Showing posts with label porch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label porch. Show all posts

Sunday, March 18, 2018

Welcome to Spring


The calendar says it’s Spring. 
Around here, we seemed to have gone from late winter,
straight to Summer. 

We had one morning low last week at 30 degrees,
and the last few days highs near 90. 

Welcome to Spring in Texas. 



The Spring Leaf Clean Up is about to begin,
when the Live Oak trees drop their old leaves, 
and put on new ones. 



The pansies are still blooming. If this heat keeps up,
they’ll begin to wane. 



The Snapdragons are finally starting to bloom. 
Almost too late. I’m thinking they prefer cooler weather. 



My neighbor, Ellie’s Viburnum is blooming. 
I didn’t get these limbs peeking through the fence,
trimmed back. Now I’m glad I didn’t. 
It’ll have to be done though, after the bloom is over. 



There are little fruits, on the Elaeagnus. 
We’ve seldom seen these, even though we notice the tiny blooms. 



The white Cemetery Iris has been blooming a lot. 
There are buds on other colors. All Pass-Alongs. 
The ones I bought, have not done well for the second year now. 



Inland Sea Oats are spreading, just as I wanted. 
The ones all over the rest of the yard, were not exactly my wishes. 
I’ll be moving them around. 
The deer don’t bother them. That makes them a favorite plant. 



Out in the Deer Grove, another plant the deer don’t bother...
Agarita. 
Pretty yellow flowers. 
There are supposed to be berries to follow. 
I’ve never seen them here. 
Maybe something gets them before I see them. 




 Again in the Deer Grove, these yuccas are colonizing very nicely. 
I think they’re Twisted Leaf. 
I’m thinking of trying to move a couple to the house. 
It would be nice for them to take up some room in a flower bed. 
No care...and, deer don’t touch them. 



Of course, the weeds keep coming. 
This will be fun to clean out. 
I tried a little. Ouch!
It’ll take tools and gloves. 
I use some kitchen tongs. They usually work. 

And, lots more weeds and clean up to come.





But, evenings find us sitting on the porch. 
A glass of wine, and conversation. 




And, catching a little light in a bottle. 

Life is good. 

Weeds and all. 

Happy Gardening...
~~Linda~~

Friday, July 1, 2016

July?....Already?....


I guess Summer is really, truly here.
Heat indexes this weekend, will be triple digits...
if not the actual temperature.


We spend a lot of time here...
on the porch.
That requires mosquito spray...
LOTS of mosquito spray.


Apparently this guy hasn't been doing his job.


Even in the heat, jobs have to be done.
I got the grass out of the Veggie Garden...AGAIN.
And, put down some gravel, in the path.


The Tatume Squash keeps blooming,
but no squash, yet. It better get moving,
or, it's outa there.


The tomatoes are getting ripe.
Probably the last for a while....too hot to set.


Okra is blooming.
(didn't notice ants, until I edited this photo.  
Need to see why they're there.)


No ants on the Burgundy.
We've gotten some pods, but not enough...yet.


The Cosmos come back in the Veggie Garden, year after year.


I love the little water drops, on the Purple Heart leaves.


No rain or watering...just pull it from the air.


Appropriately for the 4th, the Firecracker fern is putting on a show.


The Hummingbirds love them.


I'll leave you with one of my favorite photos.


Taken in 2010 (SIX years ago...wow!),
on our big trip to North Dakota.

Still a way to wish a very

Happy 4th of July!!
~~Linda~~

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Top 'O the Morning....


We had a bit of a storm last night.
A lot of noise. A little wind. 
And, some nice rain.



But, the day started nice and sunny, with everything newly washed.

My new little pig planter..a gift from our daughter's family...
was soaking up the sun, on the front porch.


The sun was lighting up the fenced yard.

I love the morning light, on the beds.

Making the dark spots glow a little.

Shining on the Rio...

and, making the fountain sparkle.

It shines across the porch...

making fun light and shadow.

Waking up the new Tree Aloe...another gift...from our son's family.
(Do my kids know me, or what?)

The Side yard is mostly in shadow...making the light in the 
Garden Grove glow....
What's that back there?

Another limb down.  Looks like it may have broken during the Big Storm, last week.
I guess the wind last night, brought it to the ground.

Glad I did the walk around. I might have seen this after the limb pick up, today.

It's always good to take a garden walk.

Hope your garden is glowing today.

Happy Gardening...
~~Linda~~

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

New Paint....


Seems I haven't been keeping up with this blog
very well lately.

I didn't have much to talk about.
Now that will make some of you who know me best laugh...
me...with nothing to talk about?

But, there hasn't been much happening around here.

Oh...there's been some pruning going on.
I think I have everything cut back that needs it.

With temps going from 20s and 30s for lows, 
to 70s and 80s for highs, the plants are as
confused as we are.

Just hope we don't have anymore freezes.
There's a lot of new growth out there...
just like last year.  Things putting out way early.
I hope we don't get that late freeze, just like last year.
It was not a good thing.

So, just the same old, same old.
Then it dawned on me I didn't tell you we got the house painted.

It really needed it.
It was a light, minty green....all over.
Except for the front porch.  That was white.


This photo was a couple years ago...but, you get the idea.


Now it's still green....only different.

The main part of the house is Peppergrass...
under the porches are a lighter green...Muted Sage.


The porch ceilings are my version of "Haint Blue".
I think it called Streetwise.

"Haint Blue" is a color people in the South like to paint porch ceilings.
The legend is the color blue keeps away "Haints"...or Haunts...
ghosts.
But, mostly it's to confuse wasps into not making nests on the ceilings...
they're supposed to think it's sky.
We'll see....

Oh...and, we had the painters take out those old front porch posts,
and replace them with peeled cedar posts.
Looks good, huh?


We had them paint the doors with a cedar color. 
It all ends up looking a bit "cottage-y",
but that's ok.


The back porch is the same...the lighter green under the ceiling,
with the darker color as trim.


I can't get the colors to look right.
This lighter color is less minty than it looks.


We had them paint the posts that cedar color of the doors.
It does make it quite colorful.


The kitchen window was trimmed with the lighter color....

We're pleased with it.  
It looks fresh and clean.
What do you think?

We spend a lot of time on the porch.  We've been sitting out the 
last few evenings, listening to the frogs in the creek.

Now, I just hope this isn't another false Spring.

Hope things are good where you are.

'Til next time...

Happy Gardening...
~~Linda~~

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

These Guys Broke the Mold...



We had a lot of rain this spring.
Days of rain and clouds, and very little sunshine, to dry things out.

Everything became green...
including the driveway, the deck....everything.

The driveway developed a thick slime.
And, after I slid and bruised my tailbone on Father's Day,
going out for the paper,
our daughter and son-in-law came to power wash.



We have a circular drive.


So...dear son-in-law...who has no 'off' button...spent over 
SIX HOURS
washing away the slime.

The slime was thick, and it was slow-going. 


But now, it almost looks like a new driveway.
If I fall now, it'll have to be blamed on something else.


They left the powerwasher for Mr P to use on the deck.  
It was pretty black and moldy.
Amazing how just water can wash that away.


I thought the porch wasn't quite that bad.
But, up against the clean, you can see it had to be done, too.


The older generation doesn't work as fast, but it's finally done.
We just have to seal the wood now, and it should be good for a while.


Sitting here this morning with my coffee, I'm loving the clean.

And, as an extra bonus....it smells so much better.

Life is good today....

Happy Gardening...
~~Linda~~