Bloomin' Tuesday

Blogger wouldn't load any more photos today. All of them including the Bloomin Tuesday logo gave errors.

A moonflower. This thing must bloom during the AM hours. I won't catch it in full bloom since I am NOT getting out of bed for a flower.

Guess that all for today folks.

Addictions

I have jumped back on the Stop Smoking bandwagon again. I began wearing a patch on Sunday. I smoked yesterday but I only smoked 5. I was feeling really bad about it but realized when I smoked only one it made it easier to smoke the next one. So I have to remember that just one is one too many and I Can Not have it and be a quitter. Becca it doesn't work that way. Today I have lit a butt but no whole one and am not going to smoke today.

What is different than a few weeks ago when I tried? I am working on a different attitude. I have determined that dealing with something like cigarette addiction must be dealt with like any other addiction. Ok. I've had other addictions in my life. I was very over weight wearing a size 22 and now I am a 12. I conquered the overeating challenge/addiction. I have had addictions over the years with prescription drugs and street drugs. Hey - don't get me wrong and judge me ok. I am not a junkie and I didn't do anything real bad. I have conquered those addictions. Cigarettes are no different. They must fall into the same wastebasket that the other addictions are in. There are addictions of all kinds and they all present a challenge when trying to stop. No one can do this but me. Each time I want one I am choosing to not smoke one. I realize that I probably will always want just one and that is deceiving in that I cannot have just one.

I am also making a conscious effort to be thankful. I am thankful for the addictions - I will be a stronger and wiser person from it. I am thankful for the slow traffic this morning. It might have saved me from a bad accident. (I am not a patient driver when I have some where to be - like work. Gotta change that). I will be looking for things and adversities to be thankful for. If I can find myself with a gentler heart and more thankful attitude, I think my success is more likely to happen. Having a thankful heart will make all the difference.

Here's to being positive. I am stopping smoking and that is MY CHOICE. I choose it.

Bloomin' Tuesday

Check out my butterfly I was able to capture.

For the life of me I can't get the dang cursor above the first photo. Every single photo is loaded in a different order than I loaded. I hate this new blogger. Let me say that again. I HATE THE NEW BLOGGER. There I don't actually feel any better but I have to go on.

It's time for Bloomin Tuesday over at Jean's. Ya'll head on over and check out the other bloggers who have some blooms to share today. Go to http://msgreenthumbjean.blogspot.com/.

Still a going. Some of my bloomers have taken on the slogan - keeps going and going and going just like the energizer bunny.

Cannas may be about to be done.

Jasmine is re-blooming. I still have to get a trellis for the jasmine.

My BFF.

Wild lantana.

Re-blooming Portulaca

Volunteer four o'clocks. I love the color. They have made it home around this tree and I like it.

That's all I have to share today. Hope you all have a great day.

Fertilizer Friday - TGIF

Flowers are the sweetest things God

ever made and forgot to put a soul into.

- Henry Ward Beecher, Life Thoughts

 

It's Friday and can I say that real loud, right now. There I said it. I'm so glad the work week is over. And that means its also Fertilizer Friday. We are gathering over at Tootsie Time to share our blooms. Ya'll head on over http://www.tootsietime.com/.

 

Well blogger has a mind of its own today. My photos all loaded different. None are in the order I loaded. Oh well we get what we get.

 

The front porch garden.

The second bloom on the morning glory. Sorry the camera fogged this morning. This color is very hard to photograph. It is really a very dark purple.

Begonias are still making a statement.

Milkweed

The okra hibuscus looks like it may bloom right on into the fall. In fact most of the plants I am sharing today will last right on up to the change of seasons.

The white vincas are hard to photograph. I love these though - they have out performed any other vinca this year. Both of the other vinca plants I have are struggling.

I loaded the logo first. But...

Don't know about you but I am ready for a change in the seasons. I am planning some new bulbs and other plants that I have to narrow down for the spring. It is so fun to peruse the plant catalogs this time of year. I made me a wish list but have to trim it back to what I can actually do. I usually tend to overwhelm myself.

That's it for me today. Hope you all have a fantastic weekend.

Becca

Fertilizer Friday

It's time for Fertilizer Friday over at Tootsie's. Ya'll come on over and join in the fun and see who else has something to flaunt today. http://www.tootsietime.com/

Okra Hibuscus. I am loving this plant. Can't believe how long these plants have been blooming. More than a month.

Milkweed. Lots of butterfly activity but they are not cooperating for a pose.

Begonia and morning glory. This one is different and I did not plant it. The only time to catch it blooming is before 8:00a.

Zinnia and morning glory.

morning glory

This canna is still opeing up.

Storms coming. Today we are getting those storms we were promised by the weatherman. Bad lightning storms. Lights flickering and computers making funny noises. Internet going down all morning. Surprised I finished this post. It is calming down outside for now though.

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Bloomin' Tuesday

Good morning friends. Hope this finds you doing well today. It's Tuesday and time for Bloomin Tuesday over at Jean's. Ya'll come on over and check out what others have to share today. http://msgreenthumbjean.blogspot.com/

My canna is putting on another show. This one is as tall as I am so my photo is taken above my head.

It's a beauty.

 

Camera fogging after the canna photo. Okra hibuscus has taken on all new buds and going for another round of blooms.

Pleasant surprise to find the gerbera blooming again. This is a darker orange than the photo shows.

Milkweed is blooming like crazy. I've seen quite a bit of butterfly activity but everytime I get the camera out away they go - darnit.

My first four o'clocks to bloom. This is from the Marvel of Peru Four O'Clocks. There are several other colors in this pot but no other bloomers yet. The flowers are very small as you can see and very dainty.

This one is a volunteer out back among some cut down shrub. This looks just like the yellow one - small and dainty. I love the color on this one. A very dark pink. The bush is loaded with buds and so far they appear to all be the same color. I captured this at 7:30 in the evening.

This is a very disappointing site. The pecans will be no good this year. Look at them. It's horrible. I suspect the extremes we've experienced this year in the weather have contributed to this. The pecans are falling from the trees already. The squirrels are eating them and they have plenty.

Well that's about it for today. It is HOT here and I suppose most of you are still having extreme heat too. I'll be glad to see cooler weather come next month (fingers crossed).

Hope you all have a great day. Happy gardening!

This and That Weekend

Darnit! I can't get this dang cursor at the top of my post. I hate blogger sometime.

Check out this new garden cart I bought. It was only $19 and it is the best investment I've gotten all summer. It will haul up to 250# and that is a lot. It is perfect for picking up sticks and just plain perfect for my needs. Came from Ace Hardware.

In spite of the heat I managed to get out and get some things done this weekend. I cut limbs from all of my huge shrubs and small trees and ya'll know how big my place is. Wow what a difference cutting limbs can make. Now I have to get my keester back out to pick them up which is the chore I hate most. If I didn't have to clean up my messes I probably would do more.

This flowerbed received a cleaning out. I have tired of the zinnias taking up all the space and branching out all over the place so I pulled them up in this bed. You can see all the space I have now. Getting ready to put out more stuff but may end up waiting till Sept. Putting new plants into the ground this time of year with the heat being what it is this year, the plants just will not do well.

The small plant to the left is a Sarah Bernhardt Peony that became shadowed by the zinnias. Since it didn't do anything this year I probably will move it. Hey gardeners out there would it be wise to move it or leave it where it is. It is not receiving much sun - maybe the middle of the day or late afternoon. This is my first peony.

The cleome did beautifully. I love the soft spidery like tentacles on the flowers.

I was surprised to find this new geranium producing a new flower. I recently planted 2 new geraniums probably 3 weeks ago. They are puny due to the heat and dry conditions.

This is one of the best performers this year. I thought the okra hibuscus had given out 3 weeks ago and low and behold they have budded out again and going for another round.

I am seeing an abundance of butterfly's. I have yet to stand outside waiting for one to light in this heat so just know they are there. Milkweed is performing beautifully. All of the milkweed are budding and flowering now.

This particular display of vincas have really outdone itself. Usually vincas are a little finicky if they get too dry and hot or too much sun but this one hasn't missed a beat. It has been flowering since the end of May when it was planted and doesn't seem affected by the heat. Others purchased since then have struggled to survive.

Portulaca starting to bloom again. I think this plant is getting too much sun.

Ya'll know how I feel about begonias now. They are super performers.

The heat - OH THE HEAT is on isn't it. Everywhere it is hot. We are experiencing temps in the 100 degree range maybe a few degrees over 100 with heat index of 115. Dangerously hot. Relief is coming at the end of the week when the highs will be back at a seasonable 92. Never thought I'd be glad to see 92.

I haven't given up on the stopping smoking. I am working myself up again and reforming my strategy.

I just want to say how much I truly appreciate all of you blogger friends and the kind words of encouragement. You all are the BEST. It is your encouragement that will help me to succeed and yes I EXPECT to be SUCCESSFUL.

Have a good day everyone.