The Fog Rolls In, the Fog Rolls Out

We have only seen flashing glimpses of the sun for the past 10 days now and it's getting to be a bit tiresome. The seeds in the veggie garden are rotting in the ground and the slugs are taking over despite my best efforts. There is no end in sight!


We haven't been able to see beyond Hog Island for days. On Friday, we did have a few brief moments of sunshine, but the fog quickly regrouped and came creeping back in.

Fortunately, many of the annuals actually like the cool mist the fog brings along.

Several years ago, my eldest son brought me a few amaryllis bulbs from his garden in Florida. Those few bulbs are now bursting out of their pots and I'll have to be gifting a few to some of my gardening friends. These babies are so easy. Every autumn, I put them down in my unheated mechanical room, don't even water them all winter long. Along about late April, I begin watering them again and in June, as soon as the danger of frost is over, I place them outside and feed them with Miracle Grow. When they're done blooming, the green, strappy leaves give the deck a nice, tropical feel.

The gazanias don't seem to mind the foggy weather.....


nor do the lobelia and nemesias.


Every year, I anticipate the blooming of the poppies and this year, I counted 19 buds....


unfortunately, the rain has beat them down and they are not in their glory which is sad as their bloom time is so very short.

The Cranesbill is in full bloom along the perennial border......

and the catmint is keeping up it's blooming. It's one of the hardest workers in my garden, blooming almost all summer long!

I have a confession to make. I'm somewhat of a kleptomaniac when it comes to sedums. Just about every public garden we've visited seems to have an overabundance of sedum varieties, and in my need to "help out" these gardens, I tend to prune a few of their sedums. As a result, I have quite a variety, but have no idea what their names are. However, I can tell you which garden I nicked them from! This beautiful bloomer came from my neighbor's garden, but I did have her permission to "pinch" a bit!

Lastly, I'm happy to report that the poor, abused Japanese Maple I transplanted this spring has been deliriously happy in her new spot next to the pond. The Gnome in charge of the water feature has been keeping an eye on her and reports she's growing by leaps and bounds!

And so, my friends, Giddy hopes to have your wishes and crossed fingers for a really, really, sunny and warm July!

Life is Good!

Hugs, Giddy

Rainy Day Blues

Well, friends, it's raining again - for the third day in a row. And not just nice, gentle rain, but big cloudbursts, sending sheets of water zipping down the road toward us! Luckily, we have excellent drainage and none of it is entering the house.

Nonetheless, we are in good spirits and this post will just meander on about what's been happening over the past few days.

Last week, I was stacking some of the firewood we had delivered last week and I came across what I thought looked like a piece of lichen. Much to my surprise, the lichen opened his eyes and looked at me!

The rain has kept me out of the garden, but I've been busy knitting away the hours in the house.

I finished this vest this week.......

and popped out a quick wine cozy.

We did have a beautiful, sunny day last Tuesday, so we took advantage of it to revisit Asticou Azalea Garden and make the first of our summer visits to Thuya Garden in Northeast Harbor.

Most of the azaleas had already bloomed out, but there was enough color left to make for a wonderful visit.

there were so many photo opportunities........

each one lovlier than the next.


At Thuya Garden, the blooming had not begun in earnest, but there was still plenty to delight the eye!

These Himalayan Blue Poppies were stunning.

These cute little Blue Orchard Bee (BOB) houses were peppered throughout the garden. H has promised to make a few for our garden.


http://osmia.com/bluebee.htm

The above link about the bees was quite interesting.

And last, but not least, we discovered who the thief with the sweet tooth was who had been draining the hummingbird feeder on the nights that I forgot to bring it in.

This little guy is obviously a descendant of "Big Booda, the Fat Raccoon", who undoubtedly grew so fat he could no longer make it up the stairs to raid the feeders.

And that pretty much sums up the highlights of the past week. Despite the rain, we are grateful for the cool weather and wish we could send all you southerners a respite from the awful heat you are experiencing.

Life is Good and Soggy!

Hugs, Giddy

Unusual Sunrise

We are situated on a peninsula and our home faces southwest so we are usually not able to see spectacular sunrises. On occasion, however, atmospheric conditions are just right for some great shots when the sun peeks out over the tops of the trees behind us and spotlights Calf Island across Flanders Bay.

H was up at his usual hour of 5 a.m. and got these great photos. It was a bit foggy out so the close ups look a bit washed out, but as usual, the camera just couldn't quite capture the beauty!

Calf Island stands out orange in the distance.


Life is Good

Hugs, Giddy