A Bountiful Blessing

So much to write about here at the farm, but little time to write it since there's so much to do.  I'll have a quiet night soon and I'll try to catch up with my blogging. I promise!

 I'm thankful for today's bounty. We will be eating fresh
squash, aparagus beans, bell peppers, and assorted lettuce tonight for dinner.

What I'm most thankful for is being able to grow it ourselves. Watching something grow and then produce to me is one of life's greatest pleasures.  World, go ahead with your indulgences of cappaccinos, escargo, caviar, and file mignon, but give me a garden that grows from the loving care of a homesteader any day! My indulgence doesn't require fancy china or a crystal serving dish.  This simple pleasure is served up on a jadeite plate with an old red wood handled collectible fork with a freezer canning jar filled with iced tea. (photo soon!) Add all of the above to the garden table laid out with a red checked table cloth under a very aged raibow striped umbrella surrounded by blooming flowers and in my opinion there's magic happening. Friend, it just doesn't get much better than this for this country girl.

Aaahhhh! I AM blessed!

Romeo and Juliette are thriving and growing like weeds.  It seems they grow an inch each day.  As my Granny use to say I may have to "put a brick on their head" to keep them small so the enjoyment of them being young and loving lasts longer. One thing is for certain, we do need to get a bigger water pan for them and soon!

Aren't these sweet faces worthy of a smile?!  They follow me around all over the yard and diligently keep bugs off me when I am hanging out clothes.

Some of the later blooming daylilies are gracing my farm with a showing this morning.  And what a show it is!

This dwarf daylily is a production giant among daylilies.  It never fails to please me and just keeps giving all through the summer. I would have to look up it's true name, but I call this one Baby Face. I like naming things.

I truly never tire of looking at this beauty. It's like it calls to me. I stand and stare at it as if mesmerized by the color that came to be in this one lily.  We are trying now to move it closer to the cottage in it's new home in front of the cottage porch.  Then daily I will be able to sit on the porch and stare for however long I want.

I had a visitor this morning on the large peach lily.  He was a hefty guy and seemed to be enjoying his visit. 

Please pardon my mess, but doesn't it always take chaos before creating order and beauty?  The pot lady still lacks her gloves and boots, but I have to wait until the porch is finished and the bed in front to be prepared before giving her the final touches.  You can also see the many shipping boxes I keep for my online business.  I simply must organize those better and maybe keep them in the loft which will keep them more out of sight. OR I could just put a curtain on the windows and you won't see it. LOL  I will be so glad when the porch is finished, but I will say I already have my garden table up on what is there. I just couldn't wait! 

Just one more photo of the daylilies and I'll be done for today... maybe! I call this one Joli shortened from Rouge de Joli.  

And that's all for now.  I know I will be back soon... the zinnias are about to bloom! 

Spring Has Sprung... a leak!

I've been a busy girl to say the least.  That old adage 'too many irons in the fire' is gaining ground on me and just about to bite me in the seat of the pants or skirt I should say.  I've been busy with my primitive doll making business, but as Granny said, I'm slow as cream arisin'.  Gardening is done in dollops of time since it's been such a rainy Spring here in East Texas.  Although it makes everything looks so clean and new I must add that the crawfish are working over-time and that leads to me working over-time trying to keep them at bay.  They are making mega mounds this year for some unknown reason. If the mound size was according to crawfish size there are some monsters out there!!!

We are building a little cottage for the granddaughters now. They have named it the PolkaDot Cottage so you can guess  how the outside will be painted. LOL  They are so excited. Abigail has formed the PolkaDot Girls Club and has graciously allowed me to be a member (I guess I have pull since I know the cottage builder aka Papaw) so I have offered to design our club uniforms. What else? PolkaDot t-shirts to match the Pink w/Lime dot color scheme. I'll have them this weekend so we will be working on it. Sarah and Elizabeth work equally as hard all be it with more giggles.

Posting just a few photos of my petunia collection this Spring. I do love petunias. I've planted so much more, but these beauties are the first to share their abundant blooms with me.

Pure white in an old whiskey barrel planter makes me smile every time I walk by.  Isn't that what flowers are for... to make us smile?! 

This barrel is right beside the kitchen garden and that makes me love to work in the kitchen bed no matter if I'm weeding around the edge or harvesting something from the garden. Purple!!! oh my, one of my favorite colors don't you know!

Now these mini petunias are something new for me. I saw them first at a nursing home I do the program at on Thursdays. I knew when I saw them I had to have some just like them. You'll notice the rock in the pot with them. I'm a rock fanatic and try to use what I've found anywhere I can.  That rock happen to come from Colorado. Don't tell them please! LOL It called to me as I was walking by a stream. Funny how rocks seem to know my name.

Yea, I know this is not flowers, but my darling sweetheart of a husband made it for me and I just love it. I have it out by the petrified rocks in the front yard (which I haven't planted anything around yet... soon!) and I know it looks lonely, but just you wait until I can get the black-eyed Susan vine growing on it.  It will be marvelous. 

It's time to get back to my little prim bunnie dolls to put on eBay, so I'll bid you bye for now.  See ya soon.