A HOT TIME IN THE OLD TOWN TONIGHT!!!!

Well it was actually two days ago when Bellingham hit an all time record of 100 degrees on the 28th. Oh my gosh was it ever hot. I had fans going and a spray bottle of water which I had to repeatedly refill to keep my pups and myself from igniting!

Then to my total amazement, two of my daughters came with some of the grand kids and a new AC unit which they installed for me.

My pups were so relieved they lay on the floor with their little feet in the air with the most delighted look on their sweet little furry faces.

I felt like doing the same thing but it's hard to get off the floor so I layed on the couch instead and yes my feet were in the air for a while and my furry face looked delighted too. LOL!

We don't usually have unbearable hot temps here so not many people were prepared for it. AC Units were totally sold out all over the county. The kids waited in line for a long time with about a hundred other people when a shipment finally came in to Hardware Sales, the best Hardware store in town.

It has cooled off, thank the Lord and temps are bearable now.

Here is my basket of Million Bells, petunias and moss rose. I had to do a lot of watering this past week but everything has survived.

And here is the basket of Petunias my girls brought me on May Day. They have grown to amazing proportion. Cyndi told me they would if I fed them well.
Thanks honey girl!
They are sitting on a bistro chair. Can you see it? Neither can I.


I hope you aren't getting bored with my lily's. They are new to me and I'm like a little kid with a new toy. This is one of the Day Lily's my sweet Sister Bonnie Jean gave me. I didn't expect them to bloom till next year since I just planted them about a month ago, but just look at this! The color is gorgeous and it is huge. I don't know it's name yet but will be doing some research to try to find out soon as I have a litle time.

Ok it's confession time! I have been eating lots of veggie's from my garden, potatoes with parsley, green onions, cucumbers etc, and because it has been so hot lots of salad and fruit. However for the past few days I have been craving something forbidden. I resisted all day yesterday and most of today but as I was doing some computer work I was overcome with an incredible desire, an urge that nothing but the 'real thing' can satisfy.

I thought of the rice cakes which remind me of styrofoam, soda crackers, celery, then I suddenly shot out of my chair, ran to the kitchen, pulled a heavy kettle from the drawer and....

Well, here's the recipe. Don't forget to lick the pan!

Brown Sugar Peanut Butter Stovetop Cookies
(recipe from my daughter Cyndi January 1977)

2 Cups Brown Sugar
1/2 cup margerine or butter
1/2 cup milk
Stir and boil one minute
Remove from heat and immediately add
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter
stir to incorporate then add
2 cups quick oats
1/2 cup flaked coconut. (optional)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Mix then drop by spoonfulls onto waxed paper. Let them set till cool if you can wait that long, otherwise eat it from the pan but don't get burned.
Enjoy.

Note: You can use one cup oatmeal and a cup and a half of corn*flakes, rice *krispies or what ever you have instead of the second cup of oatmeal.

~~~~~

I pray your temps are tolerable, your cupboards are full and the well don't run dry.
God Bless!

|

STUFF AND NONSENSE

I thought I'd give you a chuckle to begin with! :)

******

It has been very warm here so I have been staying inside as much as possible except for early morning and late evening when the temp's are around 82, and that's still too hot for me but I can at least pull a few weeds and water my gardens while the pups get some exercise. I never let them outside unless I'm there to keep an eye on them. Even though my entire back yard is fenced, the raccoon's and large birds would take them given the opportunity. I recently heard of an eagle nest that collapsed and there were 60 dog and cat collars found in it. Yes it really does happen. Several years ago a woman let her little dog off the leash at a rest stop near here and a large eagle snatched it up and carried it away.

Because it's been so hot I just had to post a snowy picture. This was taken in 96. As you can see my poor old dog wasn't sure just how he was supposed to relieve himself. You know, lifting the leg...

I had to shovel out an area for him, but I had to laugh at how perplexed he was. We got more snow after this picture was taken and it was up to my bottom before it stopped!

My oldest daughter and I took five of my great grandkid's for a day and one of the things we did was see a frisbee competition. I was amazed at how determined all the dogs were. This one actually 'flew' to catch the frisbee. I felt sorry for the little fat short legged dogs. Even though it was sort of funny to watch them galloping along with such hope in their eyes as the frisbee soared high overhead!


Hailee and Maddie found a shady spot to lay on their blanket and watch the competition. All the kids were so good and well behaved. I am very proud of them. Little ladies and gentlemen they were.



After the competition they all went swimming.
I like this shot of Maddie and Hailee.
It brings back a flood of memories. I remember wading with my sisters at the river while mom and dad fished, and years later watching my own children playing at the lake, then my grandchildren and now the great grandchildren.
Time goes by so fast. Enjoy each moment. It will never come again.
~~~~

After swimming we had a picnic supper with fried chicken, pork*N Beans, rolls, chips, melon, cinnamon rolls, strawberries and blueberries and two cans of whipped cream which the kids enjoyed when Patty sprayed it into their mouth. They were all lined up, mouth's open wide like so many hungry birdlets!
It was a wonderful day.
*****
I pray summer is treating you all well.
God bless you and yours.

|

HELP!!! I'VE FALLEN AND I CAN'T GET UP!

Sorry, I couldn't resist. This is the last one. I promise. I think.

Viola's are so small they usually go unnoticed by all the hurried feet passing by. But as we get older it seems the Lord slows us down so we can see all the wonderful things we hurried past in our younger years.

As I was watering the garden's last night I noticed this little lady in distress. It looked like her arms and legs were flailing in an effort to right herself. A spray of water had knocked her over and there she lay with her face all wet. Today she will be standing again, proud and defiant. She may be tiny but she's got pluck!

|

POSIES AND OTHER THINGS

Babys breath against the sky.

Apparently someone thought this little flower smelled like a baby's Breath but it doesn't to me. It has a sweet smell and most babies breaths smell of milk or worse, sour milk to me.

A rather odd but interesting looking Snapdragon.

Mom Hammer called this a Bachelor Button. I got the start of this plant from her many-many years ago.

I'm sure this happy little blossom has a name but I don't remember what it is! I do know it is very prolific. It reseeds like crazy and bees love it.

" He slowly creeps from the deep forest, stopping with each quiet step to listen for danger." Enlarge to see the stag emerging from the thicket. He will eat every beautiful flower I have, ravish my veggie garden, and come at me with his antlers tossing from side to side if I try to chase him out of my yard. He has several mountains of meadows to graze but he has developed a taste for my prized flowers. He also has friends. Many friends who come with him and like a swarm of locusts, they destroy.

Do you know what this is? If not, you aren't taking time to smell the flowers. Or perhaps you close your eyes when you do. I recommend that you always keep your eyes open when doing that so a bee doesn't think the end of your nose is a predator.

This is a super macro shot of the heart of the rose pictured below.

Pretty little thing, isn't she?

My veggie garden is doing well. Thanks to the newspaper and grass clippings I am using this year.

I have cucumbers that are about 10 inches long, many Sweetmeat squash are beginning to grow too. My first round of potatoes could be taken up now but I'll wait a while longer so they can get some size. Tomatoes are still green, but parsley and dill are ready to use as well as green onions.

Rutabagas, Parsnips and corn are all coming along nicely too.

Isn't it just incredible that we can plant a dried up little seed and it grows a lush plant that produces more food for us? I'm still amazed at this miracle, just as I was when I was a little girl. God is so good to us.

You'll have to enlarge this to see better. The corn on the right and the patch of posies growing up the hillside are so pretty in the morning with the sun shining on them.

Sea Holly is an unusual plant. The foliage turns almost silvery and the blossom really isn't pretty at all but it attracts honeybees like crazy!

I happen to like unusual plants so I will be keeping this one. However I read that it reseeds easily and the root system is a monster so I will be moving it to an area where it can spread without causing too much trouble.

All for now.

Receive your Blessings!

|

VIOLA TAKES A BOW

Who says flowers don't have personality?

Of course they do!

"Who, Me?"

I'm so tough the rabbits are scared of me!

"Funny Face"

"It's my party and I'll cry if I want to!"

"So Hazel says, "you gotta try this new shampoo".......

"And then I say, "Whatcha gonna do about it" and the guy slugs me on the chin!

I am so beautiful.....

"And then Mable Says....."

"I'm gonna Tell my dad on you!"

Hard Day at the office.

Stick that in your pipe and smoke it!

Poor lil' ole me!

Oh Yeah? Well whatcha gonna do about it?

What is your caption for this one?

|

DAYLILIE'S !

ANOTHER FLOWER TO LOVE!

Last month I was trying to figure out what kind of plant I could put between three tall Arborvitae that have scads of tulips planted between them.

As you know, when the tulips finish blooming they look horrible and I thought if I planted something in front of them the ratty foliage would be hidden.

My daughter Cyndi suggested Daylilie's so I did some research. Then one day while talking to my friend Bonnie, she told me she ordered hers from a place in Missouri and sent me the URL.

OH MY GOSH!!! I had a really hard time whittling down my want list! LOL

I had no idea there were so many gorgeous Daylilie's. They aren't just orange or yellow anymore!

Here's what I ordered and have already received and planted and some are already growing green! Oh yes I should add, this company is very generous. They sent more than I ordered and paid for and even sent a free one as a gift. Will I be ordering again?

You betcha!

DOUBLE CHARM GROWS 18 to 24" tall with 4 to 5" blossoms and it blooms mid season. I ordered one but they sent two. I planted them one on the east side of my house one on each side of a purple Rhody that blooms at the same time.

Woodside Ruby is the one that will hide the ratty tulips and look wonderful between the deep green Arborvitae foliage. Is this incredibly gorgeous or what?

Did you know that Daylilie's are deer, slug and rabbit proof and easy to grow and care for? You don't even have to separate them for six or so years. My kind of posy!


This is the free one they sent me.
It's called Joan Senior but I would call it Serenity. It's white although it glows with a pink hue in this picture. I have to do some research on it but know it gets fairly tall and has large blossoms .


Entrapment grows to 26" tall and has 6" blossoms that are ruffled on the edges. The white stripes on three petals really make the purple stand out and the yellow throat too.


This little doll was a good choice. Stella D Oro is a mini Daylily. She grows to about 12 " tall and has 2 3/4" double yellow blossoms. She resembles a Daffodil and blooms from May-July.
I ordered five at $1.00 each and was sent 14! I planted them alongside the lawn with bright pink Rhody's which were donated by my daughter Patty, White Perennial Candytuft which were transplants from a garden we eliminated and I plan to add some Lithodora. These all bloom at the same time and should be so pretty together. I'm excited to see it!

Anyone interested in the very generous Daylily Farm send me an e-mail and I will give you the URL. You will love it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

My girls and I chopped out the willow root that was in the area where I am making new lawn. It was hard work but I'm delighted that it's gone. I mowed lawn today and used the mower to pack down the area where the stump was. I am going to wait until late summer to put the grass seed in. It's too hot and dry right now. By waiting, mother nature will help me with the watering chore!

Be blessed everyone.

|