Late Summer Color

There's still some color happening in the garden, despite the sudden onset of that slightly sad end of summer feel. Lots of things are simply falling over and imploding; lots of smells of vegetative rot. But there are still some good moments to be had, like the above border nearest the horse barn.
The small zinnias, specifically Zinnia linearis in a nice mix of orange, white yellow and golden are just great this year. In fact, all of the Zinnas were terrific. I was waxing super enthusiastic over Zinnia "Benary's Giant" that I planted for cut flowers. The plants are big and clean (like no mildew) and just keep producing nicely formed flowers in good clear colors. Spectacular in a vase in the house! And I can't help but love how the big stripey grass (some variegated Miscanthus) is a foil for the chunky canna foliage. You can't really see but there was a nice Veronicastrum to the left that had another type of white spire-like bloom. I've been very happy with this bed.
A couple of close-ups:

Yup, there's those nice small Zinnias. You don't even need to dead head them. This hot dry season has suited them perfectly; they'll sulk during cool, wet summers. And here's a shot of the arbor that is in behind the grasses and cannas.

It's funny because these were supposed to be the variety "Blue Star", and yes, there are a few. But most of these seem to be "Tie Dye"; that would be the darker blue, striped ones. You never can tell what you'll get. I think there must be the occasional mix up at the seed companies! I'm not complaining as they look pretty good and are blooming like crazy.

All Kinds of Progress...

Not a great picture but very exciting sneak peek of how well the upstairs closet is coming along! Bob and I are halfway done on this particular phase. Bob finished the shoji screens, which slide along tracks and work nicely- like not taking up space at the top of the stairs but managing to look amazingly professional and modern. I couldn't be happier.
Today, I finished spackling and priming the walls, shelves and framework. We were careful and followed my sister's advice and got a really good primer that has a mold/mildew inhibitor/killer because I think we all remember the posting to the effect that we had (ahem) mold of some kind growing behind a cabinet that the previous owner of this house had zip-screwed to the wall to hide water damage. Oh, we knew it was there...
So after I demolished and Bob repaired the wall, studs went up and cross members appeared and Bob cut trim boards and stretched fabric and the pieces all came together. We needed a preview of what the completed project would look like, so Bob hung the doors. Robin posed in front of them; she's very intrigued with the changes materializing at the top of the stairs. (That is, when she's not practicing random evilness like thoughtfully chewing the electric cord off of the vacuum cleaner. It was a good thing I had unplugged it; it's not like the little monster doesn't have plenty of toys and chewables at the ready. I guess the consolation was I didn't have to vacuum the floor before our friends came to dinner last night!)
Anyway, today I sanded and primed. About half way through the job, I was humming tunelessly along with a pleasant late Mozart symphony (the Haffner) and remarking to myself how enjoyable painting can be when I managed to gently touch the edge of the paint pad to the paint pan which caused said pan to part company with the ladder where it was supposed to be secured with two hangers. A dramatic tidal wave of paint arced through air and landed not only on the wall but on the ladder and the floor. Yes, I had a drop cloth in place but a good quantity of paint resisted the urge to land on that surface... you get the picture. It took tons of warm water and rigorous sponging to lift the paint. It was a mess but I can only thank my lucky stars that the paint came (mostly) to rest on the carpet inside the closet (where the damage will not be easily seen) and only a bit ended up on the carpet near the bathroom. The afternoons painting session proceeded with less drama and I will apply the final coat of paint on Wednesday. Then I can begin the arduous task of moving all my clothes from my studio annex into the new closet!

How About Some Pretty Flowers?

Lovely, isn't it? A different variety of morning glory than we usually grow. This one is a picotee... I think some sort of Japanese hybrid. The weird thing is that only one vine looks like this and is blooming. The other two vines in the same container- ostensibly the same plant- have significantly different leaves and no flowers yet. Sometimes they get mixed up at the seed factory! Here's a shot of the whole container:

This vine is particularly floriferous, too! Everyday sends up a bunch of new blooms.

(Not a flower arrangement but a pretty pink drink. Bob put a couple of drops of Campari in our gin and tonic and a sprig of mint. It tasted delicious and was a perfect accompaniment to an end of day garden perusal)
So despite an erratic (read non appreciable) rain fall and consistently high temperatures (thank you, Climate Change!) some things have done super well in the garden. Most of the vines are sky high (except the honeysuckle: that is a mess): Cardinal Climber (Ipomoea x multifida),

Hyacinth Bean (Dolicos Lab Lab) and several varieties of Morning Glory- including that old trooper "Grand Pa Ott, (thanks to our good friend Roberta!). Also, Thunbergia (Black Eyed Susan Vine) is going great guns this summer.

But look at this amazing succulent. I bought it for the foliage but it started to bloom and it's spectacular!

A stunner! I never dreamed we'd get flowers that look like something from another planet or some undersea world. Let's face it: after all the insanity and evilness afloat in the world, isn't it nice to see pretty flowers?

(Gratuitous shot of the same succulent on the mosaic walkway just because.)

Over Heated/ Stay-cation/Expanded Birthday Version

Not sure what kind of insect this is- other than very large!- but it was adhered to our picnic table. This is how big it was: at first I thought it was a baby bat! I think the extreme weather has encouraged some strange Southern bugs to infiltrate.
Well, the hot weather has caused my brain to go on a stay-cation. It's so muggy and the air is so vile that thinking is nie-on impossible. Lots of vague empty spaces...
What was I saying? Oh yes, something banal about the weather. And it does seem that it's always like this for my birthday, whether it's celebrated on the right day or delayed for a month due to unforeseen medical episodes involving family member's faces...

But my birthday celebration was delightful! Good food and a splendid concord grape wine, lovely gifts including several choice hostas (Empress Wu! and Curly Fries), nuts, flip flops adorned with jewels, clothing, more wine; the list could go on and on and my family was most generous. Thanks to them all! Lil' Robin the Good was on her best behavior and soon took a real shine to my family, rolling around and exposing her underbelly like a trollop. But even she is crashed out on the floor now, trying to escape the heat as best as she can.

Bob's sculpture looks ready to be beamed up to another planet- hopefully one with nicer weather. We couldn't even see the (supposedly) spectacular meteor show last night as it was decidedly overcast last night and rained every so often. I actually woke up at 5:00 am and went outside my studio to see if there were meteor shower remnants to catch but no such luck!

And what else? I should have gotten this blasted, wasted attempt of a blog post up two day ago but the office (ie; the room in which the computer lives) is so hot that I haven't been up to a long enough stint to actually finish the post... you get the picture.

 So it feels like 104 degrees (according to the Weather Channel) and my studio is an oven and I'm retreating back to that air-conditioned bedroom. Sayonora!