A Saturday At the Market (After a Long Break Between Visits)

It was good (and delicious) to visit the Farmers' Market once again.  

First off - breakfast at Field to Table.

I chose the Chicken/Waffles Sandwich...with Egg...and Bacon

One word - Yummmmm....

As August fast approaches, the flowers reflect the seasonal changes...

Bouquets are sunny and yellow...

With Sunflowers and yet more Sunflowers!

And this vignette...is SUMMER - tomatoes and basil!

The Taste of Summer!

A Kitchen Garden

Design - "Wee Vegetables"

Designer - Heart in Hand

Fabric - 32 count Lambswool linen

Fibers - GAST

Started - 24 August 1998

Completed - 2 September 1998

I stitched this piece, and gave it to my sister as a gift.  It's still a great gift as she remains an avid vegetable and dahlia gardener. She blogs about her gardens at 4 Hills of Squash. Her kitchen garden is on the west side of our house. It is about 12' by x 20', and protected from the deer with PVC pipe and netting. 

This year she was gifted with this garden art Rooster.  As he does not crow, he is most welcome!

Perhaps you remember Mikaila from my Monday post.  This nine-year-old is not only an awesome cross-stitcher, she gardens like no-body's business.  On Sunday morning she helped my sister water the kitchen garden.

  

The back row has tomatoes and two trellises with Morning Glories. There are also a couple of sweet potatoes and peppers growing in black raised sacks (to raise the ground temperature for these heat lovers). 

In front of the tomatoes are the white and red onions.

When Mikaila returned Wednesday evening, she wanted once again to help.  This time she had the entire layout of the garden memorized - plant names, locations, and watering requirements - Wow! 

 In the front is a monstrous squash - Marina di Chioggia - I think it is going to take over the entire plot!

Everything is healthy and happy...

After working in the Kitchen Garden, they were off to Dahlialand (the Dahlia garden) - could they be happier? 

Next Up on the Rotation

With the end in sight for "Soft as a Bunny", I decided to kit up a darling Lizzie Kate stitch - Flora McSample's "Strawberry Sampler".  It's nice once in a while to already have the required linen and floss in hand - the old instant gratification thing! 

I'm also mulling over what my August blog header should be...a Celebration of Summer in some fashion I think.

And aren't these Osteospermum bright and cheery?  They are appropriately named "Pumpkin Pie"!  They get a fair amount of sunshine which they love - lots and lots of buds yet so I'll have colors for several weeks to come.

The evening light was very kind to this Verbena bonariensis / Agastache combination.  Both plants over-wintered most successfully. 

I even managed to catch a Hummingbird hard at work.

I guess he likes the combination too.

I call these my two Monster Fuchsias  - the one on the right is Gardenmeister - the one on the left is a Gardenmeister hybrid.  

This Salvia has wonderful blue/gray feathery foliage - a great contrast to the bright orange/pink blooms.

I'll subject you to leave you today with a couple more Verbena / Agastache photos...

Something about this particular color / texture combination delights my soul!

Happy Friday All!

The Bird Update

As you can see, I've been working on a couple the peacocks - a red one and a white one.

Continuing our Bird Report...

My Avian Observers have been hard at work.

They've noticed that the Hummingbirds are mad about this Agastache!

And it has come to our attention that our Evening Grosbeaks...

...have a Baby Girl - isn't she darling?

There are also two Baby Boys - I'll try to photograph them as well.

The Hummingbirds are using the Mullein as Command Posts - watching for other Hummingbird Intruders!

While we've not seen the Red Breasted Sapsucker at our suet feeder, he remains in the area.

Late in the evening twilight the Quail come to our driveway...

They end the day with a good long dust bath before bed.

Hope you enjoyed the report - it was exhausting to present!

Wednesday Walk - Seeds of Change

A few days ago, Deb from Carolina commented on a Jean Farish rabbit chart.

I've tried to contact her and her email bounced (twice).  Deb - you can email me using my Profile Information and I will then be able to respond.

Bunny stitching continues apace!  Surely I can finish him up this week.  

I did not see any bunnies on my walk. 

This Wednesday Walk is all about Seeds!

The thistle blossoms are beginning to dry out and set seed. 

In a couple of weeks, the berries of the Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium) should be a lovely purple.

This is some kind of Cherry - probably a cultivated variety - now growing wild.  In Oregon most "Wild Cherries" are cultivated varieties - growing due to seed distribution by birds.  These trees are down near the road, but I'm finding the pits (and the stains) on our walkways around the house - frequently near the birdbaths.   

The Vine MAple (Acer circinatum) has set its whirligig seeds as have the Big Leaf Maples.  

This picture is a bit blurry - nonetheless, I was pleased to see some acorns on our Oregon White Oaks (Quercus garryana).  Last year we had almost no acorns at all in the fall - I'm hoping for a bumper crop this year!

I think this is the fruit/seed of the Pacific Ninebark (Physocarpus capitatus).  I'm finding it a challenge sometimes to correctly identify in Summer, a plant or shrub that I know in Spring.  I've always said if I'd been an Explorer, I'd rename a river each time I forded it, and a mountain would have a different name as approached from each direction.

The Oregon Ash trees (Fraxinus latifolia) have lovely drooping falls of seeds.  In the Autumn, my Shetland-Welsh pony used to love to munch on Ash leaves and seeds.

The first of the Trailing Blackberries (Rubus ursinus) have ripened.

These long thin black seed pods belong to Hairy Vetch plants - vetch is a member of the pea family and the seed pods resemble pea pods. 

I was surprised to find a couple of ripe Wild Strawberries (Fragaria chiloensis).  Usually the birds eat them before I ever see them on the vine. 

Most of the Cow's Parsnip (Heracleum maximum) are dry and brittle with seeds.

All of the "wild" Filberts or Hazelnuts (Filbert Betulaceae) are just like the Cherries - cultivated varieties now growing wild due to the efforts of birds.  We have Filberts growing everywhere! 

I hope you've enjoyed this week's walk!

Tuesday on the Front Porch

Wow!  Thanks guys!  I got so many nice comments regarding my "Ooops" with "Free Bird".  As you can see from the photo above I've persevered on with my alternating Navy/Red alphabet, and I've stitched a few small motifs as well.  I still intend to frog out the peacock if only because chart calls for 2 Navy, 2 Red, and 2 White birds.  If I don't make the change, I'll loose the inherent symmetry of the design.  

It's Tuesday - Garden Party Time over at An Oregon Cottage! 

Let's take a tour of my Front Porch.

I have no complaints with my plants - they all are in good health.

This little display of sedums is even heeding the box's command, "Bloom!" 

Most of the Fuchsias are blooming too.

As for the Hostas, I don't really care if they ever bloom or not...

I love the varied leaf shapes, patterns, and colors.

My Heliotrope is blooming - it smells like Baby Powder.

And isn't this display of four Coleus great?

I'm off to water the Front Porch and Back Patio...then...maybe I'll get a book and with the company of cats enjoy the rest of the morning.