“Ants like the sweet peony secretions and as they walk about and eat away at the waxy coating it loosens the the very tight cabbage-like blossom holders. I don’t think it’s required by the peony for ants to be present, but I do notice that my peonies with the most ants bloom all at once and the blooms are fully opened, gorgeous and fragrant, whereas the peonies in a different area that gets regular bug treatments and thus no ants, bloom alot more sporadically.” (Quoted from broomhilda on gardenweb, because I have had the same experience.)

Tip of the day: When asked if you’d like to attend a Tupperware party, either reply immediately with “no, I have plenty of unbreakable plastic dishware, bakeware and containers, thank you!” or leave all methods of payment at home. If you happen to forget both those two very helpful tips, then you must wake up at 6am the following day and GET TO WORK! Because those insane fruit and veggie storage systems and their totally handy increased capacity fresh veggie steamer micro cooker (that replaces their silly little two-person microsteamer that doesn’t have the capacity for a family of 4 veggi-holics) that seemed to magically appear on my order form in a wave of excitement and rush and panic because the show! The SHOW IS ALMOST OVER! We CAN’T GO YET because I have to scribble down my bank account number on this order form! And also – someone put a BABY in my lap and I think her mother sprayed her clothes with NEW BABY SMELL because it totally triggered my natural nesting instincts and made me want even MORE CONTAINERS!

Maybe I should be writing tips on how to have a successful Tupperware party, instead?

I better get to work. I have unbreakable dishware to pay for.

I was bored and had my camera in my lap. These are my Levi’s denim shorts.
Who, me? Pose? Lemme swallow, first…. ::gulp:: Okay, shoot!
(male cowbird.)

Hey Fred! They’re fresh out of suet — c’mon over here!
(female downy woodpecker.)

Hi! I’m Chip! Chip! Chip! Chip!!! CHIP CHIP CHIP CHIP!
(chipping sparrow.)

I am infatuated with my new Batik Irises. This is a Tiger Honey.

Ooooh so comfortabuhhllllsssss. Dusty Bunny says “Yessss”.

Extreme close up of Mini Rex comfortabuhllness. Stretch those kickers!

mmmm. Strawberries.

A gigantic German Bearded Iris that I cut and brought inside to enjoy.

My Knockout Rose bushes are in bloom – don’t forget to stop and smell the roses!

 

Ta-da! It’s been 17 days since I planted my garden, and I have progress! I was goo-gooing and gaa-gaaing over this baby green pepper yesterday. Here’s what it looks like now:

I got my hoe on yesterday, prettifying the “aisles” and adding cucumbers and another couple of musk melon plants, because I think my other two are pretty hopeless. The beets, bush beans and spinach have all germinated and are going crazy. I’ll have to thin them out, but first I have to figure out when and how to thin them out. I’m such a garden virgin.

* * * * * More non-garden dirt * * * * *Still scratching things off my to-do list, getting my girls graduated from 6th and 1st grades, gardening, Wii Fit’ting – and doing a bunch of extra stuff that my hubby usually does but can’t now that he’s one-armed.

The girls have been on summer vacation since Wednesday afternoon, and they were, in usual form, bored after being home for 10 minutes. Catybug went to her friends, Chickeymonkey invited her friend over, and since then it’s been crazy with slumber parties and sleepovers and playing rain in the driveway with the garden hose – and then, just when you think things have calmed down for 5 minutes, they argue over the Wii.

Ahh yes. School’s out.

I have to brag though, Chickeymonkey finished 1st grade with a straight A average, and Catybug nearly an A+ average. Her GPA was 98.6 for the year – but her test scores (The ISAT) were at 99%, she tested at a 10th grade 5th month level, which is the highest you can go. (Beaming? Why yes, we are!) We are very pleased with the education they’re receiving and glad to make the sacrifices to get them a good one.

* * * * * Art & Design related dirt * * * * *I’ve also been working like a mad woman over the past week, and though I wasn’t able to hit the studio as I would have liked, and I still haven’t gotten the progress pics of Jam and Rex for you, I have managed to design and launch a few neat blog designs. The next couple of weeks will be hugely busy as I try to get current again with everything – finishing design projects and paintings both.

I know you’re anxious to have a look at those designs, so here you go:

• VividNUrban – this is an urban magazine style blog, the main page is all custom code to pull in all of the categories he wants to highlight, linking to each post and also the full category. You also have the option to read it as a “blog” in the main menu. It’s a sweet design, and nearly caused my brain to burst.
• Fanboy@50 – Lew deals with anime and comics – he’ll probably be opening a shop on his blog as well.
• Kissythecutie – Though Kissy is still formatting her content, you can at least view the design and the beginning of her career in the blogosphere. I’m looking forward to seeing where she takes things with her blog!

And that was my week in a nutshell – I’m looking forward to lounging around today and recuperating so I can start it all again tomorrow morning.

How was your week?

This is a Batik Zebra Iris – a stunning new bloom in my garden. I felt a little (fill in the blank) when I looked at it from this perspective last night, what does this shot do for you?

In other news – hubby is having shoulder surgery today, and while we’re excited about the possibility he might not feel the pain again that he’s been in for a couple of years now, it’s still surgery, we’re still “getting up there” in age and with every surgery there is risk – so we would greatly appreciate your prayers for safe keeping and speedy recovery.

Imagine this Stargazer lily has a face.
Now imagine it has a voice.
What is it saying (or doing) in this photo?

Show me a smiley in comments that reflects how this flower makes you feel.

I always find that some time in my garden with my flowers can do a lot for my mood, and I wonder if any of you have the opportunity to experience this. While I was thumbing through my recent shots, I found several that evoked very specific feelings in me, so I thought I’d do a little social experiment, if you will.

Over the next few days I’ll post my photos and you tell me how you feel when you’re looking at them. I’d like to know if it’s a momentary change or if you feel like you’ll carry this new feeling with you, even for a little while.

Note: No daisies were killed in the shooting of this photo.

Translation:

OH MY GOODNESS an American Kestrel is EATING A ROBIN IN MY BACKYARD!!!

My irises have almost unfurled, and there’s already a very strong smell of grapes coming from them. I would, if I could, create and patent an iris scented nose insert. This would be especially good if you have smelly neighbors, or just spend a lot of time around smelly people. Simply put the iris scented nose inserts up into each nostril and voila! You smell grapes, and all the world is right again.

I have a lot of irises this year. I even planted one that is supposed to look like a Baboon’s butt Bottom. I know it sounds a little demented, but I’m kinda excited to see that one, kwim? People are strange. Myself included.

My gerber/gerbera daisies are lover-ly. I have several in a planter that my hubby made for me, it’s my daisy planter box. People actually slow down when they drive past my house to look at the pretty flowers. I always flip them my green thumb when they do that, I’m such a show off.

This is how my planter looks this year:

They’re really sissy flowers, and require a lot of attention and babying – but they’re worth it. Now for the good stuff. I mean the REALLY good stuff. The stuff that’s going to prove that my thumb probably isn’t as green as I’d like to think!

This is my vegetable garden. Hubby dug it up, it’s 12′ x 12′. He reeeealy wanted a veggie garden this year so I’m going to do my best. I’ve planted broccoli, cauliflower, beets, bush beans, green peppers and two half rows of spinach. We also have (off to the side against the fence) roma tomatoes and cucumber. Now, I have to tell you, I kill food. I kill it dead, and fast.

It’s been one week and one day since I planted stuff and things are still standing up and green.

(Pausing for applause.)

I am hoping, if all goes well, to be eaten alive by garden bugs and sweat like a farmer woman pulling weeds by mid summer. Why on earth is this something that a girl would aspire to, anyway? All this just for a fresh head of broccoli? Maybe what I really aspire to is to be clubbed over the head and dragged away by my really long hair by a cave man. Or a military man. (There, honey, now you qualify.)

Any gardeny advice for a newbie? Please? Tips, tricks or sprays that I should use? Special gloves? Bandanas? Ponytail holders? Knee pads? Grub identification manuals? Anything?

Okay, well, you think about it and I’ll get back to work over here. I’ve got blog designing to do. And paintings to ship, and jeez – a whole bunch of stuff on my to-do list! (Crack that whip!)

There’s nothing better than a bouquet of fresh flowers cut from your own garden. My BFF sent me this gorgeous vase for Christmas that I was very excited to use for the first time with this arrangement. I shot this in the late afternoon, the sunlight was bouncing off the neighbors window into our family room giving them a really cool shutter pattern.

Last night I looked over at them and they caught my eye, the light from the lamp making them glow, bringing out the femininity of the petals and they had a bit of a romantic mood.

I thought you might enjoy a few shots from my late night tulip admiration. I was experimenting a bit with my cameras shutter speed and aperture. Usually I just leave it on auto, but the lighting made me want to try for something a little different.