Summertime!

One of our favorite things about summer is dining outside. We had an evening recently that was perfect...... a light breeze, clear skies and the birds singing..... our meal was so yummy....... you can't beat a nice aged Angus beef tenderloin on the grill with a few veggies on the side(and, of course, a glass of wine). It was wonderful!

Rod and I sat outside for a while and just savored the time. This time of year we usually just grab a salad or sandwich or eat on the run..... you may wonder why.....mostly because of the nature of our business.... this is our busy "season".

....another thing about summer...... flowers, flowers, flowers..... nice to go out early in the morning to see what is happening in the yard. Here's whats blooming in our perennial bed.....

Oh..... yes, that's Beau..... my garden companion....

Next to bloom are the cone flowers, garden phlox, monarda and delphiniums...... can't wait!

Here is the brown bear I knitted for Bradyn last weekend. He was staying with us while his parents were away. Bradyn was really sick...he ask me to knit him a bear and, of course, I started on it immediately. He ask me to give his bear a "mean" face..... couldn't quite bring myself to make a face any meaner than this! Stuffed animals are supposed to have happy faces, right? (Bradyn is all in to super heroes......)



I am working on a sweet little top for Layla from Sublime patterns..... there are so many cute things to knit for little girls..... and big girls too!






"I want to have fun. I want to shine like the sun. I want to be the one that you want to see. I want to knit you a sweater. I want to write you a love letter. I want to make you feel better. I want to make you feel free."
Joni Mitchell

Gardening - Agapanthus

Gardening for the last couple of weeks has been so enjoyable. I love the smell of the soil, seeing the green breaking through and the opening of the flowers as they reach for the sun. Gardening is soulful; when I am in the garden I think about life, I sing and I pray. The garden is a peaceful place.
I moved a plant I am very fond of last year and thought that it had died. It doesn't do very well when it is moved. Several weeks ago I witnessed the first site of green as the plant broke through the soil and I was ecstatic! The plant is an agapanthus, belonging to the lily family. I thought I would share a little info on this little beauty.

The agapanthus is a native of South Africa and belongs to the lily family. They are known as African Lilies and Lilies-of-the-Nile. Agapanthus reach about two feet in height and are topped with cluster of pretty white to dark blue flowers from late spring to early autumn. The agapanthus is hardy in zones 7 to 11 and like full sun to part shade unless you live in a hot climate where they should be set in partial shade.

Go forth, plant an agapanthus and enjoy it's beauty.

Check out our photography blog at www.autumnsongphotography.com to see my new garden apron from France that Rod bought as a surprise; it is soooooooo pretty and very special!

The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,
One is nearer God's heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth.
~Dorothy Frances Gurney, "Garden Thoughts"

Gardening - New Projects

Spring is here and now it is time to do some gardening, another favorite hobby of mine (of which I have many). By the way, check out our photography blog at Autumn Song to see some photos of spring Rod took just in the backyard. They are so renewing, especially after the lull of winter!

I have been cleaning out the flower beds and getting ready to do some spring plantings. Beau, my golden retriever, has been hot on my heels; everywhere I go, he is there too! Beau, still just a puppy at 8 months old, enjoys pulling up plants and chewing on them. He has pulled up and eaten a three year old lilac bush, every pansy planted, a trumpet plant, the roses and five-leafed akebia on the arbor, chewed the bark on several trees, etc.... He does these things when I am not out to see what he is up to, darn him! Makes me wonder why we every decided to get another dog then I remember how much I enjoy the companionship of a dog.... most of the time.

What would Caesar have me do? I know he would tell me Beau needs more exercise but he gets plenty of exercise when we run and/or hike most every day of the week. And another thing, Beau has beheaded most all my tulips just before they opened, only to lay them down beside the stems. OK, enough about Beau..... but what is up with this dog!

He is a beautiful boy, don't you agree?
Ok, so I am thinking of, well another project; this one in the front yard. Just where the hill starts to peek I want to cut in to the hill (the hill is a little steeper than it looks) and dry stack some stone. Then I want to plant the upper part like a French cottage garden which goes with the style of our house (or at least I think it does). I have been studying this little plan for a couple of years now and am ready to proceed once I talk Rod in to the plan, after all, I will need his help too!

Managed to get a pic without Beau, thanks to the invisible fence.

I do believe I will keep him!

The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,
One is nearer God's heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth.
~Dorothy Frances Gurney, "Garden Thoughts"