June is gone too soon...

Just like that June is over.  My spring roses are done and only a few irises remain to bloom.

I have been super busy with lots of little projects.  Pottering around the garden, you might say.

There has been a lot of construction around us this spring.  Every weekend machines and hammering start at about 6:30.   It puts a bit of a damper to coffee on the porch. 

I always regret that I cannot capture the essence of the gardens.  The colors just aren't the same compared to real life.

Those columbine are almost a weed as they are out of control everywhere.   Still, they look fabulous with my Mom's German iris, the bumblebees love them, and the chipmunks love to munch on the seeds.

Or weather has been quite irrational.   One day it is cold and windy.  The next it is scathing hot.  Yesterday I was in a waffle shirt with a wool shirt and jeans.   Today shorts with a tank top.

The iris are almost over, but here are a few photos from last week's symphony of colors.

One last photo of my Harrelsons yellow rose and the Australian Copper.  The copper only blooms about every other year and has no scent.  Unlike the yellow whose smell is intoxicating.  Still, it is worth the wait for the copper's show. 

The peonies are about to begin.  Another flower that smells divine. 

If I remember correctly the dark purple iris is named after the storm.

That is all for me.  What do you have blooming?  What are your favorite flower scents?

Flowers to brighten your day...

 

Nothing important to say.  Just some flowers to brighten your day. 

A day in the life...

 I've been keeping plenty busy.  We were lucky enough to have a visit from my cousin in Oregon.  We did some hiking and went to a local museum.  Of course, there was lots of visiting and catching up.  It has been about 10 years since their last visit.  Time spent with family is always precious.

I have a male and female hummingbird.  They are very sporadic in their visits.  They aren't too scared of me and follow you around if you are wearing a red shirt.

My flowers are starting to get into full swing.  These are my bachelor buttons mixed with wild roses.

There are a lot of visitors in the garden.  I've had butterflies, bumble bees, and little gnats.

I just love bumblebees.  They just mind their own business and wander through the flower beds.  Never in a hurry.

My little orange irises are blooming.  They are such a happy group.  

Towering above them is our windmill.  It was in dire need of a makeover.  My husband repainted the red accents.

We sanded the base and then I re-stained it.  I went on a staining binge.  Nothing escaped my brush.  The sidewalk, bench, swing, empty birdhouses, and a couple of planters.  

It looks so much better.  It was surprising how much the red tips had faded.

The yellow rose is starting to gear up.  In a couple of days, it will be completely covered in blooms.  Nothing compares to the scent of this rose.  

The irises are starting to bloom.  They are one of my favorite flowers because they come in every color combination under the rainbow.

Not only is my lilac filling the air with wonderful scents, but the honeysuckle is also extremely fragrant.

I am overjoyed to be able to wander through the garden and enjoy the constant blooms.  What do you have blooming?  Do you have bumble bees?  What is your favorite flower scent?  I think the yellow rose is my favorite, but I'm sure I will change my mind with the next bloom.

Funny story...

I found a butterfly stuck in the garage.  I let it crawl onto my finger and relocated it to a more fitting home.

We put the hail netting up.  That should keep us from getting any hail. I don't have much to protect yet as the only thing up is my asparagus.

My super sweet husband built this wonderful screen for my strawberry bed.  The deer have walked through it and last year birds and chipmunks kept eating my berries.  They are certainly safe now.

I went to a quilt show in Rapid City.  My friend had a booth so it was nice to spend a few minutes catching up.

I liked these two.  The owls are cute.  I appreciated the quilting on the landscape below.

This was my favorite.   You can't see the material on the buffalo is fuzzy and longer.  It was breathtaking. 

So I said there was a funny story, here it is. We have a problem with voles.  They girdle trees and shrubs, eat my flowers, and nip my seedlings before they get a chance to grow.  Mousetraps don't work in the summer, because I end up getting chipmunks and even a junco once in a while.  Using an air gun ensures you kill what you are trying to exterminate.  We keep it on the porch by the chair.  Since we live in the middle of nowhere, you can hear when someone is driving up and make sure the gun is discretely down.  Except for today. I was trimming my roses when a huge vole almost ran over my feet.  He wasn't scared of me, so I grabbed the air gun off of the porch.  I got him on the first shot.  I was focused on finding him, when lo and behold, someone drove by.  I was busy looking for the vole and never heard them coming.  I cannot imagine what they thought driving by a girl in overalls, floppy hat, and walking around aiming a gun at her flowers.

Sometimes you can't make these things up.  Anyway, that is all I have for the week.  What was something funny you saw when driving around?
 

A buzz...

You probably think my title is about bees, but actually it is about the return of my hummingbirds.  Last night while I was enjoying the fire pit, the female hummingbird started zipping around.  She is actually very quiet and just makes a low hum.  But this morning we were awakened by the male hummingbird, and I promise he makes quite the squeaking racket. We could hear him as he went completely around the cabin and checked out everything of interest.  Silly little bird. 

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That isn't to say I don't have plenty of bees around.  This makes me very happy, because about 15 years ago there wasn't a bee to be seen.  Not even my bumbling bumble bees.  That is when I asked a friend if he would like to keep his bees on our property.  I promised flower gardens and orchards.

It brings me great joy to sit in the orchard picking dandelions and surrounded by every type of bee imaginable.  I think there is a quote that says the hum of bees is the voice of a garden and I must agree.  There is nothing more entertaining than watching those bumblebees try to navigate delicate flowers.

It is slowly warming up, though the winds are still very cool.  At least I am able to enjoy go outside the birds, bees, and blooms.  It will be a while before I have any berries.  What about you?  Any birds? Bees? Berries? Blooms?  Hummingbirds?