In Bloom

A rose

 that is a bowl of
 sweet raspberry sherbert

 on a sultry, summer afternoon.

In Bloom: The Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis )

We heard of it through a friend of a friend. A hurried call was made and a plan formulated to meet in the friend's garden at twilight...

When once the sun sinks in the west,

We gathered, old and young, around the small plot of soil and stared uncomprehendingly at the tall, weedy stalks. The children fidgeted with the tight buds while the adults spoke of the heat and “no rain”.

And dewdrops pearl the evening's breast;

Almost as pale as moonbeams are,

Or its companionable star,

Our friend, the gardener, murmured softly, “There's one”.

The evening primrose opens anew

And we watched incredulously, exclaiming, wondering, as bloom after bloom unfolded...in front of our eyes.

Its delicate blossoms to the dew;

And, hermit-like, shunning the light,

Wastes its fair bloom upon the night,

Who, blindfold to its fond caresses,

Knows not the beauty it possesses;

Thus it blooms on while night is by;

When day looks out with open eye,

Bashed at the gaze it cannot shun,

It faints and withers and is gone.

(The Evening Primrose by John Clare, English Poet, 1793-1864)

June

Abundance

Home on the Silver Meteor

Garden to Table

We planted two fingerling varieties in late February: Peanut and Red Thumb. Both were harvested this week and are perfect for roasting.

Rae's Creek Roasted Fingerlings

about 2 lbs potatoes

3 tbsp good olive oil

2 tsp lemon juice

about 1 tbsp kosher salt

1 tsp pepper

about 2 to 3 tbsp fresh rosemary

5 cloves minced garlic

Slice the larger potatoes if needed. Put all in ziplock bag and mix well. Spread in single layer in shallow pan and roast about 25 minutes at 450 degrees.

Tuesday Club

I have been leisurely searching for a ceramic garden stool for some time. Most range in price from $100 to $300 and are out of my budget...but I knew one would turn up eventually. And it did. At Ross. For $29.99. At the checkout I noticed I had received a 10% discount for something called the “Tuesday Club”. I looked at the girl, the very young girl---really a mere babe, behind the counter, “What's the Tuesday Club?” As she glanced pointedly at my gray hair she said, “Senior citizen discount.”

Wow.

I was so flabbergasted that I failed to tell the child I am ONLY 48. But I got my stool...and for $3.80 less.

In Bloom

Fingerling potatoes---time to harvest.

...wherever my ship sailed.

This year's sailing trip involved a crew of two grandsons with grandfather at the helm.

We rendezvoused at the Savannah Yacht Club and were entertained by tales of the high seas.

"The days passed happily with me wherever my ship sailed."

Sailing Alone Around the World

Captain Joshua Slocum

Summer Project #1

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."

Theodore Roosevelt

President Roosevelt's words sum up my guidelines on decorating: Make the most of what you're given, don't try to turn your home into something it isn't, turn your "flaws" into "focal points".

 
We purchased several of these shelves over fifteen years ago and have added more over the years. They come unfinished and in many different heights and widths, but with the same configuration of shelves so they can be mixed and matched according to your wall space. They have held toys, kitchen supplies, tools, sports equipment, sewing materials, art supplies, and of course, books. Here's a narrow version in my son's room:

Four have found their final resting place in our living room. I wanted them to look more finished and give some richness and depth to all our mismatched books, so a beautiful chestnut brown was chosen (Benjamin Moore "Lodge"). In progress:

And after:

P.S. Did I mention they cost only $160 per unit? ...Atlanta Salvage on Howell Mill Road in Altanta, Georgia.

In Bloom

Gardenia jasminoides

Blue skies...

...over Rae's Creek.

Life!

About two weeks ago we were excited to receive the gift of a fig tree. A friend was having some construction done in her yard and needed to remove the tree. It was much larger than we had anticipated and it was “shorn” of all its green when we picked it up, so by the time we returned it to the ground it looked like some strange stick sculpture...that had to be propped up by a cinder block.

We watered.

We held our breath.

 And we watered.

And we held our breath.

And...

a tiny bud and even...

a baby fig leaf.

In Bloom

This little plant has turned out to be one of my favorites. In December I saw it at a local nursery, brought it home, and put it in a large basket with some poinsettias. The tiny white blooms were like snow falling amidst the velvety red. It wintered in my living room in a south facing window producing snowy blooms. With the spring, it moved onto the patio where it has continued to cascade its little flowers. It is 'Diamond Frost' Euphorbia.

Remembering

"We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not breaths;

In feelings, not figures on a dial.

We should count time by heart-throbs.

He most lives

Who thinks most---feels the noblest---

acts the best."

Philip James Bailey

English poet 1816-1902

Thank you to those who have acted the best---

those who have served us.

A Commision

Gardenias for the good Doctor and his wife---

 waiting to be picked up.

The joy of gardening...

is having a bouquet for every room:

Asters and hydrangeas in the living/dining room,

a mass of hydrangeas on the kitchen table,

gardenias by the birder's bedside,

a tiny arrangement of daisies and lavender for the golfer,

and roses with my current stack of books.

My friend...

the Ladybug.

What if...

(Yesterday at 5 pm)

(Today at 5pm)

...you had only one day?

Seeing

Do you know this flower? {smile} I'm smiling because if you live in Georgia I know you have seen it many times. It knows no social constraints—I've seen it languishing along Broad Street in the dirt as well as in a pristine Summerville perennial border. It's name is Spiderwort (Tradescantia) and some consider it a weed...and some don't. It's all in your perspective.

Early Morning Light

"It's a nice house,"

 the strange girl said.

 "I like it like that---

so tall and white,

with the tree shadows on it."

 Nan,

The Wind Boy

by Ethel  Cook Eliot

Happy Mother's Day

The Mother's Day corsage: a red rose if your Mother is living and a white one if she has passed. I paired my rose bud (I didn't have a rose in full bloom in my rose bed) with rosemary for remembrance and tied it all together with a beautiful pin my Mother gave me at Christmas.

In Bloom...

on Rae's Creek as afternoon melted into twilight:

Foxglove

'New Dawn' roses

more roses in the rose bed..don't know any names

and honeysuckle.