Little Country Singer

I saw this on facebook and couldn't get over his facial and body expressions. He really has the moves down. How cute is that?

Fertilize Friday 8/27/10

Our wonderful host Tootsie always has lots of fun new projects she's working on. Be sure to check them out as well as all the other gardeners.

We were away last week and the flowers really took a beating. Between the heat and not being watered properly, some were worse than others. But, we had a great week in the UP - otherwise known as the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This shot is of us off the shores at Marquette on Lake Superior. I love the water.


This poor coleus was laying sideways on the deck and very droopy. Good thing it bounces back so well.


The tomato plant doesn't look so well, but it is still producing lots of tomatoes.


Then we get out to the hollyhocks :)


I'm amazed that the following two flowers appear to have come off the same plant. Is that even possible? :)



Another hollyhock from a different plant so I can see why it would be different.


The russian sage is in full color... just need to learn how to train it so it stands up more.


Funny how the neon sedum on the left is in color but the one on the right is yet to bloom. The wave petunia just keeps on blooming.


Neon sedum


Begonia getting pretty full for the late start that it had.


I'm thinking I should rename my hosta bed to the marigold bed.


The sweet potatoe vine was all droopy when we got home, but it bounced back pretty good. I can really tell that the asparagus plant has suffered too. It's usually much bigger by this time of year. Guess I'm just glad it bounces back :)


So that's about it for here this week. Missed the last couple of week and I really did miss participating. See you next week, and be sure to check out the other gardens.

Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah

Deep in the Pacific Northwest lies the Olympic National Forest– nearly one million acres of impenetrable darkness and impossible beauty. Even in this modern age, much of it remains undiscovered and uncharted. From the heart of this old forest, a six-year-old girl appears. Speechless and alone, she can give no clue as to her identity, no hint of her past…

Until recently, Dr. Julia Cates was one of the preeminent child psychiatrists in the country, but a scandal shattered her confidence, ruined her career, and made her a media target. When she gets a desperate call from her estranged sister, Ellie, a police chief in their small western Washington hometown, she jumps at the chance to escape.

In Rain Valley, nothing much ever happens–until a girl emerges from the deep woods and walks into town. She is a victim unlike any Julia has ever seen: a child locked in a world of unimaginable fear and isolation.

When word spreads of the “wild child” and the infamous doctor who is treating her, the media descend on Julia and once again her competence is challenged. State and federal authorities want to lock the girl away in an institution until an identification can be made.

But to Julia, who has come to doubt her own ability, nothing is more important than saving the girl she now calls Alice. To heal this child, Julia will have to understand that she cannot work alone and must look to others–the people in the town she left long ago, the sister she barely knows, and Dr. Max Cerrasin, a handsome, private man with secrets of his own.

Then a shocking revelation forces Julia to risk everything to discover the truth about Alice. The ordeal that follows will test the limits of Julia’s faith, forgiveness, and love, as she struggles to ascertain where Alice ultimately belongs.

In her most ambitious novel to date, Kristin Hannah delivers an incandescent story about the resilience of the human spirit, the triumph of hope, and the mysterious places in the heart where love lies waiting.

Back to the Kristin Hannah that I've learned to love. This book was the one just before Firefly Lane and was a definite page turner. The only thing she didn't cover was what was Max's secret, well, I guess she stated it near the end, but I could have used more. Guess that's another book. Good Read

Fertilize Friday 8/6/10

Our wonderful host Tootsie always has lots of fun new projects she's working on. Be sure to check them out as well as all the other gardeners.


I'd given up on this Dahlia, but then when I put it in a more secluded spot to rest and it came back in full force.



Loaded Rose of Sharon



I love how the sweet potato vine rambles everywhere.... we keep picking it up and draping it somewhere else. Very colorful as you approach the front porch.



When I drive up the driveway I love looking back at all the colors. The hibiscus and holly hock really stand out for me.... or maybe I'm just looking for them lol



The Moonbeam Coreopsis and Russian Sage really make a nice color combo. I've got to learn how to shape the sage a little more, it's just falling over and has a weak looking base.



The Moonbeam Coreopsis flowers for the longest time in our area, beautiful little blooms.



There are two hibiscus plants now and they are both producing 'big' beautiful blooms.



These are the three hollyhock plants that came into bloom. Love em!



Isn't this a beautiful colored hollyhock?



I've waited all summer to see this wave petunia overflow like this, and the neon sedum are about to bloom.



After seeing all the garden art posted at Tootsie Time last week I thought I'd share mine too. This first bird house was given to me by a friend last year for my birthday. MM attached it to an old bathroom sink and anchored it to a log. I had to clear away the petunias to see the birdhouse lol



I received this cute birdhouse from a friend this year for my birthday.



Lots of rustic birdhouses.


There are a couple of tree faces.. cute in a whimscal way.





I put a few of these out early in the Spring to give the garden 'something' to look at while we waited for the plants to come up. Now they are mostly hidden.


There's usually a family in this one.





This glass birdhouse sparkles in the sunlight. You can also see the edge of the garden gate. Just your garden variety cyclone fence gate, but I've tried all year to get a clematis plant to grow on it. Maybe I need to rethink that idea since they keep dying.


The top one on the shepherds hook is full of birds. They chatter all day long and are not intimidated by us being on the porch.


More whimsy with the silhouette cat and kittens.











This red birdhouse is getting more rustic with the years, and I went through a phase of having little statuesque kids. I used to tuck them into the plants on the deck, but now I just have a few on the deck so they sit around the edge.


Girl with her kitty.


My daughter calls this the headless one because she lost her head and I glued it back on ... not quite straight, but it does the trick.

Nothing like a boy with his dog.

Colorful wind chimes that I received for my birthday last week. I have them right outside my kitchen window so I can see them sparkle.

Another aging birdhouse.....


with an occupant lol. Peanut was over on Tuesday and said 'look Papa, a frog.' She had to go point it out because it was so inconspicuous.


Peanut also has her own way of playing 'goofy golf' (or whatever name you have for it). She finds she does her best when she goes up and carefully places the stringed balls on the ladder rungs. lol I think we have a winner!


My niece gave this idea to label the plants with their names on rocks. I still need more flat rocks.

A long post, I know. Hope you enjoyed it. I'm looking for some old barn wood to make little signs that I've seen.