Garden Stroll and Name that Antique

Hi Everyone, 

It is a hot day in Florida and this afternoon, on my stroll I saw that many of the flowers were suffering from the heat and looked slightly wilted. It has been about 90 or more every day this past week, but late in the afternoon, we get a storm that really cools things down. It will rain as much as several inches and then a half hour later, you can walk out on dry ground, thanks to sandy soil and the sun returning.

I saw a beautiful butterfly flitting from one flower to the next and it is very hard to get photos of them.

This photo is blurred, but I am including it, because you can see more of butterfly than in the clear photo.

A Double Hibiscus

Cosmos that reseeded from last summer.

Now, here is the question of the day! This is an antique and I know what it is and what it's purpose used to be. Do you?? I am not going to tell yet, so let's see how many of you know. Let me say that it is not a garden instrument. I will give you a hint....my grandmother would have used it in the kitchen. Name this Antique!

Boy's Best Friend

Hi Everyone, I hope you are having a great Sunday afternoon! My newly turned 13 year old grandson, Austin, is visiting for a few days and he and little Sammie have become fast friends! Austin has wanted a dog for a long time and because of his parent's schedules and school and sports, it has not been possible, so he was thrilled when we got little Sammie. It took Sammie about one minute to lick Austin from head to toe and sit in his lap and sleep after playing like a wild thing for 30 minutes. I am enjoying having a "dog sitter" at times to give me more painting time. Sammie is a good little girl, though, and because she is only 12 weeks of age, she still takes a bunch of long naps during the day and basically sleeps all night...only up once for potty time. She is getting very good about house training and now can sit up  for a treat!  My older grandson, Andrew has not seen Sammie yet, but trust me that he will love her, too. Sigh...is there anything cuter than boys and dogs together?

New Puppy...SAMMIE

Hi Everyone,  Just look what we have got now!! A new little puppy girl whose name is Sammie and she is eleven weeks old. We just got her last night and she slept all night in her crate with only a few little whines when she first went to bed. Such a good girl! I am busy house training her and she is doing just great. A tasty treat makes her want to go outside and to please me. She is very smart.

Sammie is a Boston Terrier and I had one years ago, so I know how smart they are and they just have a great disposition. Above, she is taking a nap and my husband's lap, resting her little face on his arm. How cute is that! You can tell I am a proud puppy owner, as is my hubby who likes to hold her.

Garden Walk...Flowers vs Veggies

Hello Everyone,  Yesterday I took a late afternoon walk around the garden and saw lots of pretty blooms. The Day lily is blooming and the blooms are lovely. I don't like that they only last one day and wish they would last for weeks! That is why I need more plants and need to plant lots more bulbs. I would love enough to cut flowers for the house and studio, too, even if they don't last long.

You know, I think I had much rather plant and grow flowers than vegetables! It must be the artist in me, but I just love flowers of all types and want to spend most of my gardening time on them! Vegetables are plentiful and inexpensive in Florida and I am finding that I spend more on fertilizer and soil and plants than it is worth to have a few veggies. 

I probably will still plant a few vegetables mixed in with the flowers, but I do love the flowers more!

Now that I have a successful hydrangea, I must get more of them! I love the big balls of color and hope to find some blue ones to plant. I hear you can change their color by adding acid to the soil; does anyone know how to do that?

The blue Plumbago puts one in mind of blue hydrangea, although their composite flowers are a bit differently shaped and aren't as dense. Exquisite color, though!!

The Crape Myrtle trees are blooming , adding more color to the garden. They are so pretty in summer; in winter, the trees are like dead sticks!!

A storm was beginning to brew and did we ever have one last night! We had a severe electrical storm with the loudest crash of lightening and thunder I have ever heard. It went on for hours....I could not go to sleep until 2 A.M. thanks to the frightening and loud storm. After the storm, it was very hot and today is in the high 90's. Summer has roared into Florida!

Tomatoes, Peppers and Patriotic dishes

Hi everyone, I have been gathering almost more tomatoes than we can eat off of one plant! It surely has had many, many delicious little tomatoes.

The same goes for my two pepper plants.....almost more than we can eat, but they do freeze well for cooking. Tomorrow I will be making stuffed peppers even though my husband doesn't like peppers. He will leave the pepper and only eat the stuffing! I will not let it go to waste!

Hubby's sister, Shirley sent this pretty patriotic table setting. Look at the cute little star salt/pepper shakers and even a little flag, just peeking out of the bud vase. These are perfect for lunch! She sent them to cheer up Bob after his knee replacement and going through all the gruesome therapy and he was all smiles when he received the package.