An Award-Winning Day

This first snapdragon is now blooming top to bottom. In fact, the lowest blooms have already left the stem to flutter down to the garden floor. And the scent is fun, too--like red Kool-Aid!!


I'm really pleased with my decision to plant all the portulaca in a single raised patch together around the base of my garden sign. Aren't they the merriest bunch of blossoms?

I was a little disappointed that my fantastic sunflower has begun to loose a few of its petals. The three or four at the top of the flower have flown away on the breeze, leaving a bit of a bald spot. I had hoped it would still look kind of perfect when Kelly and Carol arrived today.

As a nice substitute, the first of the rudbeckia flowers quietly opened this morning.


So great to see "the girls" today! We had a fun tour around the garden, before heading off for a Dairy Queen lunch and a rousing round of mini-golf (we had originally thought to do a brewery tour/tasting...but perhaps for the best, we discovered the brewery only offers such things on Tuesdays and Saturdays...ah, well).

The game was fun, the course challenging and we merrily critiqued the minimal landscaping, though we found a few delightful roses to sniff along the way, too.

I had the highest score, so as the winner (ha ha...) I bought the ice cream after!!

What wonderful friends they are, and I thought so even before they brought this pot of dwarf lilies as a "garden warming" gift, since they knew we were a little shy on lilies this season!

I'm especially pleased with the lily variety's name, Tiny Hope, which makes my spirit soar a little. Their red flowers should be opening up some time very soon, and I know they'll be just fantastic.

Of course, the challenge was finding the right home for them in a garden already well-filled with plants. Still, a gardener can always find room for something more when he puts his mind to it, and I decided these guys would look terrific in the lamp post garden, which at the moment is still sort of sparse, with a bunch of late seedlings only just coming into their own.


After returning home, I was inside, away from the late afternoon heat and discovering that my feet were a little sunburned (dang Tevas!), as I surfed a few of my favorite blogs.

To my surprise and delight, The Midnight Garden has been given an art blog award by the funny and talented (and thrifty) Jenn of Of Cabbages and Kings and also The Thrift Shop Romantic.

Clearly she had the gnomes in mind. They join me in thanking her for this honor and will probably try to crowd me away from the microphone to give their oft-practiced acceptance speeches, as the orchestra music swells to urge us off into the wings.

This lovely award was originally created by Arte Y Pico and is dedicated to those who

"nourish and enrich the spirit and creativity. They see dedication, creativity, camaraderie, joy and above all, ART - much art. I wish that this prize is entertaining to all bloggers who share this space and enrich it a little more each day."

Aww, shucks, folks, I'm speechless.

Except, now, I have the privilege of introducing you to a few other bloggers of note, who are equally, if not moreso, deserving of such an award:

* Abe Lincoln of My Bird Blog, who's art is easy to find in the brilliant images he captures of the birds who make his part of the world a little more delight.

* Joe, of Hooky Beach, who sees beauty and interest in every corner of his daily life and also seems to always have just the right words at hand for any occasion.

* Curt, at While Walking Duncan, whose magical eyes find beauty and wonder everywhere they look, not least in the loving eyes and playful demeanor of his beautiful red-headed traveling companion.

Also, while this last may technically not be eligible, being a private blog, I offer a well-deserved shout-out to Cooper at Nico's Niche. Coop's art is made of words, but his true media are his sweet family.

Thanks, again, Jenn, for the honor, and the opportunity.