IN Carmel

         Becky Daisys doing what they do best.  They will bloom for some time standing tall and pretty. There are always surprises.  Some I like and some I could do without.  The without usually includes a critter.  Lately, it's been a big critter that changes the flower count.  I counted 18 flowers and buds gone from the Geranium plant.  I'll call it pruning.  All the tiger lilies buds will have me to wait another year for flowers.  They must have been delicious.  You know...you win some and you lose some. That's a gardeners life.  It doesn't pay to cry over spilled milk.  So surprises continue. Some good, some otherwise.                                                                  Solomon Seal!!                             Yum, yum!!! I did a bit of watering.  That's not new.  I dug some Basil plants for a friend and that's not new either.  Jared would say...same old same old.  Once again he's right.  Just doing some plain old living.                  

                                          So perfect in simplicity.  Pink in the garden is the color this summer.  Wonderful temperatures again.  Woo...two days in a row.  I'll take it.  This morning I did the garden tour.  A few more daylilies gone so the deer spray came out.  Speaking of deer.  I discovered one big deer staring at me as I watered one of the pots.  Then he went on his merry way after which I discovered Daylily flowers eaten.  It's deer spray time.   He showed up again in the evening.        Just a few leftover red geranium red flower peddles.  This was his Tues night snack.  All the red Geraniums off this pot of many made another tasty snack.  I didn't include this in the deer spray application.  Three buds left.  About nine flowers gone!!!! all gone!!!!! A little later but not much later Tues morning, I heard a strange bird call that made me think of hawks.  And sure enough, a huge Redtailed Hawk was high in the tree calling.  I found out that yesterday t

 I'm talking about the weather. There just aren't enough good adjectives to describe this morning.  I was out and about at 8 and worked till 11.  I didn't stop because of the weather.  I just ran out of energy gas.  Three hours will do it.  I worked in the herb garden making the basil look good, trimming back the sweetpea plant, found weeds to pull, and cut down one of the Stella D'oro daylilies, and just futzed.  The lilly will regrow and look nice again in a few weeks.  Daylilies can just look terrible as they age.  It was a glorious morning.  I didn't want it to stop.                                 A honey bee on common milkweed.  Still waiting to welcome the Monarchs. Inside for two hours with lunch, TV, and a surprise fall asleep.  And then outside again.  I found this Big Birtha pepper.  Never fear for this time in the summer months it is about as big as a thimble.  I have no idea how big a Big Birtha grows.             Cute little pepper waiting to be stuffe

 Those are words found in a wonderful Easter morning anthem we have sung on that day.  But every Sunday is a first day, a little Easter.  Church today was good, really good.   Psalm 16, 5 to 11 chosen for the day, the anthem Shalom by Forest sung with accompanying violin and organ.  The gift of more violin music by JS Bach and Mediation by J Massenet all played by Indianapolis Symphony's Philip Matermo and Sunil Kotian's Elija and Elisha sermon.  It was a good Sunday morning of worship.  The prayer for illumination or understanding was prayed in the service.       Guide us, O God, by your word and Spirit, That in your light we may see light, in your truth find freedom, and in your will discover your peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.  A picture of Sunil Kotian talking with Perry Kea, a retired college professor and scholar of all things Bible, discussing the ins and outs of the sermon.  Sunil's wife and son are also in the picture arriving from India two weeks ago

 Another bit of sunshine.  Such a gift to be cared for, watered, and enjoyed.  Many more examples to be discovered soon.   This little garden of flowers got buckets full of water.  Water is the magic that fills buds.  Buds become so big with growth they must explode!   Slow and Easy?  Not! That wasn't Saturday for sure.  Guess the slow and easy Friday was getting me ready for busy bee Saturday.  First it was Bread and Bowl Saturday for ME!  I arrived at church at 8:40 to be greeted by two workers ready for job assignments.  So the work began.  The morning moved right along.  Part of that time was spent again talking about new procedures starting in July.  We purged all the things in the cupboards that had accumulated but not needed making space for what we would need in July and noting what needed to be ordered. The cupboards have been restocked.  Yeah!   I feel a bit more comfortable now about the coming month of new beginnings with people now having an option to eat their meal at

 Slow and easy I would say with moderation in temperature.  That's a great thing.  So a slow and easy day was welcomed.  Transplanted Basil looked like they were doing well.  No rejections at this point.  I saw neighbor Susie at the mailbox and I gave her a clump of Basil plants.  The available number of Basils remains pretty healthy at this point.                  These flower plants were purchased at the Blind School plant sale.  Tiny but interesting.                                                                       It is pictured with it's forgotten name.  Poor thing!  I headed to the drugstore for some over-the-counter allergy pills.  I thought I was over that pesky problem but it's still with me.  The worst part is that the bumps are extremely itchy.  I found some pills that should not support the sleepy part that the first choice of pills brought.  So...we'll try these.  The itching is so uncomfortable.  This body I have been living in for a while continues to

  Queen of the Prairie  I try my best to imagine what the Prairie looked like when this flower was in bloom over a large area along with other prairie flowers.  It must have been a sight.   Another early morning with wordle and crossword, a walk through the garden, breakfast, and bird music.  A super way to start a day quietly and uninterrupted.  Try it...you might like it.  Doug is such a night owl and I roll up the sidewalk early in the evening. With that comes an early rise and Doug crawls out when I say half the morning is gone.  To each his own!   I bought two different pepper plants.  This one is really ahead of the other one.  We ate one for supper.  As usual just a little watering during the morning hours.  I have many basil plants that need to be transplanted.  I transplanted quite a few a couple of weeks ago and now there are more to find a home.  I was out of space so in the afternoon I pulled lettuce past its prime in my garden and the neighbor's garden and planted more

 Woo...I didn't think it could get simpler but it was.  It was an early wake-up.  Wordle happened.   Then crossword puzzle and breakfast on the patio with a whole lot of bird music.   A couple of years old Butterfly Weed plant.  The older the prettier.  Two didn't appear this year and there are two new first-year plants taking that space.  This plant has a wonderful orange color that shouts come on Monarchs.  I can take care of your babies.  The milkweed is ready.                                                         Yes...you guessed it...a picture from last summer.                                                                                       It's a little early yet but I'm ready.  Come on friends.    A few plants got a morning drink, The bird bath got filled and then I noticed that there were a few things knocked over and eaten.  Not much but Mr. Deer had been around during the night.  The tomato plants lost a few leaves.   The day promised to be a warm one

 That was Tues...Simple.  Watering in the morning only included the pots of flowers found around the yard.  The rest of the morning was a church morning.  I headed south with some vinca to plant in the pot that held Lantana.  There were more reasons for the trip than just Vinca.  About every three months, a Bread and Bowl order is submitted for vegetables, margarine, and fruit to McFarlings. That needed to happen again and the order form was at church. After planting the vinca and an additional 8 gal. of water added to the pot in the parking lot at church I headed in to do the order.  I also returned about 40 yards of red fabric that we used for our yearly Pentecost sanctuary visuals celebration. A lot of talk about new procedures at Bread and Bowl coming in July were discussed with the Tuesday crew of B and B workers. I missed an important meeting while visiting with Jared and family.  The morning was simply a good one with a lot accomplished.   When I passed neighbor Judy's house

My Juneteenth started with some work.  I tore into the northeast side of the house tackling the Woodland forget-me-nots.  I certainly won't forget them.  They made a decision to move everywhere and I made the decision to stop their aggression.  So thirty minutes of digging and scraping has been called a success. The 2 garbage cans are full and ready for the truck on Thursday.  I think now I have been around the house with the last day of spring cleanout.  I did more watering and planted some zinnia seeds I harvested from last summer's flowers.  Will they grow? Time exposes everything.           There is room, lots and lots of room for everyone to enjoy their own space. I can breathe again. This afternoon I'm off to the dentist for a clean-up.   I'm sure we will talk about the nerve that is still showing its ugly self when hot or cold things come in contact.  I will suggest that we forget about the next tooth crown for a long time. I appreciate her wanting to use the lea

 Yes, I still do that for church although it's not a dress these days.  Can't remember when I wore one of those.  Watered early in the morning.  It feels like I'm in a rut.  Then off to church.  The choir sang an anthem.  Next Sunday the same rut and then it's summer choir which I usually skip. Sometimes I love being a simple pew sitter. After church services were over we did the final preparation for Lou's memorial service Monday.  B eautiful purple cabbage with the companion plant chamomile beside it.  Not a bug hole in the cabbage  Hum...companion plant?  I planted the cabbage before I knew about companion plants.  Cabbage plants are elsewhere in the garden with holes.  No chamomile growing beside them. I snuck one littlIe chamomile flower in the corner of the picture.   It reminds me of Where is Waldo.  Sunday afternoon saw a Father's Day phone call from Jared.  Doug also made another trip to the woods.  This time with an adult squirrel.  How he managed to g

 Once again the day began with coffee and the garden.  The plants look refreshed after a cooler night having also received a drink before darkness came.  A few got a second slurp this morning.   The bergamot is beginning to bloom.  In my mother's garden, I thought they looked like an unkept roosters comb.  This plant is also called Monarda.  It's a Hummingbird favorite.  Since I mentioned Hummingbirds I need to say that the Bluebirds visited their nesting boxes.  Is it a little late for thinking babies?  I don't have a clue about the answer.   I added this arrangement to the dining room table.   Then it was a trip to church to pack up some Pride visuals and place an appropriate banner on the pulpit. Sing God a Simple Song, was our choice for a coming memorial service for Lou Chenette Monday.  The altar flowers Sunday will also be a tribute to Lou who lived his life in music as the head of the music dept. at Butler University.  A wonderful man who lived well into his ninetie

No plans for the day so whatever happened I can say it was on the list. It started easy. Just one of those walk-arounds to see if there was a party overnight. Thurs night seemed to be pretty tame with the exception that one marigold has completely disappeared. Must have tasted pretty good.                                               T wo days ago there were lots of buds. Walla... the picture has changed.   I looked long and hard at the Lenten Rose bed and decided where there could be more open areas happening. And it did happen. Then on to the front of the house bed and decided that all... yes all of the For-get-me-nots were on the way out. Not to worry. I'll never get them all. Woo... that opened a whole lot of space. The north bed in the front of the house is next. Garbage cans are almost full. I've got to remember that before I tear into the north side.                                    This was a solid mass of Lenten Roses a couple of days ago.  Another purge this morn