Will summer ever end?!?

This is not a normal autumn for this part of Indiana. In the past, we could count on cool, rainy weather, with a brief respite in October. Instead, summer just lingers on. I like changing seasons - when is this one going to change?!?

After listening to an association member complain about his neighbor's yard, I decided I should at least make an effort in mine, before someone calls neighborhood code enforcement. I hobbled around yesterday, trimming the front yard, a few days ago pulled some weeds. I can't wait to get my hip replaced!

Yellow Bear, Spilosoma virginica (I think)

While weeding, I came across the above fuzzy yellow caterpillar. Today I saw bluebirds around the empty bird feeders. This summer I am a bad yardener. Hopefully, I will be able to get back in the groove shortly.

Meanwhile, Clio knows how to beat the heat.

August is almost over already

Yikes! It has been over a month since I posted here. I am obviously not spending much time outside in the yard, but when I do, I enjoy it despite my hip. How that the weather is cooling a bit, I hope to get some of the mess cleaned up before long. Meanwhile, here are some flowers to enjoy.

Rudbeckia subtomentosa

'Wild Romance' aster

Aster laevis

'Purple Dome' aster

Cosmos sulphureus

Coreopsis Tinctoria

'Limelight' hydrangea

'Royal Standard' hosta

A bee paradise

Thanks to the heat and my bum hip, the backyard is a mess. I am very thankful that the privacy fence shields that mess from the casual observer. Occasionally someone needs access to my backyard, like the underground utilities guy (my neighbor has plans for her shed). I was prepared to deliver my usual apology about the mess when he pronounced my backyard a "bee's paradise". That led to discussions of beekeeping (a potential hobby I decided was too much work). His words gave my mess new meaning, though.

Despite my neglect, stuff is growing and blooming.

Cupplant (Silphium perfoliatum)

Cupplant (Silphium perfoliatum) - up close

Sweet Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia subtomentosa)

Ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata)

Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium)

Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

Prairie Blazingstar (Liatris pycnostachya)

Prairie Blazingstar (Liatris pycnostachya) with bee

Also because of the heat and my bum hip, the front yard is not in much better shape than the back. Ordinarily, I am a weeder and a mulcher, but this year I am also a sprayer, as there is a patch of poison ivy I literally don't want to touch, growing under the gold mop. Despite my efforts, my hip is just getting worse, so once mowing season is over, I will probably get in line for a replacement. It's hell getting old.

It's a jungle out there!

The heat wave finally broke, so I took advantage of the lower temps and overcast sky to mow and trim and weed a bit, mostly in the front yard. I tell myself to just pull a garden cart full of weeds each day and the yard will look halfway decent, but like housework, it is too easy to say mañana.

In previous years, I have complained bitterly about the lack of blue berries on the Viburnum dendatum 'Blue Muffin'. For whatever reason - polar vortex? rainy spring? heat wave? = it looks like it will have a bumper crop this year. For the same or different reason, the bishop's weed had very few seed heads while the yarrow decided to bloom.

As I mentioned in the previous post, the butterflyweed looks good this year AND now I can report it is doing its job of attracting monarchs. This fellow hung around just long enough for a couple of decent shots.

I was equally happy to find (bumble?) bees on the bee balm, aka monarda. Many years ago I had plenty of this in the so-called meadow, but somehow it all disappeared. I'm happy to have it back with its unique scent.

In an unrelated note, I am attempting to improve my drawing skills by rendering one flower a day, in a range of mediums, mostly colored pencil or markers. Needless to say, my first efforts are obviously first efforts. For days when the weather is uncooperative, I am capturing some closeups of blossoms, so I can continue this pursuit indoors. The drawing results are posted on my IG account, under bittenbyknittin.

Here's hoping the milder weather continues for a while.

So THAT'S what smells so good

Recently, when I stepped out the patio door, I smelled something wonderful but could not place. Today I realized it is the common milkweed. I'm surprised there isn't a perfume called Eau de Asclepias syriaca.

I have seen a few butterflies this summer, including a random monarch or two. I wish I knew what this guy is. I initially mistook it for a leaf. The legs and body are fuzzy, like a moth, but it has its wings folded like a butterfly. Anyone know?

The Betty Corning clematis experiment is half fail, half successful. I didn't get the tuteur moved early enough for one, plus I did not provide it with stable support, so now it looks like it is crawling toward the redbud. Another problem is some critter hides underneath it, so the dogs are always nosing around there.

The other BC is doing what I hoped, except this particular variety of clematis does not get tall enough to twine through the tree branches. I will have to rethink this experiment. (Sorry for the poor pic - it was a bit too sunny for quality photography.)

I have tried repeatedly to get some butterflyweed established, even purchasing a variety that is supposed to do well in clay soil. One problem is it is easily overwhelmed by its neighbors, which is my fault. It needs a little elbow room. (In the background are the black hollyhocks.)

I could try to convince you that these hollyhocks are a new variety known as "Lacy Leaf". I plant hollyhocks for two reasons: the blossoms yield a lovely natural dye and the plants act as a trap crop for Japanese beetles. Success on both counts.

As if my bum hip weren't enough, I caught a summer cold (THANKS, JANINE!) and now it is unbearably hot out. A few minutes standing in the sun chatting with my neighbor just about gave me heat stroke. It's a bit too dry (didn't think I'd be saying that after our wet, wet, wet spring) but not so dry I am watering anything... yet.

Just can't resist

I haven't been posting many photos of my yard and garden this year, but sometimes one just can't help oneself.

Last summer, my SO and I attempted to shape the purple leaf smokebush. It doesn't get quite enough sun, so looks rather rangy late in the season. Our efforts paid off. This baby looks almost perfect. We will have to keep up the good work.

The Golden Spirit smokebush isn't smoking much yet, but it looks wonderfully lush. It is in a sunnier location than its cousin, so hopefully will not get so gangly.

I know I have already posted a pic of the Lemony Lace elderberry, but I just can't get over how great it looks this year. It's framed by mugo pine and cotoneaster. Some of my neighbors are probably shaking their heads, imagining my shrubbery as the perfect place for a creep to hide. Quite frankly, if someone manages to get into this shrubbery, I doubt he will be able to get out without a lot of thrashing around.

I forgot I had tucked a couple of extra black hollyhock plants next to the climbing rose. One is languishing - not enough sun - the other surprised me with these blooms, earlier than the ones in the garden proper. The rose is not very prolific this year, probably due to that harsh winter we had.

I'm still struggling a bit with my hip. My GP sent me to an osteo surgeon who had only one solution to offer: replacement. Talk about a one-trick pony! Most days I can walk without much pain, so I'm holding off. I'm following Pete Egoscue's skeletal alignment exercises and self-administering trigger point therapy, practicing some yoga poses and physical therapy exercises I've picked up over the years. So far, so good, although there are days when I wonder if I'm being too stubborn.

Everything is HUGE (including the weeds)

As a rule, I don't water lawn at all, shrubs and in-ground plants only in times of drought. This spring has been wet, wet, wet, and it is amazing what a lot of rain will do. Everything looks ginormous.

'Chicago Lustre' and 'Blue Muffin' viburnum

Wentworth highbush cranberry

Catmint

I should have included the blue false indigo in the front yard as well. Last year there were loads of volunteer columbine, this year only a few plants. The creeping phlox and cotoneaster both need to be restrained from world domination.

Despite the weeds, perennials transplanted last year are faring well. I couldn't remember if I planted cup plant or compass plant by the back fence. As this photo shows, definitely cup plants.

These blossoms looked like they were on the chokeberry shrub; that's how weedy my yard is. They are a nightshade of some sort (bittersweet?), an invasive. Pretty, though.

Today we've had several downpours between bouts of sunshine, producing a fair amount of humidity. I've been trying to spend at least a little time each day yardening, but family and friends have also need tending recently. Thank goodness for privacy fencing!

Yaller

I have never let my rhubarb go to seed, as I was under the suspicion that one should not let one's rhubarb go to seed. This year with the rain and all, I just didn't pay attention to it. So this is what rhubarb looks like when it is allowed to fulfill its genetic destiny:

That is one thing that is going on in the backyard. In the front of the house, the Lemony Lace Elderberry is going to town. Over the winter, it looked dead, dead, dead, with only a few sad looking branches. Once spring (and spring rains) hit, it took off, now overwhelming the mugo pine.

I was recently diagnosed with severe arthritis in one hip, which explains the pain there. I'm talking a prescription strength NSAID now, and wow, do I feel better! I didn't realize how much all over discomfort I was living with until it was gone. Yesterday I went to town with the trimmer, and today my biceps hurt. But it's a good kind of hurt, from labor, not from age. The yardening seems less daunting now.

No rain!

Today was supposed to be dry. I planned to mow. There are a few outdoor chores I can attend to, like planting the coleus in the flower box on the front porch and weeding between showers. Otherwise, it is yet ANOTHER indoor day.

Here is a pic of my stick-of-a-crabapple tree, Prairie Fire. I'm amazed at its output. (And I see another between-showers chore - cleaning up around the base of the tree.)

The following pic is an "oops". I want to guide the 'Betty Corning' clematis to grow on the redbud trees instead of sprawling across the junipers, but I forgot to move the tuteur on this one before the vine took hold of it. If I like the effect of the clematis blossoms on the redbud, I'll try to do a better job next year... or even move the clematis a bit closer to the redbuds.

Another experiment I am attempting is growing Lonicera 'Clay Hills' in containers on the deck, so they can eventually cover the pergola. Finding appropriate containers has not been very successful, so I planted them in old-but-very-sturdy-and-no-longer-used recycling bins. I plan to surround the bins with bales of straw over winter. If the vines survive, I'll invest in more attractive containers.

It looks like my new neighbor behind me has taken it upon himself to mow "no man's land" between his privet and my privacy fence. Whoo hoo! I wonder if I can talk him into pruning and shaping the privet, too.

Not so weather-proof

I'm one of those odd people who think sunshine is overrated. Gray skies are my skies. Consequently, I thought I could easily live somewhere like Portland OR or Vancouver. But this spring we had days and DAYS of rain - ugh! I prefer my gray skies to keep the rain to themselves.

I haven't been taking many photos lately because, frankly, how many pics of daffodils does one need to see? But I wanted to showcase my little Prairie Fire crabapple tree. What started out looking like a stick is full of blossoms. Unfortunately, today is gray but very windy. Maybe I'll get a decent pic before the flowers fall.

Still no sign of life from the Rose of Sharon, although there is a maple tree volunteer growing there now. I am 99% sure it is a silver maple, so it will not be allowed to continue. Silver maples are native to Indiana, but I despise them.

It looks like none of the so-called hardy hibiscus 'Luna Red' made it through the winter. Ditto the crocosmia 'Lucifer' that I planted in pots but neglected to move into the garage. That darn polar vortex!

Despite the FAILs, my yard produces a nice progression of spring blooms: crocus (until the rabbits find them), daffodils, service berry, hyacinth, red bud trees, flowering crabs, grape hyacinth, purple sandcherry (smells so sweet!), bleeding heart, creeping phlox, chokeberry, etc. Columbine and hawthorn tree blossoms are next. Can't wait!

Not much to report... yet

Spring has sprung, but since I decided to downsize the yardening, my spring activities have been rather curtailed. Last night my SO and I did visit Home Depot and Lowe's, to check out big pots, but so far I have spent very little money on plants and such. That is a BIG difference from previous years.

I also did not start any plants inside, although I kept the seeds and may return to that activity in future years, depending on how the raised beds shake out. The one exception is rooting cuttings from my coleus mother plant. This variety is still my favorite, although I plan to add a yellow one this summer, to accent the purple smoke bush.

(The cuttings are in the dish drainer in the kitchen sink, to protect them from Beau the Feline Destroyer of All Things Nice. This was a lesson learned after finding a broken glass on the kitchen floor one morning.)

There has been some puttering in the yard, though. I am eliminating some plants that just never did well, moving other plants into the subsequent holes, edging this and that, etc. Nothing very exciting.

This afternoon, I decided to mow the yard, as it is looking rather scraggly with its spring growth. But alas, the mower would not start. After spending thousands of dollars on a zero-turn riding mower and hundreds of dollars having it serviced, it won't go. Very aggravating. It's stuff like this that pushes me toward just hiring someone to do the mowing.

Green! Yellow! Pink!

After months of gray and tan, the green, green lawn seems amazing. And there are cheerful yellow daffodils and perky pink hyacinth, too. If it weren't raining/sleeting, I would go outside and take some pix.

The fall cleanup is basically done. Since the honeysuckle vine had invaded the neighbor's yard, I pruned that back. A quick inspection of the shrubs and trees shows nothing died over the polar vortex winter we had, although the jury is still out regarding the Rose of Sharon - it is always the last thing to show signs of life, but last year was looking rather peaked. We'll see if it comes back.

Since I am not growing food anymore, there are areas of the yard that no longer need to be in full sun. So I am contemplating adding a couple of trees in back. Of course, it will be decades before they cast any meaningful shade, but still. One must plan ahead.

Hope spring is brightening your days!

In like a lion

It is a bit early for that March aphorism, but Mother Nature knows no calendar, especially these days. I took advantage of the calm before the storm to cut back the sedum. Already a few plants are showing green at the base.

Yesterday's winds blew over the bird feeders, much to the squirrels' delight and the dogs' consternation. Clio and Watson turn into sleeping lugs when the skies are gray, but a little sunshine (like we have today) perks them up to the nth degree. I'm their disappointment this winter when it comes to walking - it's too cold/windy/icy/wet or all of the above.

On one of our rare winter walks, I noticed the next door neighbor had created a little sitting area next to her front porch (not that I have ever noticed her sitting there). I used to have a couple of Adirondack chairs set under the shade of the Crimson King maple tree, but they had to be moved each time I mowed. Maybe I'll create a dedicated sitting area beside my front porch, as the back deck is rather intolerable in the afternoon.

Do you have sitting areas in your yard?

Crazy weather

We had a belated "January thaw" this winter. Temps went from polar vortex negatives to over 50 degrees. So the previous snow is gone, only to be replaced with some soon-to-be-gone ice.

In between, I managed to get a little more of the garden cleaned up. I like having something to do outside (besides walking the dogs) during the winter. And I get to engage in one of my favorite pastimes: mentally making plans for spring.

Today, though, I will hunker down inside. I'm still wrapping up the paper stage of KonMarie, but it's almost done, just in time to do taxes. Ugh.

Frozen

This weather is playing havoc with my dog walking habit. My addition does not have sidewalks, so we walk in the street, which is slick in spots whether it looks icy or not. The dogs get their exercise by repeatedly exploring the backyard - every day is a new olfactory experience - while I have to resort to the mall. Boo.

So let's see what is happening indoors.

I have Marie Kondo's two books, and recently binged on her reality show, so now I am "konmarie"-ing my belongings. Even though I periodically purge some stuff, there is more, always more that can be done. My previous attempts to follow her program were half-a$$ed, but this time I am making a better effort.

First stop: clothes. After I retired, I got rid of all my work clothes. Since then, I find I spend most of my days in yoga pants or jeans in the winter, shorts in the summer, long sleeved tees in winter, short sleeved tees in summer, etc. For a while, I hung onto one dress, just in case we were invited to a wedding, but we haven't been invited to a wedding for years - until this year, where I wore a denim skirt with leggings and was the dressiest person there besides the bride and groom.

I'm not a shoe fanatic but I did have a ridiculous number (for me) of purses. Because of their bulk, the discarded shoes and purses filled a whole garbage bag. The clothes took up another bag and a half, all of which are now at the local Goodwill. They didn't want the freed up hangars.

I still have too many coats, but I was reluctant to send them to Goodwill at a time they are purging their winter stuff. I will revisit this closet next fall. Notice the empty shelf? Various and sundry hats are now gone. The golf shoes on the floor are in limbo.

My bedroom closet still holds a few "sentimental" items in the back, plus a bunch of handknits I am not ready to part with. But all in all, I am happy with the results. Pay no attention to the shelf - extra sets of sheets that will be culled in the future, as they are getting worn out. I want to find new joy-sparking replacements first.

Even though I did not get rid of that many clothes, with Marie Kondo's folding methods, I was able to clear out several drawers in my dresser. For example, the long and short sleeved tees used to take up two drawers, reduced now to one, with room to spare.

My handknit socks were a bit of a challenge to fold due to their bulk, so I folded each one separately. Half of this drawer is socks, the other half bowls of jewelry that were on top of the dresser. I often worried about Beau the Feline Destroyer of All Things Nice wreaking havoc up there, but now the earrings are safely tucked away - and the top of my dresser is (mostly) clear.

After clothes come books. Again, I have culled them periodically in the past - last fall I "gifted" a lot of them to my son - but there are still more that are ready to belong to someone else. Unlike the clothes, the books have not yet left the premises. Some I am saving to take to my fiber arts guild meetings. Others will go to Goodwill. Some actually ended up in the recycle bin - they were old and yellow and musty and falling apart and in Danish, a language I don't know.

Right now i am bogged down in paper, the third phase of KonMarie. In the past, I managed to reduce saved paper to one file drawer. I think I can cut that in half, excluding tax files. Regarding the latter, I have 25 years worth, a full file box. Is there a statute of limitations regarding tax errors? I would never deliberately defraud the government, but mistakes do happen. One occurred a few years ago. I actually had to call the IRS to figure out what the problem was. Let the record state that the person I spoke to was very polite and helpful and patient and friendly. But I still owed more money.

I am anxious to move on to "komodo" - everything else, like the kitchen, bathrooms, GARAGE (where once upon a time I could park two cars, now barely room for one).

Why all the decluttering? Firstly, I am one of those people who feels weighed down by belongings, especially unused belongings and anything requiring maintenance. Secondly, I am contemplating downsizing, from my house to an apartment or at least a smaller house, in about ten years (too many pets right now). Thirdly, if I don't do this myself, the task may fall on my kids someday. I don't believe in leaving them a big inheritance - my goal is to run out of money the day before I die - but I don't want to leave them with a big mess, either.