New Hollyhocks Photos...

I told you the hollyhocks would be magnificent this year once they all opened, and they aren't disappointing. I wanted to frame our front steps with the pretty pink ones that stand against the rail, but look at the rest of these pictures!

Didn't Kaleb do a great job in the kitchen garden? I asked him to leave the ground cover in front of the hostas because they get small purple flowers and smell wonderful. They're sort of a wild sage smell. I looked them up once, but have since forgotten exactly what they're called as I write this. 

One of the things I'm really excited about is that the pipe in front of the shutter on the left is going away soon. The power company said they're bury the line without charge. We just need to hire our electrician to hook up to the underground line they'll bring in. They'll even go under our sidewalk!

So the overhead lines are going away, and with it that ugly pipe over the shutter. The cable at the corner (to the left of the pipe) is buried in the ground, and goes all the way up to the roof where it's attached to our lightning rods. Over the 105 or so years they've been on the roof, only one or two have actually broken from strikes, which protected the house. There are still more up top, and they're intact. That assembly will, of course, remain.

This is what the flowers look like as you approach our back (friends and family) entrance. It's hard to see from here, but waaaay down in front, behind that bright pink plant is a new color!

What color would you call this? It's not really magenta. Sort of a true purple. Isn't it lovely? Mum would like some of these plants, so I may dig that one up along with a few others to take to her garden. I'll be warning her that they're bullies!

The birds love this garden, so I'm refilling the seed feeder nearly daily. On Sunday, a new visitor showed up. We had a rose-breasted grosbeak (male) stop for a snack, but I wasn't fast enough to get a photo to share. I'll keep trying. You do see the hummingbird, though, don't you? It's drinking on the right side of that red feeder. They also buzz around the hollyhocks and over to the honeysuckle, too, while all these blooms are inviting them.

And when I turn toward the Compass Barn, there are still clusters of hollyhocks on the other side of the walkway. I just asked Kaleb to remove those that provided hiding places for naughty cats near the birdbath. I don't want any sneak attacks. 

So there's a tour of all the hollyhocks in their finery. They smell wonderful, and they're a real feast for the eyes, too. I hope you're enjoying them almost as much as I am. 

 See you tomorrow!

Another Opening, Another Show...

It's showtime!!! The hollyhocks have begun to open since the latest rain. I wanted you to see the variety of colors, ranging from white to dark magenta and red. Not all the hollyhocks in the front of the group have opened yet, so I'm going to wait until they do to share a photograph of all of them together. They're a bouquet that just keeps on giving. 

If you're really quiet, you'll hear the soft buzzing of the hummingbirds and bees, as well as the raucous arrival of the Baltimore oriols as they shoo away the woodpeckers and other small birds who've decided they, too, love grape jelly. I refill that jar every. single. day. Handsome says it's a wonder they're not all diabetic!

These are the wondrous things right outside our kitchen windows. Now, when I stand at the new sink in the pantry, I can also watch a pair of wrens who have set up housekeeping in a birdhouse. There, I can see them as they land and sing as they greet each other. I have a hummingbird feeder on this side as well, so if it's too busy in the kitchen garden, they just buzz over to the quieter side of the house.

 

 

I hope you enjoy these beautiful hollyhocks as much as I do! Happy Weekend again (already), my friend.  

Kaleb To The Rescue...

This young man showed up yesterday to tackle the "weed issue" here at the farmhouse. I admit, it really got away from me this year, and even though I tried, I was unable to make much headway. However, Kaleb managed to finish what I started in the kitchen garden, and start his way toward the front corner of the yard in front of the house. The progress he made was laudable.

He was here for five hours, and was careful not to take out the plants we wanted to retain. He turned down multiple offers for water (he brought his own) or even a lunch offered by yours truly. He just wanted to keep his head down and concentrate on the task at hand.

His dad, Lance raised a good boy. Kaleb is 14 years old. His dad told me he gets up at 4 am, exercises, reads his Bible, makes sure his homework is complete (during the school year) and is a straight A student. He assured me his son would work hard for us, and that was an understatement. I can see why he's in demand from other homeowners. He told me he'll return - as soon as he finds another gap in his schedule - to finish our job. We're looking forward to it. He's a wonderful young man.

This is a closeup of our kitchen garden, because I was actually focusing on the teacup bird feeder. Some of the hollyhocks closest to the house are already blooming, so you'll see more photos of them again soon. The "bushy" plant on the right is English lavender just starting to open up. It smells soooo good! My hostas can breathe again, which is really nice, too.

As requested by Charlene, here's a photo of my teacup feeder installed on the shepherd's hook I bought for it. Ha! The dangly bits were swinging in the breeze when I took this picture, so it looks like some of them have disappeared.

This is the button I glued on the back of my teacup. It says "Free as a bird". I think it's the perfect finishing touch for my project.

I'll share more photos of this area as soon as the hollyhocks open up over the next few days. For now, I'm off to work for the next six or seven hours, so I've got to fly. I'll see you again tomorrow!

A Riot of Hollyhocks...

Ignore the ham in the foreground. She's such an attention mooch! I took this photo to show you the bullies that are again taking over my kitchen garden.

I actually have lavendar, English daisies, delphiniums, and hostas in this garden, and you might even notice there are walk lights in there, too. Of course, you can't see the light they throw because those hollyhocks are relentless. This is what I have to thin out...soon. There are too many hiding places here for two predatory cats, and I need to protect the birds as best I'm able.

So, this is the area I'll tackle this weekend. I think I'm going to add some sort of retaining fencing in front of the hollyhocks that remain. It will keep them from falling forward, and it will act as a barrier between hidden felines and unsuspecting birds. 

I'll show you what I end up with after the weekend. I hope it will look a lot different, and be much improved for the rest of my plants...among other things. I guess I'll begin by taking some measurements and heading over to the farm store for some fencing and mulch. Coffee first, and then I'm off to get my supplies.

Even So...

 

My weather widget says we got about nine inches of snow over the past 48 hours or so. This time it wasn't the dry fluffy kind. It was snowman-making snow...heavy and wet. No. I didn't make one, but I did shovel the walk and part of the concrete approach to our garage building while Andy plowed us out. 

I let Tag and Bella outside first thing and while Bella had fun romping around, Tag was not impressed. He was having a most difficult time trying to maneuver to do his business. When everything else was cleared, I shoveled a makeshift path in the snow to give him some relief. I think he was grateful, although with him, one can never be certain. They were both quite happy to leave all this behind and go back into the toasty warm farmhouse.

 

On our way back in, I couldn't help but notice the clear area right next to the house, outside the kitchen windows. This is the sheltered kitchen garden area with a southern exposure. Even following the recent snow dump, I see tulips and hollyhocks already peeking out of the ground. It lifted my spirits to know that we already have signs of the promise of Spring. Something else to look forward to.

Today's The Day...

Brynwood Needleworks - Glorious Farmhouse Hollyhocks

 

Today's the day. I thought you might like to see how magnificent the hollyhocks have become in just a few short days. They're truly the largest (height and width) I've ever seen in my life!

 

Brynwood Needleworks - The Colors Are So Lovely

It must be the soil, but I only remember purchasing three different colors when I planted the first five plants a few short years ago. I know I selected the dark and light pink ones. I didn't purchase the peach, white and yellow ones. They must be mutants. lol I'll take them either way! 

Mom's poor Shasta daisies are being pushed out by these big bullies, so I'll likely ask Handsome to replant the daisies into an open spot on the terrace in front of the porch to give them room to grow. He'll dig and I'll point. A perfect couple, don't you think?

I said "today's the day". It's time for another (hopefully last for this issue) surgery. I've been hopeful and prayerful, and I couldn't be more anxious for this to be over. Not just the surgery, but the issue. Perhaps I'll tell you about it someday, but it's one of those predominantly female issues that needed attention. Almost a year later, I'm (pre-op today) worse than I was at the beginning of this saga. 

We have help watching the dogs, so Handsome can be with me at the hospital, and then bring me home following the procedure. I'll be fine. I know God watches the sparrow, and I know He watches me. I'll see you tomorrow.

The Last Blooms Of Autumn...

Brynwood Needleworks - Farmhouse Fall Blooms

I found a few hardy blooms left in our kitchen garden yesterday. The hollyhocks have already gone to seed, but each day, I'll see a beautiful blossom waving outside our kitchen windows. The lavender is still throwing out new flowers, and there are even new morning glories climbing the hollyhock stems. Even Mom's daisies offer up a couple of sweet goodbyes to summer.

The weather is turning cooler at night, and soon daytime temps will drop, but my kitchen garden will hang on as long as it can, sheltered on the southern exposure of our home. If the weather permits, I'll be cleaning up the weeds and moving a few plants before the ground freezes. I love this time of year.