Garden Tour

 Today Bob and I power sprayed our deck in preparation for staining it.  Tomorrow we will see if I will do it.  Depends on how hot it gets.

 I could not believe how different it looks and how much dirt comes out of the wood.

 Bob has a few Bonsai's out on the deck.  Here is his Japanese Maple and my herons.  Then I also have my studious grumpy frog.

As you leave the deck you pass a fountain and our old brick pathway to the garage.  I have a weeping larch in this bed and hostas of course.

 On the brick pathway is my planter of chicks and hens.  One has shot up a huge bloom.  I am waiting anxiously for this to open.  Very strange looking.

 At the bottom of the step you are looking at what I call the "Nude Boy" Garden due to the nude boy bird bath that sits in it.  It is doing so well this year and it is one of my favorite beds.

 When we put up the privacy fence last year I planted hostas way back in that corner under the cedar trees.  It looks really shady and woodsy in there now.

 On the one side of the deck is a japanese maple and what I call a Grandpa tree.  It is really a weeping cedar but it looks to me like an old man bent and gnarly.

 I had to plant a mulberry tree in the garden.  When I was young there was a mulberry tree that I would crawl under since the branches grow to the ground.  Ours is just like it and here is a  peak into its interior.  My Grandson Max, loves to go inside this tree.

 Besides hosta and huchera I have a lot of astilbe in my garden since it is mostly shade.  The white one is looking beautiful right now.

 The daylilies are almost finished blooming but still add a pop of orange in the far back of the garden.
Do you see my Christmas present from my grandson, Max hanging in the tree?  It is a colorful bird house he painted by himself when he was still 3!

 I have three birdbaths in the garden.  Here is the smallest one yet the one the Blue Jays enjoy the most.  Maybe because it is furthest from the house.

 We have an arbor separating the area behind the garage from the rest of the yard.  This is where we have our garden shed and garden.

 Peppers are still producing great peppers.  Hot ones too!

 The squash is blooming so we should have some delicious squash closer to fall.

Tomatoes everywhere.  We always end up with way too many tomato plants.  There will be lots of salsa and sauce made this year.

 It is not a huge garden but we get a lot out of it and it is managable for us.  Have to keep the hose and sprinkler ready to go each day right now since it is so dry and hot.

 Had to bring a little bit of color back here in my antique watering can.

 If you sit a while with me I may bring you an ice tea to drink.   You will be looking back at this....

The humble house I call home.  I just love it.  This photo was taken around 7pm tonite.   Now I suppose you want to know what is my favorite thing in my garden.  That is easy.

 It is our Paperbark Maple.  It is still young but the bark is getting really good now and peeling like it should.  I just love this tree.  In fall it will be one of the last to loose its leaves and they will be a bright orange-red. 

What is not to love about this texture and colors!!!!!  This will end up in a quilt one of these days.

Hope you enjoyed the tour.  I have enjoyed sharing my back yard with you.  Next I will show you the front yard.

A Little of this & that

 Finished quilting and binding "Coneflowers".
 

 Finished quilting and binding "Flight".

Then this morning we went out to lunch with our friends Mel and Heide.  After lunch we drove up to Manitowoc to the Gardens Along the Lake.  It was 48 degrees and drizzling.  Could not believe the change in the weather but we tried to make the best of it.  Had to take a photo of these old trees with branches of strange shapes.

 This one layed on the arbor.  (Notice the parking lot.  We were the only ones there in this awful weather.)

 Most of the flowers were just beginning to bloom.  I loved this varigated leaf yellow iris.  I have to find these somewhere.

 The Koi pond and waterfall was just beginning to have lily pads and blooms in it.

 These dark red velvety iris were stunning.

 Mel and Bob were troopers with collars up and hands in their pockets.

When I got home and headed to the studio, my buddies Ozzie and Watson were waiting at the top of the steps for me.  They almost match!

 I did some sketching of radishes....

and a Kohlrabi.  Then I cleaned up the studio which needed it.    Perhaps my final 3 twelve by twelve's will be one of these.

Flowers Flowers Everywhere

 It has been a week of gardening.  First at my mothers and then at my house.  The garden is beautiful and the Lupines are in full bloom.

 The poppies are all open and looking spectacular in orange.

The tree peonies are also opening and are huge in pink.....

 and fushia.  I love how you see the big bud and the next morning it is wide open and gorgeous.

 All of my pots are full and I hope a nice contrast of greens and burgundys.

This is a new grass we are trying.  It reminds me of chives but is much larger.

I did get in the studio yesterday afternoon and fused this flower on.  Today I quilted all of it except the lightest purple petals which I will do in the morning.  Life is good.

Nude Boy & Sparrows

I looked out my kitchen window and there must have been 8 sparrows in the small bird bath at the base of my nude boy in the garden.  I took a picture but many of them flew off and the rest were splashing around so much they turned into a blur!  Love the colors  in the photo though.

I did not get all the quilting done on my Moose piece.  I worked hard but there was way more to do then I thought.  So I have the bird and the border left.  I must admit, I am pretty sick of green.

There were a lot of different greens in this piece and although I LOVE green, enough is enough.

I am thinking of doing another underwater piece after  this one.  

I enjoyed doing one a few years ago and have this idea that has been swirling around in my head.

It will be perfect to work on in winter too.

Camoflage Etc.

 I have added the border and some thistle like flowers to the scene.  My goose is complete except his eye which will go on last.   I am wondering if it is finished or not?  I have just been looking at it for the last few days.  What do you think?  Does it need more or is less more?

In the meantime I went back to what was going to be just a fun quicky little piece and has turned into a frustrating pain in the -----!   I cropped it, took off the bird, added borders and replaced the bee outside of the border to add depth.  I think I am finished with this now.  I have no where else to go with it and I hope the quilting brings it back to life.

On another note, the funniest thing has happened.  As most of you know we have a hot tub on our deck that we enjoy in the early morning hours.  Several weeks ago I posted a photo of a tree frog sitting on one of my shutters on the back of our house.  Well since that he has taken up residency under our spa cover on the top edge of the spa.

In the morning when we go to use the spa he is there.  When we get in he jumps over to the railing where we have vines growing.  It is about a foot jump.

Then he works his way up to the top ledge and sits there watching us.

If we stay too long he jumps back on the spa as if to say "I waited long enough, it is time for you to get out and leave me in peace!"

Now how strange and funny is that?

Fringe Tree

We bought a new tree.  It is called a Fringe Tree.  It has fringe like blooms that smell like Jasmine.

It is glorious right now!

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