Friday at last ...

  June began with a flurry of activity, at home and at work.  I'll let pictures be the guide ...

  I did get most of the vegetables put into pots, still need to get more soil this weekend to finish.

 This is my upcycled scarecrow made from a lampshade I no longer used, and some empty aluminum cans.  So far it seems to be working nicely.

 We had a thunderstorm last weekend that brought some hail.  Thankfully most of the garden survived, and what didn't seems to have been doomed to fail from the start.  Particularly the okra in the tall pot there on the right.  It was the only set of plants left at the nursery, and they looked like they were left behind for a reason.

 His Royal Hindness Charlie's favorite place to oversee his kingdom is sitting on the highest pallet where he can observe all of the neighbors, especially Brenda and Joey, whose yard he is looking at here.

 He loves running over to see Joey in the morning and wants in their house as if he lives there.  Joey occasionally shares a strawberry with him, or we will sit on the front porch with Brenda while he stands guard over us.  Such a goofball.

  This rose was an unexpected surprise on the climbing roses I got for the backyard.  The bush is supposed to be pink roses.  But the yellow reminds me of one of my past mothers-in-law.  I considered her to be more of a mom than an in-law and called her my Gypsy Mom.  She loved yellow roses.  She has been gone now for several years, and I miss her oodles and goblollies.

 Cotton is a sweet girl who is looking for a new home.  She came to visit the other day, much to Charlie's displeasure.  They get along, but he is happier being an only child.  I think she is a 2-3-year-old dachshund and yellow lab mix.  She has one blue eye and one brown eye, and unlike some white dogs of mixed parentage, she is not deaf.  Cotton knows her name and will come when called.  She is short but long and has very high energy.  She can, if left to her own measures and ignored, become as destructive as a lab puppy can be.  Chasing birds and running are her favorite activities, bouncing through taller grass like an antelope.  But she needs a home with consistent positive reinforcement training, a fenced yard, and maybe some young children to play with. 

 

 Cotton does get along well with other dogs and with cats, but I don't want to take on another young dog.  I want to be able to travel in a few years to Europe for an extended time.

 Gracie, by the way, was very happy to get her favorite window seat back.  From this perch, she watches birds in the yard between houses and catches the morning sun as it comes up.  We have had some unseasonably cooler weather lately, and I've watched birds spread their wings and flatten out on the grass to catch the warmth of the sunshine.

 But here is the most exciting of all the week's chaos...
I have finally been able to get a car!!!  It is a new-2-me 2017 Honda Fit with all kinds of bells and whistles that make me feel like I'm finally in the 21st century.  I cannot even begin to describe the excitement of being totally independent again.  Her name is Pearl since her paint is called White Orchid Pearl, and while I haven't had time to fully plan all of our adventures, Charlie and I are thrilled.  

 I hope that your week has been good.  It is going to be a busy weekend for me with a baby shower for a friend on Saturday, then a rheumatology appointment on Monday.

   Blessings ...... Ci