Sunday Eve

Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art...

It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.

C. S. Lewis

Sharing with Spiritual Sunday.

a labor of love (or) backyard magic

Our backyard has a long way to go, but it’s come a long way too. While looking at old photos, I realized how much it has evolved over the seven years we lived in our current home.

I think I’ve told you before, Cigar Man loves to work in his garden so a barren yard was a real playground for him. We had somewhat of a plan. I say somewhat since the plan was and is altered often. I think a garden like a home will lead you in the direction it wants and if you follow, the result will always be desirable.

Here’s a few of the original photos and those changes made.

The patio and evergreen trees were the only originals to the yard.

Here our neighbors have built a fence and we’ve built our pergola, but no more improvements have been made.

Cigar Man created a berm beside the evergreen trees and a walkway from the front driveway to the patio. Later Cigar Man constructed a dry creek bed to remedy the standing water you can see at the left corner of the photo.

Our dry creek bed not only adds a little character to the yard, but it also serves to drain water off our yard during rains. Some time in the near future, I’m going to sweet talk Cigar Man into writing a tutorial on creating a dry creek bed.

Later we added the fountain surrounded by a rock path and perenials along the fence row.

At the back of the yard along one portion of the fence, we’ve made several changes along the way from wild flowers to perenials…

…to leyland pines. We’re still working to perfect that area.

This was the patio and pergola as it looked last April. We had just restained the pergola from all grey to a taupe floor with white walls.

In the seven years we’ve been in our present home, we’ve worked played in the yard and made many changes.

I’m sure we will continue to as long the good Lord’s willing and the creek don’t rise.

I’m sharing with others at Fertilizer Friday and Met. Monday

My bleeding heart…

…is blooming in my garden now. What a sweet sweet flower with its heart shaped blossoms hanging delicately from it’s willowy stems.

Cigar man and I worked played in the garden today. For garden work is play.

Early this morning, we headed to the cow manure store. (So romantic!) On the way back, we were to stop at a nearby flower stand to pick out our plantings. When I noticed we were passing it by, I asked, “Weren’t we going to stop at the flower stand?”

Cigar man: “Well, cigar man has to pick up cigars first.”

(Hmmm…he’s been reading my blog. J)

“No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth,
no culture comparable to that of the garden ...
But though an old man, I am but a young gardener.”
~ Thomas Jefferson, Garden Book, 1811

Linking to My favorite things Saturday.

wings of a dove

I hope this will suffice as my contribution to Mosaic Monday.

I love the tall willowy grasses this time of year. We have several groupings in our back yard and I'm finding them lovely photo material. As you can see, the doves love them too. When I caught a flock of ashen doves beside the silvery grasses, I had to take time to get a few shots.

We can learn from the gentle doves. Don't they look calm and peaceful, enjoying what's left of the day? Enjoy your week. November is passing by.

picnic before summer's lease is done!

They say that Shakespeare once said,

"Summer's lease hath all too short a date."

Oh how true! With the site of those yellow school buses on the streets and August more than half way through, we are reminded how short summer really is. So realizing that, I opted for a little picnic outside. Let's put the basket here on the bench by the fountain while we find a good spot to spread out.
I packed my mother's vintage yellow checked tablecloth, just some white plastic plates, a cheese spreader, wine glasses, fruit, and cheese into a picnic basket. I have to tell you, I picked the basket up at a garage sale for $3. Can you believe that? Love it when that happens. :)
Oh, but let's don't forget the wine! I have to confess there's another reason I wanted a picnic. I just had to try out this new ChillinJoy wine cooler that I won! That's right! I won this sweet cooler from The Blushing Hostess! I'm finding this is just great for outdoor activities.

It has two handy side pockets. I used one for my wine stopper and the other for my corker.

And it keeps your wine cold with cooling packets that can be removed and froze in your freezer till ready for use. The top zips over your wine bottle and keeps it snug till you're ready for it. To learn more, you can click here.

Here's to Catherine at the Blushing Hostess! I'm sure I'll be using it often.

And here's to Susan at A Southern DayDreamer and Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for hosting these lovely parties!!

Broken Wings

This cherub stands watch in my flower garden. You'll notice she has a broken wing, but I couldn't get rid of her. That just makes her extra special. She's a reminder, that we all are broken, but we persevere and learn from our mistakes, our shortcomings and are better people for them.
All day, she sees the birds cooling in the bath and hears their sweet songs.

She watches the flowers grow...
and wane...

and the willow branches blow.

Follow the breeze over to Outdoor Wednesday today for many more wonderful posts.

april to august

"Fairest of the months! Ripe summer's queen

The hey-day of the year

With robes that gleam with sunny sheen

Sweet August doth appear."

~R. Combe Miller

Summer's passing quickly. I can't believe August is upon us, can you? I'm contributing to Mosaic and Metamorphosis Monday sharing with you the natural metamorphosis in our gardens from April planting time to mature August.

This was our patio/pergola in April. We had just freshly stained our pergola and planted our flowers. If you would like to see that transformation, click here and here.

Here it is today. Notice how the Wisteria has grown! We planted it five years ago and this year it is barely covering our pergola to provide us shade at last. Oops, there's hubby reading the morning paper.

And this is where it all began in April with a little sweat and hard work and a lot of God's blessings - rain and sunshine!

Here's one of our planters at the end of the pergola freshly planted in April.

And here are our lush planters in August. I also persuaded hubby to secure a hanger to the post to hang one of my watering cans. It just took him 3 months. ;=) Isn't it odd how the smallest of jobs take the longest?

Freshly planted sweet potato vines. Aren't they puny?!

But not anymore!

Will this pretty little mandevilla ever make it to the lattice work??

I'll say she did!!

Here's the view from our water fountain in April - kind of bare.

But in August, the black-eyed Susan's peek out from behind it.

And in April, a mockingbird laid her eggs in our rose trellis.

And raised them till they were old enough to fly away.

So in August, we're left with an empty nest. :=(

In April, I transplanted some ground cover from other parts of the garden to this vintage container. I wasn't sure whether it would catch on or not.

Lookie here! It's growing like crazy. Well, thanks so much for visiting with me. Hope you enjoyed an August tour through the garden. You know in a blink of an eye it will be Autumn and all this will be gone until we do it again next year, Lord willing. Check out the other party goers at Mary's little Red House and Susan's Between Naps on the Porch. She may be taking a nap on her gorgeous porch, but just give her a click and she'll wake up for you. Thanks Mary and Susan for a wonderful party!!

Everyday Life

Unemployment rate rose – higher taxes needed – traffic jam on the highway.....all news clips, I woke to this morning. It’s enough to make you bury your head under the covers!

Bravely, I planted my feet on the floor and followed the aroma of the coffee already brewing. My routine lately has been to pour myself a cup of coffee and head to the computer to start my day.

This morning’s different. Too special for that! The days and days of rain have vanished and the sun is back in the sea blue sky. Birds are singing and freshly planted flowers are starting to show their stuff.

I thought to myself. Let’s have breakfast with the birds, the flowers, and the sun - just me, myself, and I. So I did!

I pulled a quilt my grandmother handmade from a closet and draped it over my patio chair so I could curl up and get cozy on this nippy morning. Set my side table with a lace tablecloth that I bought at a garage sale for $5. (Can you believe that?)


Close up of my $5 tablecloth!

Topped it with a bouquet of daisies in a Bonabry pitcher that I picked up at TJ Maxx (on clearance yet).

My gold depression glass replica coffee set was idea for a party of one. Along with my coffee, I added a toasted slice of whole wheat bread, smeared with lots of real sweet butter and homemade blackberry jelly bought from a local farmer’s market. UMMM! Can’t get better than that!

You know what? Along with nourishment for my body, I received some for my soul. This beats the morning news!

I don’t know who said this, but I’ve found it’s true. ~
“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”
Take time to enjoy.

And now take time to enjoy some very special settings at Tablescape Thursdays and ways others are learning to have a beautiful life at The Inspired Room.