Flax (Linum 'Appar') is a tough, heat resistant perennial that grows near my rain garden.
I was recently awarded the Lovely Blog award from Helene at Graphicality UK. Thanks!! I'm supposed to pass it on to ten other bloggers and reveal seven random facts about myself. But I couldn't create a list of only ten blogs so to every blog listed on my blogroll, congrats! You are lovely, too!
Hungry bumblebee on the monarda
1. I am the U turn queen! Getting lost doesn't frustrate me and I'm convinced most directional mistakes can be resolved by backtracking. I once U-turned my way through Maine. I do not have a GPS but I do have an MAP that I'm fairly good at reading.
Zinnias
2. I am energetic and easy going. A crazy storm ripped through my corner of the world last night, destroying our patio umbrella and smashing my tomato plant, but at least my garden is well watered. I don't have a tree in the middle of my living room right now, so no complaints here.
Argh! I found the tomato cage at the bottom of the basement stairs.
I'm so thankful the stem didn't break.
I tied the remaining stems to the red and yellow supports with a piece cut from a plastic newspaper delivery bag since I can't find my plant ties. I'm hoping that will help it survive the next storm.
I was able to find all the tomatoes that had blown off the plant. These are Heatmaster tomatoes. They were bred to resist disease and thrive in hot, humid environments. I just hope they taste good.
3. I'm currently reading Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros. I like books that allow me to immerse myself in a world wholly different than my own.
Broken dahlia stem
Do you think it will grow another branch and still bloom in the fall?
4. I'm a total pacifist until I feel like slapping someone. That's not to say that I just walk around randomly slapping people. But when I see someone doing something truly insane, such as texting while driving, I just want to slap 'em silly.
This frog has doubled in size since moving in to the frog pond below and is quite tolerant of our photo sessions.
5. I just turned 43, my son is 20, and my daughter is 17. My son leaves soon for Army boot camp and has chosen to become a combat medic. My father was a Navy medic in VietNam so the career choice was bittersweet for me.
This honeybee was upside down in the trumpet vine flowers. If you look closely, you can see all the pollen on its legs.
6. I recently saw the Dave Matthews Band in concert. It was wonderful!
Agastache, 'Westerland' rose, and verbena nonariensis
7. I do not have a SmartPhone, IPad, IPod, Tablet, or 3D TV. I have one TV, an old school CD player, and a cell phone that randomly turns itself on and off.
Early morning garden
The sedum and I are grateful the hammock didn't blow into the garden like it did earlier this week.
Great photos. Like the little frog. Glad you didn't have a lot of damage from the storm.
ReplyDeleteCher Sunray Gardens
Simply beautiful! Wish I could come sit in your garden and chat!
ReplyDeleteGlad you fared well in the storm that blew through last night. Boy what a doozy! Love your ten facts! My kids are in their mid 20s now, still feels like they should be home on summer vacation from school. Congrats on your son going to be a medic, good for him.
ReplyDeleteLove that you went to see Dave Matthews. We have been concert crazy since retiring!!
What a storm your whole area had. I'm glad all is ok, if a little beaten down.
ReplyDeleteI loved learning these tidbits of facts about you!
I enjoyed reading this post with some info about you, and seeing your plants and that adorable frog. I like to read books that take me to another world too. I just finished "I Captured the Castle" by Dodie Smith, brilliant and charming.
ReplyDeleteA great post, it is always so nice to learn about the person behind a blog. Good luck to your son with his difficult but wonderful career choice.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry about your storm-damaged plants but I am glad you can see a good side to it.
Hello. I see that you have been to The Garden Spot. You must have liked what you saw, for I see that you are my newest follower. I will enjoy visiting you. I like your sense of humor, that you live in DC. I've never been there. On my To Do list, though. And I am proud of your son for joining the army. I love the photos of the zinnias and the frog. Welcome to The Garden Spot. And by the way, your plants will recover from the storm damage. Ours are just emerging from their beating by hail. We wish for gentle, but firm rain.
ReplyDeleteI am glad the frog is tolerant of the photo sessions and I am sure he is glad he has a pond! I heard about those storms. Can you imagine losing power in this heat??
ReplyDeleteMy tall yellow daylily isn't Hyperion; I have Hyperion too (and love it) and the mystery daylily is taller with bigger paler flowers. When the weather cools down I'm going to sleuth for a tag.
Being energetic and easy-going at the same time is a brilliant combination. :)
So sorry about your storm troubles but glad it wasn't worse. And it was nice to get to know you better! (Your garden looks like such a restful place.)
ReplyDeleteJust got all the stormy details from my parents. I'm thankful you're okay. I enjoyed reading all your random facts and absolutely love that you're still using your old phone! Maybe it's time for a little fried green tomatoes!
ReplyDeleteI liked the "random" garden observations interspersed with the random personal stuff. Most of all, I like that combination of pink and white zinnias. I've only ever grown multicolored mixes, or, in some years, the peachy buff color that my multicolored mixes produce in the next generation. I think I'd like to try a pair of selected colors like this. Thanks for the idea.
ReplyDeleteYou had a very strong storm, and you're an optimist! I love your thoughts about life.
ReplyDeleteA post that held my interest. I love your random notes. Inspiring.
ReplyDeleteGlad your garden did not suffer too much damage during the storm....always a little worrying.
Bless your son.....
Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. Loved looking at your blog and your garden. Mine too is looking a little windswept and our big problem is that the plants are getting too much water and too little sun here in a rather wet and windy South Wales!!
ReplyDeleteLove the 10 fun things about yourself! :) I'm glad you didn't lose power or suffer too much damage after that storm on Friday. We were able to patch up our plants too. Like you I was glad for the free water! Good luck to your son as he embarks on his new career! Will keep him in my prayers.
ReplyDeleteYour posts are those of a wise woman.
ReplyDeleteCM - your style of writing reels me in every time! It's just a treasure trove of clever quips, cool ties back to your gardens and great feedback from your readers. "Lovely Blog Award" - so well deserved, and then some...
ReplyDeleteIt's so nice to meet you. Thank you for coming by and leaving nice comments on my blog. I look forward to chatting with you in the future. I also thank you for following my blog. Your garden looks lovely. I'm so glad that the storm didn't destroy all of the hard work you put into it.
ReplyDeleteI love your comments. I don't own all that gobbly goo either. Too much technology makes you dumb:) I'm glad the rain storms didn't do what it had done to other people.....wow!!!! I can't believe the route of destruction of that storm. Love your toad:) And like you, I don't like to slap people.....but sometimes when the moment is right:), I like to flick an arm or two:) Ahhh...good times! And at least your garden got some great rain.....I'm hoping we get some soon!!! Have a good start to your week and congrats on the award!
ReplyDeleteI think you've just won me over to zinnias. So pretty! Thank you for sharing about yourself--I am convinced that gardners are the nicest people. :)
ReplyDeleteHello from rainy England! What a beautiful garden you have made, full of lovely colour! xx
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your Lovely Blog award. I don't have a GPS either, I think I'd just be arguing with it all the time.
ReplyDeleteHeard about your horrendous storms on the news here in the UK. Glad to hear you didn't have too much damage.
Very nice. I agree that your post is inspiring! Thanks for your good example of looking on the bright side when adversity strikes. Congrats--you definitely deserve the award!
ReplyDeleteThat was some storm we had. Glad you did not have major damage. Your zinnias are beautiful. They are my favorite flower.
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