"Rain, Rain, Don't Go Away!"

"Though the fig tree should not blossom, and there be no fruit on the vines.  Though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food...Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation."  Habbakuk 3:17-18

This verse keeps coming to mind as I walk through our yard, surveying the new garden and loaded blueberry bushes. 

 Our area has been experiencing severe drought conditions.

With record highs (think three weeks of highs in the upper 90s) and no rain, it's a bit dry, and the plants are suffering.

So you can imagine our excitement when the raindrops began to fall!

The kids argued over the few raincoats we have and headed outside to enjoy themselves.

And while it will take more than one shower to fix a drought, we are thankful for the summer rain.

A Weekend to Celebrate

Happy Birthday, America!

Long weekends are the best, and we packed ours with lots of fun.

There's always food involved even if there isn't any special celebration.  Jonathan tagged along with me to pick up groceries (and to get a little sweet treat, too).

 And this was the day Katherine was waiting for! 

During the first few trips to the pool, she was fascinated with "the jumping board" and wanted to try.  She even worked up the courage to walk to the end but turned around. 

But once she was brave enough to step off, there has been no stopping her!  Except for the fact that she can only do it with Doug around to hang out in the deep end.  And he was happy to oblige!

The boys exercised their 2nd Amendment rights worked on their target practice.  They are actually quite good.

Behind their target you can glimpse my very sad hostas, victims of exposure and drought.  

There were fireworks on Sunday night (with an awesome view overlooking the city), and then our own celebrations on the 4th!  This was the only picture I got from the night, but that's okay.  We enjoyed a wonderful dinner with some friends (homemade onion rings - yum!) and then invited more neighbors over to visit and see the boys' fireworks show.  It just doesn't get much better than this!

Top Three Choices for the Drought Tolerant Garden

Despite the lack of rain lately, there are still a few bright pops of color in our yard.  Here are my top choices of plants that can take the drought.

Gaillardia (Blanket Flower)

 

I picked up these two small plants ('Arizona Sun') off the "dead-and-dying" racks at Lowe's a few years ago, and since that time it  has become my top pick for perennial color.  I may or may not have said as much last week to another customer shopping the reductions.

In our climate it will bloom from early May until frost in late October or November.  The dead blooms are easy to remove, and it will continue to flower profusely.  As a bonus, the bees love it!

Buddleia (Butterfly Bush)

This is another one of those plants loved both by humans and insects.  It blooms continuously throughout the summer if the dead-heads are removed, and the butterflies and bees are attracted to the lovely blooms.  We have both the taller versions ('Black Knight') and a dwarf purple, one, too.

Zinnia

For years my mom had told me to plant zinnias, and then she finally came and did it for me.  Since that time they have become a staple in our summer garden.  Althought they are nott perennials like the gaillardia and buddleia, they will sometimes self-seed and volunteers will appear (this year some popped up in the cracks of the driveway).  Seeds can be found at Dollar Tree (and other box stores), and it's as easy as covering with dirt and keeping moist until established.  After that, they will grow without care, providing blooms until the fall.

 And one more for good measure?

Get thyself some sedum!  It comes in countless sizes - tall and small - and beautiful colors ranging from purple, blues, dark green and chartreuse.  Blooms if any are insignificant, but the texture and color is perfect for setting off the leaves and blooms of other plants.  Plus, no maintenance needed.

We Be Jammin'

I am starting to reap the benefits of having a lot of children.

The children groaned when I mentioned going to pick strawberries, but it was overcast and the temperature was pleasant.  And the fields were ripe for harvest.

We filled our buckets quickly and found some more.  And a little over an hour later we had nearly pounds of berries to take home. 

But picking, it turns out, is only the first step (and easiest I must add).  All that fruit had to be sorted then cut and frozen or smashed and prepared for jam (freezer and cooked because I have to complicate matters).

Thankfully I had a little help with that, too, (and a lot of help just eating away at the ones I saved for that purpose).

First and Last

The kids wanted a bouquet for the table, the last of the daffodils accompanying the first blooms of spring: spirea, lavendar, lilac, hosta, roses, and salvia.

The Tide is Shifting

When we first purchased the house twelve years ago, Doug bought a push lawn mower.  We didn't have the exact lot size at the time and it was a lot cheaper than a riding mower.

 

The realtor came back with the details: 1.15 acres.  I decided maybe it would be better not to tell Doug.  But after a year of push-mowing (and 3+ hours at a time) we were both ready to move up.  

And now, a decade later, we are grooming our own lawn crew.  

Andrew dove into the job with gusto and nary a word of complaint.  Now to teach the others.

After the Rain

"April showers bring May flowers.  What do May flowers bring?"

Return of the Salamander

Last year while watering some flowers I noticed some movement in the mulch.   What a surprise to find a red salamander! 

 

We like to think he's set up permanent residence in our yard.

Headstart

It's too pretty to not be thinking about plants and gardens so we sketched up some plans for a new plot and got to work starting some veggies from seed.

Josie (feet pictured above) and Matthew helped me to construct some recycled newspaper pots for our seeds and in no time we had two peach baskets full.

Now we water and wait and look for the Last Frost Date.

Signs of Spring

"...for behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone.  The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land...the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance."    Song of Solomon 2:11-13

It is often said that the darkest hour is just before dawn, and perhaps spring would seem slightly less glorious if it wasn't preceded by February.  Personally, I could skip the entire month (or maybe relocate to a warm, sunny location for a few weeks).  The first two months of this year have been hard: we've been blessed with good physical health, but the strain of endless rain, family togetherness, and cloudy days have taken its toll for sure.  

"Blessed be the Lord!  For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.  The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him."  Psalm 28: 6-7

It's officially a week away but there are certainly signs of spring!

December Photo Project: Day 1

It's that time of the year again - the December Photo Project, highlighting all that's fun and beautiful at Christmas.  I've never gone with a theme before, but this year I'm aiming for Sounds of the Seasons.  We'll see how it goes!

Lo, how a Rose e'er blooming from tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse's lineage coming, as men of old have sung.
It came, a floweret bright, amid the cold of winter,
When half spent was the night.

Giving Thanks: Sweet Peppers

Freeze warning today means the end of the run for the peppers. (I still stand by my chicken fertilizer endorsement.  If you can find this at a reasonable price, buy it - works great and doesn't smell.)

Josie came into announce that we needed to pick the peppers before "the cold wind blows."  We filled our colander with peppers both big and small, ready to freeze and enjoy throughout the winter.

Summer Hangs On

The zinnias are looking a little ratty but they are still blooming.

The butterflies say "thank-you!"

Homegrown Dinners

Two nights in a row we have eaten something from our harvest:

volunteer butternut squash for soup

colorful bell peppers for guacamole salad

and it's cooled down just enough for me to forget the summer's heat.  I'm already dreaming of next year's garden and the possibilities of many more edibles.

Harvest

I've decided that I am only capable of growing one decent crop a year.  2016 was the Year of Peppers.

The abundance of rain contributed significantly but some chicken fertilizer played a key role, too.  We picked some tomatoes here and there, one batch of green beans (I kept meaning to replant but life got in the way), and two volunteer butternut squash.  I'm very thankful to not be reliant upon what we grow for what we eat during the winter.  But as my uncle remarked, "You'd probably put in a little more effort."  True enough.

Ombre, Zinnia Style