Vegetation Grass Fire Nearby

This area has been having a lot of grass fires lately throughout the county . But, yesterday there was a 13 acre fire (that is now contained) near where I do most of my grocery shopping which is about 7 miles from my home . The Fire Department have been doing an excellent job in getting most of the fires contained in a short period of time . Aircraft tankers have been called in early to help with control from our nearby airport which is about 24 miles car travel from here .

This was the view from the roadway I travel to the grocery store , drug store and restaurants in a little strip mall .

The day by day stresses of life at the present time are higher than I can ever remember . However , I am doing well but folks with more complicated lives (families and maybe financial issues) have a lot more stressors . I feel so fortunate .

And , of cause my garden is a tremendous stress reliever for me . For others it might be another stress .  If I had to stay in the house all day THAT would be horrible for me .  Especially , since the house is not in the order I would prefer .  At this stage , I can't do both outdoors and indoors .  Come winter hopefully I will have the motivation and ability to make some progress inside . I am quite sure if I had people coming in , that would give me a whole lot of motivation !!!

All twelve of the Cone-flower six-pack that I planted last year are tall and open .

 And, some have shot up with two flowers. I think of them as being very cheerful !

I know it sounds simple to some of you , but with my soil conditions I am thankful for what I can get . Hopefully , there will be more next year as  I am constantly adding nutrients and good soil to the surface with hope that it will penetrate down to the plant roots .

That's it for this time .  And , let's send energy to all who we know that can use a little boost !

Mary 

Early Morning Baking

- - - Before it gets to hot .  It was time for some Banana Nut Bread .

Those bananas were just perfect !  Interesting how fast they turn once you see the first darkening spot .  I tried a new recipe that uses brown sugar instead of white . Also, has some added plain yogurt .  I had enough bananas to double the recipe . When I first added the flour I didn't have the pouring guard on and you wouldn't want to see a photo of that !  Flour - flour everywhere .  Even on the flour .

The result has just the right amount of sweetness and the texture is very nice .  Certainly a recipe to be repeated .  It will be nice to have some in the freezer .

Buy the way , my Gazpacho Soup turned out great last week .  The coolness of the soup tasted so good during these hot days .  Filled with vegetables and so nourishing .

I'm doing pretty good in the kitchen lately .  I was beginning to think I might be loosing "my touch" with a few not to successful results . Gotta keep my skills up .  You know - use it or you loose it .

It would be nice if you could join me .  I'll serve some ice tea .

More elegant Gladiolus .

Hope you are having a good day .  It would be so nice if the Pandemic numbers would start going down . But , with the opposing attitude regarding protective procedures of so many people is going to make recovery very very difficult !

Mary

How Fast They Grow

From This -

                                                       To This -

And , such softness and a truly gentle soul mixed in with a little sass! This little gal (my great granddaughter) has the most beautiful deposition and seems to have comfort/confidence beyond her years .

And, big brother ( my great grandson) turning seven years old .

And, a year ago trying to teach his sister to read . Such tender love.

And, such a great little boy .

I am so proud of them and Mom and Dad are doing a terrific loving  job of parenting .

Their Mom did not have the option as a child growing up to be parented by her own mother for no fault of her mother . Blessedly , during the past very recent years my granddaughter has had the opportunity to get acquainted with her birth mother via phone and in person .  I think you can appreciate the challenges of this family dynamic ! Today , the little family is leaving by car to visit her mother and her family in a nearby state for the first time.  It will be a short trip and all pandemic precautions will be strictly adhered to . No hugging but meaningful interaction at a distance .  This little trip has been postponed several times and this seems to be the right time . I am so delighted for all concerned and I look forward to the day that I can have some limited involvement and become reacquainted . And , I understand her mother feels likewise . So beautiful that these little ones will get to know this Grandma and her family more and her place in the whole family .

Life certainly can have a lot of twists and turns .  And , it is so important to walk carefully and lovingly .

God Bless All Of Them and may they be safe and blessed in this adventure !

Mary

Power Washing Is Hard Work

About every three years the cement surfaces of the patio , driveway and sidewalks are so filthy that I can hardly stand to walk on them . It is such a constant reminder that they have to be power washed . The dirt has a way of clinging to the bottom of shoes and easily tracts into the house . I usually take my shoes off before entering the house but the cement also becomes very slippery when wet . I will do everything I can to avoid a fall .  I am about half done with this yucky job !  About an hour and a half is about all I can do at one time . It is looking so much better . Can't wait for it to be finished .

Probably about 8 more hours .  So , it will be a few more days .  And, then I can Hooray !  And , goodbye Power Washer - until next time .

This Daylily has at least 12 buds on it and it just started blooming . It is called Red Magic .

And . some more of my propped up Gladiolus . They still are nice and there are a lot of them .

And , this is Super Purple Daylily and this is the first to open on this scrawny plant . There are about three buds .

I am trying to add panting mix that has a lot of nutrients around all of the Daylilies with hopes that it will help my plants that are working so hard to give me flowers !

Stay safe . Are you following the guidelines ?  I hope you are !  We have to get past this and the only way we are going to do that is if we do our part .

Mary

Beautiful Morning

Hope your day is beautiful !

Mary

This Day Will Always Be A Special Day

Yes, July 5th is special because it was the day that I got married 61 years ago !

Oh, the thrill of venturing out into the big world and optimistically envisioning life as an adult and making our own decisions .  There was such a feeling of freedom following a short life time of intense control by parents even though I was living away , supporting myself and finishing my education to become a Registered Nurse . In those days (at least in my particular situation) moving away on your own was not possible unless you were married.

I certainly was ready to be a married woman and I certainly was in love , as I knew love in those days ! I was very happily married and became a mother of two children and enjoyed every single minute of my life .

Unfortunately, at about 10 years of marriage my husband became involved with illegal drugs when pursuing a different career path . Left us and at the age of 47 he died with complications of drug use.

Divorce was traumatic for me . Without elaborating , I survived and have lived a very full life . But, just a different life than I ever expected .

Gratitude.

Mary 

July 4th

I hope  you are able to celebrate the Holiday in a safe, but fun way with family and friends .  I don't think I will ever get over feeling a little sad at Holiday time with the constant reminder that my adult children do not wish to have anything to do with me . I really enjoyed and loved all the activity and family that went with Holiday time . And , I appreciate every minute and the memories .  They will always have my Love and Acceptance of their Relationship Decisions for whatever their reasons which I have not had the satisfaction of knowing .

I am so blessed to be in a psychological state of Wonderful Contentment .  I have never experienced this feeling of freedom prior to this past year .  Untold amount of hours of mental health guidance throughout most of my life and a lot of self introspection have been a guiding source .  It is great to feel this healthy , mentally and physically and I will gratefully cherish each and every day !

The Very Best Wishes to Every One of You .  Hoping you honor the sacrifices of those who through many years have been instrumental in making this a Day of Freedom , that we should never take for granted !

Mary

Gladiolus Gone Wild - And More

If you look closely you will see about 16 gladiola spikes .  They are going every which direction . Twisted and turning . Facing forward and backward . And falling down .  I think it is accurate to say they aren't planted deep enough .  With the hard rocky clay soil it is so difficult to plant deeply . I remember having difficulty trying to dig through the rock a few years ago .  So I sorted them out and tied them to some posts (that were hard to pound into the soil) so I could enjoy their stately presence !

There are three colors - Lavender , White and this color that looks more orange than the color Deep Pink which it is .  Nonetheless , I like them a lot .

Can you believe this . I am planting gladiolus again today that have been waiting for me for a long time - months !  I kept them wet and each one of them has survived so far . Just haven't had the time and I am on my way soon to buy some more planting mix .

This time I hope they will be planted deep enough . I have been working on digging for a few days .  Little at a time !  I guess I won't know until next year . I'll be planting 15 and they are various colors similar to the ones that are starting to bloom on the other side of the house .

Wish me luck !

I also have a camellia to plant .

It is a deep red and is called Tom Knudsen .

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It will go nearby the gladiolus with a few other camellias .  It seems like I always have a plant or so sitting around waiting to be planted.  Since I don't usually go out to look for special plants these are usually something I see on sale !

It is going to be another hot day .  And, I have all the ingredients to make soup .  Yes, soup - - - A Cold Gazpacho Soup .

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To bad, the veggies are not going to be homegrown .  Maybe, next time the tomatoes will be from my garden !

 And, I have a new immersion blender to use for the first time . Love my toys !

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Wishing all of you a nice and safe day .

Mary