Sunflower Sunday

I can't resist a little visual deja vu tonight and so I'm starting off with the same photo as yesterday, taken about the same time of day...but with a much more interesting array of clouds in the sky.

Weather-wise, it was another fantastic day, to complete a full weekend of them, with bright sunshine and temperatures in the 70s. Instead of just boring blue skies, we saw a cool variety of cloud types to make things a little more interesting.

Also today, this latest sunflower, now measuring in a little better than seven feet tall, has fully unfurled its giant flowerhead. You'll find I'm featuring it throughout today's post.

Can you blame me?

Down low at the feet of all these sunflowers are an ever-increasing array of bachelor's buttons.

I'm really pleased with how well they are growing this year and I will be sure to sow some of these seeds every year, now.




Remember last weekend, when I predicted that the seashell cosmos would probably start blooming by the start of last week? Ha ha, well, that shows you how much I know.

I guess I should have started these inside when I was getting the first sunflowers germinated. Perhaps they'd be well-blooming by now if I had.

These guys seem to have been hit with some sort of alien slow-motion ray...and while the buds seem to be puffing out nicely know, I'm hesitant to make any additional predictions.

I'll keep you posted.

Another seed success story has certainly been these morning glories. There've been so many different color combinations and these plants are so prolific and eager to draw everyone and everything around them in to sweet entanglement.

I guess it is late enough in the season to declare that the everlastings and statice were not to be counted among the season's successes.

I was sure I'd seen a few seedlings, but it seems they didn't pass that all-important survival test. Perhaps in a different setting they'd do better.



I spotted this little grass hopper flitting about inside the fence border this morning. While I wasn't able to get close without him leaping away, he did indulge me enough to hit his lighting mark on this shasta daisy leaf so I could zoom in for a better look at him...or her.





Emily and I had an enjoyable walk this evening, after a few nights off due to commitments at work. It was a beautiful night and she was eager to set off on our walk around Not Wisteria Lane.

We saw a few bits of early fall color as we made our way. Little reminders that the season before us is reaching its final days and the changes of a new season will be on us before we know it.

Which is to say it was just the right time for a walk.


A pair of pugs decided to come out to greet us this evening. There's a black one who paces back and forth across his yard as we pass by on a few evening's recently.

Tonight, that dog was joined by a second and it became clear that - while they are little dogs - two pugs is all they need to have together in order to think they can do the impossible. I was sort of incredulous as the two of them came marching out, shoulder to shoulder, to approach Emily (and probably give her a piece of their little minds about having poo-ed across the street from their house).

I was able to keep her back from them - no easy feat - as she would probably consider the little nuisances little more than a cocktail frank. Their person came out to encourage the two of them to stand down and we were on our way again.


Although the sun was sinking when we returned from our sojourn, there was still some nice light to look at a few things in the garden.

The sunflowers are just getting out of hand, now, but it a great way. They are certainly grabbing hold of my multi-colored color scheme and making it seem overly- yellow.

Of course, the cosmos continuing delay in blooming is enhancing that, as well.

I'd just like to point out that in this photo above, the latest sunflower is taller than the sun.

The cleome flowers are wonderful, but I don't find that they last especially long. I have been collecting seed from them for next year, as they have been very easy to grow and I am a big fan of these open airy flowers.

This flower represents the start of a second wave of blooming; you may recall I seeded these guys into the garden in waves back in springtime.

Tonight we saw the flash and the spectacle of the Closing ceremonies of the 23rd Olympiad in Beijing. It really was an exciting and spectacular two weeks of games this year. So many world records broken.

I didn't get to watch much of the coverage yesterday until pretty late last night, as I enjoyed one of those Midori coladas at the restaurant bar after a busy night of work.

I guess it makes sense they save Table Tennis for the last night, but really, that's not one of the sports they could make available online, instead? It felt like a little bit of an anti-climax. I'd be much more interested in the equestrian or kayak/canoe events. But the cross-country mountain bike race was pretty interesting.

I wasn't able to watch the Men's 10M Platform Diving, but I was excited to hear the news that Australian diver Matthew Mitcham won the gold medal. Mitcham is the only one of over 10,000 athletes competing who has declared himself as gay.

I'd like to think his success in Beijing may make it a little easier for other athletes to consider being more open themselves.

Anyway, it was cool news and, I thought, a nice way to bring the two weeks of excitement to a close.

It's a little bit of a relief that the games are over. I don't think I'll have any trouble sleeping through the Democratic convention after all the Olympic late-nights.

Back in the garden, this clump of yellow snapdragons has begun a second wave of blooming, it's yellow flowers sweetly scenting the air nearby with a tasty citrus-y fragrance. I was amused by this tiny spider hanging out inside one of the flowers, no doubt lying in wait for some even smaller insect pollinator.







I enjoyed these clouds as they reflected the light of the sunset these evening. Really fantastic looking, although they are the sort of thing that puts us all - our persons, our homes, our neighborhoods - into perpective, as these grand beautiful moments happen on such a large scale overhead.

Of course, the dusky clouds were a great backdrop for that new sunflower. And the chance of rain in the forecast for tomorrow would be a wonderful boost to all the other sunflowers still only just starting to bloom.

A break from the watering schedule is always nice. I do the best I can, but really, my best efforts just can't compare with a nice natural fall of rain.

Long Weekend

Not a long weekend as in a holiday weekend, the sort of weekend where you have all kinds of free time to work in the garden, or spend time with friends, or maybe fire up the barbecue.

Goodness, no. It wasn' t that sort of long weekend at all.

What it was was a very busy weekend at work, with all sort of special events and guests thereof to host and manage and keep moving on schedule and when possible, happily so.

Fortunately, the weather worked with us for a change. While we had some heavy showers move through Friday evening (as I took that sunset and clouds photos which wrapped up the last post, actually...), the rest of the weekend has been delightful and sunny, but with reasonable temperatures and not lots of humidity.

Having seen the forecast for the weekend, however, I did manage to get out for an abbreviated watering session in the garden early yesterday, before heading off to get things set up for the day's first event.
I'm really happy with this lantana plant (left), which is doing quite nicely in its hanging basket on the front of the house. I'd grown this once or twice before...or tried to, but with only moderate success, since I was working with lesser exposure to full sunshine.

Of course, all the sunshine in the world isn't helping the Early Girl tomatoes live up to their name, as the first of those tomatoes--looking sort of apple-like, I think--are only now beginning to get the slightest blush of color.





Now of course, it's Sunday and all the business of work (save a visit to the office shortly to address some paperwork) for the weekend is happily behind me.

And it wasn't all bad, really. Certainly, it was a long and tiring string of parties, but for the most part, all of our guests were quite lovely and some very memorable and fun.

The events biz is, of course, rife with uncertainty and the need to adapt schedules and think on one's feet. Like when you have to delay dinner for over an hour because half of the guests speak a language other than English, which you've learned has seriously delayed the conclusion of the wedding rehearsal they're coming from.

And then realizing that same language barrier is making it surprisingly difficult to get across the idea that the party has come to a conclusion and all the other guests have left and "it's time you did the same so we can clean up and go home" without simply turning out the lights and pointing toward the door.

Or dealing with the self-important and drunken guest from a culture that doesn't value women as it should, who becomes angry when you defend your female employee's hard work at keeping tables at his family's party clean and orderly because she may have taken away his last half inch of watered-down scotch.

Which might actually have been consumed by the under-aged guest you've been playing cat-and-mouse with all evening.

But as I said, there are plenty of great moments, too, and for the middle of our trio of parties this weekend, we celebrated/hosted the wedding reception of some of our neighbors from here on Not Wisteria Lane. Congratulations and best wishes to Jen and Kevin!!

In the process, I was able to meet some more of our lovely neighbors here. Of course, now they know what I do for a living, they are thinking I might be talked into organizing the annual fall block party. We'll have to wait and see about that one, though.

It was just nice to get off my feet last night and relax a little with a bit of blog-and-comment reading before falling into bed finally.


All in all, it's been a pretty great weekend, even if the work schedule did mean I had to practice brevity with my earlier blog posts.

That's okay. Sometimes, I really enjoy sitting back and letting the garden speak to all of you, and see just what it encourages in you lovely people who come back regularly to visit the Midnight Garden.

I hope the weekend was a beauty for you and that all your hopes and dreams for what was hopefully a few days off came together exactly as you hoped, or maybe even better!

Before wrapping up, I'll just offer my thanks to my pal Meredith, who worked with me throughout the crazy weekend of ups and downs and kept a smile on my face and a laugh never far from my lips...even if we did have to hear the "Chicken Dance" more than once.

: )

Brilliant Colors

Sunday already. And as an extra surprise, it's suddenly almost August. Darn, that happens every July. Wasn't it just the Fourth? Anyway...it started out as a lovely day, bright and sunny, not too warm, almost no humidity. On the whole, t'was very nice. And since I'd gotten a very healthy night's sleep (I seem to be dreaming about all you other bloggers lately, if the last couple of nights are an indication. Nice of you to drop in that way, at least!)

I just loved this combination of thistle and morning glory. I briefly considered the portulaca shot just below as the header image...but then I considered the purple shading in the throat of that morning glory, and how it seemed to completely pick up the purples of the thistle and well, polls closed.

Still, the way the sun was playing on these yellow portulacas, you can see where it might not be an easy call.

I was surprised to discover that it is still awards season. I'd thought the Tonys really were the last ones 'til next year...but then I was surprised this past week with an honor I'm a little belated about accepting, in the form of the Brillante Award.

The award was presented to me by Curt, over at Walking With Duncan, a blog which is most definitely high on my Daily Reads list. Every day, Curt and Duncan go walking and while Duncan tends to doggy business, Curt examines the world around him...sometimes at a distance, other times right up close.

That is, when he and Dunc aren't wrestling in the grass...or bunny-hunting...or just watching the sun set over the Rocky Mountains. Most times, reading Walking With Duncan is as heart-warming and soothing as sitting in that patch of daisies in Bloom County used to be back in the Eighties. For a start, let me recommend "Dear Ken", a recent post that doubled as love letter to his absent partner.

Curt is, as they say, made of teh Awesome.

I must say, the Brillante is one of the more stunning-looking awards, very tasteful and elegant. I can see it now, on a simple pedestal, refracting the sunlight in all directions in the garden, tho possibly also setting off a brushfire or two in the process.

I wouldn't have it without my own audience of blog readers, though, you who inspire me with your visits and your own writing to keep finding even better pictures and more interesting or amusing things to say about it all for you...so thanks, everybody. (Yawn...) Hey, who yawned? Joe, it was you, wasn't it?

Now the rules are as follows (because with these awards, it's not just about basking in the limelight, taking a couple bows and catching a few bouquets chucked in your general direction): In accepting, I must now:

1) Put the logo on my blog.

2) Add a link to the person who awarded me (even tho he's already in my blogroll...but he's a W, so who knows how often you get around to scrolling down that far--the blogroll has just swelled with terrific reads of late, it seems).

3) Nominate at least seven other blogs. (The "at least" part isn't hard...it's the limiting to only seven blogs that'd be harder. But since the orchestra's already starting to play in low under me, I'll just direct you to scan the blogroll--there's loads of great blogs to enjoy there!)

4) Include links to those blogs here.

5) Finally, I must then leave messages on the blogs of those nominated, so they can have their moment of glory, as well. Formal attire, folks, is not required.

[A note: I understand many of my favorite bloggers are busy folks, so I mean to thrust no obligation on you. I just think you're terrific, that's all, and this seemed like a fun way to say so!]


And so, with no further adieu, I'll let the blogging hijinks begin with the links portion of the show. In no particular order, I present to you:

Strelitzia: Birdie is relatively new to blogging, but set up shop just in time to chronicle an amazing journey of growth and discovery she and her family experienced this spring. A self-described beach bum (among assorted other hats) she writes with warmth, humor and compassion on a variety of subjects. The world is only just discovering how lucky it is to have someone like Birdie in it. Plus she's got excellent taste in music.

Lost in the Landscape: James is an artist/gardener who chronicles his adventures in nature as he gardens year-round on the edge of the desert in San Diego and explores the world around him. He's all about examining and contemplating the natural world and our place within the larger scheme of it. His writing is simple and photographs are delightful...he even has a bog garden...so you can forgive his distaste for most yellow flowers. And now that the state of California has smartened up, he's also a newlywed!!

Tiger By the Tale: Tigeryogiji is, well, how can I put this? Just fab-ulous! Formerly the Ashram at Pooh Corner, Tiger presents a day-brightening array of music video and still photos. But it's not all Pet Shop Boys, ABBA and Bollywood Hunks. You'll also find an amusing and thoughtful assortment of comments on current and personal events, including the latest adventures of the newly arrived, and highly adorable Teddyji.

My Life, Or Something Like It: What to say about Java? A friend to gay people everywhere, she writes with honesty and heart about the business and pleasure of riding herd on a houseful of kids and a husband named Superman. Hopefully, the air conditioning is finally fixed for the summer! I said to Java recently, "my computer wants me to upgrade to a new version of you, but I like you just the way you are."


Loose Ends: Patrick is not just your typical mid-western hunk-turned-actor come to seek his fortune in Manhattan. With good humor and a heart the size of Central Park, his blog reveals to us the city's best side with his regular sojourns in search of wild peacefulness in Gotham's green spaces. And he's my favorite blogger who makes a living showing his best side. His recent "music video" is not to be missed!

Sticky Crows: Another daily pleasure for me. You never know quite what will spill from the mind of our beloved Tornwordo as he enjoys his morning bagel. There's on-foot explorations of Montreal, married life, the always lovely Sara, the whole HNT business...or if we're very lucky, something about poop. I'm sure he'd tell us he could quit Tootsie Pops anytime he wanted, and I certainly appreciate his support and cheerleading about staying smoke free myself (8 fantastic days now!). There's some bonus crows down below, too!

Center of Gravitas: I'm sure GayProf has a whole closet full of these little statues, or he would, if he wasn't continually declining such honors as a means of making political statements against the state of Texas and idiots in general. Of course, we can't know that for sure. It's entirely possible he's been waiting for just such an occasion to break out that Wonder Woman outfit and lasso himself a shiny statuette with his golden Lariat of Truth. Hey, don't laugh--this is serious. Remember: gravitas.

So, there you have it, that's seven. Like I said, there's a world of great blogs out there, though, so surf on over to one of 'em soon...but not til you finish reading here, buddy!

Whew...so, with that delightful honor out of the way (I'll send out notifications when I'm through!), I turn your attention to the Garden. It's what you all come here for anyway, right?

As you can see, things are delightfully out of hand as summer reaches it's mid-point. I know, it's not Mid-Summer...but as July prepares to fade into August, it's suddenly clear the days are getting just a smidge shorter already (say it ain't so!) and before too long, it'll be time to worry about heating costs again.

But for now, there's beauty spilling out everywhere you look in the garden.

While the daisies are making what is probably their last stand, the thistle has only just begun, the bachelor's buttons are blooming more profusely with each day (and when it's not windy, I'll try photographing them some more!), and the curly grass is sneaking it's way into everyone's class photos.

This week looks like it will include the start of the long-anticipated cosmos and I noticed this morning that the Casa Blanca lily--my absolute favorite of the oriental varieties--should be bursting into glorious, perfumed bloom before long.



Crows just amaze me. I love to watch the way they walk and hop around. I love the sound of their voices - all their different voices - and the way they call back and forth across a territory to one another. It's cool they all come to one another's aid when one of the bigger predatory birds makes the scene with an idea about nest raiding.

Today, these guys were foraging around the grounds of the restaurant, where we've recently had a little treework done. I was happy they didn't fly off as quickly as they usually do, because I just can't get enough of a good close look at 'em.


Yesterday's weather was glorious, sunny and warm with n'ary a hint of the humidity we'd seen earlier in the week.

A beautiful blue sky backed everything, punctuated with some dramatic and delightful cotton puffs of white cloud.

Today, the ride to work wasn't quite so thrilling, as the skies behind those white clouds began filling in with more clouds, covering over that brilliant blue that makes my soul feel all happy and calm.

As one month draws to a close and another stands poised to begin, there was plenty for me to do in the office today, so I bought no disappointment about the weather. Especially since there was a good possibility I might not need to water the garden again tomorrow, if everything went well.

By the end of the afternoon, the skies were looking like this.

And also like this.

It grew darker and more cloudy as I headed for home and naturally, I was still not quite home when the first giant raindrops began to pelt, splattering large on the car windshield, as the first rumbles of thunder began to sound over the music on the radio.

By the time I'd parked, the sky was raining down fresh buckets of water and there was nothing to do but go inside and watch from the window, all the while explaining to Em that there'd be a slight delay on the evening's walk and she should just calm down a little. : )

Fortunately, the first downpour didn't last all that long, about fifteen minutes, and the radar map showed an even bigger business heading our way in a little while, so Em and I didn't even wait for the rain to stop entirely, heading out for our nightly tour of Not Wisteria Lane.

On the way out, I spotted this creature on the flagstone path and managed to get Em to stop while I had a closer look.

Until such time as I hear back from the identification experts over at BugGuide.net, I'm officially christening this the Big Horny Bug, as a sort of fun contrast to the whole church-y business of this morning. As always, I'll update this when more information comes my way!

[EDIT: 7/28/08: This, I am told, is the Broad-Necked Root Borer, also known as P. latticollis. If you click here, you'll learn that Java may have been right in her assessment to kill them as grubs: they essentially eat trees from the inside out. I wonder where this one had come to the path from.]
Apologies to those of you who are now hyperventilating at the sight of this creature, which was about two inches long. He was pretty mellow though, clambering easily onto a piece of wood I held out in front of him, but thankfully not creeping me out by approaching any closer across what was a small piece of wood as I transported him out of the pathway and into the rainy grass.

Here, take a look at these pretties instead: