Gingersnap

Gingersnap is the rose that I planted when my baby girl was born. I am growing much fonder of orange flowers, and there was something that seemed fitting to honor her with. These start out a very vibrant orange color and fade to a pale peach color. It is planted in front of our bedroom window and I like to tie back the curtains and see it while I'm in there in the mornings.

Green Thumb Sunday 8/10/08

I didn't have a lot of hope left for my Angel Face rose at the beginning of this season. It had been hit hard by black spot and didn't even have a leaf left on it. I gave it some intense spraying therapy for a couple of weeks and then forgot about it until now. There are a couple of Japanese Beetles chewing on it, but otherwise it is doing so much better. Since I featured so many front yard plants last week, this post is for my back yard plants. This is my Joseph's Coat rose still blooming away. It is starting to get long enough to train up the trellis, which I am going to have to start doing soon.
This is the latest addition to my garden, 'Southern Charm' verbascum. I remember seeing it a long time ago, when I first started getting seed/gardening catalogs. I loved it but never did get any of it. When I was at Bennett's on my last visit I found some and finally fulfilled that wish. It is currently planted by the "Mum that Ate Alabama" so I'm hoping that it doesn't get eaten, like is about to happen to my garden gnome.

Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

At Work

There are holly bushes in front of the building that I work in. Some mornings when I come into work and there is a heavy dew, I notice that there are spiderwebs all over them, as seen below. In the middle of each web there is a tunnel, and in each tunnel is one of the spiders that are seen above. I've always been fascinated by them, and finally got the work digital camera out and got a picture of one. And then spent the rest of the morning scratching all over at imaginary spiders. ;)

Rain Lilies

This picture of my Rain Lily is especially appropriate for today. We had a thunderstorm roll through around lunchtime and it poured. Since it was raining I parked next to the building that I worked in which has crepe myrtles around it. By the time I left to go home the truck looked like a parade float from all of the flowers that had fallen on it. I got this plant from Bennett's Nursery last year. It didn't bloom last year but has several times this year. The blooms are very short-lived so I was lucky to get a shot of it.

Joe Pye Weed

A few years ago I was reading a magazine article about rain gardens. I was interested in the idea because our yard in North Carolina became a lake everytime a hurricane went through. I read up on the different sorts of plants, and one of them that caught my eye was the Joe Pye Weed. I don't have a drainage problem here, but I did want some for their tall, architectural presence. I planted it in the front flower beds last year, and the blooms were underwhelming. This year I have moved it to the beginnings of my nature garden. It has obviously done better here, as witnessed in the picture above. As I was moving in to take a picture of it, there was an explosion of little butterflies that came off of it. Looks like it's a hit. :)

Black Stemmed Elephant Ear

I have had elephant ears in most of the places that I have lived. There is something very appealing to me about them. They have the architectural structure of the leaves and stems, and they look very tropical. I saw these in Lowe's and was intrigued by their black stems, so I decided to get them. I planted them out last year and they grew. Around this time last year I noticed an odd looking leaf coming out, and on further investigation I saw a flower on them. Now in all of my years of elephant ear keeping I never got a single flower out of them. I didn't expect much out of them this year because I forgot and left the bulb in the ground over the winter and I thought it died. They came back slowly this year, and now again I have a flower on it. It's definately a very odd flower, but it's another one for my gardening record books. :)

Green Thumb Sunday

Venturing Into the Backyard

Yesterday, after carefully peering through all of the windows that face the back yard, I went outside. I made sure to check everywhere before I started to see what was blooming and to make sure that there were no more skunks out there. Thankfully it seems to be an isolated incident. We are still going to have to figure out what we're going to do to keep them from getting back in again. But in the meantime, here are some more of my babies that are blooming. Up above is my 'Arabian Nights' dahlia.

This is my Black-Eyed Susan.



This is my Coneflower plant.

And finally, my water lily is still putting out blooms.

Front Yard Happenings 8/2/08

Why just the front yard you might ask? Yesterday Maw was looking out the back window and he said "What the heck is that"? That was a.....skunk. Somehow it must have squeezed under the back fence where it crosses the run-off ditch. So I find myself not that curious about what's going on in the back yard, although I did go and check to make sure that it was clear this morning. You never can tell what might be lurking around the corner after all. Actually I went out front to get some pictures and intended to see what was going on in the back, but Quickbeam had enough of her mama wandering around outside and made it clear that she was tired of waiting. So I figured the back yard would be for tomorrow.


These are some of my Gingersnap roses. They are very vibrant orange when they first bloom, but as they start aging they fade into beautiful peach and cream colors.



This is the Rozanne Cranesbill geranium blooming out in my "shade" garden area.

This is a bloom getting ready to come out on my black-stemmed elephant ears. I was very surprised to see it bloom last year, and moreso this year. I thought they hadn't survived the winter, but they came back from runners. I didn't think that it would bloom again this year because of the challenging start, but apparently it got over it. :)

And finally, although it isn't blooming, here is my Japanese Painted Fern, dappled in sunlight. It seems to be much happier now that I transplanted it from the container.

Open

I came home from work early today and caught the waterlily open.

Water Lily

Maw called me at work yesterday, very excited because he saw blooms on the water lily in the pond. Unfortunately, the blooms start closing up later in the day, so by the time I got home it was already closed. I went outside today when I got home and was able to see a little more of it this time. I guess it's going to have to wait until this weekend and I'll hope there's still some blooms then.

Guests

When I got home from work today, Quickbeam and I went outside with our camera to see what we could find. We took some pictures of a new mushroom that looked like a doppler radar tower that appeared in the backyard.



We snapped a couple of pictures of my rain lily that *finally* started blooming.

We also got a picture of the Betty Corning clematis that is blooming.

Then I decided to go over to the crepe myrtle tree and get a picture of its new blooms.

When I got close to it, this is what I found:

There was a bird there that took off as soon as I got close. I didn't see any eggs inside, so I'm hoping I didn't scare it off. It makes me happy to know that it has made a home in our tree. I'll be keeping an eye out for it.

Bugs

This has to be one of the buggiest summers that I have experienced in a long time. There are dead june bugs littering the walkways around the house. There are spiders with webs all over the bushes. There's a huge thing that is slightly smaller than a rhinocerous beetle that is on my front rose bush. There are japanese beetles all over the rose bushes. There's a dead katydid on my back porch. Work is a similar graveyard for insects. They get under the front glass double doors and wander through the building. One of the rhinocerous beetle thingies got in and was walking IN FRONT OF MY OFFICE. I am feeling very creepy crawly now.

Scaredey Fish

The picture above is a scene from a feeding frenzy in my pond in North Carolina. In that pond, within a couple of days of being added the fish would swarm all over and practically jump out of the water to be fed. Contrast that with this, a picture of my pond in Alabama.

These fish have been in the pond for several months now and I barely ever see them. Once in a while I will catch a glimpse of a flash of white or orange but for the most part I may as well have an empty tub. I have pondered why this difference in behavior might be. The pond in NC was 180 gallons and probably was overpopulated. This pond is only 35 gallons and I have 4 goldfish in it.

I first got interested in ponds from a friend of mine at work. He talked about when he was setting up his, and how so many of his early fish died. So when I set mine up I expected waves of fish casualties. Fortunately for me, since I'd done my homework before I set it up, I had maybe one or two fish die. And then I think I was a bit too overenthusiastic and kept adding one or two here and there before I finally stopped. So I ended up with way too many fish in my pond.

When we set up the new pond I greatly scaled down my scope. I didn't want a big pond (yet), just something to scratch the itch. So we did a pond that is big enough for a few fish, a waterlily and a plant or two. I don't have the time or energy to take care of a big pond right now (yet!). What I didn't take into consideration was that I wouldn't get to see my fish very often, because they aren't in that competitive of an environment. Boo. Ahh well, maybe when I have time to sit out there more they'll get more used to me. :)

Reprieve...of Sorts

I started classes on Tuesday and got a call my my academic counselor on Wednesday saying that they had to drop my class. There has been a problem with the financial aid year and an overlap or something and I won't be able to start back to class until October. On one side I am actually relieved by this, because it will give me more time to do other things that I like to do. On the other side, the money from the GI Bill was very useful for a single income family and it's going to hurt some while we wait for October. We'll still be okay of course, just might have to cut back on the several times a week Starbucks runs.

In gardening news, we still have quite a bit blooming including this succulent blooming on my bird feeder.

We got a massive rain last night which was greatly needed, even though it made the drive home from work very, very slow. Ah well, time to go curl up with a good book, since I don't have to worry about studying. :)

When in the course of human events...

"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Declaration of Independence"

I am thankful for those brave men and women who cast their lot against the strongest nation in the world at their time and risked everything for Liberty. I pray that those amongst us today stop taking their Liberty for granted and cherish this prize that was won for us by our forefathers. It is maintained by us today for our children tomorrow. Teach your children about how their country was founded and what those ideals set down by our forefathers have done to bring Liberty to the rest of the world. Happy Independence Day America!!

What's Blooming 7/3/08

Here is Gingersnap, still plugging away.

A battered but still cheerful Black Eyed Susan

Sweet Alyssum in the gravel pathway

Thankfully the holiday weekend is here and I am glad for it. When I got home from work, Quickbeam and I went for a quick tour around the backyard to see what was blooming. My whole purpose with most of my plantings has been to find those that do well without a lot of water or attention and that seems to be paying off. Anything that needs a lot of pampering will die out quickly in my garden. :)

I have some plans to do gardening stuff this weekend, we'll see how far I get. I want to get some hoop supports for my floppy dahlias. I want to plant the items from the shade container at the back side of the flowerbed under my rose and camellia. I need to weed all around, and the filter in the pond needs to be changed out. I need to get some more bird seed in the feeder and get some mulch. So it is going to be a busy weekend if we get it all done. :)

Almost There

I can almost see the chorus of angels breaking out in song, and the fanfare of trumpets. This week is almost over, huzzah for holiday weeks. :) My boss has been out on vacation this week, so I've been doing her work, my work, and my second assignment work. It's getting crowded in my head wearing three hats. I am really over the whole thing. I am hoping that tomorrow goes better or I'll end up under my desk sucking my thumb. As enchanting as that sounds I don't think it would present a professional image. :) On the plus side, I stole a little time outside in the garden today, pulling grass out of the gravel in the pathways. Such a small thing, but an act of normalcy in this hectic week was dearly welcomed.

One for Book Lovers

I found this online over at Stray Thoughts.

1. Do you remember how you developed a love for reading? The first time that I specifically remember reading was when I was in grade school. The first books I remember reading were The Runaway Bunny and Ping the Duck.
2. What are some books you read as a child? The above mentioned books, as well as Alice in Wonderland, Sideways Stories from Wayside School, James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, Charlotte's Web.
3. What is your favorite genre? Fantasy and Science Fiction
4. Do you have a favorite novel? Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter.
5. Where do you usually read? The bathtub used to be my #1 place to read, but now that I have an infant probably the most uninterrupted time I get is when I'm pumping out breastmilk at work. My #2 place is in my reading chair in the living room. It's big, and you sink into it. From it you can see out in the back yard and it's close to the fireplace.
6. When do you usually read? Most of the time I read later in the evening or on my lunchbreaks, as well as the aforementioned pumping breaks. :)
7. Do you usually have more than one book you are reading at a time? Yes, I usually have several.
8. Do you read nonfiction in a different way or place than you read fiction? Not really, when a book gets me it gets me. Otherwise I'll make it about 1/3 of the way through and then I'll quit.
9. Do you buy most of the books you read, or borrow them, or check them out of the library? I mostly buy them. Amazon Prime keeps UPS at my door. :)
10. Do you keep most of the books you buy? If not, what do you do with them? I keep most of the books that I buy, mostly because I'm very lazy about taking them and trading them in.
11. If you have children, what are some of the favorite books you have shared with them? Were they some of the same ones you read as a child? I bought several Eric Carle books - The Hungry Caterpillar and Brown Bear, Brown Bear. She's still too little to pay much attention to when I read.
12. What are you reading now? The Fortune Cookie Chronicles by Jennifer 8 Lee and Einstein Never Used Flashcards by Golinkoff, Hirsh-Pasek and Eyer.
13. Do you keep a TBR (to be read) list? If you want to call the pile of unread books in my library chest a list then yes. :)
14. What’s next? Those two will probably take me until the end of the year. ;)
15. What books would you like to reread? Walden by Thoreau, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (annual event for me, or used to be)
16. Who are your favorite authors? Sharon Shinn, Mercedes Lackey (earlier works, about to the Owl-Knight series), JRR Tolkein, JK Rowling

Swimming

I have always hated almost every kind of organized exercise from the time I was very young. I always despised team sports, probably because I was almost always chosen last. In my very small school the only sports available were basketball and baseball/softball, so there wasn’t much available. When I moved to Minnesota when I was in high school a whole new world opened up to me because there was a swim team.

I have always loved to swim since I was little. I remember taking swimming lessons on cold Minnesota mornings. They wouldn’t open the pool until the water temperature was 55 degrees or some other insanely low number. We would hang on the sides of the pool shivering. When we were in Arkansas the only place to swim was over at the lake, and it wasn’t that often. Sometimes my mom would take us to a swimming pool at a hotel in the next town over. Swimming is the only sport/exercise that I have ever truly enjoyed.

It’s been 15 years or so since I swam very often. But now I have the opportunity to go on my lunch break and swim some laps. There is a pool within 5 minutes driving distance, and the facility is wonderful. We took Quickbeam swimming there this morning and she loved it. I’m hoping to instill a love of swimming in her too. This was the first time I did a lap since high school and I loved it, falling back into the rhythm like I just did it last week. The smell of the chlorine, the sight of the sunbeams on the water and watching the bubbles follow the wake of my hands in the water brought back good memories. My body felt light and buoyant and *right*. I’m hoping now that I have gone it will keep me from putting off going back again.