This spring brought out the Gardenias
in full blossom!
The scent they emit when we walk to
the front door is amazing.
These waxy delicate blooms don't last
very long before they turn yellow,
but they are always the 2nd 'bloomers'
in our garden after the Amaryllis.
I had to cut some to bring inside.
They also attract bees!
We've learned to watch closely
for any of them flying around.
The Gladiolas are 3rd on the bloom list.
This one is stunning.
Although, this one looks like an Amaryllis,
it's a blood red Gladiola.
It's top half broke off in high winds the day before.
There's a few Amaryllis still blooming.
And...
the Cymbidium orchid is still
blooming!!
It's been almost 5 months and those blooms
are still fresh!
Unbelievable.
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Daily salad harvest.
I pick some lettuce, tops of onions,
celery leaves, some basil, oregano and thyme.
Mint - several varieties.
Herb garden with a few flowers to encourage bees.
Bay Laurel bush
with Amaryllis and Zinnias.
Once a week, I give the herbs a
"haircut" and remove some of the
longer stems.
Then, I wash them well and hang upside down
in my east facing window to dry.
This always brings that earthy, herbal
scent to the house.
We have several tomato, bell
pepper and eggplants that have small
veggies on them.
Soon we'll start that harvest.
The CEO planted potatoes, carrots,
and garlic. All of them are beginning to sprout.
There are some blue berries, black berries,
and asparagus also growing well.
The sheer joy of being able to eat
pesticide and growth hormone free
is amazing. The taste is always so
much better than the vegetables
in the grocery. When we get way
more produce than we can eat fresh,
I either preserve it or dehydrate it.
Dehydrating it helps us to
enjoy the fruits of our labor well
after the growing season is over.
To prove a point, last week I used
the last of the tomato gravy I made
and froze from last year.
Freezing, canning or dehydrating doesn't
diminish the flavors one bit.
***********************
I have come to the end of an era.
My youngest grandchild is graduating
from high school with honors.
It's bittersweet.
No more ferrying to and from school,
no lunches or extra curriculars.
You know that they grow up and
that is good, but you also kind of grieve
the loss of a part of yourself.
I'm still Grammy, still needed,
but differently now.
All 5 grandkids are grown.
I'll miss those baby cuddles but
I look forward to observing
the adults they become.
💗💙💙💗💙
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Sometimes it's nice to just sit,
smell to flowers and remind
yourself that under boob sweat,
dirty fingernails and a slight
heat stroke, will bring forth
the best fruits of labor that
a mere twenty dollars at Aldi
could have accomplished
in air conditioning.
But the rewards aren't the same.
😉
****************
💚💙💗
