Another Fall/Summer Day

 Tuesday morning proved to be a cool one and the sky was not so clear. What was out there was the SAC Air Force flying acrocc the state and over our area.

 The marks of the jets were all over the sky. They had been out very early this morning as I was up at seven and they were created before that. 

 My sunflowers are down to only two standing. When they are gone the morning glories will have to craw around on the ground. The one sunflower should be removed but it looks better if it is still there keeping the stronger and healthier one company. 

 My twenty dollar rose bush has never stopped proving itself to be an expensive one. It sits at the bottom of the stairs and keeps putting out blooms as the days shorten and the weather temps cools. 

 I just keep taking shots of the blooms as they are so great. The sun shines throguh them in the morning and brings out the great colors. 

 The white mum looked sick yesterday. I carried a full bucket of water for it and really didn't think I would save it. It was a great surprise to see it had come back. Lots of time I lose these as they dont get rooted in and our drought continues again. 

 I hope that it does come back next spring. I found this to be low cost as their were a lot of large ones available for large sums of money.

I worked outside again today. I picked some more tomatoes and they are starting to get to be the end of them in the next couple of weeks. My yard is shaggy in the back and I will probably give it a touch up tomorrow. We are so dry that I haven't mowed in the front for two weeks and I probably won't mow it again this week. Heat is in the forecast and no rain is in sight. The southern part of our state got lots of rainfall so it isn't impossible for us to have rain. The fronts just seem to avoid us right in the middle. 

Thanks for checking in today. 

Monarch Monday

 While I went to fetch my cell phone there were two monarchs fluttering around together. When I returned there were none. The one came floating back from the neighbor's yard from over the fence. 

 The sun was giving me great lighting and it seemed to be really hungry. It did move around some but once it got down to business it stayed in one place and ate for a long time. 

The butterfly would open its wings right before it would suck nectar. I didn't think that I got a picture of it but in the distance I accidently got a shot. It was a bad shot but the formes are correct, the color is bad. 

I bought a bunch of plastic bonsai pots and I found something to plant into one of them. I had some loose gravel already available so I put it in the bottom of my pot. I found the seedling tree out by the maple tree so I assume that it is a maple tree. 

 

I got it planted and set off center so it can be turned into a bonsai tree. Of course I will be waiting to see it it even grows for me. 

I worked outside and it was cool temps at the beginning. Around noon I sat down in a chair to rest before going inside. I didn't feel comfortable but I thought I could cool down before going inside. I looked at my phone and it was 80 degrees. I decided to go inside to cool off. It is a sunny day and it looks great out there and it is still good to have the air. I need to get groceries this afternoon. I will wear shorts for sure to go to the store. Thanks for stopping by today.   I did miss blogging again yesterday and I was a little under the weather. 

 

Missed a Day, I Am Back!

 It is my stairway to the front of the house. I could also say to the top of the hill. I reconstructed the stairs covening up a former owners old railroad ties steps with concrete squares incorporated in the steps of wood. It was hard to walk on and I used it for my foundation of the new climb. I looked through from down below behind my trellises and thought I needed to try to take a shot.

 

I took this shot first from behind the trellis. I was too lazy to walk around to shoot the morning glory. It is strange as the weather regulates the days that these do bloom. Yesterday there wasn't a bloom in sight. 

 

The orange moss rose is in the same area so,  I got three shots while standing in one place. I transplanted some of these into two different locations and they are doing good being planted in the ground with good new top soil scattered in the hole.

 A few steps away from the moss rose is blooming the hosta. What fascinates me that the size of the stem is normal to the very small hosta plant that grew up out of it. 

 I worked outside this morning trimming off the spent bloom heads of my three red knock out roses. I had a waste basket full of the spoils. I like the rose as it goes ahead and rebuds and blooms even when the gardener is late at trimming it back.  Once that job was done I headed to the backyard fence area and cut back dead stems of phlox and some iris foliage. I started my collection of seed from the zinnias but most of them are still in good shape. It is more successful if I just do a little each day and eventually I won't have to have such a large job in the fall. The temps were great and I didn't have to wear long sleeved clothes.  Thanks for stopping by today. 

Thursday's Tidbits

 My downstairs workspace is sometimes on the old walnut table. It has its own things that I like have hanging around. The origami is one made from a smaller square of paper. It is more difficult with the small paper so I haven't made many of them. 

 

As I take my morning shot I look around and see how the neighborhood is waking up. The one guys truck is being warmed up as the lights are on and he will take off for his job soon. The house is lighted as the two kids and mom are getting ready for their morning schedules. The other house behind the trees are a family with two boys also getting ready for school. Sometimes one can see the boys sitting at the table eating their breakfast. One set of our neighbors are not ever up this early. Dogs can be out barking in three different lots and the one guy with his white truck will be taking off in a few moments.  It isn't snooping but just the sights and sounds of the world around us as we too are up and are getting the coffee started and the eggs scrambled. The sun is later and later each day as it peaks for the day. 

 The sun is shining through the fading sunflower.  Most of the flowers are shot now and the birds are pecking away at them.

 I repotted some indoor plants and they seem to be happy about it. The kalanchoe is standing tall now as it in a larger pot of real potting soil. The begonia will have room to spread out a bit and I can maybe get another year out of it. It too is in real soil now.  I have some stray things there also in a rooting pot to get them established. 

 I removed the fencing around the zinnia patch and thought it was a good idea. Unfortunately they side plants are all now sprawling out on the ground. The marigolds were ready to tumble over and lay on the grass. 

 This other variety of marigold is also sprawling. I may have to get some garden things to support them so I can mow the yard. It is still great to look at with its unruliness. 

 I really needed to deadhead the roses but got distracted at other things. I transplanted some hosta along the wall of the house next to my new stepping stones. There were some hosta that were growing along the fence that couldn't be seen, so I dug them up. The soil next to the stones is so clay packed hard. I had to pick at the soil with my spade and when I planted, I replaced the dry crusty stuff with potting soil. I hope that they can survive until snowfall and get established. 

Our weather is just perfect today. A high of 77 degrees F. is very pleasant. We have been told that the upper eighties are coming back next week. Thanks for stopping by today.  

 

 

Middle of the Week

 

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by today. 

Things for the Day....

 My drainpipe sculpture got to see the rain run out of the spout. He got to see the water off of the roof that had an inch of rain fall on it. The dog is checking things out also . We really needed that rainfall and hope more will be coming. 

 The morning after looked like this. The grass looked a bit greener this morning and it was good to have rain.

 It was time to take down my smaller dead sunflowers. I live in town and have to cut everything up to make it possible to get it into a tall sack. I use to complain about it but I just go with it now.

 The birds had stripped all of the seeds out of them so I didn't worry that I was taking them out too soon.

 I still have to late bloomers that are bringing in the birds. It is getting pretty sad looking but there are seeds there for the taking. 

 

 

I worked outside this morning in the wet grass. I have worked at many different things but one included carrying bags of dirt down the hill. I put in my last stepping stone this morning and now I will be tweaking it. The hill to my new gate is uneven soil that leans and cause me walking problems. The stones are level with the world and I can now walk up and down that distance with firm steps. 

Thanks for stopping in today. 

Beginning of the Week.....

 It is a marvelous specimen and its starting to fade. I could not have caused this to do it but it did bloom wonderfully. I thought that I needed to get some more shots as it may never happen for me ever again. 

 Another pink rose is perfect as the season for them is going to end soon. There are not as many of them but they like this cooler weather.

 The moss rose is doing well in some parts of my garden and in other places it too is fading.  I planted some of it into the ground  so it will come up on its own next spring. 

 

My late germinating pumpkin seeds have me enjoying blooms but I will never have any pumpkins.

 

I continue to see one monarch at a time showing up at the patch. Maybe the migration will get to be stronger and it would be great to see many more.  

I mowed the backyard this morning and messed with my stepping stones project again. I get one stone dug in and leveled per day as it is hard to do. The clay packed soil is though to spade up and then the rocks that I have are very uneven. I have to place them in on loose soils to get it down to settle level. I do have to go back and adjust them days later because they didn't settle in firmly.  It was a great day to be outside today. Thanks for stopping by today.

Sunny Sunday

 Two different flowers from the same seed. I don't understand the genetics  of zinninas but the variety of genes are different in each of its seed even if it comes from one flower. 

 The color of the one zinnia is exactly the same as the marigold flowers. I didn't like the tall marigolds in the one flower bed but in this one the tall ones are just as good as the zinnias in color and  height. 

 I was surprised to see this glad put out a spike and bloom. I last picked a stalk of blooms about a month ago. I was getting ready to just toss these bulbs out all togehter. I will rethink it. 

I cut the stalk and brought it in for us to enjoy. It becomes a bonsai arrangement as I don't have any of my antique bud vases anymore. I must have tossed the vases in the move and I do regret that. I thought I had too many but now I don't seem to have one. 

We are having a quiet Sunday. The neighbor's newly selected realtor was out and busy next door today. She and her husband came to fine tune the yard with all sorts of tools to get rid of weeds. Two daughters were at work too so the four of them made quick work of the yard. Hopefully the new realator can sell the place quickly.  

It is pleasant today and we warmed up to good even temps. Thanks for stopping by today.
 

Checking In Today

 There is even a certain beauty to dead roses. The bouquet is about gone but my wife's painting of the iris is a everlasting beauty. 

 While working outside this morning I was carrying my phone. I just had to sna; a shot of the new bllom. 

 The zinnia patch evolves into the morning glory patch as the volunteer vines start to take off. They are everywhere and I do cut them back as they do cause problems with the zinnias. 

 We have a guy in southeast Iowa who does a garden and cooking show on the net.  He actually writes for a major paper in New York City but his old farmhouse and garden is in Iowa. He always pops up in Reels sharing recipes and house remodeling. I won't do that thing but I will do a photograph series that tells its own story by the items you see. I am not promoting the gelatin but there are only two sugar free  brands out there with only one flavor.  As a diabetic this process happens every four or five days. I can feel like I am getting sweet with my meal. The strawberries taste great in the gelatin.

 The finished work is like an artwork as it reflects colors and the glass bowl is perfect to enhance things. My Grandma Brooks' glass bowl is seventy to eighty years old and she would smile today to see me still using it again today. She gave me the large bowl with glass serving bowls while I was still in high school. She passed in 1972. I like my sugar free Jello and I really enjoy remembering her as I have the fancy feast. 

Thanks for stopping by today.