Seed To Save, and Scripture Picture

The garden is a hot mess these days.  

By early August I all but stop  weeding.  

The flowers and weeds mingle together and are given free rein.  

The hardest part of all is letting the flowers die.  

But dying is part of living and 

the circle of life goes on.  

I wish I could remember what the flower above is called?  It's camelia something?

Maybe one of you remembers.  I grew them in my very first real garden in Northwest Arkansas.

Finding the seed again was thrilling and I've saved it and

the plant is wonderful for reseeding itself as well.  

I'm pretty sure these are new babies right here.  

They may actually have time to grow and bloom before first frost.   

That is if the roots have found soil since I did lay cardboard down for mulch.  

Time will tell. 

I'll  let these pods dry out abit and will save some even though 

they pop up all over the garden anyways.  I think I'd like to start some up at my Mommas 

olde homeplace.   

 My dear olde friend Gardenerwoman got me completely hooked on basil.  

I will absolutely enjoy gathering seed from this bunch.

The heavy scent... is intoxicating!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

I will never forget Gardenerwoman  handing me a dixie cup of basil that she'd planted herself.

"Thankyou," I replied for the thoughtful gift.

"Don't thank me," she scolded.  

"You must never thank someone for a plant."  

I smile just now thinking of her.  

Gardenerwoman  taught me so many things about life as I followed her around.  

We talked about God alot and she often scolded me with great love.  

My favorite scolding was her saying, 

"That's not for you to worry about... THAT'S God's business."  

(she was so right)

I saw much of her today as I walked around my own garden.

She saved and shared her seed with me in more ways than one.  

Notice the trumpet vine growing up the front of the greenhouse here?

Yep; that was her seed too.  

 Soon as it dries up around here I'll be spending hours saving seed. 

Here's a mess of  fennel- one of my most favorite of all time plants to grow.

The swallowtail caterpillars love it and it's so feathery and flowy ... I really

can't get enough of it.  And who doesn't love the scent of black licorice?  

Okay maybe alot of you don't... but I could nearly roll in it like an olde calico in  catnip.  

The zinnia are also another yearly gathering.  

Most are  left to bloom their heads off in the garden but I do love jarfuls of cut flowers as well.

The more you cut the more they bloom it seems.  

But then it all winds down eventually ... to this.   

Lately I'm becoming more selective and tend to save

these giant cactus zinnias the most.  

The apricot pink, and salmon colored ones are my very favorite!  

That shade of pink against the blue 48 chevy is a color combo I'm smitten with.  

 I noticed today that there are a few new buds on this bunch over here.  

They will likely be the last bouquet of the year.  

 The little campfire did so well and was a blast to watch grow.

After the petunias withered up in the pot that hung over the "fire,"

I took it down and hung a hummingbird feeder until the marigolds

are all spent.  I've been hoping they  hurry on up because I think I could

pull those out and replant and maybe they'd be blooming right on time for Fall.  

The seed I'll save though.  There's gonna be a lot!  

 Part of me loves the wildness and letting go of it all right now...

And my extra time can be spent painting and art journaling instead.  

Well, I need to start some supper for my sweetheart.

So I sign off with a scripture picture.  

I looked up the meaning of water lilies and read several 

different things.  My favorite was "pure in heart."  

So this scripture seemed fitting.  

Enjoy and 

have a wonderful weekend,

Leaon Mary xoxo

An Afternoon Stroll....Picture Story

 It's a beautiful Autumn day!  

Let's go for a little walk....

First stop.. a shabby olde potting shed.

 We need to fill all the bird feeders.

Sparrows and little wrens love their black sunflower seeds!

 .... now to tidy up abit. 

 and write the verse of the day.

 Hello Owl.

 Hello Butterfly...

 It looks like the bottle tree's  leaning a little to the left?

 The antique lavender glass does seem to be turning a deeper purple color.

-- thankyou  Sunshine!

 The Debra-dear tree is now settled in!

Thank you Debra dear!

 .... Get your fennel-fix Mr. Caterpiller.  

You'll need your strength for a long winter's transformation. 

 The birds have almost wiped out all the sunflowers now.

This one had a red wing black bird on it when we walked up.

Did you happen to see it?

 Here's one of the baby grasses.

She's finally all happy and 

growing again.

Okay, let's head to the barn now....

Francois and Addiedoodle beat us there.

Say Cheese!

You're such good little friends.

Did you hear "Surprise?"

I know it's a funny name, but he was thee extra

surprise chick in the last batch we bought.

He has quite a crow doesn't he?

 You gotta watch Lucille.

She tries to sneak out the door if you open it too wide.

Alright let's go to the woods....

 We don't have orange vests on... 

But there's  No Hunting here.

Let's make  some noise while we walk anyways... 

 Well look who's down here.

Hello Spirit.

 Hey Bleu!

I think I see Gracie off behind him grazing in the meadow grass.

 How are you today Miss Violet?

 ... Looks like something has been rubbing on this little tree.

We better keep our eyes open!

You never know??? 

 Everyone's saying the persimmon seeds are full of spoons this year.

Spoons as in:  gonna have to dig out this Winter!

... Wouldn't that be nice? 

 Guess we should head back...

 We'll go further another day....

 ... Well there's my handsome fella.

 He's hitching up the olde scrap trailer.

 I don't think he knows I'm taking his picture...

(But I love him)

 .... Let's keep goin.

See ya chickies....

 Hang on a second,

I wanna grab  that cool messed up feather.

I love it! 

haha

 Time to get some supper started....

Gotta put a big pot of frito chili pie on.

 I had a wonderful walk!

Thanks for coming along...

xoxo

Day by Day.....

The morning scripture that stood out:

For all things are for your sakes, that

grace, having spread through the many, may cause

thanksgiving to abound to the glory 

of God. 

Therefore we do not lose heart.  

Even though our outward man is perishing; yet the inward man is being

renewed

day by day.  

 2 Corinthians 4: 15, and 16 

(more grace!)  

my heart is so thankful today.  

And to ponder ... that we're being renewed day by day;

-- well that fact just encourages me so much!!!! 

Thought I'd share a few pictures from my little part of the world today.  

The butterfly milkweed is blooming 

in the pasture now.  -- Just got a new camera card in thee ole Canon today.

I hope to fill it up with lots of birds, blooms n flutterflys. 

 This lil guy is still coming every night and ... he has a friend too but
I say friend loosely because he will not share when the other raccoon jumps on the porch
at the same time.  Thee other is so afraid of this one  that it crawls under
the bottom rung of the porch rail to get on the porch.  We saw quite a spat when
it got too close to the bowl.  I can't imagine they're a "pair." and have one be so hateful to the other ????--  
Pretty sure they're living under the potting shed now... or at least one is.
I just hope no ground hogs are around this year.  The sunflowers are fixin to bloom- and
we know from last years experience how groundhogs love sunflowers.  egads.  

Awhile back; Myguy and son Tony brought in a load of pipe to begin putting up a new fence around the barn.  While they were out discussing where the gates would go etc; I asked them for a special request.  They followed me back to the garden and I showed them the olde iron bed frame that I'd  still not planted in the garden.  They looked it over and a few days later ... Tony had built little hinges for it and has it hanging here!  He still has a latch to build but I was so tickled and it means so much to me.  I'm anxious to see the latch he comes up with.  I reminded him of our Houdini "Miss Violet"-- who  knows how to open many gates to let herself and spirit out!

-- Haven't been crafting much with it being garden time but... I did make a little seedbox from an olde cigar box my dear Uncle sent me.  I have one more to do but hope  to use an antique seed graphic for the inside of the lid.  

 This ole wooden tote hung in the tack room of our barn for decades as a shelf.

One day I asked Myguy if he could get it down because for some reason I kept hittin my head on it!

One day I nearly knocked myself out just runnin into it!  Anyways, its now in the garden and 

just  got a slap of paint. 

Myguy broke a shovel the other day, so  the  handle got recycled.

It just needs one end sawed off a little.  

This thing is huge though... I wonder what someone hauled in this?

I can't imagine having it full and trying to lug  it around?

I'd like to grow some herbs in it. 

 This afternoon a few more dishes got planted.

...forks too.  

It kinda looks like it's  dinner time at "four oclock!"

- pun intended...(four oclock flowers)

This little platter landed in some fennel.

 And this one found the sweedish ivy. 

 And this????..... yeah well... we had a major mishap!!

I take that back... our diy fishpond went amuck!

The last storm... well... I guess we didn't get enough dirt and rock under one side so the pond itself sunk on one side, and then rain  flooded across our yard, right through one end of the fishpond and out the other!  

3 gold fish went to floating but the rest are still alive in this muddy water.  Poor things. 

So last night, Myguy fired up the dozer, ... got a transit and started working the ground to make the water run off... hopefully in a different direction!  Picking up half the rock on one side... -- uggg... all that hard work.  It took so long to get them all just right.  But I guess... they really weren't just right were they?

We might work on it again tonight.  A motorcycle ride sure does sound better though.  It's supposed to start raining tonight so we probably need to get after it.  We need to  siphon all the water out; wash out the pond and put the fish in a stock tank until the new fresh water is ready for them.
What a DO OVER this is!  One of those DIY blunders!  If at first you don't succeed....

try

try

again! 

Meanwhile... a good thing is  the new part of the shed is all painted.  It first started out all white... but I... hated it.  Then it became this light mocha taupey color... and that was no good.  lol  After several trial runs... it became this chocolate brown with light mocha taupey colored windows.  (Thanks Char for helping me!!!)  I had such a hard time deciding on colors...

The thing was... I couldn't paint the old part of the potting shed because of all the  ivy and wisteria growing on it.  So the new addition had to match the olde side.  -- so this... is the new "shabby olde potting shed."  Everything's  done except about 4 paver stones cemented in front of the door.
Definitely that will be another day.  :)

Time to get some supper on the table for my sweetheart!
Have a great weekend!  xoxo
L