If You Can Stand It...

More garden pictures! 

Who says you can't garden in containers? 

I got these seeds as a gift from a friend 3 years ago.  They are re-seeding... and they took a beating this morning in our short rainstorm.  By this evening, they were coming back up. 

The straw bales are going great guns!  The vines are a little sun-burned and I'm going to 

get some shade cloth in the next few days. 

There are tomatoes on all four plants, we are going to be inundated. 

As you see, the pickling cuke vines are doing great. 

The remaining watermelon vine is doing great, too. 

It's way in the distance, but the little library at the Basehor City Park is 

now on a masonry base. 

And this is one of six trees that is changing color at the same park.  My guess is 

it's transplant shock, but six!!!!

Our walks have been curtailed in the terrible weather of the last ten days, 

but we expect a few days of respite the rest of the week, so will try to walk again, and take some pictures of nature. 

Catch Up

We have had a long week here, with Keith having some medical problems. 

We hope to have those ironed out this week, and get 

back to regular posting, the weather allowing. 

Yes, it's hot here in Kansas! 

Take a look at our ground: 

Keith and I have missed most of our T Bones games this year, 

his health has not been good this month.  Today, we 

went to the 1:05 PM game.  Clouds came over, 

and Keith left at the fourth inning, and I waited until the 7th to go 

home.  I was praying for rain, and indeed, we had strong storms south of us. 

Eventually, the clouds receded over us, and as of right now... are almost gone. 

No rain in Leavenworth County.  You can see that we need it. 

However, I am watering the containers daily (sometimes several times) and I have been rewarded with 

lots of bloom. 

This is a purple Stella D'Oro... it's gorgeous, and I am so glad I got it. 

It's one of the 2.00 plants I bought at the end of winter. 

This balsam is grown from seeds I saved at the old place ten years ago. 

I love balsam, but a warning... it has to be watered intensely when it's in a container. 

It will lay down and look dead if it has not been. 

The one dollar apiece geraniums are all blooming nicely... mostly pinks. 

There is a zinnia plant right in their middle!  

I will dig these up in the fall and bring them inside for winter. 

I have so much digging to do in the flower bed, but I am happy with the plants I brought from the old house.  This monarda is one I love (though it will take over if I let it) and the daylilly in front of it is lovely. 

I have lost the name of this one, but it is nice, and large, compared to the others. 

This is a smaller monarda at the far end, and oh my gosh, to see these pictures makes me realize how much digging I have to do!  The thing is, it won't happen in the terrible heat. 

On my way to the game today, I ran by the Ag Hall to check on the chickens... it was so hot yesterday and Friday.  They were mostly inside, smart birds.  I replenished food and water, and left them alone again.  They have plenty of room in their big new henhouse! 

We are still feeding birds here, too: 

The mockingbird is still feeding at the jelly bowl, I love how he is on tip toes here. 

The finches are still coming, too! 

We are remembering those in West Virginia who have suffered so terribly this week in our prayers. 

A New Old Library

There were big doin's in Basehor yesterday. 

An over-100-year-old library was moved to its' new home 

in the City Park where the dogs and I walk daily.  Because parking is so tight 

when there is a crowd, we waited until later on in the day to go see it. 

Yes, it's concrete, which made it even more of a historical oddity. 

I still have to find out all the particulars.  I like how they 

braced the interior. 

There is a better look at the bracing. 

What amazed me is that it was so small... in my mind, reading about it, 

I imagined a bigger building. 

It is called "The Reuben" library, for the family (I think) that built it for the town. 

As I say, I am going to speak with the teacher who engineered it's move to the City Park and get all the particulars. 

Look how beautiful the City Gardens are doing.  Every day, we see people working their plots, and people are already harvesting.  Most of the tomatoes look great, and people have been picking lettuce, peas, beets, and other spring plants.  Peas are almost gone now. 

Unfortunately, this is what the ground in the park looks like now, where just a few weeks ago it was so muddy.  

The gardeners are each given a key to the standpipe when they register, so they can water their plots. 

This is growing in a pot on my patio!  It's so cheery I have let it grown, it will be finished soon enough. 

Callibrachoa... I was really drawn to these colors this year. 

I'm watering daily now, but it's paying off! 

An early doctor's appointment is calling me to get off the computer early tonight. 

I hope all the dads had a great Father's Day out there! 

Back In the Real World

Back to the Ag Hall today on the front desk, and even in the debilitating heat, 

there were lots of tours by day care groups.  Whew. 

I was glad to be in air conditioning. 

I did take some pictures of the Master Gardener's garden in the 

front of the building... it is so beautiful.

(the orange asclepias I transplanted last year did not live, 

but I have two clumps of yellow, I love this flower) 

Love this peach... 

and this buttery yellow. 

When I got home, I watered my own garden, and then 

let the hose trickle into the gardens. 

I looked down through the spare bedroom window to see this!  

(She fed it) 

But this little finch drew my eye. 

Instead of flying off as soon as I opened the door, as the other birds did, it lingered. 

I sat down in a chair on the patio and watched it for a while... it was able to eat while the other birds were gone. 

I really was watching him... I think it is a juvenile... but... house finches are prone to a terrible eye disease, their eyes crust over, they become blind, and cannot find water or food.  I saw probably five last summer, it breaks my heart. 

This little one appeared to have two working eyes...

But the thing that really worried me is that I looked down there ten minutes ago, and it was still there, next to the water bowl, eating and hopping around.  It should be going to nest by now. 

I'll keep an eye out for it. 

Lilly is past chasing after little birds like this, she laid there while I was taking pictures. 

There won't be any dog-walking going on for a few days while we are in the middle of our heat wave.  We might try VERY early tomorrow morning, though. 

Jes has the right idea, he got some of his toys together and he is sleeping right in front of a fan. 

One Last Picture

I thought you all would get a kick out of this. 

I 

Jester really picked up being a good traveler over the five days we were 

gone last weekend. 

On Monday morning, he knew I was loading the car again, as I kept leaving the room. 

(the bed was like a throne)

He knew we were about to hit the road. 

One last pee pee in Iowa, and we were on the way home!  

And seeing our beautiful Lilly, who came to greet us as we came in the door. 

So, since Monday, we have had several days too hot to walk, but we 

did manage today and Tuesday.  The problem is, when 

it's so hot... the animals are hiding in the shade. 

We are back to the land where gas is more reasonably priced... 

we paid 2.64 a gallon in Indiana. 

Back to geraniums blooming on the deck, and the herbs coming up well.  

Keith took good care of them while I was gone. 

Flowers are blooming in the in-ground garden, too. 

Yes, I have some cleaning up to do in this bed. 

Love how the ear tags are all lined up :-) These are the mamas from the little pasture pond. 

Their babies were out of the picture to the right, under the shade of a tree. 

I did get one hawk.  

And the back of a rock pigeon that was just beautiful in the sun, at the dump. 

(Recycle station) 

There were geese on the pit-pond at the dump, too. 

But this is the picture I was so glad to get! 

It's a quail, and I had to snap a bunch to get a decently clear one, because if I open the car door, they are up and away.  I finally got her to hold still long enough!