what's bloomin'

 

Summer has kicked into high gear here in the tendril and twine garden. Anything that was planted that could bloom is now blooming. The poppies that I've been trying for years to grow are a splash of vibrant color at the edge of my lettuce patch. 

My papaya orange cone flowers have dozens of blossoms. They cheer me up each morning when I wake up and visit them with my coffee before getting ready for work. I like the way that these flowers start out looking like a cousin to a daisy, but then there petals slowly fold down along their stems as they reach their centers toward the sun. 

I can certainly think of many reasons to plant some onions in the garden, they end up in many of our dishes, but this year I let some of the smaller bulbs blossom out and have been enamored with their white orbits of star-shaped flowers. Several of these blossoms have ended up in flower arrangements around the house. 

I'm trying to keep up with the raspberries. I'd like to pick and freeze some to use in smoothies when the weather turns cold, but so far I've only managed to freeze one bag.

Beans are already coming in. I don't know how we're going to eat them all. Tonight's going to be our first meal with fresh green beans. 

And finally, this is what I woke to discover in the garden this morning: a lovely exotic spider plant. These beauties are new to the garden this year. I got the bulbs this spring and planted them during the daze (or craze) of my final semester. As I was planting them I told myself: "When you guys bloom I'll be done with school and happily relaxed and centered." Luckily, all of that has come to pass and now I can enjoy this in the garden. 

Work on the sock continues, but as you can see I've switched up the pattern to one that I've done before. The cables on the first pattern required too much concentration for my busy schedule of gardening and work at this date. I need some instant gratification and this pattern, Anastasia Socks by Pepperknit is exactly that.

Here's to a lazy summer day of raspberry pickin' . . . weedin' the garden . . . and knittin'. . .