Relax

*Image & card by Two Guitars

Now that we have two furnished patios, I have no excuse not to sit outside and relax.  Yesterday I got to grade papers and read on the front patio while my husband worked away on yet another project.  Hopefully, he'll do more relaxing with me on the week nights.  I love having an outdoor space and right now it's the perfect weather.  Our summer isn't scorching us yet.  Only 8 more days of school and I'll be able to kick it out on the patio that much longer.  How do you relax in the evenings?

Observe

*Image & print by Daleigh Designs

Currently, I'm in the middle of teaching my students about dystopia and the Holocaust.  It makes me more reflective of the choices I have and the freedoms I take for granted regularly.  I have to remember how good I've got it now and again.  Last night, I stood out on the patio and observed my garden while it rained softly, it was lovely.  (TX rain is usually torrential, so this was rather pleasant).  What little things do you need to stop and observe?

Quilted

*Image by Ross Pollack

Storms have been passing through town recently and last night I looked up into the sky and it looked like the clouds had formed a quilt overhead.  It was truly a beautiful sight.  I'm glad for all of the rain, our yard is greener than ever and looks fantastic.  This rain is making an impact on our small garden as well.  Our little cherry tomatoes are climbing the trellis and tiny little peppers are sprouting up too.  How has your spring started to bloom and grow?

Terrarium

*Image & terrarium by Teresa's Plants & More Store

I'm pleased by how our new little garden is growing.  Now I'd like to bring more green inside.  The cat likes to nibble on plant leaves so some of our greenery needs to be out of the way.  This terrarium would be perfect.  I love the vibrant color and textures of the moss.  Growing up my mom had a terrarium and I was always fascinated by it.  This might be my next small house project.  Now I've just got to find a good spot to hang something like this.  Where would you hang a terrarium in your home?

Earth Day

*Image & print by happydeliveries

This week has been relaxing, but productive. The finishing touches mean that there is one little Roma tomato that still needs to be planted before we can officially call our garden project planted. I'll have pictures up as soon as the sun moves and there is less of a shadow.  My husband put in a full day of yard work yesterday, but it really paid off.  Our yard is now far from the crunchy dead lawn we had at the beginning of spring.  Our outdoor space is now thriving and I have a great place to relax on the back porch and admire the growing plants in our garden beds.  Quite a lovely coincidence that it all came together on Earth day.  How are you celebrating our planet?

Basil

*Image by Louise Denton

Our garden has five kinds of basil, one of our beds is predominately basil!  We'll have pesto coming out of our ears this summer.  We have: sweet, Thai, Cuban, amethyst, and purple ruffles.  We made sure to put the basil close to the tomatoes so that the fruit will pick up a nice full flavor.  I can't wait to start eating food spiced with the herbs from the backyard garden.  Do you have any great recipes that feature basil to pass along?

Garden

*Image & Garden Markers by simplyprettyprints

We finally bit the bullet and decided to try to garden in this godforsaken state of TX.  Yes, you can grow things here - but you have to fight to keep them alive in the summer.  Yesterday we cleared a spot in the yard to put in some raised beds.  My mom sent me the Square Foot Gardening book for Christmas and we're going to put it to the Texas test.  It got up to 86 degrees yesterday and with the humidity and hard labor it was a scorcher.  I even have the sunburn to prove it.  This will hopefully be a fruitful project at the house - as soon as we get some seeds and plants in the ground.  What yard projects are you undertaking?

Weeding

*Image & print by SoundsLikeRain

I am not exaggerating when I tell you that the weeds in my back yard were almost as tall as my fence.  I spent a good couple of hours tackling those monsters.  Now you can laugh at my expense because I even got a little sunburn where my shirt rode up above my shorts.  Yeah, I have a striped sunburn right above my butt - fantastic.  Next time I'll just garden in my bikini to avoid all of the funny lines I now have.  How do you deal with weeds in your yard, or are you lucky enough not to have to fight this battle?

Storm

*Image & print by lanydevening

Another severe storm flew in over the horizon last evening.  Lightning dancing across the sky lighting up the house and finally thunder booming overhead startling both the dog and the husband.  The wind was so strong that I went and moved a plant so it wouldn't get uprooted by the wind.  We're finally getting the rain we've been waiting for and I hope it drives down these temperatures.  I'm ready for lows below 75 and highs that aren't in the 90s.  If that sounds good to you, be thankful you don't live in Texas.  How is the weather in your neck of the woods?

Weeds

*Image & print by Sunshineheartdesign

I have some crazy mutant weeds growing in my front yard. I sprayed them with some weed killing spray but still they stand. I know that they will be going to seed soon and making more work for me in the future. Time to get my hands dirty and pull those suckers up. Sound like fun to you?

Succulent

*Image & planter by Plaid Pigeon via Oh Joy!

Woah! Dinosaur planters! I think these are great. Not only do I want one for myself, I have a few friends I know who would totally dig having a dinosaur planter greeting them every day. Succulents might just be the perfect plants for Texas, now I just have to wait patiently to get my hands on one of these babies because they always seem to be sold out. How awesome is that?

Bougainvillea

*Image by Cobalt123

The front of our house was desperately lacking in color, until today. I made my way to a local gardening store and picked up some lovely plants to liven up the front patio. Living in the South does have some perks, tropical plants love it here and I can grow flowers like bougainvillea and hibiscus in my front yard. Not bad. I also get to start growing basil in the fall. Pesto here I come. What have you planted lately?

Succulent

*Image via Pia Jane Bijkerk

When we moved I had to leave all of my plants behind. Most of them found good homes and are being well cared for by friends and family. Sadly, I only have three plants in the house right now. I haven't found a nice local nursery yet but have spotted one I'd like to stop at. I'm missing the green in my life. I also wouldn't mind putting together a fun terrarium. I will add this to my project/to do list.