september

We've reached that time of year, time to prepare for winter. The cat hunted/caught two mice, we are collecting newspapers, calculating how much wood we need to cut & burn. It is soon time to fill the propane, clean the chimney and start wearing slippers again.

We spent the last week camping near the Walnut river, in Kansas. Our annual time to see & spend time with many people we simply love to be nearby. 

Picking the flowers which are slowly fading and will soon freeze. 

Warm temperatures alluded my tomatoes this year. Picked my first big batch today, and made some sauce. Quite a change from last year's bounty. But since we still have sauce from last year in the freezer, we didn't really need as much. 

The Statice I grew has come out in blues, pinks and purples. I've been cutting it & hanging to dry on the back porch. Thinking it will be welcome color in the winter depths. 

Working full-time in town has been rewarding, but a new perspective for me. Suddenly my time is no longer mine, it belongs to work. And I'm not sure I'll ever be convinced that is really how I want to live. Am glad the job I have now is one I feel good about. 

with the freeze

last pick before the first freeze. (though this morning the freeze forecast seemed more dire than it is forecasted to be now)

regardless, the freeze season is here.

we also picked a large bowl of roma tomatoes, which means more sauce--I really have to learn to trust canning over freezing because our freezer is stuffed full.

it is too bad neither of us would eat green tomatoes, in any of the ways they are prepared. I thought this as I lamented how many tomatoes we left on the vine. 

I also picked all the blooming zinnias. all those bundles of red & orange just make me smile. 

we carried over loads of wood from the shed, filling up the wood box by the stove, and stacking some by the door. though i'm not sure we will need a fire tonight, and hopefully a sunny day tomorrow will warm up the house. there is something about the first time you turn on the furnace (or in this case, build the first fire). it is the official goodbye to summer. 

we wait to hear about the truck. I wait to hear about a temp job and the insurance I applied for. tomorrow I attend a meeting with my art-show organizers. and also browse the squash & apples at the farmer's market. and I wonder what our valley is going to look like when the day comes it is all covered in snow.

friday

just some pictures on a friday. mis flores.  next year I'll plant even more. 

las floras

living with flowers is a wonderful thing. 

instant pink

in the dry desert, a hot pink cholla bloom (choy-ya). a fragile flower on a pale green spiky cactus. 

the blooms don't last long but right now are decorating the desert.

lime-green on the desert sand

the prickly pear cactus are in bloom. 

they start with a pink bud and unfurl into a yellow or lime-green flower. 

and no matter how careful you are being as you walk around them, if you are wearing flip flops, you are bound to get a prickle jabbed into the side of your foot.  

in time of daffodils

my first daffodils this spring.
I was beginning to fear they wouldn't show up in this high desert town.
I don't see them in people's yards.
Though so many people's yards are hidden by tall adobe walls. so maybe they are there.
but in kansas, they are a part of the spring landscape. growing everywhere like weeds.
and I was missing them.

I used to smile at how silly it was, to buy bunches of daffodils at the grocery store.
I didn't know how spoiled I was to have them growing in my own yard.

today, I felt so happy when I saw them in the florist section of the store.
and bought myself two bunches.
they smell sweet & soft. and they bring a welcome sunshine-y brightness to our home.


......

in time of daffodils(who know
the goal of living is to grow)
forgetting why,remember how

in time of lilacs who proclaim
the aim of waking is to dream,
remember so(forgetting seem)

in time of roses(who amaze
our now and here with paradise)
forgetting if,remember yes

in time of all sweet things beyond
whatever mind may comprehend,
remember seek(forgetting find)

and in a mystery to be
(when time from time shall set us free)
forgetting me,remember me 

e.e.cummings

friday

crocus, 1874

botanical illustrations by Mary Vaux Walcott, an American Artist who was known for her watercolor paintings of American wildflowers.

grape hyacinth, 1920 

butterfly violet, 1923

blueflag iris, 1919

images were found at the Smithsonian
(click on image for link) 

baking for flowers

on a lovely evening we had special guests over for dinner. we grilled burgers, made pasta salad with fresh corn, cucumbers, basil and salty pepitas.
I baked hamburger buns. and though oddly shaped, they came out well. helped I'm sure by the glaze of melted butter.

to continue the adventure in baking, I also made a lemon cake. it came out dense, moist and not too sweet. served with sliced freshly picked very sweet peaches.

in return I received a huge bouquet of wonderful kansas-inspired flowers.

I got to bake for people I care about. and spend a evening of happy chatting, laughing and warm friendships. all while sitting outside in the summer air, as the sun went down.

tonight rain & lightning are in the air.

may day limbo

people who know me well, know well that I do poorly with uncertainty & limbo in my life. I prefer deadlines, time frames and clearly defined expectations.

and though in the past years I've worked hard at allowing myself to just accept that all is uncertain and stressing out about what can't be controlled is fairly useless...but it is a definite reason why I rarely move, and I've never moved away from Kansas.

having my house for sale, planning to move. these are things that are challenging for me, but I know I will feel like a stronger person for doing them. in the meantime, my stomach is generally nauseous and my dreams are restless. and my house is clean.

those that know also understand that in times of great anxiety, I clean & I organize. my house is so very pretty right now.

and though having to leave my home so that complete strangers can walk through it is not something I can get used to. I do like having a reason to cut flowers to decorate my house.

spring weekend

the wheat & the sky.

the barn which stubbornly still stands.

some of my tulips. i'd forgotten all the colors which i'd planted.

peaceful & warm sunday afternoon sunshine.

my daffodils are starting to bloom.
my windows are open to the warm air & sounds of a lawn mower.
I wore flip-flops all day.
all very nice, except it is St. Patrick's Day, and it should still be colder.
not complaining,  just a little worried about what it all means for the upcoming summer.

and the kitten has found a new favorite spot for her lazy moments.

yep, there's a picture of my cute cat.

last year I was sitting in an "Irish" pub in Berlin, ordering Jamison in German. well, I wasn't actually the one doing the ordering,  just some of the drinking.

time of year again

 an early birthday present. as every year.

a darkest purple iris blooming.

little basils on the back porch.

zinnias coming up.

and a chubby kitten getting yelled at to quit digging holes in my garden.


thank you Kansas springtime.

my poppies

are blooming. prettily.

seasonal hello

seriously, how does it know its (almost) christmas?

may weekend

some things mother nature has going on for my birthday.

so along with a pretty bouquet from my mom, a lovely fantastic spa afternoon with friends, and a late morning of pancakes and sunbathing, I've had a good weekend. and I've got presents, a manicure & pedicure, and a sunburn to show for it. and it hasn't quite ended yet. since I still have dinner, and have yet another day off from work tomorrow.

thanks everyone, who wouldn't let me forget today.

pink flamingo

I doubt anyone will be surprised.

that I bought this mum, because of its name.

waiting is over

and tomatoes are everywhere. in the bags which mom drops off from the farm. and in my own backyard.
the daily salads of tomatoes & basil have begun. last night, I rolled it all up into a warm tortilla, with a slather of goat cheese and sprinkle of pepper.
















and, pink.

sad to say that I'm fighting off blister beetles in my tomato patch. they hungrily eat away all vegetation. they are bastard things, with long, grey torsos. which secrete a toxin, causing blisters to all humans who touch them. so in gloved hands I find them, drop them in a container. and then take them to the sidewalk. where I take satisfaction in squishing them underfoot.

summer shows

I've got an abundance of purple coneflower. as do my neighbors on all sides.




















I'd extended my front porch flower bed this year, and added a curve of bachelor's buttons, poppies and red zinnias. am loving the colors. and all the rain we keep getting, along with only kind of hot days, has been great for flowers.















this is a red spider zinnia. they grow on thin stalks, and the bloom is only about the size of a quarter.

a bit different from the large zinnias, about to bloom like crazy, in my back yard.

oh, and look at this green tomato abundance. waiting in anticipation.