Poppies

 

I'm still having a problem getting my pictures off my camera but my DIL kindly took lots of pictures of my poppies this morning and so these are some of the ones she took.  There are several kinds including the big exuberant Oriental poppies as well as smaller, annual Shirley poppies that self-sow, even some California and Welsh poppies.  I hope you enjoy seeing them.

Thanks for visiting today,  GM

 

 

Saturday's Walk

 I'm having a small problem downloading my pictures onto my computer. Middle son fixed it but it needs more attention. I really wish I could resolve this kind of problem myself but alas I can't.  So...these pictures are from yesterday's walk around the lake. It was a lovely sunny day; today we didn't see the sun until mid afternoon.  There were several small boats on the water.  People fishing.

On the one side of the boardwalk the water is relatively clear of water lilies but not on the other side.

It looks like a couple of goose families have joined together,watching over the goslings as they graze.

I hope you had a pleasant weekend and are ready for a new week.

Thanks for coming by,  GM

Blue Iris

 

 

It's a wet and windy day. Good thing I worked outside yesterday getting some of the weeds out.  So far this morning I've vacuumed the main floor and mopped upstairs. That should do for a few days. 
I made my grocery list for tomorrow's shopping and now at 9:30 I have the rest of the day to do as I please.  Can you tell I'm a morning person?  On the other hand by 6 PM  I'm totally tired out.  What is it they call us?  I know that people who stay awake until all hours are called Night Owls but I can't remember what us early birds are called. In any case, that's me.

Because of the wind and rain my blue Iris, which have the biggest flowers, have all bent over. This in spite of the staking I did. That colour of Iris have a delightful scent. I brought in a large bouquet and it fills the house with its wonderful smell.  For some reason Blogger is not letting me post any pictures today so you'll have to use your imagination to 'see' my lovelies.
Talking about the blue Iris brought to my mind a Mary Oliver poem.

 

It doesn’t have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.

 

Thanks for coming by, I hope you have a great day!

Changing a Few Things

 This morning I was inspired to change the look of the sideboard in the dining area. The turquoise dishes had been there since after Christmas so I took them off ( and did a much needed dusting while I was at it).

Then I took out these pieces that Sheila gave me one Mother's Day years ago.

 I took the turquoise pieces down to the 'new' cupboard.

 

 That was a quick change-about and it didn't take very long to do. That's the kind of project I like.

It's rather cloudy today. I was out pulling weeds earlier but  my back doesn't appreciate me doing too much bending over so I made sure to quit before I really wanted to. The weeds are growing faster than I can pull them and there's no use hoeing them if we keep getting rain. So I left the weeds for another day.

What have you been keeping busy doing?

Thanks for coming by,  GM

On the Porch

 

 I spend so much time on my back porch and I like to change things around from time to time.  I've had an old quilt draped over the swing for years and was thinking of changing the look.

 When I was walking past bedspreads at the thrift store I saw a lovely slightly faded one and knew immediately that it was just right.

It had two shams so I used one to cover the pillow I use when I nap here ( nothing more likely to lull a person to sleep than a swing.)

And the other sham to cover this wicker chair pad.

I keep my rock collection out here ( yes, that's one more thing I collect).

Incidentally, that white table in the first pictures was a .50 purchase a while ago.  Youngest son gave it 2 coats of white paint and it has found a home on the porch.

Whatever your weekend holds I hope it's a good one.

 

Thanks for visiting,  G.M.

A Cupboard and a Groundcover

A month or so ago I was given this cupboard which I thought I'd use in my potting area. Eldest daughter gave it a couple of coats of paint and  DH and youngest son put it into place.

 

 Here it is before I put some gardening things on the shelves. I liked it but found that it was so hidden away that I wanted it closer to the house.

 My longsuffering menfolk moved it to the area just by the back door and I like it much better there.

I have some dishes that will look great on those shelves. They're just the right colour.

 

I have this groundcover that is quite pretty but invasive. I've always called it Meadowsweet but I would like to know for sure what it's called. I wonder if anyone can identify it for me.

Youngest son did come today and cleared quite an area giving me some much needed room to plant some new perennials. I'm excited to go choose some this weekend.

Thank you for all the lovely comments on my Clematis. I think the wind and rain we had 2 nights ago have caused many petals to fall. I took pictures just in time.

Thanks for coming by,  GM

Birds and Bread

Is there any bird more graceful than a swallow?  I sat by the lake and watched them swoop past each other and I was amazed that they didn't bump into each other. It's cloudy today and I wonder if that brought more gnats and other flying insects out.  Whatever it was it meant a feast for the birds.

The bushes around me were full of activity too as Chickadees and Bush tits searched for their breakfasts. I was thrilled when this little yellow bird flew past me and landed briefly on a tree. I believe it is a female Yellow Warbler.   (picture from the internet)

I baked this Dill bread for the second time this weekend. The recipe came from Karen ( Happy One at Life is Good). She has a recipe blog as well called Karen's Kitchen and it's full of great recipes. Being the haphazard baker that I am I didn't get my loaves the same size but who cares as long as it tastes good.  Actually the second time I made it I made it into 3 loaves which is a better size for us.

The washer and dryer have both finished their cycles now so I'm off to fold laundry. I hope your week is off to a good start.  GM