It's July, Right?

Days blend into other days, weeks go by, now months have passed, and we're no closer to solving this pandemic. Thank goodness for my garden! I've always wanted to have this much time to spend taking care of it, and while I'm enjoying it, I sure didn't want it to happen like this. But since the garden is where I go to forget about the state of the world, let's drop the subject for a bit. Let's talk gardening instead.

Are you curious about that collage at the top of my post? I was all set to take an online art therapy session called Garden Mandalas, and had my bowl of garden beauty bits sitting nearby ready to create, when suddenly the class was canceled. So I just went ahead and made my own version. I knew it was ephemeral beauty, and could only be captured by camera. But I did dry a few of the pretty petals for later artwork. Those bits may have come from some of the flowers you see here.

It has been an incredibly hot and steamy summer this year, and many of my perennials are resting now at the end of July. I'm thinking about adding things that will bloom at this time of the summer, but meanwhile, my annuals fill in.

My roses don't necessarily like this hot weather, but I keep talking them into reblooming by feeding them generously. I'm convinced that they're doing better than ever because we had such a mild winter.   I often say that central Ohio isn't suited to roses, because the winters can be bitter cold without a protective cover of snow. But it's only my own theory. My idea of digging up all the roses and replacing them with something else is put on hold while I enjoy this banner year.

July is when the summer veggies really get started. We're currently enjoying a glut of cucumbers, and since we are huge cucumber fans, it's no problem. We've also had peppers, carrots, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and kohlrabi, while still waiting for the arrival of the big tomatoes. Green beans are due to arrive soon also. I think vegetable soup will soon be in order.

It's also monarch butterfly time here in Robin's Nest. Although I've only seen a few of them passing through, they did leave me some treasures. I currently have 8 chrysalides waiting, four caterpillars, and two eggs.

Here you'll also see some of the other beauties that pass through here. So far, it's been a very light butterfly year, but I keep hoping that it's just early yet.

I don't often show my little mini pond, but I do have one every year. It's just an old washtub with water plants and goldfish, but it tickles me. It's right outside the garage, so every time you raise the garage door, the fish come right to the edge of the tub begging for food. We also usually have a frog living there by the end of summer. How they find my small water garden, I don't know!

Above the pond is a new wind chime, tuned to a familiar song. See if you can recognize the notes. I'll give the answer at the end.

When I finally do come in from the garden, I've seriously been enjoying our kitchen update. The minute I first saw this house, I thought it cried out for white cabinets, and it only took us 16 years to make it happen. Trying to put everything back turned into a major project, and ended up being a lot like moving into a new house. But now it's done, and much more functional than it was. And it just plain looks better. We love it!

I'm still crocheting, only this latest project was much too hot for summer. It's supposed to be a knockoff on the trendy Anthropologie store, and this time, I made it just for me. I also finished up another shawl. Most of my summer crafting is done with a paintbrush, but I can't show the results. Christmas gifts, you know.

The wind chime plays Take Me Out To The Ballgame, did you guess? Bet you thought it was going to be something more sweetly melodic, didn't you?  We've had plenty of stormy, steamy weather this summer, which does bring me some lovely front porch sunsets. It's how I often end my day, and how I'll end my monthly post. Thanks for stopping by!