Mandala Monday ~ Strawberries

Sometimes I like to play with my food 🙃

I’ve really been enjoying my little patio container of strawberries this year. It’s such a lovely, delightful little pot, and I’m getting so many berries on it – more than ever before!  It’s an ever-bearing variety, so it’s been non-stop since spring.

Tiny, but tasty! 🍓

And the bright, hot pink blooms are so beautiful..

This is from earlier this spring…

And this is from this morning…

I’ve got to keep an eye out for the pesky squirrels who like to snatch them just as they’re ripening. Those theiving little beasties!

I also have a little strawberry plant that my granddaughter and I started from seed back in March of 2020 when she had her last sleepover just before the big C burst onto the scene here in the US.  It too has been getting tiny berries on it…

I arranged this on my potting bench the other day using some of the berries from that plant while thinking of my sweet granddaughter…

She’s getting so big…

And so is my grandson…

Gosh, how time flies… we’ve really got to cherish each moment, don’t we. 💕

 

May your Monday be filled with sweet moments…

 

✿~Peace & Love~✿

Wordless Wednesday

 

 

 

✿~Peace & Love~✿

Music Monday ~ Garden Party

I know I just said this in my last post (apparently I like to repeat myself), but everything is a song.  Or, everything reminds me of a song.  And as I was preparing to share these following photos another old song came to mind.  But more on that later…

Another flower show I recently attended was called Garden Party: An Uncommon Floral Experience and was located inside a local shopping mall.  Because of the mall setting, the vibe was quite different than the flower show at the conservatory that I shared about the other day, but the displays and the flowers were absolutely gorgeous!

This display was ooo aah.  You can’t really tell how lovely it was from this picture, but there were two magnificent flower arrangements in tall vases on the table…

Another view

This one was my favorite setting, but again, the photo doesn’t truly capture…

The name of the mall is called the Galleria, which I imagine is the story behind the letter G in this next one.  And here’s me repeating myself yet again… but this photo can’t truly capture this display, it was HUGE and incredibly beautiful.  The G was created with various succulents and the combination of textures and colors was so cool.  I loved the orchids cascading down the one side and the roses on top…

Everything was teapots, cups and saucers themed…

But the flowers, of course, were actually the main theme for me…

I got excited when I found some lavender (my fave) mixed in.  Mmm…

I even picked up some of my seeds for my veggie garden while I was there…

I can’t wait to get planting! 🌱

I have more to share, but I think you’ve scrolled long enough. 😉 It was a lovely little garden party to attend, thanks for joining me!  Can you imagine this an as outdoor experience?  Dreamy! 😍

I can’t wait to spend time in my humble little gardening space!  But Spring sure is taking it’s sweet ol’ time getting here to Minnesota… we have 12- 18 inches of snow in the forecast for Wednesday through Friday this week.  Ugh.  Oh well, what can you do?  Can’t control nature. 🙃

 

And finally, here’s the song…

What can I say, I’m a child of the 70’s…

 

Happy Monday!  Wishing you a beautiful week! 😊

 

 

 

✿~Peace & Love~✿

All Good Things Must Come to an End…

One of those “things” being my garden.

I’ve never really liked that saying, and I don’t even believe it to be true.  Although, I suppose I must concede that there is a beginning as well as an end to all things.  Did I basically just contradict myself there?  Haha!  Oh well, I can say whatever I want.  Okay, let me rephrase… I don’t want to believe that all good things must come to an end.  😉

The entire growing season has been so weird this year, and it’s been hard to plan anything.  It’s November 4th and I’ve still got things growing out there, but with the temps continually dropping and the threat of snow in the forecast for this week, I figured I better get out there and put all of my garden stuff to bed for the winter.

But it’s hard when there’s still life happening out there.  Mainly, it’s my herbs that are still thriving.  They’re so lovely and aromatic, I hate the thought of yanking them out before their time.  I’ve got most of them growing in pots and so I got to thinking maybe I would bring them inside and try to keep them alive over the winter.  I’ve never done that before so it will be an experiment.  I like experiments.  Mwahahaha!  Besides what is there to lose, they would have died out in the cold anyway, at least this way I’m giving them a fighting chance.

There aren’t a lot of suitable spaces inside the house for bringing in a bunch of plants, but I cleared off a ledge along the basement stairway that may work out.  There’s a south facing window that brings in a lot of light, though not direct sunlight, but I don’t think they need direct sunlight when wintering them over.  I actually have no clue about that really, because I must confess that I haven’t read up on it.  At all.  Guess I should do that.  😉

Anyway, yesterday I brought in several of my pots and set them along that ledge.  I may also put up some sort of temporary makeshift shelving too, if I’m feeling particularly industrious later on.  But doing this has got me thinking that if I am able to winter them over and they do happen to survive, I may want to set up something more permanent for this type of thing in the future.

It has also got me thinking that I may need to invest in some more houseplants to enjoy during the winter.  I have a few, but not enough of them to satisfy my need for being around the lush green and growing things.  Oddly, although I have a green thumb in gardening, when it comes to houseplants… not so much, I often inadvertently kill them.  I’m not sure why that is.  Maybe I won’t be able to keep my herbs alive after all…

But here’s hoping!  😀

I was outside for hours yesterday tending to things in and around my garden.  It was supposed to be nice out, but it got super windy as the day went on, and that wind was blustery and cold.  {{{brrrr}}}

I gave all the plants I was bringing inside a good shaving.  I really hope I didn’t over-do it, they all look so sad now.  😦

My lemon thyme…

It’s such a sad looking little spud, but I’m going to use its fresh clippings to try out a recipe I found online for lemon thyme bars.  I love lemon!

~

And here’s my sad looking chocolate mint…

I’m going to dry the clippings from this and use them for tea.  I’m also going to dry the clippings I snipped from my peppermint and spearmint plants to use for tea as well.  I do love me some mint tea!  ♥

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Speaking of what I love… I also snipped two of my lavender plants to bring inside, the wonderful aroma was pure bliss!  I really hope they survive.  Gosh I wish lavender would grow as a perennial here…

If this project works out, I maybe consider growing all of my herbs in pots so that I can bring them inside over the winter.  Just look at how lovely the oregano that I planted inside my vegetable garden area still is…

I considered digging this up yesterday and putting it into a pot so that I could bring it inside too, but I thought that would stress the poor thing out so much that it would be a lost cause anyway.  Besides that ledge in the basement will only fit so many pots as it is at the moment without any shelves.

~

I also don’t have enough room to bring in this berries and cream mint that I planted in with my peas…

But I may go out there and snip some of it so I can dry it out for yet more tea.  😉

~

That is, if I can get out there before it snows.  I’m really not ready for snow…

And neither are the trees.  As of the other day when I snapped this photo, you can see that there’s still lots of colorful leaves on the trees…

Although they may have blown off now with that wind we had yesterday.

~

I guess all good things really must come to an end, whether I want to believe it or not.  But you know what?  Life is a endless circle, and so with every ending comes a new beginning.  And with that new beginning, there will most certainly be more “good things” to enjoy.   And I really do believe that.  😀

Peace & love…

✿~Gardening is my therapy~✿

My Garden Missed Me

While I was off being footloose and fancy free on my mini vacation, my garden was back here missing me.  I heard it breathe a huge sigh of relief when I came home and went out to check on it.  Oh, wait… that was me.  😉

I missed my garden while I was away.  Putzing around, tending to it, admiring its daily progress, and spending time out there reflecting on the various life lessons it teaches me ~ about growth, strength, resilience, and beauty (just to name a few).  I had some of that on my trip too, being out in nature always speaks to my soul, but sometimes it’s in the simpler, everyday things that I hear those lessons the clearest.  Or maybe I’m just being overly dramatic about my garden.  😀

Anyway there’s lots going on out there!  I’ve had a wonderful harvest of green beans, and they’re still coming!  I must take another look at the seed packet for these because I definitely have a different variety than I had last year, and I want to make sure I get this same kind again.

I’ve also been enjoying a great harvest of zucchini.  There is so much happening on this one plant, it’s crazy!

I love it, so fun!  We had chilly autumn-like weather over the weekend and I baked up my first loaves of zucchini bread.  I flubbed it up and their bottoms stuck to the pans, but it still tasted delicious.  Before I went on vacation, I played mad scientist in the kitchen and experimented making new concoctions using zucchini, and I’m happy to report that I came up with a very yummy oven fried zucchini recipe!  One can never have too many zucchini recipes when the season comes around.  😀

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The cucumbers are coming right along as well…

I’ve lost a few to the squirrels, but there appear to be plenty of them developing on the vine to be able afford to share a little.

Remember the baby squirrels I had living in my tree this past spring?  (if not, see “Amidst My Branches”)  Well, I’m pretty sure they’re the culprits.  And, they appear to be quite tame.  One of them came right up to me on the patio yesterday morning, I thought it was going to climb right up into my lap!  And another (or maybe the same one) poked around on the ground and then climbed around in the lilac bush right next to me while I was at my potting bench, not one bit nervous of me being so close by.  They must recognize me from my window when I gawked at them and photographed them.  😉  Anyway, they’re not being too much of a nuisance at this point, hope it stays that way.  They sure are cute little things!  ♥

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I’m starting to see the first hints of red on the tomatoes…

Yes I know, technically it’s orange, but orange is the first hint of red.  😉

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Not seeing any yellow yet on my bell pepper though…

But it’s still a bit too early for that.  I’m not getting very many blooms that are developing into fruit on this plant and I’m not sure why.  It started out with tons, but they all shriveled up and fell off in the early stages.  I may have to read up on what the deal is with that.  In the meantime, I’m just happy to have this one growing nicely.  🙂

~

And I’m also happy I’ve got more jalapenos developing…

I had someone steal the last ones that came ready, and it wasn’t a squirrel.  But I’m not going to go into that story, I’m just gonna be glad that more are growing out there.

~

Things are blooming out there too.  The Hosta are looking lovely…

as are the Phlox…

and the Bee Balm…

My sis bought me this plant last year and I’m so pleased it’s growing well.   Even if it’s slightly weird looking, it smells so wonderful and has such vibrant color!

~

There were a few garden casualties sustained while I was gone.  My cheerful little strawberry pot got completely obliterated in the heat wave we had.  My dear mom did all she could to try and keep it going, but it just couldn’t be helped.  I trimmed back all its foliage and am excited to see some new little growth sprouting out of it.  Also, one of the pots of petunias I had on the patio bit the dust.  I trimmed that back as well, but I’m not sure it’s gonna make it, I’ll have to wait and see if it perks back up.

Otherwise all is alive and well in my tiny garden, and for that I am truly grateful.  Time to head out there right now with my coffee for my morning “lesson.”  It’s a beautiful morning here, hope the weather is nice wherever you are too!  😀

~

✿~Gardening is my therapy~✿

What’s Going On in the Garden

I can’t seem to keep up with photographing and sharing about everything that is going on in my tiny garden lately because it changes daily, but I’m enjoying every minute of it and feeling so thankful that’s it’s all doing so well!

Since it’s raining this morning I thought I’d try and write an update.

I’ll share about the blooming things first…

It took a little longer than I expected for the buds to open, but my trumpet vine is blooming now and it’s so pretty!

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And those “spindly” looking Stella de Oro lilies from the flower bed that I divided up and thought wouldn’t amount to much… well, they’re not so spindly after all, they’re lovely!  So bright and cheerful!

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Another bright and cheerful bloomer is this yellow daisy.  At least I think it’s a variety of daisy, I planted it so long ago that neither my mom nor I can remember exactly what it is.  Either way, it’s a pretty yellow flower.  😀

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Speaking of yellow flowers… my cucumbers are flowering.

And wrapping their tendrils around the trellis…

Since these photos were taken, I’ve noticed dozens of tiny little cukes forming on them now too!

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My one zucchini plant has tons of yellow/orange flowers on it too, and is spreading out its giant “solar panels.”

There’s a lot going on underneath those giant leaves, and an abundance of fruits are developing.  I just picked this one the other day…

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I’ve also been picking tons of green beans!  Oh, I’m so very pleased with my beans this year!

We steamed some and had them with dinner the other night, they were delicious!

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We’ve also been eating up the peas.  There hasn’t been very many though so I’m a bit disappointed.  But we had such a weird spring weather-wise and then it got too warm too soon for them, so it’s not their fault.  😉  I’m entertaining the idea of doing a fall planting to see if I can get more, but I’ve never done that before so I don’t know how it would work out.  I took this photo one morning while they were still small when the sun was hitting them just right to see the little peas developing inside.  Cute, yummy little things!  ♥

Looking at them made me ponder about the things developing inside of us and how you catch glimpses of them when the Light reflects through us.  Me and constant metaphors hah!

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Another thing we’re going to be eating soon are jalapenos.  These two are just about ready to pick…

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The bell peppers are coming right along too, although it’ll be quite a while before they turn yellow…

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My one little row of carrots is doing well and their greens are filling out more every day, but there sure aren’t very many of them.

  Oh well no matter, I’ll just appreciate and enjoy them all the more being that there are so few of them.  😉

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Speaking of only a few ~ I’ve only got five tomatoes growing on my two plants.  Those few are growing very nicely though!

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I’ve only gotten a few strawberries too.  I’ve been getting lots of blossoms, but the berries have all ended up being very wimpy.  I think the pot is maybe too small.

But that red pot certainly is bright and pretty with those dainty little white flowers!  😀

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I guess that’s about it for now on what’s going on in the garden.  The rain has stopped so I’m going to head out there and check on everything after the thunderstorm we had earlier.  Hopefully it’s alright.

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I’ll leave you with this…  The hosta are beginning to bloom and I snapped this the other day when I noticed their buds glistening with the last droplets of the morning dew as the sun was coming up…

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Have a beautiful, blessed day!

~

✿~Gardening is my therapy~✿

Pleased and Thankful

I’m just so very pleased and thankful with how well everything is doing in my garden right now.  I guess all of the rain we’ve had has been agreeable with it.  Every morning when I go out there to sit on the patio with my coffee, I am greeted with new little surprises.

It was especially wonderful the other morning when I went out there quite a bit earlier than usual and discovered dainty little dewdrops all artistically arranged around the edges of my cucumber leaves.  I tried my best to take a good picture, but in the dim lighting of the new day I couldn’t get it into focus very well.

The color is a bit off as well.  But it was such a cool effect to have the droplets only on the very outer edges like that, and all glistening, it was magical!

~

The dew also graced the ends of my celery leaves with a lovely sequined pattern…

Again, the color is a bit off and this photo lacks in capturing just how pretty it really was.  Sometimes pictures, much like words, are just inadequate in truly conveying what our eyes are seeing and how our heart is feeling at a given moment.  But I was altogether delighted by that early morning display of a bit of nature’s delicate beauty, and I felt thankful and special to be there to see it .  ♥

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I unknowingly purchased a different variety of green bean seeds this year and was pleasantly surprised to find lovely little lavender colored blossoms on them rather than the white I am accustomed to.

Ah, so pretty!  Hopefully the beans will taste yummy too!  😉

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And speaking of lavender, my French lavender is now blooming.  And smelling absolutely heavenly!  ♥

I’m still waiting for my English lavender (my favorite variety) to bloom, it’s progressing agonizingly slow.  It’s really hard waiting to have something you love and want so much.  Hmm… it suddenly appears there’s a personal metaphor lurking there for me in multiple ways in relation to this.  I’ll have to ponder on it…

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But aside from pondering and metaphors, other things are progressing ~ in the garden.  My peas are blooming away and producing dozens of pods.  I really can’t hardly wait to eat them!

~

I was also excited to see a round little tomato developing on one of my plants.

Interesting fact:  I don’t actually even like tomatoes.  I like tons of things made with tomatoes though.  😉

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But I do like jalapeno peppers, and this little fella is just one among many that are growing on my pepper plant…

Although, there are also some shriveled ones too, like the one right next to it.  Not sure why that is happening.  I’m noticing that on my bell peppers as well.  I’ll have to read up on it.  Hopefully it’s not a big deal.  Maybe it’s just a result from all of the rain.

~

I also like (make that love) zucchini!  Just found this bad boy starting to develop on my zucchini plant this morning…

Technically I suppose it’s a bad girl, as zucchini plants have both male and female parts and it’s the female part that produces the fruits.  Even though they look like male parts.  😉

Oops, did I just type that in my outside voice?  And am I leaving it like that?

~

I guess so.  Okay then, moving right along…

In addition to the edible delights I’ve got going on in my vegetable garden, there are also a few floral delights that I’m seeing around the yard that are out there doing their thing.

The buds on the new trumpet vine I posted about last time are looking even more plump now.  I imagine they’ll be opening up soon…

Hopefully that gross black ant crawling around on them isn’t a bad sign of anything.

~

I just noticed yesterday that the Stella de Oro lilies that I divided up earlier this spring have buds on them…

They are quite spindly though, so I’m not sure they’ll amount to much this year, but I’m happy they’re surviving being separated, as they were very crowded and I had be a bit brutal with them to get them apart.

~

The Astilbe in the flower bed has buds as well…

And the Astilbe on the side yard is already in bloom…

It’s such a pretty, light and airy looking plant.

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The yellow Loosestrife we have on the side yard is blooming too…

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And I have to share this photo I took of the Coleus I have planted in one of our patio pots.  The foliage is so bright and colorful!

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You know, at the end of each of my gardening posts I always write “Gardening is my therapy,” and that’s not just a saying, it’s really true.  Nature in general always gives me such a wonderful sense of peace, and joy.  It helps to center me, along with my faith.

I have many other things outside of gardening that are going on and sometimes when things are really pressing in and my heart feels heavy, even the joys of my garden can’t seem to bring complete relief, but even still… gardening really is a therapy for me, and I’m so very pleased with and thankful for my tiny garden.

Thanks for letting me share a bit of it with you…

~

✿~Gardening is my therapy~✿

Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My….. Plants

Wow, that’s got to be just about the corniest music video ever!  Haha the 70’s!  I do love B.J. Thomas’ voice though.

~

Sorry, it’s just that everything reminds me of a song.  😉

And the raindrops really do keep falling on my plants.  In fact, we’ve had some pretty strong storms here too, over the past several days.  I love me a good thunderstorm!  Three nights in a row I was awoken by some awesome thunder crashing.  ♥

Unfortunately though, the storms did do some damage in the area with flooding, fires caused by lightening, trees down from high winds, and many people are still without power.  My sis came back from her cabin only to find that power was out at her place.  She’s just a little way up the road from us and I’m so thankful we didn’t lose power or have any damage here.  I did have one bean plant casualty however, and our gorgeous peonies got decimated.  I’m really glad I got the chance to enjoy them before they did.  During one of the storms our street became a rushing river, literally.  It was scary and exciting at the same time.  Again, I’m just thankful we didn’t have any real damage or power outage.

As every good gardener does, I went out after one of the storms and checked on how my plants fared through the weather.  Aside from being completely drenched and having a few that were leaning over from the winds, I’m happy to report that things looked pretty good.

I think some of my mesclun is just about ready to harvest.  Finally!

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My peas are flowering!  ♥

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My zucchini is spreading out nicely.

I’m really glad it didn’t get damaged from any of the storms because it’s the only one I planted this year.

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My carrots are doing alright.

They had a rocky start though because something was nibbling them down at first, but they seem to be fine now and leafing out a little bit more.

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My jalapeno peppers are doing really well and have lots of pretty blossoms.

Pretty blossoms that will hopefully become yummy peppers.  😀

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I was so excited to see that the trumpet vine I planted around the backside of the fence now has buds on it.

I’ve never grown one of these before and I can’t wait to see it bloom!  I hope it attracts lots hummingbirds and butterflies!  ♥

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I bought my mom a new hydrangea because the one we planted for her last year didn’t survive.  This one is a little different of a variety so hopefully it fares better.  It sure is a pretty shade of blue.

This isn’t actually in the ground yet and during one of the storms we looked out and saw it rolling around in its pot on the patio, being blown by the wind and the rain.  My daughter who was just itching to go outside during the storm (she is her mother’s daughter ;)) begged to go out and rescue it.  I’m glad she did, or it very well could have ended up another causality.  It’s getting a bit warm outside now to be planting, so I may just leave this in its pot until fall planting time.  But we’ll have to keep an eye on it during any storms so we don’t lose it.

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And lastly, with all the raining it’s been doing out there I haven’t kept up on keeping the weeds cleared very well.  And you know what…?  I happen to find some “weeds” to be completely delightful.  Clovers for one.  I absolutely love their little heart shaped triple leaves!  Just look at them, I swear they’re smiling…

So cute!  I really can’t bear to yank them out.  I think I’ll just leave them there a while, maybe they’ll produce a four-leafed clover, I could use some good luck!  😉

~

✿~Gardening is my therapy~✿

Random Gardening Tidbits

Technically this post should probably be entitled “In Between the Rain” Part 2 because the rainy weather here continues to persist.  Although the forecast tells of a couple of sunny days coming up, my feelings have become “I’ll believe it when I see it.”  And speaking of seeing ~ the skies have been so dark here this morning that I’ve had to have the lights on to see what I’m doing.

I have been getting out in the garden when I can in between this weather.  And even when I can’t ~ yesterday I actually sat out in the rain after doing some yard work, but it was mostly because I was too tired to get up and go inside.  It really was quite refreshing though, and heck… may as well conserve water and shower in the rain right?!  😉

Anyway, aside from grumbling about the weather, my garden is doing very well,  and I’ve gathered together a few photos I’ve taken lately to share of it’s progress…

The new little strawberry pot I got this year has berries ripening…

Sure, it’s a bit puckered and wimpy looking, but we’ll see how it tastes.  😀

~

And I noticed my tomatoes are starting to flower…

I really hope I have better luck with my tomatoes this year.  This picture kinda reminds me of Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors.  Feed me Seymore!  Hah it’s really something where my brain goes sometimes.  I’ll blame it on the lack of sun.   😉

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My peas are continuing to grow and make their way upward…

And I can’t wait to eat them!  In the future, I may need to find a way to grow more peas than just in this small pot, because I really love fresh peas!

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Same with my onions too.  I put onions in everything…

But I’m thankful even for just the few I am able to grow.  🙂

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I have been contemplating putting in another gardening area behind the garage, it gets full sun all day and growing veggies there would be such a better way to utilize that spot than just for grass.

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I have already been slowly making my way over toward that area and have gone around the patio to the backside of the privacy fence to plant the extra cucumbers I thinned out from my main garden box.  I just couldn’t bear to let them die, it’s food!  Because I don’t want to plant food in that chemically treated soil (my parents had TruGreen lawn service for so many years), I got a pot, filled it with good healthy soil, and tacked up some wire fencing for them to grow up.

I’ve since transplanted them from their individual little pots, but haven’t taken a more recent photo.  I also planted a few sunflowers in the ground next to them.  It looks a bit blah there right now, but I think it will look really pretty once it all starts growing taller.  😀

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My zucchini is coming along nicely…

I only have one lone zucchini planted in my garden this year.  They completely took over last year, and although I was happy with how well they did (I love zucchini!), they also prevented other things from growing.  I did save this zucchini’s fellows that I thinned out, but I have no idea where I’m going to plant them.

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I have two little twin peppers developing on my pepper plant…

The plant itself is still quite small.  Earlier, I plucked a few little peppers that had began developing because I wanted the plant to grow a bit bigger before trying to support fruits.  But I’m going to just leave these little guys alone and let life run it’s course, despite the small size of the plant.  Hopefully I’ll end up with some nice, yummy yellow bell peppers.

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My green beans are growing well…

Last year I was a bit disappointed and had a really pathetic outcome from my green beans because the zucchini shaded them too much.  I really like green beans, so this year I planted more and devoted extra space in my tiny garden for them.  I really hope they do better this year, they look like they’re off to a great start!

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Same thing with my celery, the zucchini shaded them as well.  But this year they’re in a different spot, so hopefully I’ll have a better outcome…

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My lettuce is doing well, but seemingly at a rather slow pace.  I feel like I should be enjoying salads by now…

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All of my various mints are looking great.  This is my peppermint…

♥

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My French lavender is getting buds…

I have 3 different varieties of lavender this year.  Mmmmmmmmm lavender…  ♥♥♥

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I’ve been plant sitting for my sis while she’s on vacation and tending to her flat of peppers…

And also her tomatoes, but I don’t have a picture of them.

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In the flowering realm, I have some random little Johnny Jump Ups jumping up among the cracks and crevasses around the yard…

I adore these, they’re such cheerful little things.  🙂

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And the Peony buds are getting ready to open…

Does anyone know… do the ants that are always crawling around on them really help them to open, or is that just a myth?

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Guess I’ll end with that.  Funny, I titled this post Tidbits when there are actually quite a few things going on here.  Hah!  There’s more too, but this is all I have time for today…

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✿~Gardening is my therapy~✿

In Between the Rain

It’s been raining forever it seems, and according to the forecast there’s not much hope of it clearing up anytime soon.  It’s been a bit dreary and depressing, but it’s given us some glorious green color around here.  Just yesterday while I was out driving I couldn’t get over how alive everything is outside right now!  One thing rain does is bring life.  Makes me think metaphorically about the rainy seasons we go through in life and how much we grow during them ~ even with as dreary and depressing as it can sometimes be.  Gosh, I miss the sun.  In reality and metaphorically.  Hope it comes out to shine on me again soon…

In the meantime I’m doing what I can to find the simple joys, and there are plenty.  Gardening truly is my therapy.  ✿

The scent of lilacs is still filling the air here, and in between the rain I have been bringing out a little folding chair to sit on out on the patio (the patio furniture is quite damp), just so I can be outside smelling their lovely fragrance.  They will be gone before long, their bloom time sadly brief, and I can’t let the rain steal that enjoyment from me.

While the lilacs are on their way out, the Lily of the Valley are in full bloom right now.  They are another one of my favorites so I’ve tried to go out enjoy those as well in between the rain.  I’ve brought my camera out there with me on a few occasions and have tried to take pictures of them, but I’ve had a heck of a time capturing a clear focus with my humble little camera.

Although, I think this shot turned out nicely…

I absolutely adore their delicate, pretty, little white bells!  And they’re so unbelievably fragrant!  I love them.  ♥

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I also snapped a picture of my fairy statue that I have out there.  Back in 2010 when I lost my house and moved into an apartment, I couldn’t bear to part with it, so I brought her over to my mom’s thinking she’d fit in nicely among the Lily of the Valley.  I think she’s quite happy in this spot.  🙂

 As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, my Grandma planted these Lily of the Valley on the side of the house over 60 years ago, that makes them even more special to me.  I think my Grandma would like my fairy statue being nestled in among them.

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I wonder what she would think of this silly fish planter that I have sitting on my potting bench nearby…

There is some confusion and a bit of disagreement over the story behind how we acquired this little guy ~ my mom, my sis, and I all have a different recollection on it.  It’s rough getting old, but I’m the youngest, so I think my story is the correct one.  😉  One thing we all agree on is that he’s a cute little spud.  I think he originally had a succulent type of plant in him, but this year I planted Baby Tears in him.  It looks like hair haha!

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I was concerned that all my plantings would get water logged and drown with all this rain, but they all seem to be coming along just fine.  In between the rain I’ve went out and tried to take a few pictures of their progress.

My beans are emerging…

In typical alien looking style, I might add.  😉

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The lettuce is coming up…

I foresee delicious salads in my future.  🙂

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Carrots…

So tiny I could barely get them in focus.  Once they get just a little bigger I’ll have to thin them out quite a bit.

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I’ll have thin out my cukes as well…

Hope these do well because gosh I would love to have another bountiful crop of cucumbers like I did last year.

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My peas are coming along quite happily…

It doesn’t show in this photo, but I planted some mint in with my peas this year.  Don’t know if that will end up being a great idea or not, but I bought so many varieties of mint this year that I ran out of places to put it.  Couldn’t help myself, I’m such a huge fan of mint!  😀

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Another thing I don’t know whether or not was a good idea, is that when I noticed peppers already forming on my bell and jalapeno plants, I plucked them off.  It just seems too early for them yet, the plants are still so small that I wanted to give them a chance to grow a bit bigger and stronger before they started dedicating all their energy to the developing fruits.  Sad little discarded lifes…  😦

Thinning, plucking and pruning is always a hard thing for me.  They all want to live!  Hopefully I did the right thing.

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All of my herbs are doing well.  A few I happened to take pictures of were the Oregano…

and Rosemary…

They both smell delicious!  😀

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I rearranged and planted a few new things in the flower bed, one of which was this Columbine…

The lighting on this photo isn’t exactly true, in person it’s more of a bright, rich berry color.  At the garden center, I agonized between this one and a blue (purple) variety, but in the end decided on this one because even as much as I love it, I can’t have everything be purple.  😉

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Lastly, I’ll share this picture I took of the pretty lavender colored Lamium I planted in my mom’s flower bed many years ago.  It’s a ground cover type of plant and is really a bit of a nuisance, but it is pretty…

And my mom really loves it, so that’s what matters.  But I do plan to yank some of it up.  Shh don’t tell her…

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So in between the rain, we can still find many simple, beautiful, living things to enjoy while we wait for the sun to return…

✿~Gardening is my therapy~✿