Love...

I have a garden of my own,
Shining with flowers of every hue;
I loved it dearly while alone,
But I shall love it more with you.
(Thomas Moore)

Today, thanks to my sister, Jan, and brother-in-law, Gary, I got to share my garden with Bernie & Theresa two of my faithful blog readers. It was great to meet you and I do love to show the garden to others. They presented me an awesome cast stone made from a rhubarb leaf that I will share in a future post. Thank you!
Today's topic is love and the favorite flower of today is the only one I have with love in it's name. "Love Lies Bleeding" amaranth, another heirloom plant you can find under "Burpees Heirloom Seeds". I love it because it is very tall and showy and the birds just love to eat the seeds off of it. I save the garlands and decorate the garden Christmas trees with it each year.
It is gorgeous up close - almost like a string of beads.

But here is the main reason for today's "LOVE" topic...today is our 31st wedding anniversary and I am as proud to say "I love Jeff" today as I was way back when.

Some love quotes for you....

Love one another and you will be happy. It's as simple and as difficult as that. ~Michael Leunig
Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same. ~Emily Brontë
Love is the greatest refreshment in life. ~Pablo Picasso
Love would never be a promise of a rose garden unless it is showered with light of faith, water of sincerity and air of passion. ~Author Unknown
You know when you have found your prince because you not only have a smile on your face but in your heart as well. ~Author Unknown
Love puts the fun in together, the sad in apart, and the joy in a heart. ~Author Unknown

Beautiful tigers....

Aren't these guys beauties? The favorite flower of the weekend has to be the good old fashioned tiger lilies. They are so easy to grow and really hold up their heads in my hot and dry garden when other plants are drooping from the heat.

Another scene from "what I did on my summer vacation"...there are 10 lighthouses in Door Co. and we managed to see half of them.

Well rested...

We took some time off this week to ride and camp, hike and relax in beautiful Door County, Wisc. With the islands of Green Bay on one side and beautiful Lake Michigan on the other, it is a fun destination that I hope to visit again someday.

While we were gone, MN experienced high heat and higher humidities but we had it made with great temps and cool evenings around the campfire. With all the heat & humidity, the gardens grew like crazy and everything survived thanks to Nathan coming out to water. THANKS NATHAN!The peninsula is known for it's cherry orchards and there are many of them as well as roadside stands selling sweet and tart cherries. Good thing, I'm a cherry loving gal! Oh and did I mention the six wineries that offer tours and tastings :-) In Door Co. even the cheese has cherries in it...Yup, it's a good thing, I'm a cherry loving gal :-)

A cup of blessing...

"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; for beauty is God's handwriting - a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every fair flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing."
Ralph Waldo Emerson


I haven't really paid too much attention to R.W.E before and English (with the grammar and literature that accompanied it) was not my favorite subject in school but his quotes are really quite good. I am reading a book about contentment and his quotes are sprinkled all over the place. So instead of today's favorite flower let me tell you about my favorite time of day...the hour before sunset and watching the sun set. The work is done, it's time to unwind and just relax before ending the day, and the sunset is a different and wonderful light show each night. The almost setting sun makes for a whole new perspective in the garden. A lowly daylily comes aglow...
Horizontal beams of light hit ordinary plants making them look extraordinary...
Then the sun sets behind the trees to the west and the whites still have enough light to "pop" in the late evening garden.
And then most nights I go around to the side of the grove and watch my rural unobstructed sunset which almost always is something like this...yes, I am content and thankful to God for my full cup of blessings.

This time...

"This time, like all other times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
A shady spot on a hot afternoon...the relaxing sounds of running water...a wren's song...and a new book arriving in today's mail - I knew exactly what to do with "this time" and yes, it was a very good one :-)

The favorite flower of the day is "Kent Beauty" oregano which is an ornamental marjoram. This one is pretty hard to find and I had missed it for a couple of years before finding it once again at Thomsen's this spring.

It looks so great trailing over the side of a pot.

Cousins...part 2

More cousins that were important parts of Jayme & Scott's wedding day - of course there are many more and we were honored to have them all there, I just didn't have my camera handy...sorry!
The garden is looking great these days but as you can see from the brown lawn in the background it is very dry here...we need rain soon.
My favorite flower today is the lisanthus. I just love this annual from it's rosebud looking buds to it's beautiful blooms. It is an excellent cut flower though I don't always have the heart to cut a stem when they last so much longer out in the garden. These were a little hard to find this year and I ended up going to Thomsen's Greenhouse in St. Joseph, MN. The list of available annuals is hard to beat :-)

Cousins are cozy...

Cousins are cozy wherever they're from;
They feel like your family whenever they come.
Some people have many; Most people have some.
Cousins are cozy, Wherever they're from.

Jayme has 33 first cousins and we are so happy that most of them made it to the big wedding celebration. Two really went the DISTANCE and it was great to see them there. Above is Jayme's cousin Chris, his wife Megan & children Lucie & Ryan along with his parents (my sister) Laura & Ralph. They are the California delegation who flew into town early for more time with family - thanks guys!
Chris & family got the prize for traveling the furthest distance :-)

Next is cousin Jennifer who flew in with her boyfriend, Ed from Brooklyn, NY. How wonderful it was to see them since it has been several years! Jennifer is a wonderfully talented girl who is currently auditioning in NY - we know she is going to be famous someday!

One last shot of Lucie dressed up in her party dress :-)

Something old...

We've all heard the "something old, something borrowed, something blue" about brides at weddings. A quick google search led to this definition of the custom.
"Something old" symbolizes continuity with the bride's family and the past and Jayme did several things to bring in the memory of grandparents as well as a precious childhood memory.

Look closely under her left hand and wrapped around her bouquet stems is a yellow hankie. She is the 4th generation to own it...it was her Great Grandma Bessie's and then her Grandma Alma's who both passed away before she was ever born. My mother gave it to me for my wedding day 31 years ago (the second shot shows it in my bouquet hand) and I gifted it to Jayme for her special day.

Grandma Mary passed away in 2005 and Jayme honored her by wearing one of her brooches on her sash. Later, she danced with Grandpa to "Waltz across Texas" which was "their song" - you can see the flood of emotions and memories in Grandpa's face.

Lastly, is the "leaf" she is holding out in the photo...Jayme was reluctant to give up her childhood security blanket in her early years so Jeff & I used to tease her about walking down the aisle with it someday. It finally fell apart and I saved the bits and pieces. I couldn't resist and crafted her a leaf to tuck in amongst the real ones out of the slippery outer binding :-)

My favorite flower today is another "something old", the orange gem marigold. It is a marvelous plant to have along side a path as just a little brush with your leg or the hose releases the most wonderful citrusy scent. I buy it as a package of seeds from "Burpee's Heirloom Seeds".

Favorite...

My dictionary defines favorite as "liked or preferred above all others"

Every time I am outside - I always pick a daily favorite in the garden so I have decided to share a few with you over the next few months. Today's favorite is once again the pineapple lily. It is now in full bloom which is not quite the September bloom time the package stated. I purchased it as a 2 pk of bulbs (only 1 grew) from Menards this spring. Hopefully, this bulb survives it's winter storage in the basement and I will have it for years to come as it is quite a striking bloom.

Just can't resist showing you a few more fun wedding shots - "a walk in the park" and "one step forward". This group was photogenic even in the hot, humid afternoon weather.

I saw Red...

Today as I was weeding the garden I saw a flash of red. I didn't think much of it as we have the pretty red house finches but after a few minutes I heard a "chirping" I hadn't heard before. I looked up and it was a cardinal. Cardinals are very rare here in my garden...in 20 years I have only seen them about 4 times so it was quite the treat to have this guy stay all day. I ran to the house for the camera and took about 100 (well, maybe that's a slight exaggeration) photos and even managed to capture him taking a bath :-) What a wonderful experience this afternoon was!
a cool drink...
a splishing and a splashing...


and a little scratch behind the head :-)

A wonderful reception...

The food and speeches were great...
The ballroom was gorgeous...
The cake was beautiful...

And the cupcakes were delicious...just ask Alexis!

Isn't she beautiful....

Our beautiful daughter on her wedding day. Of course, Scott's pretty handsome too :-)
Congratulations to the new couple and may they have many years of married bliss!

On Saturday, 7.7.07 without any of the labor pains or the stress of child rearing we gained a new son...here is Nathan, Jayme & Scott. We had a wonderful 5 days celebrating Jayme & Scott's wedding with friends and family. It was such a beautiful day that not even the 90 degree temps could ruin it. I am still basking in the joy of all the fun the days preceding and after brought - we thank everyone who traveled all the way up to Duluth to enjoy this special time with our family! It truly was one huge family/friend vacation...
The wedding party was gorgeous in the beautiful dresses and tuxes. I will post more photos in the coming days...today is busy with the catching up of laundry, paperwork and the watering of my poor parched garden which still managed to grow by leaps & bounds in the 6 days I was gone.

Simple joys...

"The lesson I have thoroughly learnt, and wish to pass on to others, is to know the enduring happiness that the love of a garden gives..."
(Gertrude Jekyll)

While I was sitting at the patio table this morning trying to find a few minutes of peace before my busy day, I noticed this bright display of self seeded flowers. I didn't plant them and haven't actually planted petunias in the ground for years but every year they self seed and come up on their own. Last year I added a 6 pack of moss roses around the garden and this year I have them everywhere...I love colorful surprises like this and they bring me joy!

The hydrangeas are in full bloom as well as the balloon flowers...imagine yesterday's cardinal flower in the mix and we have 4th of July patriotism :-) I wish you a wonderful and safe holiday!
My new lily I added this year is finally blooming...introducing "Tango".

By His hands we all are fed...

For flowers that bloom about our feet;
For tender grass so fresh and sweet;
For song of bird and hum of bee;
For all things fair we hear and see,
Father in Heaven, we thank Thee!
(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

The garden is really coming to life these days. I have white, pink & yellow lilies blooming...the annuals are starting to fill the black spaces and the hydrangeas are blooming. This is my first year growing a cardinal flower in my pond. The foilage is a dark burgundy and these are my first red blossoms. On another note, I just love my new bird feeder! Several years ago I saw one like it on another bloggers photo site and loved it ever since. While shopping in Duluth, I happened upon one and it was one of those "gotta have" moments ;-) You'll probably be seeing it again and again.