Garden Miracle, Et. Al.

 

Until this morning, I have considered myself a clemantis killer.

My friend Jean gave me one a few years ago. 

 It lived here long enough to die. 

Last year my sister-in-law Margaret gave us a gift certificate to Ponderay Garden Center. 

I bought a solar globe and another clemantis. 

By the end of summer, after watching the plant shrivel up, I decided that clemantis and the Lovestead don't go hand in hand. 

This spring I looked for signs of life on the base of the dead plant. 

No luck. 

So, I gave up on that one. 

This morning while watering the corner of the garden where I've planted rose bushes and petunias, I glanced at the garden fence and saw pink. 

It was definitely an "I can't believe my eyes" moment.  So, I just kept on looking. 

Not one but two beautiful blossoms were hanging from a vine that had come from the garden and climbed up the fence.  

"It's alive," I said out loud and kept watering, especially the area from where the vine had originated. 

I was so happy that I couldn't wait to walk outside the garden and look closer at those blossoms. 

After a season a mild gardening disappointment, this moment of discovery was supreme, especially knowing that I'll never go to Nature's Jail for being a clemantis killer. 

Life is good in my garden, and it should get better with time as that plant matures and puts out more beautiful pink blossoms. 

I attended a friend's 80th birthday party yesterday. 

What a celebration!

Sharon's daughter Sherrill went all out to see that her mother had a nice birthday bash.

The setting at Sharon's house was magnificent.  I told her that I need to get to work after seeing her beautiful and bountiful gardens and bright green expansive lawn.  

Eight wells on the place where Sharon and her husband Orville live provide all the water needed to keep that grass looking as fresh as spring.

The amazing part to me was that all the work to beautiful an otherwise ordinary piece of ground has been done in the last 13-14 years. 

Sharon and her husband owned Lake RV for a number of years.  When they retired, all that energy for fixing RV's and dealing with RV customers went into beautification of their new home. 

And, it certainly showed yesterday for the big birthday party.  

Happy Birthday, Sharon. 

Earlier this summer, Bill described to me where Sharon and Orville lived on Winterton Road as the place you'll see with a "mowing program."  

He knew that news would be music to my ears because of my passion for mowing programs. 

He was right.  They have a mowing program, and it is huge and gorgeous. 

💚💛💜💙

On my way home from Sharon's party, I stopped at a lemonade stand on Selle Road.

It was a busy place at the time.  Once the family ahead of me completed their order and walked off with lemonade and baked goodies, I met Avery who, along with her father Matt, prepared all the baked items for the stand. 

Avery, who's 12, told me that yesterday would be the last day for lemonade, but in the fall, they'll harvest their apples and press some cider for the stand. 

So, stay tuned, and if those baked goods are available, it's worth the stop.  Bill enjoyed his huckleberry/lemon scone for breakfast this morning, and my glass of lemonade yesterday was both refreshing and tasty.

 

It's another fine day ahead for sunflowers and to enjoy a Sunday. 

Have a great day.