Wow! What a productive weekend we had! Since the weather cooperated (read that: it didn't rain all the time), we were able to get a lot of our outdoor "to do's" done. Despite sweltering temps in the 90's...with corresponding humidity levels...we:
- weeded the veggie garden (really needed it after all the rains) and replanted a couple patches of lettuce;
- did some more work on the garden path, adding some recycled stepping stones and spreading gravel between the gate and the mulched area;
- assembled our new NC Pot Person, hereafter to be known as Hyacynth (photo to right); and
- completed the Garden Gate Pergola (finally masking the two mismatched monolith gate posts -- see more info below), along with planting a Carolina Jessamine (Jasmine) beside the gate/to be trained to grow over the pergola.
Whew!
And it feels so good to be able to take a breather and enjoy our work. Today was just lovely, with temps in the low 80's, humidity below 50% for a change, so we could even have our dinner out on the deck. Quite pleasant, actually.
Here (left) is Mr. T, hard at work. For those of you who have been to our house, you probably recall those two ginormous posts on either side of the gate which leads to the garden in the Way Back. Yep, the ones that were of different heights. Guess that happened when the fence guys put one post deeper in the ground than the other. Well, Mr. T figured out a way to "mask" the difference in heights with a pergola, which then got a lattice top (repurposed from the deck...:). I planted a climbing vine on the left side, with high hopes that it will eventually climb up and over the lattice top.
BTW, some of you may remember that long, long ago...in a galaxy far, far away called Mississippi...I worked as an OSHA Safety Inspector. I know, I know...not a good career fit for me. What can I say? It was one step up from my previous job: IRS Tax Collector. Hey...it was the mid-70's, and Sociology majors just graduating from college couldn't be too choosy about jobs to pay the rent. Plus, looking back, I see exactly where those two jobs fit into my own career puzzle: through them, I was introduced to a job known as a Trainer, which was a perfect fit for me. And, having had the life experiences of poorly-fitting jobs and then finding my Perfect Job, has made me a better Career Coach. Anyway, if you are still with me, you must be asking yourself where in the world is she going with this line of thought? You should be.
OSHA. Job safety. Hmmmm. Wonder if we could get approval for Mr. T's approach to building the Pergola? Check out the other photo of him on this project (right), taken when he was attaching braces for the lattice to go on the top. Standing on the top of the ladder. Not the top step (that would have been bad enough); no, the TOP of the ladder. The ladder which is "secured" to the gate post with a wrapped dog lead. Hmmmm, indeed.
About Hyacynth...our Pot Person.
Do you remember Wilson...our very first Pot Person we "assembled" in O'Fallon? Well, since Pot People are rather heavy and fragile, he stayed behind when we made the move to NC. But, I got another Bag of Bones from Annie so we could bring the same whimsy to our garden here. We had an old chair I'd rescued in MO; Mr. T prepped it and I painted it Grape (purple, by any other name...:); and we purchased the pots as directed. Voila!
And, why the name of Hyacynth? Did you ever watch Keeping Up Appearances? An old BBC show that is still making the re-runs on PBS. Love it. Anyway, the star's name is Patricia...and she plays Hyacynth Bucket (which she pronounces Bu-KAY).
It wasn't all work, though. While I was cooling off a bit in the shade, I snapped these shots of a butterfly on the newly-opened daylilies...next to the heavily blooming Black Knight Buddleia. Aren't they beautiful? I was standing less than 3 feet away from the flower stalk when I took the pictures...can you imagine? The butterfly was so intent on getting all of the nectar that he/she completely ignored my presence. Amazing!Hope it's a good week for all!
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