Family and Flowers

7/3/12

     This past week was devoted to family coming from all over the US for a reunion in our area.  Relatives have been coming and going all week, moving from house to house since many of our relatives live in the Maryland/Virginia area.  We were all able to gather together on Saturday at the community center.  Thankfully the community center had power after that monster storm, as most of us did not.  We were able to pick up all the food we ordered and seek refuge from the 100 degree heat.  It was stifling in our house with relatives sleeping all over.  But with no TV or internet, the art of conversation resurfaced, and we had some interesting discussions.

foxglove

    It was scary for the two days we were without power because the water pumping stations were down, and we had a trickle coming our of the faucets.  We had to buy cases of bottled water.  Gas was difficult to find because many of the gas stations were without power and couldn't pump.  The Emergency 911 system and its backup went down in the county and is still not fully up.  Our vulnerability is showing.  We only lost two tree limbs in the back yard, but there are fallen trees and tree litter everywhere, and many homes and stores still don't have power.

     My flowerpots on the front porch weren't harmed, and the plants in them are starting to bloom.  Here is what's blooming now.

snapdragon

gomphrena

begonia

     Our neighborhood has a small parade and get-together tomorrow according to the flyer in our mailbox.  We'll be attending.  Happy 4th to all.

A Gift of Flowering Plants

6/10/12

     My son brought me some leftover flowering plants from the greenhouse he manages for the town of Vienna where we live.

     So I went through more boxes that were stacked in the garage and found most of the rest of my pots.

     I spent the morning yesterday potting the plants.  He brought me foxgloves, gomphrena, snapdragons, and shasta daisies.  All are supposedly deer resistant.

     I lined them up on the front porch.  Hopefully they won't be eaten.  I may move them to the deck in the back eventually because I'm not sure they are getting full sun because of the cherry trees in front.

     There is an old concrete urn in front of the garage wall that I planted with a begonia from the garden center, and I put one of the snapdragons behind it.  Other than that, there is not any other gardening going on here at the moment.  But I'm amazed at the abundance of wildlife here in the neighborhood, and I hope to share that in another post.