Nailing Jello to a Wall

Well, well...it's Wednesday! So, what's on tap for today? Let's see: Mr. T is at Casa 303, finishing up a cup of coffee on the covered porch. Here's his view looking out our back door (yes, it was another rainy night in Georgia):

Me? I'm RICE (rest, ice, compress, elevate)-ing my right foot at Casa 2244. Sigh. Only 3 weeks to go (you do realize that when the doctor said 4-6 weeks that I only heard the "4," right?). Wish I could report a miraculous recovery had happened, but no such luck. Still hurts. Dealing with it.

So, a division of labor has occurred based on current abilities: Mr. T (who can drive, lift, and carry) has inherited all the hard jobs. And me (who can sit, type, and talk)? I have inherited the Command Center. For instance...need new light bars for the bathrooms or some such? I place the order online and then track them down when they haven't arrived as promised (sigh); Mr T picks them up or makes sure he's at the house when the item is scheduled to be delivered (we are actually admitting the need to hire an electrician to install them, believe it or not). 

Another example? AC still not working properly after 3 house calls and a new compressor? My job was to contact the home warranty company...several times...wait on hold...143 minutes the last time...to be told basically "we're sorry." Not satisfied with that answer, I figured out what my options were: (1) contact my realtor (who is the REAL customer, since she chose this warranty for our seller to purchase and she has contacts with their Marketing folks) and (2) take my case to social media. Even though Option 2 gave me personal satisfaction, the first option seems to have gotten the best result since the AC vendor decided to send someone else out for a look-see.  That meant Thomas was up to bat, meeting the AC guy and hanging around while they installed and tested a new evaporator...which seems to have finally done the trick.

So far, so good. We divide and conquer...and we have this little routine going. Here is our current life in a snapshot:

As we moved ever closer to our move-in date of August 30 (yes! We have an actual date!!), all of the projects that we have on our To Do Lists (yes! There are more than one!!) are getting checked off or are rushing toward due dates. The major-major project has always been the flooring (replacing a bit over 1000 square feet of vinyl and laminate floors with wood-look porcelain tile), and it is front-and-center now. 

Last Saturday, Mr. T was at 303 to receive delivery of all the items needed for the Tile Project to proceed. Here's a picture of the pallets in the garage:

With that, it was time to get on the schedule of the installers (8/16), and to schedule with the plumbers to uninstall the toilets for the day before (8/15). Check! Up next: schedule Stanley Steemer to clean the tile (construction residue) and the carpets for after the installation (8/25), and Merry/Molly Maids to do a pre-move-in cleaning (8/28). Check and double-check! Then we should be ready for the movers who arrive with our stuff 8/30. Triple-check!

Perfectly planned, right? Perfectly timed, right? All nailed down, right? Wrong!

Just like what happens if you try to nail Jello to a wall (got that visual in mind?), our perfect plan has oozed out of our grasp. The installation company called after 4:00 yesterday, wanting to move our install start date up...to TODAY. Yikes! Which meant some fancy footwork had to be done about the plumber before 4:30...thank heavens they were still answering their phone!

And, once again, Mr. T had to battle the Sugarloaf Parkway morning traffic (remember ? Retired! We don't do traffic jams anymore if we can avoid them!) to get to Casa 303 and meet the installers Mo and Moose (I am not making those names up).  Here are some photos from the scene:

>Taking up the vinyl in the breakfast area (note: they have moved the stove)

>Painting the quarter rounds (which T is doing in the garage)

And me? I have to begin the process of rescheduling all those other appointments. 

Yep. Like nailing Jello to a wall.

Leaving Georgia: Our Once and Future Home

Home again, home again...jiggity-jog. We loaded up the cars and headed north on I-85 on Tuesday. We had enjoyed a wonderful vacation in Lawrenceville, but it was time to return to HPNC. Still, while I was ready to be back on our own little bit of soil, I am missing GA already. One foot here...one foot there. More on that topic in a sec.

First, a few snaps from the ride home:

The top/bottom pics of Abbie and Winston riding shotgun are fairly self-explanatory. They spent the whole five + hours switching places, front to back. Actually, didn't blame them; it was 95 degrees outside, so the AC felt good, especially since Winston seems to ride better with the windows down a bit! The middle pic of the three Droolers might need a sentence or two as a guide. Can you see that the pound puppies are tethered to the car? That's the only way I can manage them at a rest area. At least, that way I know they can't go dashing off without dragging the PT Cruiser with them! And can you see that Duche$$ is trying to get back in the car, rather uncharacteristically on her own? She's finished her business...and apparently sees no reason to dilly-dally about any longer. Head 'em up, move 'em out!

While in GA, I had the opportunity to rekindle some relationships that had gone semi-dormant. We've been gone from the Peach State for almost three times as long as we lived there, but it felt like we were back in the fold in many ways. And that's a good thing.

Many of you have asked "so, where are you going to retire?" As we move through the Retirement Red Zone, we ask ourselves that very question, too. And my answer usually is somewhat vague, along the lines of "wherever Missy M lives." Now that our only child has moved to Georgia, I think we can change our response to a less-vague, more specific "why, Georgia, of course!"

That question and answer exchange is followed closely by "so, when do you see this happening?" Ah, now that's the $64,000 question. "Not any time soon!" is much too flippant. Our best answer...if asked today, Mr. T's birthday...is "probably 3-4 years from now." We shall see.

So renewing old friendships feels right. After all, we will need them in our once and future home.

Winning and Losing

Now, where did August go? I seem to have lost most of a month. I know it was around here somewhere.

Too true, right? While August is my personal least favorite month of the year...mainly because it is typically too hot to enjoy much outside...I hate to see any month fly by. And this one has certainly flown by at supersonic speed.

Probably the reason it seems to have done a runner (as they say in the UK) is that I have been out of pocket for a couple of weeks, visiting Missy M in GA. As you probably recall, her pups, Ella Rae and Dixie, have been with us since Easter...keeping them safe from the hectic process of packing and moving to her new home in Lawrenceville. Since the fence was in place and the doggie door installed on Abby Grace Drive, the time for them to meet their new home had arrived. 

To sweeten the deal, Missy M scored some ATL Falcons tix for a preseason game 8/23. And since we had long ago (pre-move) planned a trip to Atlanta for a Labor Day Braves game, she said "Mom, why don't you just stay the whole time?" Don't have to twist my arm to travel, now do you? Load up two cars...and five dogs! Road trip!

Knowing I was going to be back in the Duluth area made me bite the bullet, so to speak, and schedule an appointment with my dentist. Yes, Dr. S is STILL my dentist, even though we moved away from GA to FL 12 years ago this month. What can I say? When you find a dentist you love, you want to stay with her, right? Up until a couple of years ago, I just made my semi-annual appointments to coincide with business trips to ATL, and it all seemed to work well. 

Then came Bell's Palsy...and then came the resulting synkenesis that causes muscle spasms in my left jaw, especially when I open my mouth wide or for a long period. Like when you are at the dentist. Bite the bullet, indeed. Groan. 

But I am happy to report that I made it through the appointment without a single spasm. And the X-rays showed NO CAVITIES. Clean teeth, healthy gums, and NO CAVITIES. Did I say happy? I meant ecstatic! Win!!

Of course, I had to put my bike riding on hold somewhere near Land Between the Lakes in Kentucky, losing valuable days. But, I rediscovered walking in the early morning hours, mapping out a couple of routes that got me 1.5 miles daily. While I'll never make it to Disneyland at this rate, I can easily do 30-40 minutes before I start experiencing any of the ill-effects (numbness of my left foot, etc.), that walking causes me, and by throwing in a few stretches for flexibility I can keep in garden-ready shape for my return to HPNC. Big win!

Also, I got to renew acquaintances from our time in Georgia (the five years between NC and FL, in the roadmap that has been our life): lunching with friends and former co-workers (like with KH at Sweet Melissa's in Decatur, pictured; and with JL at the Village Tavern); checking out personal faves like The Yarn Garden in Lawrenceville and Nordstrom at Mall of Georgia (pictured); and making some new friends along the way (more on that in my next post). Win-win-win!

Although Mr. T had to work the first week, he was able to schedule vacation days for the second week...and joined me and the five dogs in holding down the fort while M went to work. I did some unpacking in the kitchen (it will be years before M finds some of her stuff!), and he concentrated on bringing a desk/bookcase combo "vision" that M had to life. Here are some pictures of the final assembly and reveal:

So, while the Falcons lost their game and I lost most of a month, M gained a beautiful...and useful...statement piece in her great room. And I kept moving forward and reestablished my connection to the Atlanta area. Methinks that may come in handy...sooner rather than later...

More wins than losses, for sure! Now, keep your fingers crossed that the Braves are in the W column after their game tomorrow. Toes, too!

A Little Rain...A Little Work

I'm sitting here, kicked back and watching the Braves playing the Nationals on TV. Nearly midnight and only top of the 4th. Game didn't even start until almost 11:00. For the second night in a row, they've had a rain delay in Atlanta, this one nearly three hours. And typically when it rains in ATL, it'll rain here in the next 4-6 hours. Just add it to the gauge. 

We actually started out the week, hot and dry. On Monday Mr. T headed his car to the DC area for the week, and I got caught up on some work-work. On Tuesday, I coached a group of volunteers at the Blandwood Mansion (historic home and property in downtown Greensboro), helping them learn how to care for their heritage rose garden. We were all exhausted by noon, but thrilled with the results. Here's a pic the Director snapped and posted on Facebook:

Wednesday was a Master Gardening day at the Extension Center, with a Board Meeting followed by a general membership meeting and speaker from the Piedmont Nature Conservancy, who talked about invasive plants. Interesting...thought-provoking...but I think I'll keep my mimosas and butterfly bushes.

I spent Thursday of this week in the garage, having moved my painting project inside for fear of storms (it didn't). The rains didn't arrive until later on Thursday...and they are still with us...and in our forecast for the next few days.

So, what was I painting? I had agreed to get trellises for three climbing roses in the Master Gardener Demo Garden. The original plan had been to build them, but I would be the wrong Adsit for that task. As I said in a Facebook post, I could probably knit a trellis quicker and better than I could build one. When, at a recent meeting of the DG committee, the chair gave the go-ahead to purchase them, I couldn't get to Home Depot fast enough. They had some redwood ones on sale, and I had a coupon! And that new lime green trim paint on the information kiosk was just perfect to add color to the spot, even in the dead of winter. Here are a few photos of the project for you:

As you can tell, I volunteered Mr. T to be an honorary Master Gardener for the day. Planting these trellises would have been near-impossible for me without his help, as he just knows how to do stuff like this. Plus he wagged the 50# bag of Quikrete across the garden and used the post hole digger to dig six perfect holes in some pretty awful soil. We worked in a bit of drizzle and finished just as the bottom dropped out of the sky. Actually, I had wanted to do a little touch up to the paint, but decided that task could be tabled until our Demo Garden Work Day scheduled on Wednesday.

All these activities have kept me out of my own garden, so I wound up having to harvest in a steady shower on Friday. I snapped beans for five innings of the Braves game on Friday, and then I put several bags of beans, tomatoes, and peppers in the freezer before I just had to stop. Here're a couple of shots of the haul:

And now? It's starting to rain again. And I think I hear the produce growing. Ah well, that's life in mid-Summer...a little rain, a little work. And a great feeling of accomplishment, when all is said and done.

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For more on how our garden is growing, be sure to check out the latest post on our garden blog (http://gardenwithgiants.blogspot.com). Click here to go there.

Welcome to Summer!

Holy mackerel! One Hundred and Five Degrees?! That's what Missy M's car registered when I got in it yesterday at 5:00 p.m. That's the outside temperature, not the inside temp...which was probably approaching "fry an egg." Her car had been sitting in the sunshine on the driveway on the west side of her brick house all afternoon, so I imagine we are talking a true reading here. Of course, the weather wonk said on the 11:00 news that the official high yesterday was 92, but that was at the airport...probably out of direct sunlight. And then you have to factor in the humidity...that's a whole other chapter.

Today...the first full day of Summer...is predicted to be 96, so we are in for another scorcher. If this be June, what the heck is August going to be like?!

I spend upwards of an hour each afternoon watering the garden and all the containers. Now, I know that it's better to water early in the day, but that isn't usually possible, given our present schedule. And watering in the late afternoon is preferable to the alternative of NOT watering, any day. And, I usually pull weeds in the raised bed gardens in the afternoon, as that's when it's coolest on that side of the house. Not yesterday...it wasn't cool anywhere...even at 8:30 in the evening!

One of the first things Missy M was told about living in Louisville was how late sunset was in the Summer. You see, Derby Town sits on the furthermost edge of its time zone. Check the map: Nashville, which is in the Central Time Zone, is farther east than Louisville...which is in the Eastern TZ!

Well, we are making our way through the first week of Take Your Daughter to Work Days. So far, so good. Missy M has done remarkably well getting to-and-from her office on her crutches...and with using her knee-walker while at work. She has doctor's orders, limiting her to 4 hours at work each day, but even her Disability Counselor recognizes being that precise just isn't always possible with some jobs...and hers is one of them. So, they have agreed to "more or less" take an average of 4 hours per day (basically 20 per week)...and call it close enough. Monday and Tuesday were more...today was less. She sees her doctor next week, so we'll see how the healing process is being affected by this new routine. Fingers crossed...toes, too!

Since I've been here, I've tried to fix some of M's favorite foods...you know, for comfort. It's terribly hot tonight, the new AC is working hard to keep it cool inside, and it's probably not the best night to heat up the kitchen for this one, but I'm making about the only casserole she has ever eaten. She has always called it Chicken with Sloppy Rice, although I believe the original recipe I got from a Lauderdale County cookbook was called Easy Chicken and Rice...or something along those lines. I've been making it for over 30 years, so I know it by heart...thank goodness. Plus it's a forgiving recipe, not requiring you to be so precise about measurements or ingredients. I can add some chunky veggies like carrots and celery, without offending my no-veg-shall-pass-these-lips daughter, so I can have a one-dish meal (protein, starch, & veg), and she can push the offenders aside. Of course, I can secretly hope that there might be some small transference of the veggies' vitamins into the sloppy rice...but that's a topic for another discussion. (Recipe shared below.)

M was so beat last night when she came home, that she took her meds and went straight to bed...and probably would have stayed there for the rest of the night if the peace hadn't been disturbed by fireworks after the sun finally set after 9:08.

Fireworks? On June 19? All we could figure was someone was celebrating an early arrival of the Summer Solstice. Wonder if there are any practicing Druids in the neighborhood?

Druid or not, Happy First Day of Summer (in the Northern Hemisphere...:)! If today is any indication, we are in for a long, hot one this year.

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Chicken and Sloppy Rice

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, whole/cut in half
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of celery soup
2 cans-ful water
2 cans-ful rice (uncooked)
2 Tblsp melted butter
1 tsp seasoned salt or poultry seasoning, more or less
1 tsp ground black pepper, more or less
8-10 baby carrots, whole (opt.)
Celery slices (opt.)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray inside a covered casserole dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing cup, blend the soups, the water, the rice, the melted butter, and the seasonings together. Pour into prepared baking dish. Place chicken breasts on top of the rice mixture and sprinkle with more seasonings, especially cracked pepper. If you like cooked veggies, push a few whole baby carrots and/or celery slices into the rice mixture. Cover with tight-fitting lid and put in oven for an hour.
3. After 60 minutes, stir to distribute the liquid. If the rice seems to be drying too rapidly, add some hot water. Return to oven for 30-40 more minutes, covered, until the chicken breasts are done and no longer pink. Stir and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.
4. Great served with a salad and some warm Italian bread. Enjoy!

How Dry...and Hot...We Are

What a difference a month makes.  I seem to recall that I was whinging about all that rain we were getting at the end of May, beginning of June.  Daily downpours. Weekly wash-outs.  Well, just where is it now, I ask you?  Not here, for sure.  It's starting to look like the Dust Bowl around High Point.  I water the garden twice each day, but it still is parched.

As I headed home yesterday from a short drive to the Post Office, I watched the thermometer in my Lillie Pearl PT Cruiser jump from 98 to 100 as I made the turn from Skeet Club onto Waterview.  Stop the car, as my dear Daddy used to say.  I pulled over to the side of the road to snap the shot, left.  Had to document the occasion, of course. The weatherman said the official high for Piedmont Triad International (PTI:  local airport, serving Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem) was 99, but at 3:47 p.m., it was one hundred degrees in this northwest corner of High Point.

Pardon me while I go get a glass of iced tea.

And, if the heat, humidity, and the lack of rain wasn't enough to make you want to stay near the AC (which is running constantly, night and day), we had a Code Orange air quality alert yesterday.  Over 150 for the first time this year.  Unhealthy for individuals with breathing issues (like N/M/E).  Not to worry, BFF AW braved it all and came over to join N/M/E for a Chat 'n Chew.  I fixed supper trays with scoops of tuna salad (made with apples instead of celery) and bow-tie pasta salad (made with both yellow and zucchini squash from the garden, of course), followed by dessert bowls of homemade vanilla ice cream (which was still tasty after our Fourth celebration).  My job was to keep the Drool Gang otherwise occupied so the Lovely Ladies could enjoy some uninterrupted time together.  It all worked out pretty well, thank goodness.

Speaking of the Fourth...

Missy M and Ella Rae made the long drive to come visit us over the Holiday weekend.  On Saturday, when it was just too hot to do anything else but ride around in an air conditioned car, she and I hopped in Lillie Pearl and headed her toward Hillsborough, NC.  There is a yarn shop there, you see...and they were having a sale.  Yadda, yadda, yadda.  Mother-Daughter Bonding Trip, by any other name.  A good time was had by both!

Sunday was another scorcher.  Limited our activities to after sundown.  Hamburgers and hot dogs and corn-on-the-cob on the grill.  Homemade ice cream with strawberries (a few of which came from the garden, even!).  Topped off with fireworks after dark (first...on TV, from the Capitol Fourth; then, big booms from across the Lake, here in HPNC).  Happy 234th Birthday, America!

On this morning's water-walk (replacing the usual Coffee Walk...too hot...:), I couldn't help but notice the Jubilee watermelon's progress.  Took this snap (left) to compare it to one I took 8 days ago (right).  Yowza!  How it is growing in all this heat is a miracle.  Same goes for the corn, which is tassling and setting ears in the worst week of the season so far.  Wonder if it will survive...much less thrive?  We'll see...

  

I also enjoyed taking a couple hundred snapshots of the butterflies and bees who are enjoying the blooming zinnias and marigolds.  OMG.  I've never seen anything like this!  I took so many photos that I zapped the batteries...which is probably the only reason I stopped taking pictures.  They are so beautiful.  We've always planted borders of zinnias and marigolds around our gardens, and we've had better/thicker flower results before, but I cannot remember when the visitor population has been so spectacular.  It was difficult to pick which ones to show you.

 

 

Weatherman is calling for a slight chance of rain tonight, increasing to a 50% chance tomorrow night.  Fingers crossed.  Toes, too!

The Tomatoes are Finally Here

I had my doubts, but I am happy to report that my tomatoes have finally begun to produce. As you can tell from the photo, I was able to harvest more tomatoes than cucumbers on this particular day...plus more than enough hot peppers. It has been such a strange weather year, with too much rain in the Spring...followed by too much rain in the early Summer...followed by a mild August...making for worlds of cukes and far too few tomatoes. I did get one puny salad tomato before July 4th, but really. This year has just been sad so far, veggie garden-wise.

Of course, that big ol' red, juicy Big Boy over there on the lower right in the photo (right) didn't last too very long after this shot was taken.








I washed it...and it's smaller friend there...and began the preparations for my favorite sandwich of all time: tomato (fresh off the vine), bacon, mayo (Hellman's, of course), salt (lots of it) and pepper...all piled on two fresh, fresh slices of yummy white bread. Oh yeah. Now, that's what it's all about!

Become the Butterfly

Today is a hot, humid Summer's day...96 with a heat index of 99...and what better way to enjoy it than as a butterfly, sipping nectar from a lovely zinnia (left). I wish. BTW, I took this photo standing about 4 feet away from the garden fence, where this beautiful butterfly ignored me and concentrated on the juicy flower.

Looks like we are headed for the high-90's today, with thunderstorms a'brewing for tonight and tomorrow. Same old, same old.

Of course, I have to give credit where it is due. This long, hot, wet Summer we are experiencing has been perfect for sustaining all of our beautiful blossoms. Without a doubt, the flowers of all varieties have been the biggest, prettiest, showiest (add superlative here) we've seen in...well, in forever! Hooray!



Not so for the veggie garden, I'm afraid. The weeds are about the only things that are growing great there. Upon reflection, I acknowledge two major mistakes:

1. I rushed to plant, especially my tomatoes and my onion sets. True confession: I wanted that first tomato to come in by July 4th. Well, I reached that goal on July 1st, but it happened on one of the Patio Tomatoes in containers on the deck. Waiting for the ground to dry a bit to allow at least one more pass with the tiller...and adding some more compost and garden soil on that last pass...might have made a huge difference. Shoulda, woulda, coulda.



2. I didn't get a chance to add my usual 4 bales of straw (over newspaper) as mulch after planting to keep the weeds in check. Now, instead of a lovely, productive kitchen garden, I have a weed patch with a few leggy tomato plants...and some rather hardy cucumber vines.

Yep, the cukes are out-producing the tomatoes by about 4-to-1 (as you can see in the photo, right, above). Soooo, looks like I'm making pickles soon, doesn't it? (BTW, I ate that tomato in the picture for lunch that very day...:)

At least the dogs know how to behave during these Dog Days of Summer. They stay indoors where there's air conditioning...and sleep through the hottest part of the day. Smart.

I'm taking a page out of their books and trying spend a few of those mid-day hours inside with the cool AC, the ceiling fan on high, a glass of iced tea with lemon by my side, and needles in hand. I've recently finished my Bliss-ful Striped Cardigan (left), made from Debbie Bliss's Cotton Cashmere yarn in yellow, blue, and white (no link available as this yarn has been discontinued, I know not why as it is soooooo soft). I modified a Classic Elite pattern for a Striped Cardigan and added the blue and white star-shaped buttons. Yippee! Now, if only the temps would dip a bit for me to be able to wear it...:)

And, on the stix at the moment is a modified Metro Pullover (pattern from Oat Couture) for Nana/Momma/Edith in Queensland's Bebe Cotsoy (50% cotton, 50% soy) yarn in a cornflower blue color #1. I finished the back and front while I was dog-sitting Ella Rae last week in L'ville, and I am now ready to three-needle bind-off the shoulder seams. Next up...after N/M/E tries on the unfinished shell...are the sleeves, which are knitted onto the sweater instead of separately. Then, last but not least, the collar (also knitted on by picking up stitches). A couple of side seams...a little steam from the iron...and it will be done.

It had better be done before August 8th, or it will get sidelined. I've signed up for the Ravelympics 2008 Sweater Sprint, meaning I've committed to casting on a sweater during the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympics on 8/8/08 and completing said sweater by the Closing Ceremony on August 24th. No pressure! I've decided on my yarn (more on that later) and the pattern (a 3/4 sleeve, boxy, garter-stitch cardigan...I think). Counting down the clock!

Speaking of dogs...and I was, several paragraphs ago...check out this Puppy Cam link. If you are lucky, you will get to see a litter of Basset Hound puppies in Wisconsin in all their glory: http://www.oldefashion.com/puppycam. Enjoy!

Jolly July

"It's beginning to look a lot like"...July around here! We were beginning to wonder when we got up on July 4th to find temps in the mid-70's, blue skies, and low humidity...altogether strange, but welcome, weather for MO. Missy M was here for the Holiday Weekend, so we made the most of being able to get some sun on the deck without wilting: we filled the plastic wading pool with deliciously cool water, pulled our chairs up to the sides and dipped our toes in the water! Ahhhh...fantastic! Daiquiri, please, waiter.

Never fear...that didn't last long. Today, the thermometer is at 92 and counting, and the humidity weighs heavy on anyone braving the out-of-doors. I went out to snap some shots of any new blooms we had today and felt like someone had slapped a wet blanket on my face. Breathe! Of course, this is what all those flowers live for, isn't it?

First of all, check out this daylily (left, top) called [drum-roll, please...] "Patricia." It's a sunny-yellow, double-ruffled, fluffy flower on a short stalk...no comparisons, please...:)


Here's a photo (right) of the newest "Dad's Best White" daylilies, purchased this year at Wine Country Gardens daylily "farm" in Defiance, MO. We've got two more "Dad's" growing in the back yard, but this is the largest, showiest blossom on that particular variety for us, and it's in a prominent spot out front.





Next up, a gorgeous bloom on the "Rose Emily" daylily, pictured left (corrected 7/29/08)...a purchase from the daylily farm a couple of years ago. I recall a tiny blossom last year, but nothing like this! The camera doesn't do the colors justice, I'm afraid. The rose color is richer, and the green center is lime-y-er, if possible. Amazing! Right now, this beauty is almost hidden out of sight, under a canopy of maple trees, so I'll have to come up with a better location to show it off, as well as some companion plants that will complement the colors.


As promised in an earlier post, here's a photo (right) of one of the newest varieties: "Charles Johnston" (the red one). We planted this recently in the front bed by the driveway, where we have two white crepe myrtles... which are just now beginning to bud, hopefully to bloom at the end of the week or so.

And, last but by no means least, here's a favorite since 2004: Texas Choice (left). We have a couple of these giant beauties planted on the side, next to some red roses (which aren't in bloom at the moment), and they have never failed to just take our breath away.

The flowers do look like jewels in our yard, no doubt. But, everything looks a good bit better...a good deal neater...after Mr. T spent hours on Saturday with the hedge clipper and trimmers. Wow! Some of our [previously overgrown] shrubs look like they just got their first boot-camp clipping! We had postponed this necessary work in the beds out front due to our resident robin family who had built their nest in the Japanese Maple [which needed a good pruning]. Well, it looks like Junior has flown the nest...indeed, it appears that all have moved out together...so, Mr. T could wait no longer.

Needless to say, Missy M and I elected to spend our holiday Saturday in St. Charles, checking out the new location for Knit and Caboodle. Now, I ask you...which one of those activities would you rather do? Acquiring more yarn stash ingredients after strolling down a lovely cobblestone street in Missouri's First Capitol "city," or whacking overgrowth and weeding? Honestly...

I almost forgot to post a photo of Nana's new room...you know, the "From Purple to Peach" transformation? When she arrived home from her visit with J&J, she seemed quite happy with all the changes.


Mr. T and I also repainted her bathroom, taking it from Electric Yellow to a Cafe au Lait color (which looks remarkably like Missy M's house). The accents are still in blue, but the whole effect is one of calm and relaxation. Spa-like, I believe some of the magazines call it.