said he was going around with his journal making notes for next year I think it was. That is just what I was thinking as I sat outside yesterday. It is time to put down on paper the things I want to do differently and which plants need to be moved and where to put in an annual bed. Really only have one spot that gets enough sunlight. And that is not a complaint as I am glad to have just one spot and not the whole yard in sunshine. I love the shady areas in my yard, means 10 to 15 degrees difference in the temperature during the hot months.  Maybe I will take a time to put up my lounge chair and sit in the yard and comtemplate the future. If I stay long enough, maybe I can solve the worlds problems. Of course it best come to me quick as I am not getting any younger.

More To Come Later