C is for...

Chaos... confusion... control... change. Those are the things that are running rampant through my life right now. I feel completely out of control. I feel like my life is in chaos and I am very confused. The one thing I do know is that I need a change. I need a big change.

So in an effort to create the type of change that I want, I am scaling back. I will be abandoning this blog and posting only on my original blog. At least for right now. I will not be deleting this one, just leaving it alone here.

I know, minor change, but it's a start. :-)

So, if you would like to keep up with me, you can find me at SpiritWitch.

Blessings,
~*~

B is for ...

Butterfly. Here are a few photos of butterflies that I found in my mum's garden. I don't get many in mine. I suppose I don't have enough flowers. I hope to remedy that at some point.




The cooler weather is supposed to be coming to our area soon. I do so hope it will arrive, but what I would really like is rain. I heard tonight that our city has only 75 days before we will run out of water. I wonder what happens then.

Happy New Moon.
Blessings,
~*~

A is for...

Apples.

I love apples. I think apples are one of my favorite fruits.



The granny smiths are my favorite. I like the tart, crisp taste. Which are your favorite apples?
Blessings,
~*~

Green Thumb Sunday

My thumb hasn't been very green lately. It is just too dry here to get much to grow. My bell peppers dried up on the stalks. I do have some pictures to share.

Remember the mystery plant that everyone said looked like a certain non legal type of "weed"? Well, here is what it looks like when it flowers. Very pretty I think. Anyone have a clue now what it could be? I'd love to find out. I have another just like it that popped up in another spot and I'm thinking I'll move them both to a more convenient location. (growing between the slats of the garden fence is just not a good place for me) :-)

I think I've asked this before, but does anyone know what kind of shrub this is? One side of my yard has these growing along the fence and in some other areas that are just beautiful. Purple and white blooms. They remind me of hibiscus but I think they are too small to be hibiscus. If anyone knows what they are I'd love to know.

Well, that is about it from my boring dried up old garden right now. I hope the temperature cools down soon so I can get it ready for some fall plantings.

Blessings,

~*~

Saturday Sky

Question for the gardeners...

Help! What is wrong with my eggplants? I don't have a photo, but I can describe them. I was expecting them to be the long fat eggplants, but these are more of a large egg. They are turning purple, but now are turning a yellowish color. Have I waited too long to pick them?

Any suggestions?

Thanks

Tomatoes...

Yes, we have tomatoes...



I know, again it has been a long time since I posted. I haven't really had much to say. The garden is out of control, the yard and herb beds are all out of control. It has been so hot that I have barely been able to go outside long enough to check to see what needs to be harvested. The heat is unbearable and is made even more so by the mosquitoes. I had one bite my eye earlier. Ugh...

I'm still swimming every weekday. I have been going for two weeks. I have only missed one day and that was this past Tuesday. I was so sick I could barely move and didn't go to work either. I'm still trying to get used to this new stuff I have to deal with. It is a real pain. :-(

When I started swimming I couldn't make it one length of the lap pool without stopping at least 3 times. Now I can swim the length and back (which I count as 1 lap) without stopping. :-) Yay! This morning I swam 20 laps and one of the lengths was 40 seconds. It was taking over a minute to swim a length. I'm just having so much fun swimming.

Anywho, the mystery plant I posted a photo of last time is now starting to bloom. I will take a picture tomorrow and post and maybe someone will recognize it by it's blooms. I have also found two more of those plants in the yard.

I think tomorrow afternoon I'm going to see The Bourne Ultimatum. I'm really looking forward to it.

Well, that is about all I have to post about right now.

Blessings,
~*~

Green Thumb Sunday...

Not much to post today in regards to Green Thumb Sunday. I haven't been doing much yard work as it has just been way to hot. I need to do some serious weeding in the garden and the herb bed.

For the first picture we have a photo of a cayenne pepper ripening.



Next is a photo of a mystery plant I have found in my garden. I know I didn't plant this and I haven't seen it growing anywhere else in the yard. Does anyone know what it is?



And last but not least is a photo of one of my eggplants.


That's all for today. I've done not much of anything today. I slept until 11 this morning since I didn't get to bed until 2. I read the last Harry Potter book yesterday and finished this morning at 2.

I'm anxious to get back in the pool tomorrow. I missed it this weekend. I may have to adjust my schedule and see if I can't get in an early swim on the weekends too. :-)

Alright, I'm off. If you haven't seen Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, I recommend you do. It was great!

Blessings,
~*~

Something new...

I swam today. I woke at 5am put on my suit and went to the local Y to swim. I haven't really been swimming in years. I played around in the pool in Cancun, but I didn't do laps. Today I did 9 laps in the pool, 1/4 of a mile. (I consider a lap to be from one end to the other and back again).

It was fun. It felt really good. I'm going again in the morning. I hope to make this a regular thing.

Blessings,
~*~

Greetings and Salutations...

Hello
Long time no posting...

Oops... I just realized I've posted this photo before. But for some reason blogger won't let me delete it from the post. So, you'll just have to look at it again. :-)


Here is a photo of my eggplant blooming. I have never grown eggplant before and I just love these blooms.

Here are some summer blooms I got at the store. I really need to plant some flowers in my garden.

This dragonfly was perched on my lemon verbena this weekend. He sat there for the longest time. Long enough for me to go back in the house, get the camera and then come out and take six or seven pictures. Isn't he beautiful?

I'm skipping knitting class tonight. I wasn't feeling well when I left work and decided to just stay home tonight. I keep meaning to take a photo to show my progress, but I keep forgetting.

I need to get back to reading. I have book club tomorrow night right after work and I need to finish tonight. I'm on the final section and it is a pretty quick read. I hope to be done by tomorrow night's meeting.

We are having thunderstorms here and I just love them. I wish I could figure out how to get a good photo of the storms.

Well, that is about all I have to say here tonight.

Blessings,

~*~

Green Thumb Sunday...

We'll start today with a lace-cap hydrangea that my step mother gave me yesterday. This one is red and is just huge! I have no idea where to plant it and have been searching the yard for the perfect spot.


Next are sunflowers my step mother brought to lunch yesterday. We didn't grow them, but I love them and thought they made a pretty picture.

These are day lilies during a rain storm we had last week.


And last we have another hydrangea blooming in the yard. I love these plants. I always think of my paternal Grandmother when I see these blooms. She had them in her yard and she loved them so. She was always tinkering with the soil each year to try to get them to change colors. They would go from white to blue to purple. So beautiful!

I have lots of tomatoes and am waiting for them to ripen. I also have bunches of cayenne peppers waiting to ripen. My eggplants are blooms (the most beautiful flowers!) and I haven't taken a picture of them yet. I'll try to get one for next week. My squash and zucchini are still producing with loads of blooms on them. I think my bell peppers are finally getting ready to bloom and my habanero shouldn't be far behind.

That is the end of my garden report this week. Hopefully I'll have more pictures next week.

Blessings,
~*~

Saturday Sky

Pictures, I love pictures...

I know I haven't posted in a while. I'm sorry about that. I've been really busy and every time I get ready to post, something comes up and I lose my opportunity. But, today is a holiday (Happy Independence Day, America!) and so I thought I would find the time to post. I have a variety of photos, some from the garden, some flowers and some of animals.

My cousins were in town over the last few days and we took them to the local museum/zoo and I got some very good photos of the animals. At least, I think they are good. :-)

This photo is my favorite: a Bengal tiger



And this is a peacock that was just wandering around


While at my Mum's I found this little baby and took several photos, but I'll only share one now:



And now from the garden,


Yellow Daylilies


The first cherry tomato from my garden

And last but not least, more squash and zucchini from the garden. I gave away a whole bag full of the stuff on Monday. Yesterday I found two more zucchini to pick. I have tons of cayenne peppers and tomatoes on the plants, they just aren't ripe yet. I have a few jalapenos but they aren't ready yet and the eggplants have buds.

Anyway, I'll try to get better with the posts. I have tons going on at work and the yard keeps calling. My health is not so great right now too and that is causing a lot of problems of its own.

Well, I'm off to check on the laundry and maybe knit today. I like having days off to just hang around the house.

Blessings,
~*~

From the garden...

I've been so busy there just hasn't been time to post. This past weekend I went to a Solstice celebration. It was fun. The place we had it is a bit of a farm and they have sheep, goats, hogs, llamas and guinea fowl. It was pretty cool.

See what I found in the garden on Monday?



Yummy! I had one of the squash and one of the zucchini tonight for supper. Tonight I went out and found four more zucchini ready to pick and two more squash. I also found lots of tomatoes growing, just none ready to pick. My cayenne peppers are growing and I have peppers on them.

Tonight for dinner I had baked chicken in cream of mushroom soup, sauteed zucchini and squash and red beans and rice. It was very good!

Well, the long week starts back up tomorrow. I think I'm going to go to bed early cause I'm really tired.

Blessings,
~*~

They all fall down!

I went out to check on my garden today when I got home and found that one of my zucchini plants has fallen on it's side and it looks very weird. I also found that most of my tomato plants have limbs that have fallen. I can't find anything that would be making them so heavy they would fall like that, but it is very frustrating!

Now I have to find something to stake up the tomato plants with. I don't think there is anything I can do to turn over my zucchini. The fruit on them seems to be growing okay.

Oh well. I'll try to get pictures later and post. I also owe a post on my knitting progress. Hmmmm... lots to do.

I'd best run. I have laundry needing to be switched and dinner to be cooked.

Happy Summer Solstice to you all!

Blessings,
~*~

Green Thumb Sunday

For this episode of GTS, we have vegetable garden progress. First up, baby zucchini.


Second, baby squash. Yum...


Below we have cherry tomatoes. These are on a stem that had broken, but I tied them up and hope that they will survive. :-)



Here is a photo of the mint in my herb bed. I really need to get out there and harvest some. It is starting to try to take over.


And last but not least, is a what is this question. Can any of you wonderful gardeners tell me what this is? I hope it isn't what I think... (poison oak?)



One of the things I've noticed in reading the gardening blogs is that I love flowers. I see all these beautiful photos of wonderful flowers, but I don't have any of my favorites in my garden. So my plan for next year is, MORE FLOWERS!

Okay, I'm off to do laundry and get ready for the work week.

Blessings,
~*~

Saturday Sky...

I took this photo about 10 minutes ago... but now it is getting darker. It looks like a storm is coming. If it does, I'll try for a good picture and post it too.

Blessings,
~*~

Knitting progress and pictures

I have pictures! Yes, that is right. I have pictures of my knitting progress! I've been working on this afghan for a while now, but only seem to get to work on it on knitting class nights. If I can get some sleep and start to feel more rested, maybe I'll be able to get in some knitting time.

So, on to the photos.

I'm still on the first panel of the afghan. It really is a slow knit. Part of the problem is that I have to really concentrate in order to get the pattern right. So, I can't knit and watch TV. Anyway, here is the next photo. It is a closeup.

So, anyway, that is where I am in knitting land. I'm not really sure how to describe the progress in my percent bar, so I'll just guess that I'm about 5% done? Who knows. I think I'm going to have to start another project so that I have something different to do. I'd like to do something small so I'll feel like I finished something. This afghan is going to take a while.

We had rain this afternoon, so no yard play tonight. I did go out and check the garden and the vegetables are growing like crazy. I also realized that I can never go out in my yard without my camera. I saw two cardinals and a robin that I would love to have taken pictures of. Well, I must learn to be prepared. :-)

That is all I really have for tonight.
Blessings,
~*~

Green Thumb Sunday

Wow, is it Sunday again? The weeks sure are flying by. Here are some photos from the garden.

Feverfew blooming...

I can't believe how big the woodruff has gotten... I'll need to start harvesting some soon.



Here is a baby zucchini. And below we have my row of tomatoes. I think all three plants have blooms.


Well, that is just a small tour of my garden. Next Sunday we will check on the eggplant, the onions, and the peppers.

Blessings,
~*~

Green Thumb Sunday (New Orleans Edition)

Yes, I know... I'm late with this post. Sorry for the delay, things have just been unbelievably hectic. So here are some picture of plants, flowers and trees that I took while in New Orleans. I hope you enjoy them. Next Sunday we will return to my boring old garden photos! :-)

Above is a beautiful tree that I fell in love with during one of the cemetery walks. I can't remember which cemetery. I think the one across from Greenwood.

This is a photo of a plant in Congo Square. None of us knew what it was. Can anyone help? Below is a closeup of the flowers.


Here is another photo, this from the French Quarter. Aren't they beautiful?


A closeup of my favorite...


Blessings,
~*~

Back home

I'm back. The trip was wonderful and miserable. I don't really know which just yet. I have some pictures and will try to get them posted this weekend.

Hope everyone has had a great week. I have a lot of catching up to do on my blog reading! :-)

Blessings,
~*~

Leaving tomorrow...

This time tomorrow night I'll be driving down the highway headed to New Orleans. Yay! I'm so very excited! I'm also exhausted... It has been quite a busy week but I'm really looking forward to the trip.

I won't get to post Saturday Sky or Green Thumb Sunday this week. I've decided not to take my laptop with me. The hotel has Internet, but I just don't think I want to worry about losing it or having it stolen as well as keeping up with it.

I've started packing and am almost ready. Tomorrow I'm getting my car inspected (it's due this month) and have to pick up a couple of things from the craft store and the grocery. I also have to drop off the dog at the vet in the am. We aren't leaving until 5, but I'm hoping to push that up just a little bit. The more daylight to see the road with, the better.

Sorry for all the rambling, I'm just too excited to talk or think straight. :-)

Alright, I'm signing off for now. I'll be back sometime on Thursday. I'll try to have lots of pictures to post. :-)

Blessings,
~*~

Monday blues...

Monday is usually a crappy day for me. I'm not sure why, but something invariably goes wrong on Mondays. Today is no different. I woke this morning around 3 with a serious migraine. I was finally able to drag myself to work around 9 this morning. I pretty much stayed in the office and did as little as possible. Every time I moved my head I'd get a shooting pain. The joy of my head...

I did go meet my friend to shop at lunch. She found an outfit for our trip, but I didn't find anything. In case you haven't read my other blog, I'm going to New Orleans this weekend for the first time ever! It is a place I have longed to go since I was a little girl. I'm really looking forward to this trip.

Anyway, I went to a few stores after work and found a couple of tops. I just have to find a white skirt. One of the things we are doing is attending a voudou ceremony and we have to dress in white. (I'm so excited about this!)

So, I'm trying to get ready for my trip and haven't done much knitting. I keep meaning to get a picture of my progress but I want to take it outside for the lighting but never remember until it is dark. I have my last knitting class tomorrow night, so I'll get at least two hours of knitting done. I'll try to get a picture tomorrow of my progress and post it.

Well, I'm going back to watching 24 now.

Blessings,
~*~

Green Thumb Sunday...

I have so many pictures I could post, but I won't. I'll try to just post the really good ones! Above is my pink David Austin Olde English Rose. I love that variety. They are my favorite. I think this one is really pretty.

Next we have a picture of honeysuckle blooms. I didn't realize it was time for them to bloom until I was working in they yard and found it. I love the smell of honeysuckle, don't you?


Here is a picture of the herbs I planted in my vegetable garden. I just couldn't find a better spot so I decided to use part of the vegetable garden as an herb garden. I planted patchouli, blue vervain, horehound, st. johns wort, mugwort and feverfew. I sure hope they survive!

Does anyone have any idea what the above plant is? I have no idea, but have seen a few growing in my yard. It is very pretty and the color of the flowers in this photo is not accurate, it is more blue. I'd really love to know what it is. I also have one more mystery plant, only this one is a tree.


So, anyone know what this tree is? I'd love to know!

That is about all for today. I have more photos but I'll try to post them later in the week.

Happy Mother's Day to the moms.

Blessings,
~*~

I have been knitting...

...I just don't have any picture to show yet. I'm working on the first of sixteen panels for this afghan. I think it is going to be a year long project. It will definitely move slowly during the spring and summer months. I'm spending so much time in my yard that I don't have the time or energy to work on it when I get in at night. I still have about 6 inches to go on the first panel. Ugh...

I'll try to post pictures this weekend.

Yesterday I was finally able to get to the store and get my vegetables for the garden. Here is what I ended up with:
2 cherry tomato plants
1 beefmaster tomato plant
1 green bell pepper plants
2 habanero pepper plants
2 cayenne pepper plants
2 zucchini plants
2 squash plants
1 jalapeno plant.

My original list had 1 of everything except the bell peppers and jalapenos. I was going to get 2 bell pepper plants and no jalapenos since I have so many in the freezer. But, I was just overwhelmed at the store. All the plants I listed above cost me just under $7. I couldn't believe it! I got my plants from them last year and they all did so well. I can't wait to see what happens this year. Oh, I forgot to mention the onion sets. :-)

I got everything in the ground last night except for the onion sets. I hope to get them in this weekend, but things are going to be busy. I have to bake tonight for dinner tomorrow night, then shopping for my trip to NOLA, dinner tomorrow night for mother's day, and of course, Sunday is Mother's day so I will end up spending the day with my mother and grandmother.

Anyway, somewhere in there I have to mow and do laundry. :-)

I'll try to check in later.

Blessings,
~*~

Green Thumb Sunday...

Sorry to have been so quiet. I just haven't had a lot to say lately...


The above is a snowball bush that my mum gave me. She originally got hers from my Grandmother's yard, so now it is like I have part of my Grandmother in my yard.


Next we have a Birdsnest Fern. I had been given one a few years ago that died and I was finally able to replace it. I hope I'm able to keep this one alive. :-)


Here we have more herbs that I got at the state's Herb Guild sale that they had at a local farmers market. I picked up Blue Vervain, Mugwort, St. John's Wort, Patchouli, Cilantro and Horehound. (I can't remember if that is all or not.)

I still have several left to plant, but have run out of room. I'm considering adding some to my vegetable garden but I don't want to plant anything that I can't plow under next spring. So, I'm trying to figure out where to plant them.

Anyway, my roses are blooming. I'll try to get a picture tomorrow.

Blessings,
~*~