Hope ~ Psalm 62:5

A Snake Encounter

I've had my gardening business since 2002 and have never had an encounter with a snake... Until a couple weeks ago.


Needless to say, I was freaked and kept hearing, seeing, and sensing snakes the rest of the day... Even though I had chased the one into a hole and blocked it in.

Yes, I did refrain from screaming like a 13 year old girl, but only because when I originally saw the snake it was in the garage having a stare-down with one of my customer's cats (which was absolutely hilarious). And I have to admit, it was fun chasing the crazy thing around the beds with my hoe in hand... But got a little nervous when he/she wrapped itself around the end and I had to swing it around in the air to shake it loose (I'm sure this was all very entertaining for a neighbor out mowing his lawn).

I've had a couple more visits to the customer's house since that slithery day, but no more encounters ( Thank God!!!).

And then this morning I receive a text from the customer:

•One less snake on Sterling Road thanks to my John Deere

•Gotta go change my pants tho. Bet neighbor heard me scream like a girl

•I was against the brick wall at edge of pool and it tried to jump up on the mower deck before it got sucked in and chopped up

My response...

At least you know what you can have for supper now

I just hope that's the end of my snake tale...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Iris In Rain

Good-Bye My Irises, Until 2012

It's sad to see my irises go... already done for another year. May 2012 won't come soon enough for me.

I'm still hopeful for what looks like a water iris to bloom, which I'm sure I'll have an image or two to share if I do. But, until then I'll enjoy the final couple days of my spuria iris 'orientalis' in bloom...

Andrew's Final Exit

It seems just like yesterday we were walking Andrew into his kindergarten room at Bent Elementary School for the very first time and meeting Mrs. Wadkins. From that first "hello" we knew we had made the right choice in having Andrew attend a public school rather than a private school.

What an amazing experience Andrew had during his six years at Bent Elementary School... Thank you Mrs. Wadkins (K), Mrs. Young (1st), Mrs. Matlock (2nd), Mr. Bussan (3rd), Mrs. Matlock (4th), and Mrs. Cooper (5th) for giving Andrew a wonderful education and what we're certain will be a firm foundation for his career at BJHS, BHS, and beyond. You each gave him essential tools for learning, but you also gave him a love for learning... And for that we especially want to say Thank You.

Siberian Iris 'Pink Haze'

I planted this iris in either 2004 or 2005... I never knew the name of it until this year. SO glad I know now so I can look for more for customers.

Irises are blooming very nicely this year, but the rain and wind can really do some damage to the bloom in a hurry.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Saturday Mornings

I LOVE Saturday mornings!!!

My favorite place on Saturday mornings is sitting on my front porch with a cup of coffee... Listening to the birds, catching scents from my flowers, watching bumble bees visit all the blooms, seeing which new flowers have revealed themselves to the world today.

Yes... Saturday's... 7-11 a.m.

It's also a time of reflection from my week... Revisiting briefly my ups, my downs, my victories, my failures, my challenges, my frustrations, my interactions... It's kind of like a time of cleansing for me.

Everyone needs time each week like this... And I can definitely tell a difference when I don't have my "porch time" ~ And what's really awesome is that I can have a "bonus porch time" on Monday since it's a 3-day weekend :-)

To wrap up my "porch time" this morning... Here's a picture of one of my poppies that bloomed this morning... Raised from seed last year in the greenhouse and happily blooming this year...



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Paeonia 'Hoki'

This is a tree peony from our backyard... I purchased it early in the gardening season last year and then forgot about it amongst all of the other plants I keep at our house during the summer. I about cried when I saw it sitting there in the middle of some dead & dying annuals in September, especially since I paid about $40 for it, when it was all the size of a 6-inch stick with maybe three leaves. I quickly found a place for it and prayed over it for 7-days straight (ok, not really).

I was pleasantly surprised to see it produce a beautiful flower this spring and LOTS of leaf growth. 

But, most importantly... my wife loved it :-)

Papaver Orientale ~ Oriental Poppy

I've always loved to see oriental red poppies (papaver orientale) but have never had them in my gardens. Last year I seeded several in the greenhouse and planted most of them at a customer's house, but kept a few of the plants for myself. I've been thrilled to see them develop into a few nice plants this year and can't wait to see them bloom. Here's a shot of one of the buds reaching out from between what appears to be thistly leaves...

Recent iPhoneography Captures

I know the camera on the iPhone is far from perfect and has limited ability to be used for "professional photography" ... but ... I'm totally amazed sometimes by what I can capture and edit just by using my iPhone. Here are a few recent examples of what is now being called iPhoneography...

Iris With Some Texture

This was actually a two year old image I ran into tonight while working at Harvest Bookstore at Eastview... But had some quick fun with it and turned it into something more interesting than it was originally. 

Lilacs Backlit by Sun