More Postcards, from Another Summer Gone By

Well, some bloggers are putting up photos like this, but things are still pretty green around here. Here's a sure sign of things to come, though.  I usually chop up some of our fallen leaves and dump them here to use as compost during the growing season, and, as you can see, we're due for a  refill! Won't be long! But at this interim time, late in summer before the leaves come down in earnest,  the FLH's outdoor duties begin to slacken, while the Flower Lady gets busier than ever. She is out today bringing Floral Knowledge to the masses, so I thought I would show you some photos from our summer. I can't give you the FL's expert commentary, but let's see what catches the eye.

 

 

How about this? Pretty dramatic-- the Flower Lady has been working with steel grass (that's what it sounds like, I don't know if that's actually how it's spelled; I won't even try to get into the Latin stuff). And, as I said, full of technical detail.








The Flower Lady has enjoyed working in the cool of her newly refurbished basement studio:

 

Cooking up experiments like these:

 

 

 

Well, we didn't get very far into the Archives, so there's lots more to come. Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

 

 

We've had a lot of natural-type acitivity on the estate this summer. Here, a white heron scarfing up the trout the fishermen missed this spring. He got a real gullet full down there in the creek. And look at this: 

Looks like an escapee from the Chinese New Year's parade! Hours of assiduous research (Googled it) indicates it's a hickory horned devil! Run for your lives!! No, it's really quite harmless, although the biggest caterpillar I've ever seen, over three inches long. Evidently, he is more common in the Southland and at the northern end of his range here (barely PA), so we're quite proud to host the Big Guy. 

And these are The Flower Lady's new gardening shoes. Snazzy!! Give the Flower Lady a coupon and she really goes to town!

Summer Notes

It is so-o-o hot out there I decided to come in and blog a little. The Flower Lady has been as busy as ever. Earlier this summer she taught a class at the World's Foremost Display Gardens. She led a class in making a flower arrangement with a nautical theme, in sand. It was a grand success-- an enlightening and inspiring time was had by all!

A little inspiration.

Of course, the official blog photographer only had his cell phone camera, so the only picture we have is this of a student arrangement. But here's an early test arrangment.

The Flower Lady has ventured out onto the deck. Perhaps the weather has moderated. Perhaps there will be cocktails....

More Capitals

                                       
                                           Orange you glad it's SUMMER??!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!

The Flower Lady's Husband had a birthday  ~~ view a post of him grilling marinated butterflied leg of lamb ~~ delicious  paired with grilled potatoes,sauteed snap peas, complimented with a dessert of berries & cream ........ followed up with a day at the track for the Delaware Oaks.

Happy Fourth!

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Here's a picture of one of our newfound friends. The fair-skinned Flower Lady is a bug magnet who atttracts all manner of hungry insects, so she is understandably skittish around various stinging and biting members of the animal kingdom. So when I found a bummblebees' nest in our garage, I was prepared to do battle. Till I read this touching plea. So I withheld fire and have a passel of new black-and-yellow friends, quite fascinating once you get to know them.

That's all! Gotta go!