Still Blooming Like Crazy

This is my third season of gardening. For the first one, I planted six perennials flowers in my sad, empty garage bed in July before some friends came over. Last year I added perennials and cosmos I found on sale at a local nursery, some flowers I ordered online, and some I direct-sowed. This year I added more plants bought on sale locally and some winter-sown flowers. The garden is really taking off and I couldn't be happier.

This week I found even more winter-sown poppy blooms, two kinds of daisies began blooming and the Rudbeckia I planted this spring is beginning to bloom.



If you're just starting out, gardening may seem like a monumental task, but as my garden shows you can just do a little at a time, on a budget, and still have a great garden. It may take a little time, but that just makes it even more worthwhile.

Gardeners, plant and nature lovers can join Green Thumb Sunday every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

First Harvest of the Season

And my first homegrown onions...EVER! There is something infinitely satisfying about being able to walk outside in your yard and harvest some food for dinner. I should remember this and plant more next year, as well as planting more greens for fall. They were de-lish too, topped with a tomato picked up at the Farmer's Market last Saturday and some hothouse cukes.

I also spotted the first two tomatoes of the season--Golden Girls. It'll still be awhile until they are ready to harvest, but oh, the anticipation is already building.

Impulse Buy Gets Me AGAIN

Great lines, eh? I saw this vintage end table on Craigslist and had to have it, despite the boyfriend saying it didn't fit in the room. I bought it from a nice lady in the neighborhood. I HAD to have it.


Ya, I'm an idiot. So I brought it home, set it in place and, it doesn't freaking work in the room. Plus it makes this corner, which is right next to a hallway, feel too cramped. You have no idea how much I hate it when the boyfriend is right.

Plus, my mom gave me a hard time for spending $25 on it. She said "You paid HOW MUCH??" at least four times when I was telling her about it. I mean come ON, it's a vintage piece, for $25 bucks!! Where else can you get a real wood end table for $25? I've priced the pressed board crap in the stores, it's like $100 for the ugly stuff. We can't all be auction-addicts, you know.

Anyone wanna buy a vintage "Mersman" end table? Huh? Huh?

My First Poppy

This Iceland Poppy is my first winter-sown flower. Isn't it beautiful? I usually avoid orange flowers in my garden, but wow, I love this color.

This is also official proof that winter sowing does work. It's also proof that I should have planted all the other winter-sown seedlings earlier too. I am still not quite done planting actually.

Roses and Lavender

Today is a special Green Thumb Sunday and Garden Blogger Bloom Day double edition and I'm celebrating my beau-ti-ful roses. The pink rambling rose is blooming now too, isn't it pretty, especially against the lavender?

These are two lavender plants that I just planted last year. They're probably a bit squished now, but oh, they're so lovely with the roses. I can't bear to move them. Plus I have visions in my head of lavender sachets, lavender lemonade and more.

A close up of the rambler's bloom clusters.

The outback roses are winding up they're blooming session, but they're still so pretty and worth the three year wait.

Also in bloom:

• Bellflowers
• Catmint or Nepeta
  
• Coreopsis (two varieties including Coreopsis grandiflora, sunfire tickseed)
• Petunias
• Rudbeckia
  
• Sage
• Scabiosa
  
• Veronica Speedwell
• Zinnia
  

Visit May Dreams Gardens to find out what is blooming on gardens across the globe on this Garden Blogger's Bloom Day.

Gardeners, plant and nature lovers can join Green Thumb Sunday every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

Change in Thrifting Karma?

I do not usually have good thrifting karma, however, today I scored this sweet little red Pyrex dish for just 53 cents. I noticed a new thrift store on my way to our recycling dropoff and while most of their stuff was not my cup of tea, this little piece will make a nice addition to my Pyrex collection. Which, umm, I wasn't going to add to anymore, but it's so hard to pass up Pyrex!

My Sweet Alex

today

My lovely Ali-cat is a special, special cat, my favorite cat and my bestest bud. We've been together for 10 years. Though he sometimes can be a bit mischevious, I couldn't ask for a better fur-friend. Alex is not a lap kitty, but he bestows plenty of affection, with his monster-purrs, head-butts and a well-timed flop at your side (or on your legs). A bit of a klutz (just like me!), Ali has been known to get so into a good scratching or brushing that he rolled off the furniture in ecstasy. Alex loves tussling with his pal Mikko, bathing, patrolling the garden, gnawing on his giant mouse "baby," and guarding water (one of his favorite past-times is sitting by the dehumidifier and watching it drain).

And now Alex is also sugar cat. Yes, he has feline diabetes. I just found out last Friday and have spent most moments since focused on Alex, how he feels, what he's eating, and what we need to do to get this thing under control. The good thing is that diabetes is not a death sentence. It's treatable with diet changes, and possibly insulin (Ali is taking insulin). He's doing quite well right now, and every purr and pet means even more.

I don't want to get up on a soapbox, but if something seems off about your pet, take him/her to the vet. At worst, you'll definitely know you have nothing to worry about. Or you may catch something early and ensure your best friend is around for years to come. If you have a cat, and haven't done so, you may also want to read a bit about feline nutrition. I'm learning a lot because of Ali's diagnosis and am working on switching all three of our kitties to a new diet.

Here to 10 more years with my sweet Alex and to enjoying every moment we get with our special friends. Love you fluffy-butt.