Flowers – Page 2 – Asbery's Echoes

Hot Hot Hot

Oh my goodness did we have a hot weekend. We had near record highs all weekend – extreme heat and humidity. You would sweat just standing still outside. And to top it off, the bugs have come out in full force. We’re having July/August weather in May. Very unusual.

Since Joe worked outside all day Friday he wanted to take a break on Saturday so we took Dad and Mom to look at campers. They bought their camper last year but there’s a couple of things about theirs they aren’t completey happy with and we took them to look at what else is out there. We had a fun day. Nobody came home with a new camper but there sure are a lot of options out there.

(Before the blood, sweat and tears)

(After – looking so much better!)

Then Sunday Joe and I worked outside. Talk about blood, sweat and tears – all of that and more went into this project! Sweat was running off both of us, there were a few “tears” as there always is when we try to work together on something like this – at least I don’t get mad and walk away and leave him to finish on his own. After all these years together we’ve pretty much learned how to work together without it getting to that point! And Joe smashed his finger and cut it open while trying to cut one of the cement blocks so there’s the blood! Nothing major – no trips to the ER or anything like that but he sure has a sore finger. But, we got it done and it’s looking wonderful! It’s so nice to have things finally starting to look nice! Unfortunatley it’s so hot and buggy we can’t really enjoy it yet. But the time will come! We still have to extend the deck to get it where we really want it and to really be able to use it.

Yesterday was a real do nothing day for us. Drew and I slept in. Joe mowed the yard. I worked on a menu for our family camping trip coming up the second weekend in June. Then we ran to Oskaloosa to get groceries – I stocked up. I have somewhat of a menu planned for the next two weeks and the camping weekend and outside of milk, bread and fruit, I should be able to steer clear of grocery stores and any stores for that matter for quite some time. I’m looking forward to just staying home and not running. No running to town twice a day to take Drew to school and bring him home. Maybe I’ll be able to get some things done around here for a change!

Oh The Smells!

I keep seeing all these beautiful spring flower pictures all over the internet and I’ve just been so busy I haven’t thought about bringing any flowers in the house. But today, I ran out and picked some lilacs and some lily of the valley. And Drew picked me a beautiful bouquet of wildflowers yesterday while at Belva Deer. My front rooms smell so wonderful!

Harper’s Corner

I ran out to Harper’s Corner, the local Amish greenhouse that opened up last year, to pick up a bag of potting soil. They have potting soil at the best price in town. I love this little greenhouse – they called it Harper’s Corner because they live down the road from Harper’s Corner – the farm where Bill Harper’s lived for years. Now his grandson lives there. Bill was my first 4-H leader and such a great guy. He always had a smile on his face. I think everybody in town knew Bill. It’s the perfect name! I did bring home a 40 pound bad of potting soil but I also came home with this planter. I just couldn’t pass it up – it’s recycled and it’s chicken related and it’s filled with Hens and Chicks. It just had to come home with me!

A Road Trip, A Visit, And A Walk Around The Yard

This weekend has sure flown by. We decided to road trip on Friday and head up to northern Iowa and check out the campground we’re going to be staying at over Labor Day. Where we have had excessive heat and no rain, they’ve had excessive rain and storms. They were working on cleaning up downed trees and downed power lines and it was raining while we were there but they were super nice people and I think we’re going to have fun staying here!

Saturday saw us heading south to Lake Rathbun. My sister was camping and asked us to come spend the day. So, off we went for a nice, relaxing afternoon and evening spending time in another campground! We have camped at Lake Rathbun but never at Island View and what a beautiful campground. We would like to stay there sometime – it was so nice. Beautiful views of the lake, huge sites and playgrounds in the middle so you can sit at your site and watch the kids play. Perfect when you have littles!

When life is not coming up roses look to the weeds and find the beauty hidden within them.” –L.F. Young

Today the temps and humidity broke a little and Drew and I and the chickens took a nice walk around the yard. My flowers are really suffering from the heat and lack of rain but the wildflowers are abundant. Drew picked me a beautiful bouquet that we’re enjoying in the house. I am amazed at some of the beautiful wildflowers in this area. Many consider them weeds but they brighten up the landscape with so many beautiful colors. I love them!

This and That Thursday

Dad and Moms windmill and beautiful clouds.

Oh what a beautiful day we had! After some brutally hot and humid dry days it was so nice to be outside and have no humidity and cooler weather. It’s fair week so we ran into the fair for a little bit to see the animals and the fair projects. Drew thinks he wants to be in Clover Kids and bring something to the fair next year. That is something I can get behind – I’m a firm believer in 4-H and all it has to offer!

Helping dad power wash the camper – in other words an excuse to climb the ladder!

We spent the evening outside – Joe and Drew playing with Joe’s new power washer and me pulling weeds and just enjoying the beautiful evening! My coneflowers are really going crazy this year – they are so full I hardly have to weed this flowerbed! Hoping tomorrow brings more of this beautiful weather!

Found this pretty bloom hiding in amongst the coneflower!

River Rocks and Cement

Even as a little girl I remember thinking these flower pots that Aunt Konnie had were so neat but for some reason I never thought to ask about them. Out of the blue while visiting Uncle Jerry and Aunt Konnie, Uncle Jerry told me they were made by his Grandmother and her sister. He said they would hitch up the horses and go down to the river to collect rocks and bring them back to the house and build these beautiful pots. They are unique and one of a kind and had to have taken a lot of hard work and patience to make. I’m glad that they are still there and that they get used. What a wonderful piece of family history for Uncle Jerry!

Fun Family Visit

We visited my Uncle Jerry and Aunt Konnie today. Dad, Mom, Drew and I. Aunt Konnie is my dad’s twin sister. They live just up the hill from a teeny tiny little town called Rubio. I have always loved visiting here. They have a beautiful farm and farm house. Aunt Konnie has such pretty flower beds and Uncle Jerry always has different fun animals to see. I remember staying with them for a few days during the summers. My sister and I and our cousins Terri Jo and Todd would spend a couple days with Grandma Ward in Richland and then a couple days in Rubio at Terri Jo and Todd’s. It was like a different world to me. Aunt Konnie didn’t work and Uncle Jerry was a farmer. He had crops and cattle and hogs. We would walk down to Rubio and get an ice cream cone and visit the Post Office. There aren’t any buildings left in Rubio besides the train depot and houses. The train depot has been kept up and we have attended many a family reunion there over the years.

For years we would celebrate Thanksgiving at Jerry and Konnie’s. Aunt Konnie is the best cook – everything was always homemade and delicious. We would have a turkey Uncle Jerry had hunted and all the traditional fixings and the most wonderful desserts. Then the men would spend the afternoon hunting pheasant and the women would make a craft. Usually something Christmas related. I can remember making Christmas tree pins out of cinnamon sticks one year and Christmas tree sweatshirts out of fabric yo-yos. Then we would watch the men clean the pheasants they brought home. Thanksgivings at Uncle Jerry and Aunt Konnie’s are some of my favorite holiday memories.

The weather was windy and warm but comfortable. We wandered around the yard and Drew got to see some of the animals. He played with the kittens and found an egg in the hen house. He got to pet their pet goose that follows them around outside. We checked out the flower beds and the garden then sat on the deck and visited and had root beer. It was a perfect afternoon and something we need to do more often.

Mom’s Gift

Isn’t this the cutest flower container! My mom made it for me. She isn’t really a crafty person but she has a great love and talent for flower gardening so this craft was perfect. She made one for me, one for Abby and one for Aunt Konnie, my dad’s twin sister, who is battling cancer right now. I will treasure this gift that mom took the time to make for me and will find the perfect spot for it every year in my yard.

It’s Raining, It’s Pouring

We were needing rain so badly. It’s been hot and dry and windy here. The wind helps with making the temperature bearable but it also dries things out faster. We came home last night from Drew’s t-ball game covered in a film of dust. The corn in the fields is looking good but is really needing water. I had started watering my tomatoes and cucumbers, which I hate to do. The grass has even started to turn brown. I’ve stopped hanging my clothes out on the line, the dust from the gravel road is so thick – I didn’t want dusty coated clothes. But today we got some rain! Yeah! We so needed this!

A few pictures of the yard after the rain:

This area of the yard usually doesn’t look like this until the end of July/beginning of August.

I’ve let some milkweed grow in the flower beds – they are a favorite with the Monarch Butterflies.

Hollyhock Surprise

Two surprises – first my Hollyhocks bloomed red. I was expecting black! I forgot that my pretty black hollyhocks didn’t come back so I planted red ones in their place. The red ones are so pretty but I miss the black ones. They were so different. I might have to plant some black ones too. Red and black would look together I think!

Second – as I was watering flowers and taking pictures, I heard an odd noise. At first I thought it sounded like a bumblebee. A very loud and odd sounding bumblebee. But to my surprise it was a snake. Now snakes don’t usually bother me too much but this one was a pretty good size. I’m assuming it was a bull snake. They can grow to pretty big and they will rattle their tails. I didn’t get a good look at this guy – he was just as startled by me as I was of him and he didn’t stick around. I know that snakes eat mice and rats and that’s a good thing. I just hope he stays away from the house now. I think the crib would be a better home for him!