Here is your daily dose of color.  They look happier, because it was about to rain.

Speaking of doses, please get vaccinated if you haven’t already.  Continue to take precautions.  People are still getting the virus and dying, especially with the latest variants.  This is not over yet.  I know, because I live in one of the worst denial states.  Thank you.

E is busily installing shelving, blinds, and other home improvements, while I’ve been tweaking the landscape for staging.  It’s a big job, which is all the more reason to downsize and simplify.  Although I almost envy the next owners!  I hope they can see the potential.

Here’s what’s happening around the gardens.  Photos don’t even do it justice, it’s so brilliant and always surprising.  Note the bees and butterflies.  Also–the first ripe tomatoes of the season are here!

Welp I spoke too soon about it being relatively quiet here.  Starting yesterday evening and lasting well into the night, we were literally surrounded on all sides by deafening fireworks explosions, bombs, artillery, and thick noxious smoke filling the air.  We went outside to watch for a while, and it was pretty spectacular, but soon we were choking on the smoke and going deaf, so we went inside to watch much quieter shooting on tv.

Maybe it’s my age, but I felt a bit nervous.  I’m sure it’s nothing compared to a real war zone, but it has to be stressful and triggering for military survivors, not to mention dogs, who were out there howling in distress.  Even Misu, safe inside, looked a little on edge.

I’d much rather celebrate the day after the fourth, my son’s birthday, though sadly I can’t be with him.  New flowers blooming are more my speed, and to me much more exciting and vibrant.  Some common standbys like zinnias (one with a small butterfly) and gladioli (a lovely lavender one is blooming now) are spectacular bursts of color.

Others are much more subtle but just as striking.  Just today, as if on cue, some newcomers were blooming for the first time in the cutting garden, including a lacy white Love-in-a-Mist (Nigella), deep red cockscomb (Celosia), a pale yellow okra flower, and delicate blue borage.  Others are getting ready to show.

Even lowly pole beans and zucchini are exploding.  And more green passionfruit keep appearing.  Maybe I’ll even get to see them ripen.

Since I can’t give my son flowers in person, here is Avdi’s virtual Birthday Bouquet!  I wish him a very happy, healthy, and hopefully relaxing day with his St. Louis family.  I love you!  Cheers!

Happy 4th from flower cracker central.  So far it’s been fairly quiet except for some loud explosions last night, but there’s still time.  I feel for all the PTSD-ers and pets out there.  I’ll stick with flowers.  And zucchinis, which are booming.

E finished the “undeck”, for the most part, and it’s looking good.  She still has to pressure-wash the vinyl siding, and have gutters installed, etc., but we’re making progress.

Here is your daily dose of flowers, in lieu of fireworks.

Lots of home improvements are getting done by E.  As one closet gets emptied, repaired and painted, and filled back up with packed boxes, another is emptied and repeat.  Empty and full boxes are piled everywhere, to Misu’s bafflement and delight.  She’s wondering what all the commotion is about.  To my knowledge she’s never moved before.

So far so quiet.  Hopefully it won’t be like a war zone out there tonight or tomorrow the fourth, with bombs bursting in air and assault rifles.

Here is your daily dose, even better after all the rain.  Half of these are natives.  Notice all the bee action.  The last one is an eggplant flower.  I’ll take flowerworks over fireworks any day.  So much quieter while still spectacular.

It seems more rain is on the way, yay!  While waiting, I took these scenes, including a rabbit mowing the California garden.  The veg garden is a serious micro-wildflower meadow now, with a few veggies here and there!  The yard is one big flower cutting garden.  I love all the natives taking over.  My evil plan at work.

It rained!  I can feel the whole field and garden sighing relief.

This morning there was a thick fog, and out of it moseyed a big fat possum!  It looked like a giant siamese rat stalking around, but totally harmless and beneficial.  I wonder if it has babies in there.  I wasn’t able to photograph it, unfortunately.  It’s welcome back anytime.

I did snap some soggy foggy flower scenes, the best kind.  I also picked some fat and happy zucchini and pole beans.

Now of course it’s a hot wet sauna out there, but that’s the south.

I just had to add a post about what’s happening out in the “prairie” area.  The white flowers are mountain mint.  They are always covered with a fascinating assortment of pollinator bees, wasps, and other beneficial insects.  I love to stop and watch them work.

Also blooming, despite weeks of drought, are all these drifts of wildflowers.  Many are from native seeds I broadcast throughout the field last fall, finally germinating.  It gives me a sense of accomplishment, even if I’m not here to see the culmination.  For now, I’m just hoping for some rain relief.

Also exciting, I saw my first hummingbird of the season hovering over the cutting garden, which is really exploding with flowers.  As usual, I couldn’t catch it in the act, but I know all the work I did is paying off.