Rainy, cloudy days

I am a sunshine kind of person, while I appreciate the rain and all it does to us, extended periods of clouds drives me crazy.  I find myself staring into the sky, searching for any sign of a break in the gloom, turning on every light in the house, looking into the business end of a flashlight!  As you from the upper mid-west might imagine, the electric company is seeing a bump in usage at my house!

One thing cloudy days are useful for is taking pictures.  The even light of a cloudy day is not a BAD thing, but I'd rather fight with the shadows from the sun.  Le sigh.

So, this is what was growing at my house yesterday....

Pansies in a metal coffee pot

Pansies in an old coal bucket

Lemon lilies

Columbine

False indigo

Alpine dianthus and Sempervivum

Rock garden peonies

Ladies Mantle foliage

Hosta foliage

It is possible to find beauty, even on the gloomiest of days!  And it helps to keep some sunshine tucked away for just such emergencies!

Blowing you kisses of joy!  

Until next time, be a joy giver!

If you are a garden person, you might enjoy reading all about it on the Sprout-off Garden forum and the Sprout-off Blog.

And one more (Wisconsin!) garden blog- Talking to Plants.

Collections- part 1

 It is no secret at my house that I collect a lot of stuff.  Some may call it junk, but I love my collections.  My collections tend to either be plant based or old garden "art".  I do have a rocking horse Christmas ornament collection, but that doesn't really count.

Water cans from the Barber and Greg

So among other things, I collect watering cans.  I started noticing watering cans in magazines and elegantly decorating the front stoops of friends' gardens, many years ago.  About the time that I first started gardening... I always wanted a nice old can, but for a long time all I had were plastic ones and a metal one that came from the local Pamida.  Useful, but certainly not elegant in their demeanor!

I, of course, yak on about things like this all the time.  I tell people who I know frequent garage sales and auctions to pick one up for me if they see it.  This basically led to NO watering cans, but that is ok, because when one did show up, I really appreciated it!!  Fred's cousin, the Barber, was kind enough to present me with my first one.  I was and remain so excited by it and very very grateful!  Love that thing!  I had coveted other people's lovely old cans- and finally I got one of my own.  So, sometimes when there is a trickle, the flood gates open!  Since then I have found several at flea markets, and I have gotten some from friends, relatives and sons!

This year so far I have been the lucky recipient of 2 new ones- another one from the Barber and one from the Mad Middle son.  Lucky me!

One of my collection

Not only are watering cans varied in shape and size, but they are also incredibly useful!  And none of these were more than $20, for the few that I bought.  I love how well they are constructed, their beautiful shapes, practical form, and how well balanced most of them are when full.  Oh if things were so well built today- at least things that don't cost you an arm and a leg!

Of course there are related items that can be included in a watercan collection- like coffee pots, oil cans, gas cans, minnow buckets- it goes on and on.  Much of this is driven by what I think I can plant something in!!  Love containers in the garden, can you tell?

Water can, old oil cans and gas-type can

My long necked can, plus my original gift

Old can from flea market

Painted can

So, to address the plant side of my collections, I would like to introduce you to the humble hen and chick.  Also know botanically as the sempervivum, this is a fantastic little guy.  Semps will hold up under many poor conditions that would make short order of more fussy plants.  And you have to love a plant that shoots off tons of babies without any apparent effort.

Before you look at these photos, please ignore the weeds, grass, weird fence looking things and the like.  The fences are to keep those 4 legged rodents called deer away from my lovely hens and chicks, and the weeds are ......  well, just there still.  I am working on that!  I have many of my semps in containers of various sorts, because I like to pop them into pots when I feel the need.

Not a true sempervivum- but similar- love the roller babies

Aren't they cute??
I enjoy them very much and am always looking for new varieties.  The only drawback to these is that you cannot keep them well in containers in super cold winter areas.  They do much better if they are put into the ground and then can be transplanted back to the containers in early spring- way before frosts are over.
I love summer!!

I want to encourage you to check out a new gardening blog that is hitting the scene.  It is the Sproutoff blog, which is being written by members of the Sproutoff gardening forum, of which I try to regularly visit.  It is a great site for garden questions, information and just general discussion and friendship.  This link will go to the Sproutoff blog.  There are several hotlinks to the forum on the blog, but here is one for you as well.  Sign in as a guest or join- you can either be a lurker or a participant!


So, until next time.... collect joy where ever you are!

Spring is springing

Well, woo HOO!  It is nice nice NICE today.  Unfortunately, we had all those nasty severe thunderstorm warnings, but not too much came of it.  At least not yet!

I did one of the best things that spring brings today- besides breaking out the sandals-

And that is firing up the GRILL!  YAY!

Nothing says spring and summer like some yummy, tasty grilled items.  It is the harbinger of summer, the taste of the outdoors, the lack of dirty pans in the dishwater, all worthy images, indeed.

However, before making that first burger, you have to clean up the grill-rack.  Yuck.  I am certainly not a person who might actually clean their grill before winter sets in!  Oh no, that would mean planning and organization, forethought and scheduling...... not my strong suit.  No, I'd rather spend 1/2 hour scrubbing off the stupid rack in the spring, when there is little time between dragging the grill out of the garage and the mad accountant coming home for lunch.  Makes life more exciting, thrilling, ...... annoying.  Well, who likes to scrub off the grill at all, might as well put it off until you need it!  He he he.

So, to kick off the grilling season I made burgers- beef for my resident carnivore, and spicy black bean for me!  Throw in some grilled onions and you have nirvana on a bun. 

Onions grilled with a dab of olive oil, in a tiny  iron skillet

Burgers and fried onions

Then top with blue cheese and mustard and you have something the angels sing about!  Now the carnivore who lives amongst would argue that mustard and blue cheese isn't about to sully HIS burger, but mmmm, even Lola agrees with me!  But then Lola really doesn't have a choice!  

Lola is glad for the sun

I reveled in the sun today, it is certainly one of my favorite things....  Here are a few more things kind of like the blue cheese and mustard!

I have lots of metal, wooden and clay suns on my deck and here is a recent gift from my darling son and d-i-l, Jon and Sarah.  I love the fact that it is both a garden ornament and that it is repurposed.  Definitely my cup of tea.

This beautiful piece of blue glass was a thank you gift from a dear pair of relatives.  I love this blue and I love this art work.  

Of course I love Lola.....

She's still begging for a companion, I am starting to formulate that in my mind- stay tuned for updates

I am enjoying my favorite summer past-time of gardening already, today I started Nicotiana and castor bean plants.

I also went out to the garden and pulled a bunch of my container gardens out of the dirt.  This one has two of my favorite plants- sedum and sempervivum.  There is still a bit of debris in this container, but it still gives me a taste of summer.

It was only a week ago, there was a snow storm going on.  We had about 3 inches of wet, slushy snow, and the daffodils were only up an inch or so.  This morning these daffs were up at least 3 - 4 inches, quite a bit considering they were frozen and hidden last Sunday!  You might be able to see where the obnoxious deer took a few bites and found the daffodil foliage NOT to their liking.  I hate deer.

This is what one of my favorite trees in the world looked like this morning.  It is sort of crazy to have a favorite tree, but hey, I talk to statues, too!  

Grand old tree in the mist

And no favorites list could be complete with out this fine guy!

Did you bring me a snack?

Of course, there are some glaring holes in this list, most obviously my lovely family, but they are left for another post.  And I bet they are excited about that!  

I suspect that many people were reveling in the warmth today, it was enough to give you spring madness.  

Until next time, be a joy giver- bring on the sun!