Yesterday evening’s sunset. I’m not usually outside at that time, but I’m glad I was. I did have to run back inside the house for my phone, though. There is something so magical about a sunset.
It’s been in the mid-eighties the last few days. I guess summer is here (though not officially.) It’s a beautiful morning. I’ve come to the conclusion that my gardens are becoming increasingly wild. Though I try to eliminate the stuff that hasn’t been planted there, i.e., tall weeds that look sort of like the things I’ve planted, but really aren’t, it’s a thankless task. And I have to limit my time out there because of allergies and my hand, which is so much better, but still not quite as strong as it will be eventually. I pruned a lot of overgrown brambles/wild roses yesterday and though I made an effort to use my left hand, sometimes that was next-to-impossible. So, I have to make decisions as to what to be anal about and what to let go.
There’s lots of milkweed again this year. It likes to live in the lower right hand corner of the big garden bed, near the driveway. Occasionally, it pops up elsewhere, but the big garden bed has been its choice for the past few years. I remember when it first appeared in the back forty. I never see it there now. Anyway, the flowers are forming on the milkweed now. And I caught a whiff of scent yesterday, looked up, and realized the catalpa is starting to bloom. First week of June, like clockwork.
These day lilies are always the first of my flowers to bloom. This was taken in the evening, so they look a bit more orange than usual. I happened to be outside yesterday when the guy who works for the county was about to come by and cut down everything near the road. I stopped him and asked him if he could please skip our property, explaining that my crabapple had been cut down a couple of years ago and he said ” I remember that. I did it.” He was very low key, extremely nice, and we had a pleasant encounter which ended with me thanking him for being so nice. I now know when to start looking out for him every spring because the machinery is usually parked down the road from us, so I go on alert.
But that’s another chore to be done, I’ll have to weed whack that area.
Don’s sunburn is still hot and painful but it’s slowly improving.
Okay. I have to vacuum and dust and do some work outside.
Stay safe.
Happy Wednesday.
You’ve had some beautiful sunsets here, too, and the weather has been very nice. Feels a little muggy today so I might have to turn on the AC for a while. Last year my electric bill for summer was outrageous, and this year I’m definitely not running the fans as much. After my husband died three years ago, I’m still on a steep learning curve. Also, during the process of putting a new roof on, a lot of the mountain Laurel plants in front of the house were trampled. I really miss them, although they last for such a short time. Wishing for Don’s sunburn to go away soon, and for your hand to continue to get better. You make your garden look like a paradise Every year!
I’m so sorry about your mountain laurel plants, Nora. It’s hard to lose a beloved plant.
Stay safe.
Beautiful sunset photo! Those orange and green colors are lovely! I’m glad your hand and Don’s sunburn are showing improvement, takes a while for both. Good thing you saw the county guy and were able to speak with him. We’re having a very pleasant morning, but close to 90s later on… looking forward to just a bit cooler tomorrow and through the weekend. Take care.
It’s been hot and humid here. Hopefully yesterday’s storm broke the humidity.
Stay safe, Barrie.
glad you could catch both that pretty sunset and the county mower.
if allergies and your hand pain were different, gone, would you want your garden to be more fancied up or be more wild?
hope you and don both heal up quickly. i want that for you anyway and especially since this is a favored season for you. also, weeds wait for no one.
we had a nice rain last night. lasted over two hours, was steady and brought some lightning and i could barely hear it, but there was thunder, too. loved it! now we are to get hotter weather, 85+ degrees and no rain forecast for the week ahead. don’t love that!
lots of family things going on here; i am grateful to be with them. in part for having some new tremors or ??? mostly in my arms (to go along with the quake in my voice), i will be seeing a neurologist next month. my doctor thinks i have “essential tremors”, but is sending me to a specialist to hopefully get a definitive answer. with that on my mind, i am also trying to work more on things like painting and writing those children’s books. feeling grateful, anxious, fussy and stuck all at the same time (not a great combo) … so am trying to focus on my family and gratitude to God most of all.
we are heading out for a ride soon and that is always fun, beautiful.
hope you, don and everyone else are having a good, easy day. stay safe.
xo,
kathy
I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this worry, Kathy. Praying that your essential perfection shines through and all is well.
Much love,
Stay safe.
thank you very much, claudia. xo
not fun to consider such things and where they could lead and i don’t even know what is going on yet. could be something big or small, long-term or temporary, or ??? i am trying to right now not hold onto my doctor’s idea as 100% and just wait and see. in the meantime, i am nervous so trying to deal with that by both resting and keeping extra-busy, working on some long-held goals and enjoying the good things each day.
for not yet knowing what it could be, maybe i shouldn’t have said anything about it here. don’t want to add concern to you or anyone else. sorry if i did.
thanks again.
hope you and don are feeling much better and are having a wonderful start to your day.
much love to you too.
kathy
Of course you should have said something! That way we can keep you in our thoughts and prayers.
xo
thank you for that, too, claudia. prayers are much appreciated, especially for my family.
i keep you, don, your families and everyone else here in my prayers.
xo,
kathy
xo
It has rained here off and on for the past 6 days…I am over it. Our house is once again empty…and now I have to get used to the quiet. It’s always fun having the family back together even for a short while.
You mentioned your gardens are getting more wild. Do you prefer wild to more groomed look? There’s a new gardening term I read about….”chaotic gardening”. I think it’s just a different wording for cottage garden? Ever heard of it?
That must be some sunburn Don got…hope it goes away soon. Love your Stella D’Oro lillies…very vibrant yellow. Mine haven’t bloomed yet.
Enjoy your evening! ;)
It must be so hard to adjust after such a celebration, Donnamae.
I prefer a wilder look, but I think I like the ‘cottage garden’ better than ‘chaotic.’ I wonder who came up with that silliness? The same person who decided ‘cottage’ wasn’t enough for decorating, so it has to be ‘cottage core.’ Yuck!
Stay safe.
Yes, it’s silliness…that’s the perfect word! ;)
xo
Years ago I had bad sunburn after skiing on a cloudy day! (The UV light reflecting off the snow was the culprit.). On the ride home I could feel my face and lips swelling. My doctor said I had sun poisoning. He recommended using Domeboro. It provides relief for several different skin issues. However, it brought relief for the burning and swelling of the sunburn. It’s intended as a soak, but he instructed me to immerse a wash cloth in it and apply it to my face as a compress. Perhaps it would help take away some of the pain Don is experiencing.
I had sun poisoning when I was in high school. I remember it well.
Thanks so much, Denise.
Stay safe.
dear Claudia/Don — sunset pix is gorgeous as well as those lilies. We have those Stella d’Oro which I love — have been in bloom for nearly a month now — we also have some orange lilies but the name has left me, also “ditch lilies” which bloom at the end of June (orange). we are waiting for the canna blooms but is a little early for them. hope Don’s sunburn will begin to feel better soon — when I was young (in the Dark Ages haha) MyMa would wrap ice cubes in a dish towel so I could hold it on my skin, was a moment of relief which I needed badly — might have stopped my whining for 5 min, haha! enjoy your beautiful gardens, trees — weeds and all !! stay safe/healthy
Our roadside lilies haven’t bloomed yet, but they will soon!
Thanks so much, Linda.
Stay safe.
It’s a lovely sunset. I’m glad you got your camera. I know what you mean about the trees. They are brutal around here — ostensibly to cut trees and preserve the power lines. But they do them so horribly– some look like giant Ys or sling shots around the line. All the worse when they take something so lovely as your crabapple. I’m glad it was a good encounter.
It was. I guess it happening two years ago helps. I’ve had time to get used to it.
Stay safe, Jeanie.
Gorgeous sunset!! We have had a few lately, also. And some rainbows as we have had crazy rain pop ups over the past week or so. Lots of wind, too. That tires me out quickly!
We have 2 Mourning Doves sitting on their nests in the back yard. They now accept my hubs mowing and don’t fly away any longer.
When my in-laws built this little log house in 1938, they planted the orange day lilies and now we still enjoy them every June. I love driving down country roads and seeing lines of them off the road. It most usually shows where a homestead once stood and the lilies had been planted. And they continue to faithfully bloom year after year and I think of the people who planted and enjoyed them over 100 yrs ago.
I, too, need to take a break from the news. I have an extremely difficult time knowing that following a verdict on 34 counts being guilty, his donations exploded and people being poled are saying it makes no difference. Unreal. Where am I ??
Hope Don’s sunburn is better and your wrist continues to improve. Hope you have a great day. Take care.
.
I love mourning doves – my favorite birds.
We have lots of those roadside lilies at the edge of our property. They pop up all over the place in this neighborhood and they’re so cheery!
Stay safe, Chris.