In The Pink

in my yard

In My Yard

We have a promise of rain.

Sweet Williams flowers are almost gone.

a Marigold

Hibiscus seed pods 

Blackberry Lily seeds. 

Water garden needs a fall cleaning.

 The rain clouds kept their promise.

We had enough rain to make the road muddy.

We are blessed.

In My Yard

Showing My Bloomers

For Alex...

I first met Alex a hundred years ago when he became my good-natured adversary.  I would post a picture of a bird, a butterfly or a plant.  Alex would jokingly ask, "But what KIND is it?"  I think he knew I was a person who had to answer any question.  I worked hard identifying what creature or plant was going to be in my post. We bantered back and forth.  I discovered he is author of at least three books and is a well-rounded happy family man with a similar sense of humor.  We both like to play with words.

This post is for you, dear Alex.  Bet you would've had to look them up too!

A Mormon Metalmark or Apodemia mormo

enjoying a meal of pollen on purple cone flower

or Echinacea purpurea  .

Rose of Sharon bush or Hibiscus syriacus.

Photinus Coleoptera

or Lightning Bug or Firefly.

Their light is used to attract mates or meals.

Pterophylla camellifolia  or Katydid 

sitting on Plantago major or Plantian

Leopard frog or Lithobates sphenocephalus

sitting on tire (Good Year)

with Johnson Grass and Virginia Creeper.

Happy Friday, Alex!!!

I am open to correction if I've named anything wrong.

Rain Makes It All Look Good...

I'm Not Just A Farmer...

I'm pretty handy when I give it a try.  Today is Marcy's surgery so please keep her in your prayers.  I am in Little Rock and have been since yesterday.

Knowing I was going, I thought how can I read seven and a half hours?  So I decided I needed to take my monster Alien computer and hope they have wifi.  It's portable but is not a laptop.  They call it a modified desktop so it is much heavier.  Alien is a lean mean gaming machine so even without the net I can play a few games to distract me...maybe.

I had nothing this thing would fit in so I had to make one. Searched for material, found some fabric I had used for a sewing machine dust cover and a receiving blanket. Then I went to work.

The layout and pinning before sewing

The receiving blanket became the liner

with pockets for charger, mouse, etc.

My new bag holds every thing I need to play.

Extra heavy duty strap for the weight

and Velcro enclosure.

I can haul this baby anywhere with ease.

A Hibiscus for Marcy.

Getting Closer...

Never plant Honey Suckle where you want anything else to grow.  It has claimed everything. Fair warning:  When trying to pull up Honey Suckle vines, WEAR GLOVES.  I had to let my hands heal to finish. Remember what it did look like.

The choking growth of the HS made the Hibiscus spindly and almost choked the House Leak to death.  The drought had thinned the ground cover but I do believe it has a chance of becoming the beauty it once was.

Still have to thin water plants and have that one spot around the Asian Lilies to clean.  Yep, more Honey Suckle.  I don't remember planting it but then I forget some things.

Beginning to see Dad's rocks again.  This garden was built for him mostly from his rock collection.  We have added Mount Ida crystals and others finds to make it a family water garden.

On this day we got some rain.

From Tuesday through Saturday is how long it took this soft, office girl to get this finished.  I tried not to work in the 110 heat index so I could only work mornings.  I'm calling it finished.  The lilies are repotted, the Honey Suckle and Golden Rod have been banned along with whatever water plant that was that had filled the garden. I have allowed Parrot Grass, Bog Bean and Arrow Plant to remain with my lilies.

And, yes, that is a toilet tank by my bench.  I have planted House Leak in there.  I have washed rocks, waded knee deep with what I hoped was frogs bumping into my legs and have pulled every weed I could find.  It's through!!! My back was aching, my hands a wreck, my bare feet soaked and wrinkled but I'm done!!!! 

My second job awaits.  This fig Dad planted years ago provides us with all the figs we can eat.  It have been attacked by the Wisteria.  My next job will be to remove the wisteria so the fig can grow healthy again.

You may wonder why I have so many jobs backed up and waiting.  With Hubby's illness in the past two year things have gotten ahead of me.

Welcome to my retirement At The Farm.

The First Day Of Retirement...

I got up at six AM, woke Andrew for football practice, picked up Marcy at the truck shop, came home and worked outside.

Decided the water garden desperately needed my attention today.  I began removing the money plants, pulling weeds while topping off the water.  Also let the water soak a few weeds for me.

Here's my pile of removed undesirables.  Dead money plants, a few weeds and the grass I pulled was replanted elsewhere.  Grass is very valuable right now.

Looking a little better but hours to go before I'm finished.  It has taken all summer to get this grown up so will take me more than  a couple of hours to bring it back to its proper state but progress was made.  Yes, there is a water garden there, full of water plants.

Honey Suckle and Golden Rod are not my friends any more.  I am kicking them out of the garden.

One happy flower.

One unfinished job.

This soft little office girl has blisters

but I still know how to work.

So begins retirement.