Sometimes You Just Have to take A Chance

The dog days of summer are upon us here in northern Colorado with temperatures expected to reach 95. Fortunately we do not have the humidity that many parts of the country have and generally we have a breezed that keeps the air moving, so you will find me a good part of the day on my patio enjoying bird song and the beauty of summer.

The drip system that Heather and the Head Gardner install for me Mother's Day has made all the difference in begin able to maintain beautiful hanging baskets and potted flowers. Come, let's sit on the patio this morning for a moment.



The patio is on the back side of the house, facing east, so we get full moving sun and shade in the afternoon. We had the pergola build three or four years ago and it has taken me a while to turn it into a pleasant outdoor room. I'd love to add an outdoor futon so that we can sleep outside on those hot, stuffy nights. The HG worries about raccoons. Raccoons?  I am thinking mosquitoes.

I found the rug the other day at Bed Bath and Beyond, perfect, and even more so because it was on sale. It was just the pop of color that I needed to pull the area together, to make it cozy. My pot of flowers, vines, and coleus are doing well this summer with consistent watering. I bought this lime hydrangea thinking that it would bloom white, but it is a yummy lime color. I have not planted in the ground; instead, it is living in its container. I am thinking that I will try to overwinter it in the container and store it in the garage. Should I?  I seem to kill them when they are in the ground.

The last photo in the mosaic is random. I took it only because I was amazed at the growth of the trees on the propriety since we moved here. We used to be able to drive the EZ-Go golf cart between these trees and bushes.



So, this is where you will find me on these dog days of summer, ice tea or water hand, a good book, or my laptop reading blogs, or maybe I will fall asleep. Snow Shovel, you ask? Yes that is a snow shovel. It's Colorado. We must be prepared for snow, sleet, and hail.


We have live here eight years. I still miss my old house; in fact, I dreamt about it last night. I go back to that house in my dreams often and in the dream it not being cared for and the new owners are thinking of selling and I'd like to be back there. Then I wake up and realize that I am here at the Garden Spot, still trying after these eight years to make it mine, to make it home.

On a whim, I decoded to reorganize the pantry. I got started late taking the photos, you don't see the real chaos that was taking place on the left. With my pantry, I found that I was just stuffing stuff in it. I would organize and reorganize, and finally Sunday I had had enough of the clutter, so I emptied it out. On the left you the beginning to the emptying out. I had flour for 2010. Lard to make bird cakes that had gone rancid. So I purged

The after photo on the right show a much leaner, more organized pantry where I can actually see what is in there.

I have two sets of melamine summer dishes for the patio, hoards of coffee cups and mugs that I never used, so I boxed up the cup, all except the special ones on the top shelf where I can't reach food items anyway. I put the dishes in the pantry on the top shelf where they are accessible along with the classes and various water containers.

Now all of my canned goods are in the same spot not he same shelf in easy reach. Now I will know when I am out of tomato sauce or beans. I hope I like the new arrangement. It took me eight years to get here.

Back in the garden, I am able to have hanging baskets thanks to a drip system. 

The last of peonies is blooming, this lucious pink one. I love it. Soon it will be gone.

And what would call this rose. You know it: Winchester Cathedral, one of my David Austins that survived the winter. I was shocked first to see that it survived the winter and then that it bloomed and now that is had a touch of pink.

Won't the be beautiful roses?

So that is all I have for today. I am always late. Blogging seems to be getting harder for me to do, but I am not ready to give it up, thought I am considering Instagram since so many of you are also there. I am finding the the dollhouse bloggers are not as conversational as my garden blogging friends and they seem to spend more time on Instagram too. So I may be joining--or not. What do you think?

Thanks so much for stopping by. I am in a bit of rush. The HG told me late yesterday that the old elementary school down the street is being torn down. When I drove by I saw the fence around it and knew that it was scheduled to be razed, so I want to go down to get some last photos of it. My husband when to school there and so did our daughters. Heather, the emotional one, will be devastated when I text her a photo today. 

Have a great week. Joining Maggie at Life in Normandy for Mosaic Monday, so join us.