A Pretty Day

Arizona rose bud.

The rain has finally stopped, at least for now. It is still forcasted in the form of thunderstorms and showers through the weekend. We had a total of 15" in my back yard. In the local newspaper yesterday was the story of a family in Safe Harbor who clung to the trunk of a tree as the raging Conestoga River washed their vehicle away. This story unfolded less than a one minute drive from my home.

I'm still concerned about friends who live in Wilkes-Berrie. The entire town of 10,000 residence were evacuated because the huge Susquehanna was about and actually did flood the entire town.

A well loved uncle passed away the other day. His funeral will be tomorrow and I will go. It's consoling that he passed away without any pain and rather suddenly. He told his daughter that he wanted to lay down and rest. That was that. I always liked this uncle. He was a kind and gentle man.

Something Published

Nature's Pallet

Husband sumitted this photo to the "Photo of the Day" area in the local paper. We were delighted to see that it had been chosen for publication in full color.

I think a better picture was the one that wasn't taken. When Husband shot this photo I didn't have a camera but the experience of seeing him among the butterfly bushes to get this shot was incredible. He was being surrounded by thousands of Zibra Lyetail, Tiger Lyetail, Black Lyetail and Monarch butterflies, not to mention the large variety of small butterflies fluttering all around him in their desire to find a good feeding spot on these bushes.

I keep three fully mature butterfly bushes of different colors together along with butterfly weed of various colors in the same area with a small bath for the butterflies. A butterfly garden, you might say. There are other butterfly attractions in other parts of the garden, including a native spice bush which these beauties use readily for breeding and egg laying. By the end of the summer the spice bush is looking rather ratty, but all the activity and leaf munching doesn't seem to hurt it much. The next spring it usually comes awake almost twice the size as the year before. I also keep fennel and parsley scattered throughout the garden for the butterfly larvae which eat these spices readily. Although the butterflies visit all the different garden rooms in my yard, they are mostly attracted to this spot where the butterfly bushes are and will eventually migrate there. In most every other part of the garden the butterflies will give way to the bees but in the butterfly garden, the bees give way to the butterflies.

I love drawing these colorful beauties into my garden and in doing so, my garden itself has become as colorful. There is nothing more awesome than going out into the garden and being surrounded by thousands of butterflies of all shapes and sizes. And I'm glad I found so many plants that will draw them in so readily.

Something Fun

Ok, so it's another dreary day. I'm bored to death here but a friend sent this to me so I thought I'd play.

How well do you know me?? For instance, did you know...

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Graphic Artist
2. Horse Trainer
3. Waitress
4. Bar Maid
Two movies I would watch over and over:
1. The Seventh Sign
2. Phantom of the Opera
Three places I have lived:
1. Pennsylvania
2. South Carolina
3. Michigan
Four TV shows I love/loved to watch:
1. CSI series
2. 24
3. Medium
4. Stargate series
Four places I have been on vacation:
1. Disney World
2. San Francisco
3. Portland
4. Bermuda
Four websites I look at daily: (more than others)
1. Library Dust
2. EWA (The Kan)
3. People Behind My Eyes
4. Life at Star's Rest

Another Dreary Day

I cannot show the latest card I've just made as the person it's for reads this blog. So I've decided to share an earlier card I made late last year. This makes such a beautiful card for just thinking of you or thankyou. Placed on a satin background, the rose is Chihuly and compliments the victorian lady. I have several varieties of this lady with and without the rose.

It's been another rainy day; quite dreary as a matter of fact. Since it is impossible to be outside for more than a few minutes at a time, providing you don't care about wet feet, it's been a good day for catching up on computer work. I've been really lax on that of late.

I did manage to get some deadheading done this week but not as much as I had hoped. Still, there's always tomorrow but I do hear that the weather not to be much better. It'll get done.

Tomorrow it's back to work and back to the old schedule. I'm looking forward to the shift change and it will be here before I know it. I've gotten some really good rest this past week and can see how this shift change is going to work nicely.

As My Week Winds Down

As my week from the job wears down, I've had time to reflect. I didn't go anywhere except to a club meeting. I did some shopping but mostly weeded and began the deadheading in the garden. My evenings were made up of working on the computer to design and create a bunch of new cards for special occasions. I have to admit, I didn't get nearly all the cards done but sometimes my ideas are a little involved to come up with what my mind's eye sees. All in all it was a very good week. It was nice to get away from the job for a bit even though I didn't make any trip plans this time. I got a good feel of what life could be like when I move to the other shift. I like it. I will probably miss being outside in the garden during the day, but when I think about it, I'm in the house most of the day anyway to try to avoid the humidity. I'll still have the evenings.

A Productive Week

This has been a pretty productive week for me. I found out that I don't need as much to finish my wardrobe as I thought for the new position I will be getting soon. The ad for my old position is now in the paper so the boss is actively looking for a replacement. I've spent the week at home working on the house. No reason, just a week off and the weather, though hot and humid, has been rather cooperative. I got the weeding done I wanted to and the deadheading started.

I also got a good start on some anniversary and birthday cards I needed to get done. There's still a lot to go for these but I have two done so far and a third well on the way to being there. Sometimes like the motif on this card will take several days to a week depending on how much time I have to work on it at once. It's the combination of filters and layers on it that make it interesting. Also the color. However, I can change the color to reflect my mood or what I like best for the look of the card. Actually more of the latter than anything. I still might change the color. I'm thinking a rich, deep, royal purple would look great and not take away from the petunias.

Once the card is the way I want to see it, it's just a matter of going to it, changing the text to suit the appropriate occasion and I have a card in minutes. That's what my website is all about. My cards are a bit more expensive than the usual dollar store card, but they are my designs and I'm not about to sell myself short.

This card is almost complete. I need to figure out which catagory I want to put it in...probably my Victorian Collection...and put in the words for the occasion. Of course, print it. Then I will have three done with at least three more to make.

The Victorian collection usually consists of my designs and artwork but not generally photographs. However, my one Victorian lady has my photo of Chihuly rose behind her. I'm thinking that this card with the beautiful motif in the background, it would fit nicely in the Victorian Collection.

A Reason to Celebrate

I've been looking at changing job shifts for some time now. I had heard there might be an opening in the dayside shift some time ago and informed all the powers to be about my wishes. Friday, I was called into the office and told that I would definitely be moving to the days. My job there would be similar to the one I do now with a few differences. This is a very big change for me since I've been working nights for the past 21 years. My new boss told me that I really impressed him which didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. When I first started here 21 years ago, he was my boss then for about 10 years. I think he's just forgotten my work ethics. I'm sure it'll come back to him enforce when I start working with him again. I'm looking forward to starting my job at a different time. I don't know yet when I'll be going over to the other shift. There are things to be done first but my new boss is hoping around the end of August or the middle of September. We'll see how it goes.

Husband's Adventure

For the past three days I've been home alone. It was much needed quiet time and totally appreciated. Husband, on the other hand, was invited on an adventure by the boy. They had a great time going on a once-in-a-lifetime trip called PowerTour 2006. This is a tour that happens every year, but not in the same area of the US every year. This was the biggest year this tour has had to date. There were about 3,200 roadsters that were registered to tour. This year they came to Harrisburg where Husband and son met with them and drove through NJ before turning around and coming back. It doesn't seem like much, but they enjoyed it totally. This post is for their trip and some of the vehicles that were on the tour.

Hershey Botanical Gardens

Julia Childs.

While at the botanical gardens, one of the things I like to do is evaulate the roses for ones that might do well in my garden. There were several I found this year that I have put on the list for this year or next. One of the most impressive was Julia Childs. I've seen this one in pictures but never in person. I have to admit to being very impressed and the clusters are wonderfully large and full for cutting.

Others I found were:





Golden Showers













French Perfume















Duet - Another floribunda that has large beautiful clusters for cutting and vases.

I need more rose gardens!!!!!

The Company Party

Yesterday was the company picnic. Each year they hold this at the Amusement park at Hershey. It's always a fun time for the employees of the newspaper and their families as well as a rare occasion that it is also affordable. I love to go each year. However, you can keep the roller coaster, which the park has quite a few and I'll stick to the more tame rides. I've always had problems with getting sick on those wild rides.



So each year, we go, get on a few rides and stop in for the catered lunch and door prizes. We never stay long enough to hear who wins the door prizes. This year we stopped at the chocolate attraction. I was curious because it is common knowledge around here that Hershey (the home of the Hershey's Chocolate) had revamped the attraction and I wanted to see it. Besides, it is free admission there, though the factory fresh chocolates are a bit expensive. Still, to get fresh chocolate from Hershey is well worth it.


From there we went to the nearby Hershey Botanical Gardens. It's been a year since we've been there and they too, have made a few changes. They revamped the gardens and added some whimsey, garden bugs made out of bamboo and placed in different places around the garden. the botanical gardens at Hershey are well known for their work with the rose, hence we get in for free being members of the American Rose Society.




It was a really fun day all around. We just got done looking around at the gardens when it started to rain. It held off just for us! I even got some chocolate for friends. It was a nice day as it usually is when the newspaper holds it's company party.

Finally!!

Finally!! The patio is now considered finished. All the furniture is on for it and we can now use it. In the center is the firepit. The bowl of this is turned upside down right now because it's been raining lately and we want to keep it nice. These are the before pictures that were taken earlier this year and the after pictures which were taken Saturday. The only thing left is to decide which plants we want climbing the new arbor. Right now I'm thinking the rose Golden Showers but that could change until next year.





























This has been a very difficult project and I'm glad it's the last of the major hardscape for this yard. Yet, it seems the house really called for this. Even the dog loves it. Thankyou for listening to all this.

We still have the path to put around the house to the work patio and driveway, but that will be another year. And no, it won't be as much work as this was.