GARDEN PHOTOS, ETC. ~ ~ ~

This pink hydrangea is so beautiful right now!  And the wonderful thing about it is that it hasn't bloomed in years!  I mean lots of years!!  It was blue when we planted it, then turned pink in the next few years (they need a certain kind of acid to stay blue) and then it just quit.  This spring, I thought about transplanting it ~ deciding that it didn't get enough sun ~ and lo and behold ~  it came alive!  I just love these beautiful blossoms!

Along the front and side of the house, is this hydrangea hedge that I planted one by one.  If you double click the picture, the close up shows it much better ~ another source of garden joy for moi!

And all of that hedge came from this one plant ~ I call it the Mother Plant!  You can pull a stick of this plant out of the dirt with some root system on it, plunk it in the ground and soon, you will have a really nice plant!  It's amazing really how good it takes hold!  In front of this Mother, is gooseneck loosestrife just beginning to bloom. It's an interesting flower if you like something that spreads ~ everywhere!  The blossoms do look like little white gooses stretching their necks ~ pretty ~ but very invasive!

And one more garden photo ~ oakleaf hydrangea!  The blossoms are cone shape and the leaves oakleaf shape ~ imagine that!  We brought two pieces of root home from a friend's house in Cincinnati and now they are two big beautiful bushes.  I gave my friend, Vivian, a couple of pieces ~ I wonder how they're doing? 

Last week, I went to an auction in a neighboring town of this beautiful big mansion!  See all the people?  That was about a third of the crowd there to watch this home sell.  It was built in 1898 and has had only two owners ~ now it has three!  On his way to a golf outing that morning, Sonny mentioned that he hoped I wasn't going to buy that house!  Sure!  I was curious to see what it sold for and hoped to get inside.  There was a line a half block long to take a tour and when I was about 20 people from the door, they ended it so the auction could start!  It sold for $340,000, which in this economy and in this area, was really good ( it would cost way over a million or maybe two, to build today). I'm sure the family was happy for someone to make this their new home!  I didn't stay for the furnishings ~ beautiful for sure ~ but very Victorian to match the house!  Of course, I saw people I knew ~ it was an entertaining morning!

Saturday afternoon, Sonny's niece got married in a field by a creek on the family farm!  They moved the wedding guests out to the site on wagons with hay bale seats ~ pretty interesting ~ most of us stayed right there for a bird's eye view of the ceremony!  It was such a hot day ~ we had been to two of those beloved ball games that day and this was late in the afternoon.  I had too much sun ~ got a case of the vapors ~ and had to go home early!  I left the old guy there for the kids to bring home and retreated to my air-conditioned house!!  Years ago, I had a sunstroke, of all things, in Aruba and I haven't been the same since!  The sun and I aren't very compatible ~ even with a hat ~ which I wore to the wedding ~ and my dear husband just loves!! 

I'm getting ready to pick up four grandchildren ~ we're having lunch and then another field trip!  It's a beautiful day ~ sun shiny ~ mild ~ it'll be great!  Tonite, a ball game ~ Jakob got chosen for All Stars and we're very proud of him!  Saturday, my Seattle kids are coming home for 10 days!!  I better rest up! 

Hope your summer is fun and going swimmingly!  Ta ta for now!
Alice

P. S. To my Canadian relatives, and readers ~ HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!!!!