How does my garden grow?

I never seem to have time to post in the summer. Where am I you ask? In my Garden of course. Let me show you what is blooming now and what I have been up to.

 Notice the pesty red beetle? I have been dusting and spraying and now I pick them off as I find them. He went in a jar of soapy water when I finished taking the picture.

As you can see lots of day lilies. I just love them and have been buying them for years.

The roses and cone flower look pretty too.

 Then I have gone a made up a couple little fairy gardens...more to come too.

Happy Gardening all!

Join me for Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Daydreamer.

Summer gardens

The foxglove are doing well this year as are my ferns and valerian...not so good for some others. Holes chewed in the leaves and I have sprayed hot pepper spray and insecticidal soap the good old sevin! I still have some buggers leaving holes in my leaves.

This is an old rose with the sweetest scent. It came from hubby's grandmother's yard 41 years ago. Notice the chewed leaves and I used  systemic granules also.

 I tried to get a good picture of Hobo, my stray kitty who now has a home with us. He is too busy looking for the chipmunks he knows are in the wall.

 The peonies have done well too. They are a favorite of mine. This one came from my Mom's home.

 This cinnamon fern is just stunning from all angles.

Rainy Day Projects and a bit of gardening

The weather is getting a bit better here and then after a couple nice days it gets cool again. YUK! I am weeding and cleaning up my perennial beds. Lots of thug plants being pulled out. I put a couple new iris' in and some spring color. This is my south side garden. I know we are thinking of re-shingling this side of the house and I want it done in the fall so my flowers don't get trampled. No matter how careful they are stuff happens.

While working out I had decided I needed a new potting bench and while both hubby and son promise to build me one I am guessing,(after a couple of years) I need to deal with it myself so I bought this.

On the rainy spring days it got put together, some caster wheels added to keep the dampness from rotting the wood. The a few coats of marine varnish and I wheeled it out here. I love my new potting bench. Not to fancy but just right for what I need. I got it in Christmas Tree Shop for $49.99 and then I had a $10 coupon so it was $39.99, The casters were about $18.00 and the varnish was $7.49. So for $65.48 I built this cute little bench. No power tools needed.

Then another rainy day when I had some appointments cancelled I was looking for a candle holder and realized I had candles and holders in about five different places. I gathered them all up. Went to my storage room under the kitchen and decided all the little kid things from when my grands were little could be donated and recycled and the game shelves would be perfect for my candle storage. So this is what I came up with.

There are many in use around the house, but I swear I am not buying another candle for a long, long time. I don't burn them like I used to and I was really surprised how many there were. The plastic boxes are full too. I threw out  a lot of burnt down candles and many were gifts, but really I have enough for the rest of my life. I used to be a huge Yankee candle fan and now I love soy candles and prim looking candles. I am starting to think it is time for these to go.....Next on my organizing list is going to be my gift wrap stuff. I may need a week and a huge trash can.

Looking forward to Spring

Welcome Spring

A little something fresh for the front door.

We spent the weekend doing garden cleanup. Ouch! I am so sore. I need to move more. I really feel it, but all the flower beds are cleaned and fertilized.

 

I have had such a hard time because my Bitty was my garden kitty. He followed me around and would roll and play, jump out when I least expected it. It just felt too darn quiet. The wind would blow a leaf and I would turn, looking for my buddy....

 

Goodbye, my friend

My Bitty

Let me you the story of my sweet cat.  

Ten almost eleven years ago my step Dad pasted away on a beautiful August morning. He was a sweet gentle man and we all loved him. You see my Dad passed away at 43 yrs old. I truly think my Dad sent Ed to my Mom and us. I was grown and married, but I knew Ed longer that my natural Father. Well a week after Ed passed one of my Mom's cats had eight kittens. Now my Mom and Ed had four cats, mostly feral cats they took in and had all but one spayed. So anyway the last kitten born, after all the rest was my Bitty. Smaller then all the rest and a bit weak. After a few weeks the mother cat pushed him away. He cuddled and looked for warmth anywhere...my Mom got worried and took him to the vet. Now the vet gave him fluids and sent my Mom home with a tiny baby bottle to feed him. She told her sometimes the Mother cat senses something wrong, but my Mom wanted to try to save the peanut. I had been there that day and with twelve kitties I thought she was a little crazy. My Mom kept telling me there was something special about this one and that she would keep this kitten and find homes for the other seven. She stayed up all night and held him, fed him and loved him. She continued to care for him.

This would be Jake and Hubby's and one of my granddaughters last visit with my Mom. She was only 67 and in good health. It was a Sunday and we had such a nice time. On Thursday that week I had gone down and we went to lunch, played with the kittens and it was after I left that day she took the little gray one to the vet.

The following Sunday my Mom had a heart attack and went to heaven. Who would guess in a matter of weeks we would lose both my Mom and step Dad?

When we went to her house my Jake who called my Mom Snow White. Her last name was White and it was his special name for her. One she loved...well, he kept saying Snow White wants me to bring this kitty home. I had dibs on the gray tiger cat, but Jake said Snow White wanted him to take care of this one. He wrapped in in a small towel and carried him and his baby bottles home with us. He was so tiny he fit in the palm of your hand. I truly didn't think he would make it. I feel that this sweet kitten is what helped Jake to get through all the family grieving and such. He was only eight  years old. He fed and cared for the kitten, cuddled and loved him.  As everything settled down I found that the kitten was my salvation also, when I cried he licked my tears. Bitty was always snuggling and purring. He went everywhere that I did. Especially loved being in the garden with me. He was always at my computer with me too. I had a big black 18 yr old cat that passed away that year and Bitty became more and more attached. The funny thing is that Bitty would always go to all the people my Mom loved. I always felt her spirit through him.

He grew into a beautiful cat that we all loved so much.

As you know at Christmas he got sick and when I went to the vet he said he had congestive heart failure. We gave him some treatments to release the fluid around his heart and put him on medicine. He went from almost 17 lbs to 9.5 my little peanut had gotten so weak it broke my heart. Bitty was living on water and the treats I put his medicine in. I gave him Fancy feast, tuna, anything to get him to eat, he would give it a lick and walk away. We went to the vet on Thursday morning. I knew he wasn't doing well and he kept going off and hiding. My heart was so sad. The vet gave him a treatment, but it was his time. He left us that night and I am sure he is snuggling with my Mom in heaven. It is her turn to have him to love. I am crying as I type my goodbye to my sweet Bitty.

"and yes, Mom there was something special about this one"