~Terri, Terri, quite contrary ~

Terri Terri Quite Contrary

How does your garden grow?

By leaps and bounds

and a profusion of blooms

and in a blink of an eye it's gone. 

 

Or at least that's how it seems to me,

as most perennials come to visit for such a short time.
Let's take a look around the garden and see what she has brought us this year

Step inside the garden gate.....

Mr. Wonderful still has to stain the fence 

(boy he loves to hear that)

We moved the arbor here just this Spring, so everything is still in it's infancy stage.

We still have a lot of work to do here. 
And when I say 'we'....I mean 'HIM'. ha ha

I planted the Pink Mandevilla

but the Morning Glory was a volunteer.

WHAT A HAPPY SURPRISE

'Geurnsey Cream ' Clematis

I even love this Clematis after the flowers are done blooming

These little whirly gigs, are so cute.

 Knockout Rose 'Sunny'

I'm lovin' it.

They burst on the scene in this gorgeous shade of yellow

and then fade to a creamy white

A plant will tell you when they are happy. 

My 'New Dawn' climbing rose was moved to this location 
after the end of her season last year.

She seems VERY happy in this sunny spot.

Here she is at the start of her show

This creamy pink blush color is to die for

 

'Johann Strauss ' Rose

I love the beautiful soft apricot color
But let me tell you, she's one finicky bush.

But when she's good, she's very very good.

 

Peonies.........one of my all time favs

I can never get enough of these big billowy blooms

 

All of my Peonies are heirlooms, transplanted from long abandoned farm houses

so I don't know their names

Crepe Myrtle 'Natchez'

 

with her flirty crepe paper blooms

Here we are in the third week of June,
but Spring started several weeks early for us due to the unseasonably warm temps.
So our season is actually much further along than the calender states. It's more like mid-July as far as the flowers are concerned.  Most of these beauties have been here, graced us with their charm and now they are gone.....except for a few

Window box of annuals

Aren't  the green edges on this petunia 'Pretty Much Picasso', pretty much adorable?

 

Hostas still thrive in mid summer

I love the southern saying

"A welcoming front porch is just good manners."

And St. Francis takes it upon himself to be part of the welcoming committee.

He does a fine job.

He and his rabbit warren of friends.

Hmm....I could have sworn I started out with only TWO rabbits..... oh well

My doorbell

'Bolivian Jew and Bacopa' in urns at the front door

Hope you enjoyed the little tour

So I say to my garden:

Thank you 

I am grateful for the show

I applauded every bloom

though your beauty was  fleeting

and ended all too soon.

See you next Spring

~A day in the life on the porch ~

Summer days on the back porch

where the livin' is easy.

No fuss

No muss

Spills?......who cares?

And for me, early morning is always the best part of the day.

Here's the morning sun, just peeking over the trees

I love the phrase " sit a spell."

(I'm quite good at it, actually)

and to me there's

nothing like swinging on the porch swing.

Nowhere to go

No place to be

Just the creaking of the chain as the swing rocks to and fro.

Here you can enjoy the morning,

listen to the birds gossiping

and take in the beauty of the day unfolding

Ah, there's that first slice of light

I collect sheets from yard sales to use on my porch swing. Because I like the look of  their faded charm.

The cushions underneath are outdoor cushions so they're  fine in the elements. And the sheets are so easy to wash and wear.

Look what happens when you sit quietly on the porch swing.....we
caught these little fellas waiting for Mom to come home with some goodies

lush, green Ferns have a cooling effect,

and along with the bubbling fountain

make a summer morning on the porch irresistible.

But of course the animals think the fountain is their 'personal drinking fountain'.

After all it is just the perfect height.

You know Elizabeth Bennett

and this is Rocky.

Our home has served as an animal convalescant home of sorts for many years.

They show up on our doorstep; the ragged,  the road weary..... the orphaned.

They stop for awhile and they eat, they rest, they heal, and then mostly they move on.

So 'Rocky' is the latest in a long string of visitors. He showed up after an obviously
 nasty cat fight

couldn't resist the pun. ha ha   ...(hence the name, Rocky)

And so he will stay for as long as he needs.

Lizzie is a very good friend.

"Are you ok?"

If the swing is not available, don't fret

there are two other rockers to choose from as well.

This wicker rocker we've had forever.

The wooden chair, Mr. Wonderful rescued from a yard sale and worked his magic on it.

 

If you're up to it, we could have a quick game of   tic-tac-toe.

Hmmm.....looks like Mr. Wonderful is about to win.

We love to eat outside. But the late afternoon sun was making it rather uncomfortable.

We hung an outdoor blind, but then I decided I wanted something

'green'

I'm loving our solution. Soon these little 'Boston Ivy' plants will grow up to be big boys

 and  bring cool shade and beauty to the space.

Don't you just love my new flea market find?

wisps of clouds  dotting a perfect summer sky

as the afternoon is upon us.

There is always something beautiful about a horse in a field.
So, lucky me, I get to enjoy
our neighbors' horse, right outside our back door.

Before you know it  the day is done
and the sun is setting in the western sky

yes, life if pretty good here on the back porch.

Come and sit a spell, won't you?

~Cookie Monster~

YUM

These might look like a healthy whole wheat version of a cookie, and you would be partially correct. They are 'healthy' I guess.

 But they're not for me.......

Mr. Wonderful baked these for his special girl, his Cookie Monster

Yes, he bakes doggie treats for Elizabeth Bennett

hmmm....she looks pretty  harmless for a 'monster'

 

I was very proud of Lizzie recently. When we learned that our son and his family had adopted a darling little Golden Retriever puppy, named Piper, Lizzie graciously sent a gift basket of her special treats to welcome the newest member of the family.

Here's the recipe in case you have a little Cookie Monster of your own.

Cookie Monster Cookies
4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup corn meal
1TB vegetable oil
1 cup warm water
2 eggs
1/2 cup peanut butter
Mix all together, add a little more water if needed
roll out on a lightly floured cutting board
Place cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet


Bake @350 for 30-35 minutes
turn cookies over and bake for another 10-15 minutes
Let cool.
_____________________________________________

This recipe received TWO PAWS up from our most discerning critic.

Mr. Wonderful loves cooking ( lucky me....lucky Lizzie)
 and of course the reward is priceless

~Long Live the Queen~

It's here Diamond Jubilee,

with major events planned all this week-end.

And of course I'm celebrating with a cup of tea and my fake British accent.

60 years on the throne

She is the only British Monarch I've ever known,

so to me....she IS England.

I think I've always been so fond of her, because of my grandmother, whose family roots were Canadian , loved her Queen.

I remember my grandmother had a large picture of Queen Elizabeth in her bedroom.

And this lovely Elizabeth looks very much like my grandmother Elizabeth, her complexion, her smile,

her purse!!!

I love it.

 But it seems to me that she has always been ...old.
(As a child, I thought 30 years old.....was OLD)
But let us not forget that she was once young and enjoyed the adoration of her people very early on.

She was loved, and every bit the celebrity that the young royals are today,
without the bothersome tabloid press.
In 1947 the British citizens even donated their ration cards so she could
have material for her wedding dress.

As happy as any bride on their wedding day

And Philip looked every inch the dashing Prince.


Here she is on her coronation day in 1952. She seems so small in this sea of pomp. It reminds me of the scene in the movie 'Young Victoria' when she ascends to the throne for her coronation and her feet don't even touch the floor.

But of course Elizabeth was older than Victoria. Elizabeth was 27

Newsreel of Elizabeth's Coronation


British or not, she is everyone's Queen

And she is still well loved today.

 

So let us share a scone and raise our tea cups in honor of this milestone anniversary.

Tea in pretty cups, and lemon cream scones.

(I didn't cut out my scones quite thick enough, 
but they were still de-lish)

My beautiful flowers from last week's luncheon have provided such pleasure for over a week now. They have brought beauty to a living room vignette

and now they lend their gracefulness to Tea Time with the Queen

Pip pip, well done ol' girl.

I say,

well done.