?????

 Finished for the day...had to make you smile.

Too full to fly?

Talk about being a glutton! Look at this fella, happy as can BEE.

 Then we have this thing...I have no idea what it is.

 

I don't know what this is either????? 

I found him near the back door. Must be a great day for bugs!

X marks the spot.

Hidden from the storm

A tornado with 120 mile per hour winds whipped through my small town of Chesterton the other night. We experienced heavy rain and some wind, but nothing like what tore up the center of town. Thankfully no one was injured. I am surprised with a tornado that close we didn't lose any limbs from our old trees.

Apparently 45 years ago, 25 years before we moved here a tornado ripped off out barn roof. So perhaps this property had it's share of destruction?

I stayed away from town yesterday because I knew streets would be blocked and confusion would be everywhere. I must venture to town this morning because a rental house I am painting for my MIL is one block from the middle school where the roof was blown off. Yikes! I must get some painting accomplished, so off I go. I hope the sites aren't too upsetting. The pictures on TV didn't even look like Chesterton with all the destruction.

Enjoying a beautiful sunrise

Yesterday I was treated to a beautiful pink sunrise. I sat on the porch with Angell, my Chihuahua, as the sun rose across the corn field. It was breathtaking and quite a glorious show of natures finest colors.

You can see the beginning of the show, the small bit of pink in the lower left corner above the trees. Just a couple minutes later.................breathtakingly beautiful pinks following periwinkle and purple.I wish I could capture the true colors however I must be content with the images stored in my mind.
I walked up the front walkway headed back to swing a bit more before starting my day.
A little later I step out the back deck to see the chameleon plant is taking over the sidewalk.
I spot the Adirondack chairs and make a mental note to call a friend for a visit over tea.
It is a mildly cool morning and after the treat of the beautiful sunrise and the birdsong I am ready for anything.

Hot and humid start of Summer

The weather has been HOT and HUMID here in the Dunes. If I didn't have a swimming hole I would not venture outdoors at all. However.....the flowers and weeds love this weather and are flourishing. As soon as it cools off, even if it is raining, I must deadhead and weed the garden.

Shall we take a quick garden stroll? Follow me..........
the first thing I see that is now in bloom, Golden Loosestrife. Many people don't care for this invasive plant but I think it is interesting and adds texture. Besides, it wards off snakes and kills fleas...if you had any.
Entering the main garden path I see the Spiraea is in bloom. This dark pink one always blooms before the pale pink????

Something is fluttering about..can you see what it is? (Hint:It's teal)
Another creature has been visiting the garden at night.......The deer have eaten the Turtle head buds. I hope they have time to produce more. I love the pink blooms with the unusual shape.
I found this poor little single Foxglove about to bloom. I wonder where his buddies are?
The Campanula never disappoint. Always overly abundant in delicate bell shaped blooms.
Heading toward the front of the house I see two Clematis in bloom. Large vivid Violet blooms to greet me each morning while having tea on the porch swing before the sun takes over and shoos me indoors.
Walking down the front walkway I spy the Stella D'oro lilies in bloom. Always a cheerful greeting as well.

Then we have the little annuals of which I have forgotten the names of. They bloom orange and this creamy yellow every morning and close up at night. They seem very hardy and I will make them an annual planting. Heading toward the "faux beach" area I see the Rose Campion has started to bloom. I plant these with Lambs ear because they both have the gray/blue foliage and fuchsia flowers.
That is about it for new blooms.

Let me take you on a little house browsing in Valpo. I snapped these pictures of older homes on my way to a friends house. Valporaiso which borders Chesterton is filled with beautiful old homes that you just want to go up to the porch and sit for a while as you sip lemonade.I love this house but would not want to clean the windows :-)
This looks inviting.................

This is more my style....brick, arched windows, big porch...oh my...................

Love this entrance. The detail around the door is beautiful.
Gee, can you tell I'm taking these pics while driving? Yikes!!!!

Well, it was supposed to rain all day but it is about 85 and sunny so...I am off to sew a bit and then go take a dive. Hope you enjoyed the little tour, I did. Have a good one and stay cool!

Wed June 3 garden walk

Apparently during the time I was in PA the Black Locust trees shed their fragrant Wisteria-like blooms all over my garden covering every inch of it. It was so pretty when I left it last week and now there are tiny creamy blooms everywhere. I scooped about 10 filled nets from my fountain and hosed off the Hosta and fern as best as I could without damaging them. The rest will have to dry and blow away or decompose. :-( My mother-in-law was bringing a friend by to see the garden and I must say I was happy it was cool and rainy so they canceled. There is nothing like spending hours in a garden only to have a guest see it at its worse possible state.

With the bad, you must see the good! Seeing past the petal covered garden I am pleased to enjoy and share the newest blooms..........

I discovered this pretty little bloom on my sweet potato plant this morning. I have never had the chance to see one before. Lets get a close up view shall we? Following the sweet aroma through the garden I see the old rose is in full bloom. This rose is what I call simple beauty...no fuss, no muss!

Next I find the wild roadside Columbine is blooming. Such hardly little things for looking so delicate.
I stole a start of these shortly after we moved here on a walk down the road. Shhh. Don't tell. They were growing on the side of the road and it was the first time I had ever seen one. I just had to try to establish them in my new sparse garden almost 20 years ago next month.

The fern have taken over the back of the once "Summer kitchen", currently "garden shed "soon to be "shabby studio". I love how they layer themselves to look like a bush.

The phlox, which I also dug from the roadside is continuing to bloom. (Elizabeth, I will be sending some this week :-)

The Japanese Iris are blooming. I tucked them everywhere in the garden for bursts of color.

I see there is one last poppy about to burst open in the back garden. They were so pretty this year.

The Campanula has just started to bloom. These bloom throughout the Summer. One of my favorites which I call "fairy flowers". If I were a fairy, I would want to live in one.
Uh oh! Look who won't leave my side ever since my return from PA. Angell thinks her mom may leave her again. So sad. Just look at that bewildered expression on her little face.

Peonies are starting to bloom. This is the only one open today. By the weekend I hope to have a few bouquets throughout the house. I think they smell like roses although no one else agrees????

Grandma's Big Blue Hostas are starting to fill out and take over the path to the frog pond.
Speaking of frog pond, look what was hiding among the fern.
A Rhododendron. Now I am reminded of PA and all the beautiful ones I saw there. Check out my other blog for the homes with these beauties.
Also by the frog pond which is hidden by fern the Wigellia is in bloom.
Down by the little "beach" area the Iris are on full display. These were from my friend and neighbor, Lynda. She is such a sweetheart and her visits are few but memorable.
I see the little cup shaped pale pink wild flower is invading last years plantings. I really don't care and I think it is a pretty bouquet by nature.

Heading back to the house, the little yellow daisies are doing well. They had a rough start but now I think they are well on their way.

I hope you enjoyed the garden walk. I am off to finish some stitching projects. Have a sunny day with pretty blooms!

New additions to Iris garden

Yesterday I spent the morning with my friend Jill. She took me to a nearby nursery that I didn't know existed. I found these two beautiful beaded Iris. I love the cinnamon and yellow colors together, but the purple and pale yellow is a show stopper. What a dainty beauty.
The blue eyed grass is booming. I am excited to see it survived the winter.Yeah!!!

I guess it's true, Orange is the happiest color! I just had to stop and stare at these bright delights. The yellow one is my favorite color of yellow.

The raccoons dug my newly planted Petunias and sweet potato vines from the planter last night. What a mess! I should sit out there with a sling shot tonight!
It rained last night so I didn't have to water today. Wouldn't it be nice if it rained every other night as we slept? A girl can dream....... Have a great evening and a sunny tomorrow.