Cedar Waxwing takes a bath...

Catch up...

I have blogged in weeks, this blog has been overwhelmed with spam comments that somehow get through all the filters and it is so disheartening that other than coming to delete them I have ignored the whole "blog thing". I finally decided to disable comments and if you like what you see - feel free to let me know by checking a reaction box at the bottom of each post.

If you are a reader that doesn't live in MN you may not know about the crazy weather we had the whole month of June. We had rain, rain and more rain and lots of cloudy, but still very humid days. One afternoon we had crazy puff clouds that my husband described as marshmallow clouds.

A little over a week ago our ground finally became saturated to the point it could take no more water and this is what our farmland looked like as well as my niece's driveway.

Since moving to this home in 1981, this is the first time we had standing water on our lawns and flower beds...

and a pail I had forgotten on the patio table was filled to the brim with just a couple days worth of rain.

It is July 1st and I have not had to water the inground gardens at all this summer and my potted plants I've only watered 2-3 times. While the garden is growing and blooming so are the weeds. Due to health issues I have not been able to go out and weed so I am getting overwhelmed with how bad it looks. Once again I will focus on some "tight" shots so you do not see the thistle patch that used to be my backyard, but instead the beauty of the gorgeous blossoms. Today's focus is on some of my clematis.

2014 Garden Party #6...

The garden is still full of weeds since I spent the last week loving on my 4 grandchildren but there is much beauty amongst the dandelions and thistles! Anybody else having a terrible time with thistles? I don't know where they are coming from but I have many and other locals are saying the same thing. Now on to the beauty…my current favorite flower(s) are my coral peonies. They are just stunning…

aren't they gorgeous? I purchased root stock from Hidden Springs Flower Farm and planted them in the fall of 2012 and they finally are at peak. Last year, I purchased and planted a yellow variety but no blossoms this year.

My old fashioned magenta peonies and a pink/yellow variety are also blooming - the medium pinks and whites are only budding.

The irises peaked earlier in the week…

the pastels are my favorites, especially the peach and pink.

There is color from the Miss Kim lilacs and snowball bush as well as some my Bourbon clematis, painted daises, shasta daisies, yarrow and veronica.

Maybe by next Thursday's post I will have the weeding done for some shots of the whole garden sans thistles :) Please click HERE to head over to Fishtail Cottage and view the rest of the garden party participants.

2014 Garden Party #5...

It's Thursday and that means time to join the Garden Party over at Fishtail Cottage once again! It also means little Aleah Jo is one week old, can you think of any better reason why I missed joining the party last week?

With all the rains we've had lately my garden weeds have grown by leaps and bounds so I chose not to show any big garden views this week until I can spend some time out there taming the jungle.  But amongst the bright yellow dandelion blooms are some beautiful blossoms finally opening up including the irises.

Everything is so late this year that I am still waiting for the peonies to bloom, but I finally have lilacs (the scent is heavenly), jack-in-the-pulpits, wild phlox, columbine and one lone guernsey cream clematis blossom.

The first shasta daisies have appeared…

and this big snapper moseyed across our lawn the other day. Except for these quick photos we kept the dogs and Bailey far away from those strong snapping jaws!

Scripture Sunday 22...

(my first repeat verse of the year, but these precious grand babies are truly perfect gifts)

Happy Birth Day, Aleah Jo!

Scripture Sunday 21...

Serviceberry...

After planting a serviceberry shrub when I created my garden in 2000-2001, I couldn't help but awe at how much it was a bird magnet until every last berry was gone. The fact that it has beautiful white spring blossoms and great yellow fall color was the icing on the cake. Soon I added a serviceberry tree, behind the rock fountain for a spot for the birds to roost before going down to drink or bathe and then once again to roost and groom. Planting this tree was a decision I have never regretted, the tree version has the same beautiful white spring blossoms but has awesome red-orange fall foiliage. This week the tree was in full blossom so I always had my camera handy to capture some of the beautiful birds perched amongst the blossoms.

The indigo bunting is so shy I could never crank open my window before he flew away so these last photos are a little hazy taken through my dirty window. Getting them washed this weekend is high priority so I can get some better shots!

A few none serviceberry shots because Mr. and Mrs. Goldfinch are always so cooperative during photo shoots!

2014 Garden Party #4...

I am happy I made the goal of joining Fishtail Cottage's Garden Party each week. It gets me out to take photos of the flowers like I used to and I have discovered I missed seeing the garden up close and personal :)

This week the service berry tree and shrub are both in full bloom.

I love to take photos of the birds among the blossoms…

The tulips, daffodils and muscari are all bright little spots of color in my backyard garden.

The front beds are also colorful with tulips but our harsh winter has really damaged all my roses. A few bushes are sprouting new growth from the roots but some look completely dead.

I finally went annual shopping and bought enough to only do my planters. I'll have to make another trip this weekend for garden plants. I planted the front pots in a cherry color scheme and the patio ones are a hodgepodge of plants that caught my eye. I especially like the cherry/white verbena blossoms.

Hop on over to Fishtail Cottage to see what others are sharing this week. I always enjoy looking at other gardens!

Tuesday tidbits…

1. I love migration season, I can spot fun migrators, like this Tennessee Warbler just looking out my window.

2. Making Jeff create a fountain out of this huge boulder we unearthed in our field was one of the best "honey do" projects I've ever thought up. Who would have guessed the number of birds it would attract!
3. I take way too many photos of bathing birds.

4. They are just as fun to watch while grooming.

5. It's hard to tell in these cropped photos but the rock is currently covered in bird p**p brought in by the grackles - a sure sign that the first hatches of the season has begun.

mosaic Monday...

male orchard oriole

female orchard oriole

goldfinches

and a new hobby…painted furniture!

It was a fun seeing the transformation these two old dressers made! I wish I had saved the before photos but have already deleted them off my phone, the pink one was an off white laminated piece and the white & aqua one was pine. I used the same primer and same brand of paints so I'm waiting to see how these two types of wood hold up to paint before trying any more pieces. The pink one has already found a home as a dresser/changing station for our soon to arrive granddaughter. I'm been helping her parents decorate her nursery and will show finished projects of hers as well as Landon's (where I also did lots of sewing) soon. The ombre drawer one is finding a new home in my sewing area downstairs and will be used to store some of my fabric stash that I am running out of room for!