wednesday in the garden

May 21, 2009 – 11:25 am

DH and I were able to put in a few hours of yard work yesterday. The weather was wonderful. Mulched a few more flower beds, dug up a butterfly bush that was in a shady spot and moved the two pieces to a sunny location, weeded, and mowed. So nice to be outside!

Beside the back sidewalk is a peony row…

behind the house

…and this one, called ‘Dancing Butterfly,’ is at the end of the row. One of my favorites.

Peony 'Dancing Butterfly'

Last Saturday, DH planted red geraniums in the planter at the back door. They are a cheerful sight as you come up the back steps.

geraniums on the back step

The viburnum hedge on the west side of the yard is just beginning to bloom.

viburnum

No time for sitting in the fenced garden yesterday morning, though I did sit in the swing for a while after I mowed in the afternoon. 🙂

fenced garden

The peony is ‘Nymph,’ which has proven to be a quick multiplier and nice bloomer in our garden.

Peony 'Nymph'

The lovely scent of honeysuckle is almost overwhelming in some parts of the yard. I wish the plant were not so invasive, choking everything it covers. We work at eradicating it, but it seems a hopeless case. It *is* pretty this time of year. And does smell good!

honeysuckle

In the front yard, the beds are still pretty with iris blooms and lots of peonies.

front yard

front yard

irises

This is my mower. Love it! A work horse!

love my mower

The back yard, from the old mulberry tree, looking toward the garage and the playground behind it.

under the mulberry tree

The old, old mulberry tree is a gnarly, twisted thing. We’ve planted quite a few hostas under it. There is a spring that seeps up under the tree and the hostas like the moist cool area.

old, old mulberry tree

Weeding the hostas under the mulberry…a job that doesn’t take long. The hostas are well established and shade out most weeds in the bed. DH took a turn around the edge of the bed, cleaning it up quite a bit.

weeding the hostas under the mulberry

Looks like another beautiful day to spend some time outside. I’ll finish mowing…didn’t do the back yard yesterday. We are expecting a garden club for a garden tour next Wednesday. I’ll probably make a list of things that must-be, should-be, could-be done for that while I’m out there. 🙂

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in garden 2009 | Tagged , , | Comments (4)

grammy’s gotta show ’em off

May 20, 2009 – 4:09 pm

DS posted a few pics of the grands today. Here are several, just so you can see how cute the girlies are. 🙂

05-20-09-b-small

05-20-09-c-small

05-20-09-a-small

They will be here for a visit in July! ~~Grandma 🙂

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in family, twins | Tagged | Comments (2)

roof with a view

May 20, 2009 – 8:29 am

A few days ago, we noticed that the lightening rods on the back of the house had fallen over. DH went out on the roof last evening to see what was up. Or down…anyhoo, the big wind we had last week caught the edge of the roofing and lifted it and folded it back along the south side of the house. All three lightening rods on the south side were down, one completely off and tossed down to the roof of the enclosed back porch area. To know 
how to make your Tulsa roof last longer, click on the link.

It’s a good reminder of how crucial it is to maintain the integrity of your roof, as even small issues can lead to bigger problems down the line. To prevent further damage from these kinds of weather events, regular inspections and timely repairs are key. A well-maintained roof not only protects your home but can also save you money in the long run by avoiding costly repairs or replacements. One of the best ways to ensure your roof stays in top shape is by using quality materials and solutions that help improve durability.

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lightening rod down

After making repairs by following these tips, DH took a few pictures from the roof. A new perspective on parts of the yard. 🙂 Here’s the east side of the front yard. The driveway along the right side is the neighbor’s drive which sits between their yard and ours. At the top of the picture is the street that runs in front of our house. The closer driveway is ours. For more ideas, read more at Roofing Marketing Pro.

front yard, east side

The roof is about 44 feet off the ground. You can get a good view from up there. This picture shows our driveway. We need to remove all the plants from the center, put in about 18″ of topsoil and replant. The center of the drive sits lower than the many-times-rocked-over-the-years driveway. When it rains several inches or more, we get a temporary lake there.

driveway center

He laughed at me when I told him I could tell from this picture that the birdbath was not centered properly in the fenced garden. Guess we’ll be fixing that today… ;-D

fenced garden

You can click on any of the pics and it will take you to my flickr site. While there, move your cursor over the picture to read the notes I’ve added. They explain what some of the things are that you can see from the roof.

~~Rhonda 🙂

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in our garden | Comments (0)

bloomin’ tuesday

May 19, 2009 – 5:50 pm

The weather this week is beautiful. It’s a wonderful change from the rain we had last week. There are so many pretty things to see in the yard right now.

We were given this iris at a nursery after seeing it growing on their property in a bit of a slough. They didn’t know the name.

siberian iris

‘Alabaster Unicorn’ is one of my favorite irises.

Iris 'Alabaster Unicorn'

An interesting thing about this iris is the horned beard. Most iris beards are rounded at the end. This one comes to a sharp point.

iris 'Alabaster Unicorn'

The irises hit their peak this last week. Still beautiful, but not the bountiful fullness of blossoms we had before.

front yard

Some of the early peonies are almost done, but there are plenty of the later ones still in full bloom.

peonies

I like this combo of the dark iris ‘Before the Storm’ and the light colored peony.

iris and peony

This rose was given to us by a friend. It’s a rambly brambly thing, but has a wonderful full rosy scent that fills the air.

pink rose

The false indigo is so pretty right now. This is a plant native to the prairie. It needs no care and makes a beautiful addition to the garden. Later in the season, the seed pods will turn black and rattle when shaken. An interesting plant!

false indigo

If DH gets home in time, you will find us “walking the yard,” taking pictures of new blooms, talking about what needs to be moved where, etc.

taking pics

The garden is so pretty in the evening light.

evening light

I’m headed out there now…

You can check out more gardens at Bloomin’ Tuesday! Or stop by and see ours. 🙂

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in garden 2009, our garden | Tagged , , | Comments (9)

menu plan monday ~ may 18, 2009

May 18, 2009 – 12:48 pm

Yesterday we hosted our church’s annual spring picnic. We look forward to this each spring. We have the best church family. Lots of fun, lots of love, lots of good food!

The boys cranked homemade ice cream in a five-gallon freezer.

making ice cream

The gorgeous weather
(after a week of rain)
was appreciated by all!

picnicers brothers

Cool shades were a must. And naps were wanted by all! Some got them sooner than others. 🙂

cool shades picnic wore him out

The rest of the week looks rather quiet. I’m planning a low-key menu for the most part. We’re enjoying have our older daughter home and are looking forward to having DD#2 arrive for a visit later this week.

Monday
chicken salad / buns

Tuesday
tacos

Wednesday
hamburgers / homemade buns
veggies / dip
corn on the cob

Thursday
chicken and rice
garden salad
homemade rolls
asparagus
corn
sweet and sour cucumbers

Friday
Baked Spaghetti
rosemary focaccia
peas
corn on the cob
green salad

Saturday
fridge food

Sunday ~ my birthday
grilled chicken
BBQ pork steaks
garden salad w/ strawberries
corn on the cob
grilled veggie kabobs

birthday cake (triple chocolate from Wal-Mart…yummy cake!)
vanilla ice cream

You will find more menu and recipe ideas at Menu Plan Monday. Check it out! And I encourage you to plan a week’s menu. Planning ahead saves you time and frustration. Do it! You’ll be glad you did:)

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in menu | Tagged | Comments (2)

happy birthday to you!

May 18, 2009 – 9:45 am

Today is DS#2’s 28th birthday. Here he is at Easter in 1984. He was a very cute little boy with a big personality. Not sure why we were having S’mores inside the house, in our good clothes, at Easter time…??

how cute is my little boy??

Here he is with his lovely wife during a visit to the Botanical Gardens last year. Not sure how they grow up so fast…

she took our picture, didn't she?

Happy Birthday, dear son!! Lots of love, ~~Mom 🙂

DS shares his birthday with his grandfather, my dad.

me and my dad

Happy Birthday, Dad! Lots of love, ~~Rhonda 🙂

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iris season

May 15, 2009 – 4:31 pm

front yard beds

Need I say more? ~~Rhonda 🙂

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in garden 2009, our garden | Tagged , | Comments (5)

a few hosta pictures

May 14, 2009 – 9:43 pm

At the front of the house…the hosta is ‘Blue Cadet.’

hosta 'Blue Cadet'

Left to right: ‘Royal Standard,’ ‘Frances Williams,’ and ‘Spritzer.’

hostas under the redbud tree

On the opposite side of that same bed, this newly placed bench is a nice resting spot.

newly placed bench

bench under the redbud tree

Back yard

back yard

The large hosta in the picture above is ‘Samurai.’

Hosta 'Samurai'

‘Squash Casserole’

hosta 'Squash Casserole'

‘June’

hosta 'June'

‘Fried Bananas’

hosta 'Fried Bananas'

Hostas under the big oak in the back yard.

hostas under the big oak

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in garden 2009, our garden | Tagged | Comments (3)

more flowers from the garden

May 12, 2009 – 4:04 pm

It’s a busy time in the garden right now. Lots of flowers, lots to see, lots to do!

around the snowball bush

This old fashioned yellow iris is a great performer in the garden. It will bloom continuously for a long time, filling the iris beds with large areas of color.

old fashioned yellow iris

This large white iris was given to us by our friend Liz, many years ago. We call it “Liz’s Big White.” 🙂

'Liz's Big White' [GN]

The first daylily to bloom this season is ‘Bitsy,’ a small yellow one.

'Bitsy'

The hosta ‘Candy Hearts’ is sprinkled with the last of the dogwood petals.

'Candy Hearts'

The peonies have started to bloom. This is ‘Honey Gold.’

peony 'Honey Gold'

‘Shirley Temple’ is a very pale pink peony.

peony 'Shirley Temple'

Peony ‘Krinkled White’ is one of my favorites. The petals look like crepe paper.

peony 'Krinkled White'

We don’t have many rabbits in the yard, thankfully. The cats keep the population down. But this one has taken up residence in the front yard.

garden visitor

We are preparing for a church picnic at our house on Sunday. Lots of yard work to do. We shall see if the weather permits us to get it done or not! DH and our nephew did get the fenced garden mulched, inside and out. It looks so nice!

fenced garden

That’s one of my favorite places to sit in the yard.

You can enjoy more gardens at Bloomin’ Tuesday at Jean’s place.

bt2

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in our garden | Comments (8)

menu plan monday ~ may 11, 2009

May 11, 2009 – 1:27 pm

We had a great weekend, with company that came Friday evening and stayed until Sunday afternoon. DH’s sister, her DH, their son and his wife and two children were here. Sunday we added DH’s mother, our son and his wife, and a niece. It was fun to have company and we were thankful the weather was good! It was the first time DS and DDIL were introduced to the baby raccoons.

Buster is the larger of the two raccoons and he always gives a few big yawns right after waking from a nap.

what a big yawn!

Buster enjoys lunch on the veranda

They both have a soft heart for baby animals, so I was glad we could keep the raccoons long enough for them to see the babies.

Next Sunday, we are hosting the annual spring picnic for our church family, so it will be a busy week of getting ready for that. The menu is fairly easy and we are able to enjoy greens from the garden now, so lots of fresh salad will be enjoyed.

Monday
pulled pork
homemade buns
veggies / dip / chips

Tuesday
salmon
baby baked potatoes
asparagus
corn
homegrown salad

Wednesday
pizza

Thursday
chicken in the crock pot
mashed potatoes
peas
corn on the cob
homegrown spinach salad

Friday
tortellini with chicken
homegrown green salad
focaccia
sugar snap peas

Saturday
fridge food

Sunday ~ Church picnic at our house
potato / sausage casserole
roast beef
steamed green beans
apple cake

You will find more menu and recipe ideas at Menu Plan Monday. It’s a good week to check it out, because Laura is hosting a giveaway. To participate, visit her site and post your menu for the week. You will be eligible to win a prize. See her site for details.

~~Rhonda

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