Thursday....

 The cone flower crop is minimal from three years of drought. This will be a building season to bring back the base.

We were glad to have cool weather this morning. It hasn't warmed up much but has been an overcast most of the day with sprinkles happening this afternoon. 

The Russian sage does smell good. I am not a big fan of this plant but it does make a great cut flower. The former owner has planted it in many places and I have tried to reduce some of them. 

I have proof that I have been working on the neglected places in the gardens. It is a continual work but I had to play catch-up the past three weeks. I still have some invading vines that need to be cleared and  volunteer trees must be destroyed. I am still having to water things a lot as we haven't been getting rain. 

Thanks for stopping by today.

Burning Heat....

 

 The orchid is a fascinating type of flower.  There are only a couple of buds yet to open. 

The Asiatic lily looks great right now.  The heat doesn't really bother it much.The heat really did bother me this morning.  I got the knock out roses dead headed but it was too hot to be out there. I didn't get ill and yet I could tell it took a chunk of energy out of me. It really is too early in the season for us to be so hot. We have flooding going on to the north of us and now we have all that water coming down our way. Our Lake Saylorville is said to be expected to raise its level by thirty feet.  The Des Moines River that the lake dumps into will be over its banks now as well as other rivers that come down our way.  It is such a strange thing that our area in the state, southeastern corner is still considered to be in drought.  

We might get rain tonight.  Its too warm to take shots so I am limited on photos today. Thanks for stopping by today.

A Hot Day.....

 The hot weather helps to cause so many different cloud formations. The sun is behind there somewhere.

The old leaky birdbath makes a great planter for the moss rose. As the day progresses the flowers start to shrink back from all of the heat. 

Being a leaky planter I can not worry about over watering it.  It is actually a perfect growing situation with me and the watering can or the rains that fall on it. 

The daylily was purchased at an arboretum in which you paid a price, like a grab bag, buying an unidentified plant, and took a chance. It is a similar variety that I already have but its color is much more intense. 

My one new clematis has a pathetic bloom. I do hope it gets to be more robust in the size. I am glad it is growing. 

This day lily is just starting to open up its buds. It is a nice bloom with the ruffy edges.  It is a hot and high humidity day. I didn't go out to do any work today. The yard really didn't need to be mowed today anyway.  Thanks for stopping by today.

Some Things.....

 

 

 

 

Saturday of Heat....

 The new young mourning doves have a hard time adjusting to the real world. This one showed up at the feeder and just sits. It did turn around and eat some seed but he has just stayed there for over a half an hour. It left for awhile and is now back sitting on the railing next to the old wooden feeder, again he is just sitting there. 

My antique sauce pan is not great for plants.  I don't want to drill a hole in the bottom of it so I have to lay it on its side after a rain.  I have now moved it out from under the deck and it won't get rained on again.  I know I will never use it as a sauce pan but I just don't want to destroy an antique. 

 

 I bought some more petunias to fill in a garden space next to the garage door. It is a different variety but I bought a couple of them to make things look better.  It is getting to be where nurseries are shutting down their bedding plants. 

I found a variety of hosta that I didn't have.  I have looked around and I have them mostly. This one is a new one for me though and they named it June. It was the last one sitting among a lot of the ones that I already have in my garden. I cut the plant into three parts and planted it in the front of the house. I actually kept one small part for a friend who had come and sample my hosta a month ago. Obsessive collecting comes in plants too but I do know I can't get them all.  I have a catalog from a hosta company and there are a couple of strange ones in there that I really don't ever want. 

It is very hot and humid today. I am staying inside except for going to the mailbox. It is better to be inside.  Thanks for stopping by today.

Marching Orders.....

 They are not sheep being moved from field to field. They aren't cattle being moved up the road to a neighbor's other grazing field. They are adult Canada geese moving their clutches of young ones from a large swampy ravine next to our large grocery store parking lot. I was returning from the optometrist appointment.  I couldn't figure out why cars were stopped. One does break for them as hitting one would be a big problem. There were two different long strands of young geese following their parents. I would guess that the there were over two dozen of them.

 

 I call it bee balm. It has had a couple of bad drought-filled summers I think the rains will bring the plants back for another season. Red monarda is the closer term for its name.  I have the pinker color too but it hasn't shown up yet. At my old place it had taken over a full corner of the garden under a tree.

 

 One of my other daylilies is starting to bloom. I have a new one open but the photo hasn't been taken yet. It is 90 degrees F. this afternoon. It is more like an August day than a day in June. 

I have zinnias showing up in the one flat of soil. It is a mystery as to why the adjacent square of soil only has one plant coming up.

Yep, evidence of one single seed that has developed. I haven't looked at the area yet today. 

Most all of my roses are needing to be dead headed. I think I can do that on cool mornings. The sooner they are cut back the sooner I will get more buds. 

I have a future of cataract surgery now. I was warned at the last appointment that I was going to be needing the work done. The actual happening is going to require a lot of planning and different appointments into the works. I was told that once the surgery does get into the works that they have a waiting list of months. I live with blurry eyesight most of my life but being able to correct it all will be a luxury even at my age. 

Thanks for stopping by today.

THINKING.....

 

 The guy is enjoying the break from the rain. He has been seeing days of light rain off and on for two days. 

 

 A few of my day lilies are starting to bloom. They each bloom at different times which makes the season last longer.

The hollyhocks have multiplied and I am glad to have them.  The voles took out everything three or more years ago and it has taken a long time to get any plants back and blooming. I did buy this one and it isn't a borrowed or moved plant. 

The regale lily doesn't might the rains but it does droop a little with all the rain on them. They are wonderful now after years of repeat growth from the start of one plant. 

The hosta is not allowing the creeping phlox to bother its growth.  I am frustrated with the phlox as it has taken over everything in that level. I think I will just plant it full of hosta and see if I can drive it back some more. 

I didn't work outside this morning as it rained a little again this morning. It is too wet so I found things to do inside. I need to work on straightening my work shop and I do that in spurts. A little each day makes a job less difficult.  I don't have a lot of goals for the day and have no plans to go anywhere.  I bought needed groceries yesterday and some chores are getting done throughout the day.  Thanks for stopping by today.

Gotcha......

 A partial shot is better than no shot at all.  It was later evening and we were watching television when I glanced ou the side window. Grabbed the camera and shot wildly. 

The lighting is bad in the evening so I can't get much detail with the camera. I still like the wings put out such wonderful movement and I could capture it. 

Another visitor to the window at the same time is this bright yellow one.  The goldfinch  did turn to look at me for a second.

Another visitor was busy eating that one kind of leafed weed. He really was concentrating on taking it out. 

My true red day lily is now starting to share its blooms. I took the shot in low light and it did give me truer color than when it is in bright light. 

 

We had rain throughout the night.  It didn't amount to a lot but it was good to get it. My backyard is less green now as our heat has yellowed some of the grass.  It was a hot muggy day yesterday and we are cooled off some today. All of the hostas looks so robust but the roses are now finished blooming.  I need to dead head a lot of bushes. Maybe this afternoon I can venture out when the grass has dried.  Thanks for stopping by today.

Tuesday......

 It makes a big splash in the garden. The color leans more towards an red orange but has such a strong color.I need to go to the area to see if anymore zinnias are emerging. One set of seed has grown but the other has not.  They were planted at the very same time.

My one day lily is starting to bloom. This one looks weathered because it usually is such a pure color.

The regale lily seems to out do itself each season. My grandmother use to have these and she would spend all of her time counting them. I don't think I will do that.  I am busy mowing my yard and my neighbor's, who is very sick in the hospital. He had mowed my yard with another neighbor when my wife was so sick. I mowed his front yard as if it were all one big yard connected to mine.  It looks really good. I am really concerned for my friend who is the hospital.

My tomatoes are looking great. I only have four this year and had planted them in the late eveing one day while my wife was still in the hospital. I wasn't going to plant any but there was a nursery attached to the grocery store where I could pick up some plants easily while running for a sandwich for supper. 

We are hot again today.  The sound of men shingling a neighbor's yard rings out all day.  It is windy today so it made the yard mowing easier so I am sure the guys on the roof are a little better off. The heat though is up to 91 degrees F.  I am grilling a steak tonight for supper. Northern Iowa is going to get storms today as we are just looking overcast now. It is a gray afternoon.  Thanks for stopping by today.

Monday,,,,,,,,

The grocery store's nursery market dropped all of its prices by over 80 percent. I bought a five dollar geranium planter for the front door and I just had to go back and pick up this three dollar planter of succulents. I wasn't in the market for anything but eight dollars later I had two wonderful items.

The former owner of the place had this plant growing in the front gardens.  They are too tall and look like weeds in those garden areas. I moved it back against the fence and it really does work. I don't know the name of the plant but it does put out nice bloms. 

We will have leftovers for tonights meal from our take out of Italian food. Lots of pasta leftover and steak and chicken. My pasta is alfredo and my wife's is marinara. It will taste good again. Thanks for stopping by today.

40th Wedding Anniversary.....

 We will be celebrating our day by ordering out from Olive Garden for our dinner. It has been a quiet day mostly except for the facetome call from the grandkids. Father's Day hits on our anniversary often through the years.

My wife is doing well now that she is home. She still uses the walker as a balancing tool but she is able to stand independently for long periods of times. It has been a week and a half since she is home from the Health Center. That five week stay was too memorable and time is helping us to forget it as time passes. It is so quiet in the house and we are enjoying it. 

Thanks for stopping by today.