Another ‘invasive’ wildflower that has been around here for years and has never become invasive – purple loosestrife. I really love it. It usually lives down by the road where the culvert is. It likes damp areas.
The knapweed that I pulled the other day is right next to the big garden bed. From there it could easily take over the bed and, obviously, I don’t want that. Theres’s a lot of it on the edges of the property and down near the road – more than I’ve ever seen – but those are the standard wildflower areas on this property so it can stay for the time being. It’s very pretty. Every year, the cast of characters in that area changes. Sometimes there’s a lot of goldenrod – not so much this year. Queen Anne’s Lace, loosestrife, New England asters (haven’t seen them this year) – sometimes more, sometimes less. And there’s a new cast member, this stuff that I can’t identify. It has tiny white flowers, mostly on long stalks, but it also becomes a vine (it’s the stuff I pulled off the bridal veil spirea the other day. It’s hard to keep track of it all. This year, because of my hand injury, that area became more than a bit overgrown. Don was doing the mowing. I would have mowed more deeply into it and will next year.
I will say that early autumn (even though it’s still technically summer) is the best time for wildflowers. It’s awfully pretty down there.
The garden beds are still looking relatively good but the coneflowers are getting a bit bedraggled, as well as some of the brown-eyed susans. There’s still lots of color, but it’s now September and the temps went down to the mid-forties last night so changes are on the horizon.
The season of flowers in bloom goes by so quickly.
We walked on the library grounds yesterday and were so engrossed in talking about the respective books we are reading that we reached our goal very quickly and easily.
I’m missing my parents a lot lately. I miss talking to them. Yes, I tell them I love and miss them, but I never really get a response. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have long chats with loved ones who have passed on even though they are somewhere else? I’d love to talk to my brother, who has been gone since 1991.
My cousin Gordy (named after my dad) now lives in Florida except in the summer, when he travels to his cottage on an island in Lake Superior. He sent me the most gorgeous photo of the Milky Way, taken from his front lawn. I think I’d like to escape to an island. We have a standing invitation to visit him there, as well as to visit my cousin Eileen who lives on Lake Michigan. Money is too tight to travel right now, but I’d love to make that journey in the next few years.
Stay safe.
Happy Wednesday.
I saw a meme the other day that reminded me how few summers we actually get in our lives. It made me want to take a trip/adventure somewhere. I turned 74 this year and I wonder how long I will be able to travel to places and so I know I should try to make plans but it does seem overwhelming at times. I hope you get to visit your cousins sooner rather than later.
Thanks so much, Ellen!
I know – sometimes the amoung of time we may have left seems overwhelming.
Stay safe.
beautiful photo of beautiful flowers!
yes, too short of a season for wild/garden flowers. just as with the ornamental trees here … their blossoms knocked down in a couple weeks by april rain and wind. i’ve seen acorns fall for a month now, and two weeks ago some leaves on my parents’ october maple were already bright red (so i laminated a few at an office supply shop and turned them into bookmarks). nature is sure a reminder about how fast time goes, how there is beauty in every season and for me to not fight every single change.
big yes to conversations with loved ones both here on earth and passed on, always! :)
i hope you and don get to take trips sooner than what may now seem possible. in the meantime and always, i’m glad you have good books and each other.
the board of directors of the townhome group made a change that i do not like (but we are mostly complying with) … no one is to feed animals, only birds. earl is adjusting, has found shelled peanuts in the tray feeder, left there for the bluejays (and earl … haha). something that was allowed for more than 28 years isn’t going to go away overnight, nor will nature (there’s several blocks of trees and a creek behind my parents’ townhome, and lots of other people here feeding birds and animals). disappointed and mad that the board made such a decision without a vote of all (35) townhome owners …. i’m not one of them, obviously, but am disappointed as family members (and i) love watching earl and his buddies.
did get some good news from last week’s bone density test … technically, by dexa score, i no longer have osteoporosis … have osteopenia … so closer to healthy bones. will never get medical clearance to run again on earth (as one of the four vertabraes that had compression fractures healed out of alignment, could break more easily again or worse) and i will have to keep taking supplements. still i am glad and grateful that my bones have strengthened. :)
best i get going to morning tasks.
hope you, don and everyone else have a wonderful day and stay safe.
kathy
Glad for your good news, Kathy!
I’d still sneak treats to Earl. Unless your dad got to vote on this, and it looks like he didn’t, it would be a no go for me!
Stay safe.
I think early September and late May are my favourite times in the garden. I enjoy collecting baking apples from my tree and foraging for blackberries. Yesterday afternoon my next door neighbour’s son in law decided to trim the fifteen foot high beech hedge that separates our properties.
I couldn’t look as he climbed the high ladder with an electric hedge trimmer. He is a lovely guy but very much ‘Don’t worry, it will be fine! ” in his attitude. I thought he is either going to fall or take his arm off and you can’t tell him!
I helped him to sweep up the leaves and branches, filling at least eight refuse sacks.
There’s so many unanswered questions I would love to ask my parents, I am sure that you would find comfort in speaking to your brother.
Happy Wednesday
I would have been worried about his safety, too!
Thank you, Dee Dee.
Stay safe.
Your wildflowers are so pretty. I enjoy seeing the pictures of all your flowers. We normally have many flower and vegetable gardens. We do this year but they are now mostly weeds. At the end of May, Ed (my husband) and I were in a very serious car accident on our way home from AZ. We had driven across the country to see our grandson graduate high school. After being in the hospital and acute rehab in NM., we were finally able to fly back home to SE IN. We both had many broken bones from head to toe and Ed had internal injuries that required emergency surgery and I had a collapsed lung. So, we have not been able to work in our gardens and flowers this summer. The kids and neighbors have been so kind and good to help but most of it we had to just let go. But, we are trying to stay positive and are very thankful that we are still here! We are also getting better and stronger every day.
I so enjoy reading your blog. Once I was able to, I read it while in the hospital. It made me feel like I was still able to do a part of my normal routine.
I hope you and everyone else here has a wonderful day. Take care.
Lorinda
Oh, Lorinda! I’m so sorry to her this! I am happy to hear you both were well enough to fly home. The gardens will be back next year. The important thing is that you’ve both recovered from your injuries. Take it easy and enjoy being home.
Take care.
Loved hearing about your “volunteer” plants. We have a nice showing of black-eyed Susans this year. They make a lovely bouquet mixed with greenery. It’s cooler here at nights, too but I think we still have some hot summer days to enjoy. I’m waiting for a nice fall day to make Don’s apple pie. Instead I made a banana loaf. So good. I don’t think a day goes by I don’t think of my mom and dad. I’m glad you keep in touch with your cousins. I keep in touch with mine, mostly by email but also with phone calls. You’ve got to make the effort. Hugs, Elaine
I don’t have that many first cousins that are still alive. My mom was an only child and my dad was the youngest of 6 kids. All of my cousins were older than me. I’m grateful that I’m in touch with the three that are still thriving. They’re good people.
Stay safe, Elaine. Don made a pie today.
I long for those chats. So much to ask, to tell, to learn. Sigh. There are so few people alive that knew my parents — especially my mom because she died when I was quite young.
Love the purple loosestrife, I have some of that too — thoough I think I probably pulled most of it last year in a fit of trying to clear the beds. (It didn’t work.)
I’m so sorry you lost your mom when you were so young, Jeanie. It’s never not heartbreaking, but so much more so when you’re young.
Stay safe.
We are still in the hundreds here but I am pretending it is Fall, my favorite time of year. I have had enough of this heat! I have reverse SAD. Most people get it in the winter because they have to stay inside, but I get it in the summer here. Very depressed because I can’t be outside for long. This too shall pass.
Got some sad news. My older sister has breast cancer. She is 73. They think they caught it early. Her surgery will be Sept. 24th. Our mother died very young, 52, so we don’t know if it runs in our family. I don’t know why they can’t do the surgery sooner. Getting to see doctors these days is ridiculous!
Trying to put a few Fall decorations up. Mostly for our grandson, Greyson, who is 9. We use to live in a neighborhood where almost every house was decorated and lots of kids. Now that we downsized there are hardly any decorations out. We are in 55+ community. I miss the old neighborhood.
Enjoy your cooler weather!
I’m so sorry about your sister, Deb. Prayers that the surgery goes well and she is completely healed.
Take care.
Stay safe.