Garden Chatter

I planted marigold seeds near the clothesline, along the stone stairs and LOOK at them!  Wow!  They are the fire-colored type.  

 Some people say that it isn't a good idea to plant Shasta daisies because they take over, and they DO!  It's okay.  I'm happy to pull out all the other invasive weedage so they can shine.  Daisies are so friendly (remember that from the movie You've Got Mail?)

 Cone flowers just one year old and looking fine this summer along with the sage.  I don't really know what to do with herbs. I read you can place some sage on your meat while it's grilling or throw a few leaves in the soup pot.  Something in me doesn't want to pick herbs and do useful things with them.  I just like having them grow in the garden.  It seems foresty to me.

 I will cut basil and give it to our Christie so she can make pesto.  She makes a great pasta with pesto. 

 Aw, pumpkins, jack-o-lanterns in the making.  When I was a little girl I enjoyed a few glorious artsy times, drawing Halloween scenes as I sat in our playhouse.  The floor was gritty (I guess my sister and I were not efficient sweepers) and the door was small and creaky with a very unique little brass twisty knob.  I remember thinking, "I LOVE drawing Halloween pictures VERY much!" I drew ghosts and witches, a full moon and bats.  I tried drawing haunted houses.  Halloween was so simple and fun back then.  Often my mother dressed us up as gypsies for trick or treating.  I remember a calico skirt.  Maybe I will be a gypsy this year.  I used to sew costumes for our kids.  One year Brad was a cheetah (flannel) and Kelli was a princess (flouncy cotton, white printed with pink hearts) and they looked so sweet.  I made capes and hoods (dragons and bats) for Jeff and Jenny.  One year Jeff stormed into a friend's house and instead of taking the candy offerings, he stole a gourd from an arrangement on their coffee table!  So funny! I must remember to take a nap on Halloween so that I don't run out of steam like I seem to every year.  Ha! 

 The pansies are waning and the random pumpkin plant that is apart from the others is barging in on the petunias and marigolds.  I like the toadstool there.  It was taking up too much room in the Wendy house. James and Lizzy like to fiddle with the dishes, the stove and the sink and needed more space.

 I hate it when the soil gets so hard.  I like lush loamy soil. Who doesn't?  Lavender petunias are pretty, don't you think?

 The tangled sweet peas look like weeds from a distance.  They'll bloom in few weeks because I planted them late. 

 My friend the garden angel, GK, told me that nasturtiums are like weeds in New Zealand, but I was in New Zealand in the winter, so I couldn't witness this myself.

 Tomorrow is August and all of the seasonal things are on sale at the grocery store.  I bought swim rafts/boats and garden tools.  One dollar for the green green gloves and a bit more for a weed scoop.  Yay!

 Two dollars for the table cloth!  House plant #1 and house plant #2 needed sun.  I am going to take my ironing sprayer downstairs soon and give them a misting. 

 Lunchbox fruits.  Kelli's girls came over last night while their parents went on a dinner date.  They colored, they ate apples, they chewed on popcorn while watching The Rescuers Down Under.  Funny!  Tired little summer bumpkins.  Birdie has been at day camp in Colorado Springs all this week.  She's weary.  Miss Bug and Millie Rose went swimming at a friend's house and had the sun on their cheeks to prove it.  
James and his parents were here for dinner.  James played in the pool and smiled and laughed. He is such a sprite.

 These roses reminded me of Christie in her elegant wedding dress.  White roses are so holy, aren't they?

 Sam and Lizzy are spending the weekend with us. Their parents are going camping.  Sam said, "I can't wait to come for a sleepover and do all the things you have planned."  Hmmmm.  I had better make a list.

 One last New Zealand photo.  Here is a little restaurant nook. I really loved the chair seats, so sturdy and woodsy.  Does it remind you that fall will come soon?  In the midst of summer it feels like she will warm our bones forever, but in a month or so, we'll very likely be layering up and feeling autumn's promise.

My stomach is growling.  I think I'll make some porridge.  Our friend Matt in New Zealand stirred up porridge for us one morning.  He served it with some of his very rich bread.  It was a fine hobbit breakfast (first!) and I think it bears repeating here in Denver. 
Have a good day, fellow hobbit.