September beckons..

 

I love antique shops and thrift shops..my husband doesn't lol..nor my girls..the latter into different styles..

I pick up very little these days.

I need nothing.

For some reason I gravitate towards our vintage clothes shop..and I do like makeup.

I have so many cookie cutters..lol cake pans..years of blogging.

No wall room left for art..I don't tire of things..I don't redecorate lol.

One thing I would love is  a GREAT bed.

in the last 10 yrs we have bought two mattresses.They both are :( for me.

My friend from Fl visited..and she was talking about her beds..

People tell her she makes a bed better than a high quality hotel bed.Best linens best beds.

She couldn't believe J and I sleep in a Queen:) She said one of the first things she told her husband was KING.

Oy I would need a whole new headboard footboard..etc..we've had this set for 50 yrs.And the room would be tighter.

But why can't I get a mattress I ADORE.

She has a mattress and bed and linens here where she spends her summers..and the same in Fl.

Puffy.

Once you start Googling mattresses..it never ENDYS lol.

Pros and cons for all kinds..

I don't have hot flashes way past that and never had any .

But my calves get so warm.

I can't sleep without a sheet and blanket.

Surely there is a mattress I could love somewhere in this universe.

I mean I NEED to sleep.

Any suggestions?

Funny how my art tutorial by Chris Petri..please Google..it leads to my account if I link..hundreds of fabulous tutorials..led me to bed talk..

I know they are cute..but they munch too:)

Luckily none of these..I follow a feed in French that has gardens..veggies..they sell them..one day she suggested making edible bouquets..

All these are edible:)

Zinnias..cosmos,dill,shiso,basil,lovage,sage and sorrel.

I find they look lovely together.

Speaking of flowers..The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart..has the worst ending ever.

I hated it.

This little cake..if you think you can't bake..you're wrong.EASY Peasy.

Food By Khan on Tik Tok.

@foodbykhan

https://www.tiktok.com/@foodbykhan

I am a fan of TikTok..recipes..cooking ..gardening..babies..tutorials..

I love this new to me zinnia..She's smaller than the others..but packs a sweet punch.I may have to amend that area where I sowed her..I did the stupid mistake of putting geotextile 22 yrs ago..  unfortunately the earth has sunk the textile is too high now so its a struggle for seeds to grow..hardy things like weeds just love geo and run rampant and pierce through everywhere.:( To late to rip those big beds up.

The Phlox are huge this year..they need dividing also.

Jobs I am not as motivated by as when I was 50.20 yrs of digging plays havoc on shoulders and elbows etc..

As I go through my Spring and Summer photos..the gardens have whizzed by:(

I've ordered some seeds and really ..if you can save your own..Seeds plus shipping. ..$$$ and you seem to get so few lol.

So it's too early for my zinnias still soooo many to bloom..and age..same with cosmos..but you can start marigolds and definitely dill..

I like doing this:)

I had saved poppies.

I am grateful some of my last Provence 4 o'clock seeds took and are blooming..not many but I will surely save again.

The only thing that has not changed but has..

are these vultures.

They used to be gone end of August.

Taken TODAY

My tomatoes are still happening..lots every single day.Grateful.Ugly plants.Good tomatoes..go figure.

Littles(big) back in school..football season starting very very soon.

They work so hard I wish them a very good injury free season.

Enjoy the rest of August:)

Here,there,and everywhere.Love that song.Those Beatles.

 

 

The days are getting shorter ,the light is definitely different.

We ..J ..Has found a solution for grass..don't grow grass ...grow clover.

The past couple of yrs.. because of water restrictions..our grass has suffered.And that's J's thing..and I like the canvas it makes for the gardens here and there.So most of our non grass:) now..is clover.Requires very little water.. needs less cutting..looks brown early Spring but it catches up.I do attribute the green green grass of home to the immeasurable amount of rain we have had this summer.An extremely dry parchment Spring..a wet summer..Time will tell but so far clover is our answer.

Anyone want quack grass? Goutweed ? I have that too.I HATE IT.

The gardens are waning..these are 3 of my back gardens..

I've bummed my elbow and am not looking forward to putting it all to bed come Oct.:(

Home sweet home though.We love being home.I mean..book me in Provence for Sept by means of a direct flight leaving at 2.PM returning same time and maybe:) But with J.A little car there for us.. a small home away from home there..Perhaps.:):):) Just a little dream..we're going nowhere.So glad we did when we did.

 I had a nice outing with a friend..that cute place you see there..going back soon:)

Made madeleines..GOSH those things I love.

Made J's mom's super sweet ketchup.Been making it for 50 yrs skipping some yrs..bit the bullet.

I love..

Cosmos...seed grown ,a gift from a friend.I'll harvest seeds for next yr.

Marigolds.. seeds from last yr,,started saving

Zinnias..will save ..all last yrs seeds except for Oklahoma Salmon ..I fell in love with and Queen Red Lime..the rest seeds from here.

Next yr..

I've ordered Strawflower seeds..will try next yr.

The series..The Lost Flowers Of Alice Hart inspired me.

I will plants gomphrena and may try a few dahlias..although the latter is scary for me lol.Verbena Bonariensis too..next yr:)

Will start Bumblebee cherry tomatoes  indoors I did not find at the nursery..I missed them this year.

Tomatoes were ok..but the leaves etc..all mold..all ugly..all the time.

I planted pumpkins..not one..I sowed swiss chard as soon as it was up..EATEN

Will NOT plant Shiso (perilla) It was a hard start and eaten and I had to cover and baby only to discover I just am not fond of the taste.

 I will give Fred one of my Sorrels..  They are huge and a good perennial although beetle food too.

Made a lot of tomato things and froze..salsa ,sauces..

made all kinds of basil things..pesto..just basil and evoo a neat trick..Nutribullet then put in baggies..flatten and freeze..you don't always want pesto..

We had dinner at one of our daughter's a while ago..

I saw oysters..I said :Oh Im not sure..  my daughter said wait..

These are my son-in-laws Oysters Rockefeller.

A DREAM.

Baked..I won't show you my plate once done..PILED.

He really is a chef extraordinaire..Not his profession..but he could be.

Speaking of which The BEAR..OH my this season from episode 6..FANTASTIC.

This Pierrot was sent to me 100 yrs ago from a creative genius..

You know.. some internet friends stay with you FOREVER and a day.

I still correspond..  but not nearly enough..

Just to say..

I lost a dear blogging friend/ creative genius lately.She had been absent from blogging..IG..

and I worried.

Her darling daughter sent me a DM to tell me the sad news.

As we age..it happens and it is always sad.

We remember all the sharing.. all the kindness..all the keeping company.

xo

Photo courtesy of the web..not mine.

This is the inspo for growing strawflowers next yr.

PS so GREAT to see S Weaver NOT looking like a Kardashian;)

PS..WORST ENDING EVER

Painting..cooking..gardening..:)

 

A fun painting tutorial..

Cindy Briggs..just Google you tube videos..It is there..:) She has a few..I had bought the Aquarelle book to paint in..in Provence..perfect to add this tutorial in it:)

Painted that lovely dad and his wee boy..he is a photographer on Instagram..he has given me permission to paint his subjects.I picked hi this time:)

I love making Fresh sun baked tomato pasta..

Its as easy as easy can be..pick a hot sunny day..Cut tomatoes..garlic..add red pepper fakes.. capers..black olives if you wish..basil..s and p and Evoo..

Once it has baked in the sun all day add your cooked pasta and season to taste..We add garlic bread crumbs..and Parm..J adds mussels .

Fridays are pizza nights here..:)He is the pizza maker..Different or the same every Friday.

We don't eat out or order in..  and honestly Im fine with that:)

I like a little lunch with my girls or our get away dinners..but w/ just J and I..as happy if not more at home.We don't go out at night unless we have to lol.

Love a little coffee chat afternoon with a friend too..

A muffin? A croissant?Special..not drive through or fast food.EVER.

I also love making bouquets inside..Cosmos.. echinacea..zinnias..etc..

Dahlias would be great but I gave up..

Too many earwigs and bugs..

Playing with Profiles in Lightroom is fun too;)

Have a lovely weekend..rain in the forecast here.

Bon weekend..

Augustus...Garden Talk..:(Garlic Confit..Aperol Spritz snack cake, shows.

 

A little Greenjeans chat..no Barbie chat:)

About how I love gardening..getting filthy ..could never have faux nails..

It is my form of exercise..I have the sore shoulders..always..  certain fingers etc..yrs of wear and tear.

But I cannot sit.I love nature love watching things grow..

It's the disappointments..that are hard to take

AND

 We all know.. how I hate rose chafers..you have seen my morbid pics here..They arrive to the parade first and attack upon arrival..

Then the Japanese Beetles arrive and they are also my arch enemies..I have shown you pics..They munch on roses the most ,but daisies too and clematis.They adore grapevine..Last yr I tried those bag traps..it made the problem worse..we did catch thousands I kid you not..but it ATTRACTS them.Never again..for us..

Guess what has invaded my earth..decimating even feverfew..attacking marigolds..basil..parsley..

I had never heard of them

Asiatic Beetles..That live underground and creep up at night to feast on our hard work.

The EARWIGS with our wet summer they are proliferating

I just spent over an hour spraying with Castille soap and water..but often my mixtures burn the plants..all the spraying needs to be redone after a rain.

So it's not all rewarding here.

I just don't know how to handle these critters.

No pesticides..

And truly the air I breathe is too important to start spraying chemicals like Sevin..etc not to mention what it can do to ecosystems..well I am not allowed and cannot..

Anyone have any tips..zone 5?

I thought my tomatoes were AMAZING..and then all of a sudden all these brown spots appeared on yellowed leaves..and they are contagious.No matter how many I cut.. more happen.

The pests and fungus? Insurmountable..Wettest summer ever..and I was crying for rain.Our grass went from jute..to a golf green.

However a breeding ground ..

I let Gooseneck loosestrife invade one parcel of my territory..(Oli calls our home and gardens our territory:)

I am using up last year's garlic..  by making garlic confit..butter..etc..

Ill soon be cleaning and storing my new cured garlic.

Amazing that the one above is one yr old.

Zinnias.. seeds from a wonderful artist..nature itself..saved from my last year's zinnias.

And proof of failures..because of bugs

This is where my garlic was..its a long stretch in back of garage..partial view

I sowed swiss chard..it all came out  beautiful.. ly..until it was gone.

Marigolds..  yes..:(

My parsley..same..shiso ..basil..leaves of zinnias..different eaten parts different bugs..

above my feverfew that was about to rebloom..I get two spreads of Feverfew..obvi down to one..

FORGIVE the horrible IPHONE pics lol.Im a DSLR person.

All I can say re veggies..etc..is thank God for ..

I prepped it all this AM,basket to the left..to plant in October..basket to the right..To eat all year.

I used to glam it up..no need leave some dirt..it protects it:)

Anyone watching The Bear?

Season 2 Episode 6..If Jamie Lee Cutis does not win an award...I will be shocked.

A Small Light is excellent..

Delicious little Aperol Spritz Snack cake courtesy of HowSweetEats.

:)

Pretty cosmos blooming..seeds from Susanhttps://www.instagram.com/the_raspberry_patch/

Tchin!