Tag Archives: flowers

A Covid 19 4th of July.

 

We were invited to a few get togethers last weekend, but passed on all of them. I’m afraid I just don’t trust people well enough to gather in groups yet.

So I took a picture of my new, appropriately patriotic flowering plant….

 

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And we stayed home to mow the lawn instead.

 

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Yard work is an all day event ’round here, but it’s quite satisfying.

 

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The daylilies are popping…. and when we were through mowing and whacking and trimming we fired up the grill.

 

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And had an adult beverage while the husband stared, still enraptured by his new toy and it’s viewing window.

( Latest Seagram’s flavor review: Wild Berries – meh. Won’t be buying that one again.)

 

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After some truly marvelous steaks, husband raked grass clumps…. and while I was cleaning up the kitchen?

I looked out the window….. and took a picture through the screen which looks like a bad acid trip.

 

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( Or so I’ve been told. I have no personal experience. No. Not me. Uh uh. )

But yes.

That cute little bugger was at it again.

 

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Eating one of the flowers he’s not supposed to like to eat.

Someone needs to revise that list.

 

 

 

 

Baby barn beautification.

 

I think I forgot to post the final results of all the husband’s  he didn’t want to do it and grumbled the whole time  hard work bordering my garden bed.

 

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And while I’m not usually a huge marigold fan…..

 

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I do like the yellow and orange colors against the red barn, so I filled the bed with them and mulched.

 

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With a baby chucker watching me the entire time. Thankfully marigolds are unappetizing to wildlife….. so he sniffed and moved on.

 

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Viola.

Baby barn beautification complete.

 

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Garden fluff.

 

Since our spring was so late and cool, things have been blooming a bit more slowly this year.

 

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But no matter when it blooms, if there’s any better smell than fresh lilacs?

 

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I’ve yet to find it.

 

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Though honeysuckle comes in a close second.

This one doesn’t look like much from far away…

 

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But up close it’s pretty sweet.

 

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These Mallow I planted a few weeks ago have quickly become my favorite new bloomer.

 

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Naturally when I went back to the nursery for more they were sold out.

Boo to that.

 

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June in Maine means rhododendrons…..

 

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As well as Lupine.

And I love these purple beauties!

 

 

It was one of those days when you just want to freeze time.

 

The weather was perfect.

 

 

75 degrees with bright sunshine and a gentle breeze.

 

 

We’d spent the day mowing and trimming and weeding….

 

 

And everything looked perfect.

 

 

Lilacs were cut for vases and perfumed the air with the scent of a long awaited spring.

 

 

And we ended the day with adult beverages on the big barn porch…. where the only thing to worry about was walking back inside for refills.

Life is good.

Do you ever feel like you’re being watched?

 

On a late afternoon trip to Home Depot for baby barn supplies….and okay, maybe a plant or two…. we were desperately hungry and hit the McDonalds drive thru.

If you know how much we hate McDonalds, you’ll know how desperately hungry we were.

 

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Geranium perched between my legs, we scarfed down the  (is this supposed to be edible?)  food.

And while we were doing that?

 

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They gathered.

 

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One  by one, on both sides… as well as in the front and the back.

Not wanting to re-create a Tippi Hendren phone booth scene, we ate quickly and fled.

I may not be able to find flour….

 

But I really need something blooming in my life right now so I masked up and headed to a local nursery down the road for the other kind of flower.

 

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No make up, no manicure and wearing a sweatshirt.

The Corona lock down has definitely put a nail in the coffin of my beauty regime.

Please note the mask is color coordinated though.

I’m not a heathen FFS.

 

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Came home with a car load full of pansies, begonias, geraniums, mallow and a container of pretty I don’t know what.

 

 

This will be a good start… but no where near enough to fill my beds.

It felt good to play in the dirt, until….

 

Spring has been a long time coming and I’m way behind on my garden work.

By this time I’ve usually got all the beds cleaned out and a few flowers blooming.

This year?

I’ve got weeds.

 

 

And random spikey things.

 

 

I spent 3 hours today getting rid of both.

 

 

I also reseated the brick border and tackled a bit of the bush from Hell.

 

 

If anyone ever asks if you want a flowering quince? Run.

Run far, and fast.

Preferably after you punch them in the throat for suggesting it in the first place.

Ours was here when we moved in and we’ve been battling it ever since. It grows over the roof each season and has roots that are 300 friggin’ feet deep. We’ve tried to dig it up, burn it out and hack it down to nubs numerous times.

I believe it likes the challenge….. and comes back stronger every time.

 

 

Did I mention it’s also full of thorns?

 

 

Good times.

I did 6 beds in the back and on the side of the house and felt good….

 

 

Until….

 

 

I turned over a brick and disturbed an ant nest. Within seconds those little suckers were crawling all over me and I had to run for a hose.

I rinsed most of them off but not before a few crawled up my pant leg.

 

 

Sadly, yes…. there were.

And the little bastards bit me too.

I fear I’ll never catch up…

 

Which is why I’m posting about Valentines Day at the end of March.

 

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It started with a nice bouquet of roses….

 

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And a kitchen selfie before we went out for a late lunch on the water.

 

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The building used to house a garage… and was previously a wonderful restaurant called, are you ready?

La Garage.

Clever… no?

But now it has new owners and a new incarnation as the Water Street Kitchen and Bar.

 

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It sits on the Sheepscot River in Wiscasset and please pardon the reflection of my hands in the window.

 

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We’ve been wanting to try it for a while, and found that’s it’s undergone a major remodel.

 

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The feel is more modern.

 

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And I have to say I was loving the metal works installations. This would be perfect for all my husband’s rusty crap treasures!

 

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But first things first.

 

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A marvelous basil limeade with a view….

 

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The menu was small, but seemed alright.

 

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And just as the waitress brought my (overly salted) charred Brussels sprouts appetizer, the husband saw a friend of his walk in and asked them to join us.

On Valentines Day.

Oh, well.

 

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This called for two Blueberry Mojitos… .because a girl can only take so much romance.

Husband had a butternut squash soup, which you couldn’t pay me to eat.

 

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And then it was on to a rather dry, garlic-less shrimp scampi for me, and an overcooked paella for the other half.

 

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The meal was redeemed by dessert.

 

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A delightful lemon marscapone cake…

Husband’s friends said their meals were good, and the cocktails were lovely so we might give them another try.  We do like the area and supporting small businesses.

 

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And I might have to take another look at the metal works.

 

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They really were quite interesting.