JUNE AT BEV'S

 The rain stopped but left a multitude of raindrops on everything. A closeup of this rose proves it.

 Same rose, just not so close.

 The Lord knew I needed a wild daisy plant growing in my flower garden. The striking white and golden blossoms really brighten up the garden.

 Just look at how intricately He designed the center of the daisy.

 Betcha can't guess what this is? I love how the seed pods open to such a sweet looking Little chandelier.

 Can't leave out Miss Pansy. Just look at that sweet face!

 This is the seed pod of Blue Nigella, also called Devil In A Bush or as I prefer, Love In A Mist.

 Here's the Blue Nigella in blossom.

 This old fashioned rose has been here for many years. It was growing at the little house we moved to in 1950. I started a few plants from a piece of a branch and have enjoyed it all this time. Sure wish you could smell it.

 Above is just one of my flower gardens. I have had to battle slugs, rabbits, deer, raccoons and you name it in order to keep this one going.

 Dear little Calla twins. Interesting the deer don't eat them up.

 Here is a large bush of roses like the one I already showed. It seems to like growing over the old chicken house. Probably all that old manure!

 Here she is close up. I think these roses are just gorgeous!!

 I can never resist a picture of my columbine taken from underneath. Just something about it.

 This pink peony is about 6 feet tall but the stems are too weak to support the blossoms which are huge. I have a tomato cage around it which it outgrew, then I staked it but as you can see it just isn't enough support. It looks like my garden angel is trying to hold the plant up with her back.

 Here is a closeup of the above peony. My Sweet Kathy gave me this plant a few years back.

This years vegetable garden is very slow. Our spring like last year has been cold and wet so things just didn't grow well. At least my strawberries are producing. I have put about five gallons in the freezer and canned a few too. If the sun comes out I'll get a lot more and later will have tomatoes, cukes, both English and lemon, Beets, onions and corn. Already I am getting spinach, red leaf lettuce and oak leaf lettuce, kale, spinach and radish.

Thanks for letting me show you my yard.

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TREE HOUSE

Down in the hollow my son has found

a tree with elbows close to the ground.

A kindly, talkative, child loving tree,

serving as a patient old nursemaid free.

Scattering sun into speckled shade,

arranging it's arms into shapes just made

for holding giant nest's of wood.

If my son looked closer I'm sure he could

In the biggest limbs find nails time hid

for I built a tree house before he did.

Author Unknown



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HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

Kenneth Andrew Banks born

August 24, 1917 Ferndale, WA

 Here is my dad. This was taken in 1918. Love the dear old buggy and that fat cheeked baby boy!

 Here he is around three with a playmate.

 With his mother around seven years old. I remember in the 70's my kids wore Seafarer jeans with the wide legs like this and don't you live dad's hat?

Aren't grandma's shoes cute?

 He is around ten in this photo with some friends apparently going swimming or maybe running through a sprinkler.

 This picture always tickles me because he is making a face. This was taken around 1938 when he was about 21 years old. He is with mother in this picture. The little boy in back is cousin Clyde.

Still in his 20's here. Love the hat. He liked it too. 

 This is how I remember dad. He loved fishing and was excellent at it. He fished rivers mostly. The Nooksack, Samish and Skagit rivers were fairly close by and gas was twenty five cents a gallon. See my little sister and me way in the background? He is about 35 here.

 Here he is about the same age with his mother Lucy. My cousin Phyllis's little boy Ronny is on the floor. Christmases with our Banks family were wonderful and I cherish the memories. See grandma's petticoat is showing. She wouldn't like that but I think it's cute.

 Another favorite picture of dad when he was about 36. That is a 62 pound salmon he caught in the Skagit river. I well remember that day. As we drove up to the river we looked down and saw a huge salmon rolling in a backwash area. There were several fishermen fishing there but when dad saw that salmon roll he said, "that one's mine" and he hurried to the water rigging his rod on the way and cast directly into the spot the salmon had rolled The huge fish took his bait and the fight was on. It took a long time for him to land it but here's proof that he did. I was positive my dad was the best fisherman in the world.

 Dad is 50 here with mom at my sister's wedding. Dad didn't like dressing up. He usually wore jeans and plaid shirts, flannel in the winter and cotton in the summer so seeing him in a suit was very unusual. He looked nice but I think he was uncomfortable and couldn't wait to get home, change clothes and get a cup of coffee with sugar and cream.

Again at age 50

Dad died from a heart attack about three and a half years after this picture was taken at age 54. I was 35.  He believed in the Lord so I'm sure he is with Him in paradise now. Mom joined them in 2001.

Someday there's going to be one heck of a reunion going on up there!!!

Thank you dad for all the days you worked so we would have food and clothes and a place to live. Thank you for the wonderful Christmases and the sweet gifts.

Thank you for the surprises and for teaching me how to fish and keep the hook in the cork handle.

Thank you for laughing with me and not at me when I goofed.

Thank you for caring for me even when I was a brat.

I miss you

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WHAT'S BLOOMIN'

It's been a busy day here. I met with friends for lunch then came home, put on my shorts and went to weeding the gardens. This is never ending. I was doing just fine yanking the long mean buttercups up by the roots when I felt something crawling on me. I finally took time to look down and discovered I was standing in an ant nest and those little critters were creeping around on my feet and legs up to my thighs. One even bit me! Gosh I did a quick stomping dance and brushed them off but as I sit here at the computer I feel like they are still crawling on me.  Just now I felt something in my bra and thought it was an ant but discovered a sesame seed that dropped in at lunch.

Now for some of my June Posies.

Here is my very fragrant Patty Rose. I still don't know the real name so call it after my daughter who got me the twig from the mother plant so  could start this one

Here is a close-up. I sure wish you could smell it.

 The Columbine have re-seeded profusely and I have hundreds of plants all over the property. They are even growing in the bricks. It's fun when they re-seed because you get such a huge variety of shades of purple and pink.

 I love to take pictures of these delicate blossoms from underneath with the sky in the background.

 Most of my Rhody's were beat up so badly by the Bucks during the last rut that some didn't even bloom this year but this one is inside my fence where the deer don't go.

Here's another Columbine. Notice the dark purple color. This is another that was reseeded. I don't know where this color came from. Must be a throwback! The busy little fuzzy-butted bee wasn't the least bit bothered that I nearly placed my lens on his fanny. Maybe because his eyes are on his other end. It's interesting how the wings look white in this picture.

This little girl in my lower garden holds her skirt up to catch rain drops for thirsty little creatures.

I've always been fascinated with Iris but the older I get the better I like them. They are so easy to care for, the deer haven't bothered them, I just plant the rhizome and let the earth care for it. Except for the slugs and snails it's pretty safe and gives me a great deal of pleasure year after year.

The Lithodora is doing very well this year. The small clumps I planted a few years back have grown a lot. This one is about two feet in diameter. Another in the back yard is about five feet in diameter. I love the true blue of this blossom.

 

Age must have something to do with the colors we like. Or maybe they just grow on us. My mom in law gave me this Iris as a small rhizome many years ago. I thought the color was weird but wanted flowers so bad I planted it anyway. It still isn't my favorite but there is something regal about it. Or maybe it's because I loved my mom in law so I love her Iris.

Yellow Pansy and purple violas. The pansy isn't doing much blooming, only one or two blossoms at a time. Maybe it's just intimidated by the profusely blooming viola. It sort of looks rather ashamed of itself hanging it's head down like that! LOL

My Paul II Clematis is really showing off this year and I'm loving it!! I have it growing between the house and the shed. The deer usually find it and eat the blossoms but this year I strung rope up so they will have to struggle a bit to get to this clematis. As a result, I am enjoying over 50 blossoms!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A lovely purple Columbine in the sky.

Say 'cheese' Tildy! Who says doggies don't smile? Matilda Rose does it all the time. She laughs too. Really!

Here's my mellow yellow Day Lily. I don't know if it actually has a name. I've had it so long I don't even know where it came from.

I've only had this Iris a few years but it is definitely one of my favorites! It has a tiny bit of  lavender but it's barely noticeable. I have two of these plants and one is nearly waist high. Talk about a show-off!

Here is a closeup of  the same Iris.
I thought the yellow part looked like a colorful caterpillar so.....

I took a macro shot, then put it in photo shop and added another eye. If you enlarge this you can see it better. I think he makes a very pretty critter. Can you think of a name for it?

Fresh salad vegetables and hot oatmeal bread. Life is so good.
Thank you dear Lord, and God Bless You Everyone!

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