The Cottage Around the Corner

I get to string the clothesline today. I am really excited about this. Very Betty Homemaker of me, I know. That's ok cause I am a Betty Homemaker.... except I am a Kelly Homemaker. Why is it always a put down to refer to someone as a homemaker? Aren't our fondest memories frequently of someone who made a lovely home? Anyway.... lots of stuff to get done today. All this gardening and you now have to wade through my house. Oh well.... ;) Have a great weekend!!!

I finally got to one of the beds!! I didn't dig it up like I originally planned. I don't think it really needed it. I removed the gardenias. They never really bloomed. I would only get maybe 5 or 6 blooms. This spring they turned brown and yellow. I gave up. It was a beast to pull the out of the ground. For dead plants, they sure had a great root system. I was, however, the triumphant party.The boxwood by the japanese maple will be trimmed down into a small ball. I put a bird bath where one of the gardenias was and the other gardenia was replaced with a plant of unknown origin. Actually, I had the plant tag, but it has mysteriously disappeared and nobody knows anything about it. It is a form of ligustrum (maybe I spelled it right...) that should grow 7 feet tall and 4 feet wide. I also planted a little princess spirea (spiraea japonica 'Little Princess') and a variegated weigela (weigela florida 'variegata'). I will have to post pictures for those later. 

I had several helpers. Faith and Gabe have decided they want an allowance, so I told them we would pay them for doing things that are helpful to other people. I won't pay them to keep their rooms clean, they are required to do that. They are really excited and are very motivated and helpful kids right now. Of course, I keep hearing the question "How much do I get for that?".  They definitely earned their money today. I am very sunburnt right now, and my neck is very hot. It is a good thing I am used to sunburns or this would be pretty awful. 

Anyway, I hope that everyone is having a great Friday and have a wonderful weekend!! I will post more garden pictures tomorrow. We have a bbq to do now!! :) 

I admit. I took pictures outside yesterday for today since the weather was so awful yesterday. When I saw awful, I mean HORRIBLE. I had to take Gabe to the allergist, one of our friends is an ENT, and it was already lightly raining when we left. Yet, my cell phone was set at emergency calls only. So strange. OK, well we have to go pick up pizza on the way home so we went to do that. Little did I know that the cell issue was a foreshadowing of what was to come. It was only lightly raining when I went inside, so I told Gabe to stay in the van and I would be right back out. I was inside for about 5 minutes. When I opened the door, the wind was so strong it slammed the door back on me. I had to fight it to keep it open so I could go out with the pizzas, while holding the pizza as tight as I could so they wouldn't blow away. I was parked right in front of the store, yet I was completely drenched by the time I got in the van. On the way home, I was worried the wind would blow the van over on it's side. It got so heavy that you couldn't see in front of you. It was way worse than the tulle fog in California's central valley. On a good note, I don't have to water my plants!! :) Oh, lightning also struck somewhere around our house. The streets totally flooded and we almost didn't make it home. Still, I don't have to water my plants. And when I finally get to weed, it should be easy. I think they said we were getting about an inch of rain every 10 minutes. Oh, how fun it was. My weeping willow tree is loving all this rain, though. :) I took a few pictures of some of our plants (most need to be moved or replaced... I am just having trouble getting motivated...:) that I thought were looking nice. My rosemary is doing so well. I haven't done much for her, but she loves where I put her I guess. She is perfect all year long and has lovely blue flowers right now. She is also very useful for the kitchen. I have lots of visitors requesting some of her for their cooking in the fall. Next to her is an azalea with lovely pink flowers. I think I will need to transplant her. I want her to be bigger so I may plant her in a berm... burm... whatever. The kids helped me with a planter. It is small right now but it should be really nice in a month or so. They were so proud so I placed it by the front door so everyone would see it. This other one is of a japanese maple that I think I will have to transplant. He is growing much bigger than they said. Such a beautiful tree... This won't let me move my pictures or anything!! Oh frustration!!