A Little of This, and A Little of That....

I could have named this post the same as the last one...

Summertime Blues.

It's been HOT.

And, DRY.

I'm really hoping this thermometer is not right.

It's pretty close to the one on the other side of the house, though.

The heat, and no rain, is taking a toll on the whole place.

The trees are dropping leaves almost as bad as fall.

Only good thing...less to pick up in fall.

Not much to eat, for these guys. 

Well....except for our landscapes.

Since it's so dry...

...why do I need so much of these?

I don't dare go out without it.

The mosquitoes LOVE me.

It's not all bad, though.

The early morning light still looks good.

Willow enjoys hanging out on the bridge...

as long as the sprinkler's not going.

Sweet Potato loves the heat.

And, so does the Firecracker Fern.

And, some of our recent sunsets, have been very nice.

I was worried about some fungus looking things on this

Golden Barrel Cactus.

It turns out it's new growth!

Yay!

And, this could be good or bad...

Our son-in-law is a safety consultant in the oil and gas industry.

The workers were clearing a site, and plowing up these.

If I read the photo right, they're Sotols of some kind.

He asked if I wanted some.  I said, of course.

So, he's bringing me some.

I hear there are ten..

I need to do some research to see how long they can stay out of the ground.

They live a distance away from us.

So, that's what's going on here.

Trying to keep things alive,

and staying out of the heat.

Tomorrow is supposed to be extra hot.

Then we have a "cold front" coming in.

We could be all the way down to 99!!

Hey...it's all relative.

Have a great weekend.

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~

New Plants...Again...

So, we're working on a redecorating job, and I needed something that I couldn't find at the local hardware stores.  
A trip to the nearest Big Box store was in order.  

The closest entrance is through the garden center.
It would be rude to ignore all the beautiful, colorful things they have lined up, inside and out...right?
I try never to be rude.

So, I got this strawberry.  Three, actually.  I've never grown strawberries. 

It's labeled 'Strawberry quinault'.
I did some research online.  ALL of the things I found said strawberries have small WHITE flowers and red berries.  

But, look at that beautiful deep rose bloom.  And, those dark green, glossy leaves.

Even if I hadn't been inspired by Diana at Sharing Nature's Garden, to get some strawberries, I would NEED this plant.
I even think I'm going to plant it in a flower bed, inside the Fenced Yard.

Would that work?  Do any of you have strawberries with red-ish blooms?

Willow, of course, had to come over to see if he approved.
I'm going to pot up those tomatoes, in bigger pots, to give them a head start on the season.
That means moving them in and out when the nights are too cold.

I suppose Willow approved.  He'll probably be right there with Maggie, helping me plant.

Oh...I also got some more Mexican Feather Grass for the new Driveway Bed.  And, some Ruby Chrystal Grass.
They had a good price on those...better than when I bought them before.
They have an orange logo.

The day is going to be gorgeous.  Clear, sunny and maybe 80 degrees!
Painting bathroom cabinet doors, just might have to wait.

Happy Gardening...
~~Linda~~

30 Day Challenge~~Thanksgiving~~Day 21...

Cat, at The Whimsical Gardener, has challenged us to a 30 Day Challenge of Thanksgiving.
A post a day, for 30 days, to celebrate the things we are thankful for, in our lives.

~~Day 21~~

Today, I'm thankful for our rain barrels.

It doesn't take a lot of rain, to fill a rain barrel.  That's good....we haven't had a lot of rain, lately.

We're going to add more of these.  It makes a big difference having this extra water,
when you're trying to keep things alive.

And, they make a comfy place to hang out.

Happy Gardening...
~~Linda~~