June flowers and garden news

Front porch flowers today

 I was taken by surprise this morning when I walked to the bus. Yesterday's rain was supposed to be finished, with just a slight chance of showers. I foolishly believed the forecast and made all the wrong choices about what to wear. Just in case of a little rain, I wore my raincoat but instead of waterproof shoes, I wore my sneakers. Bad choices all around: it was misting when I walked out the door, but before two minutes had passed, I was in a light rain. Then it wasn't so light, and by the time I had walked the fifteen minutes to the bus stop, I was soaked. My shoes even squished.

Our flowers and gardens love all this rain, which should be completely gone before the end of the week, but for now it's kind of pretty and the mild temperatures make me want to be outdoors. If I go out again today, I'll dress properly. But first a quick foray into the garden, since the rain has stopped.

My garden spot, with massive potato greens

I tried to get a picture of the entire plot, but I couldn't show you one end without giving you the big story of my potatoes, which have become wild and unruly, and way too close together for proper "hilling" technique. So, I'll just let them go and see what I end up with when it's time for harvesting. My kale, lettuce, nasturtiums, beets and zucchini (not shown) are also going great guns. I've harvested the Russian kale and am amazed at how quickly it grows back (right in front of the potatoes in this picture).

Sort of orchid-like

Walking out the gate, I saw this delightful flower and was pleased to see it looking so pretty with the heavy raindrops pulling it down. I don't know what it is, do you? And while I was out looking at the garden, it began to rain again. Darn! Just when I thought the skies were clearing, giving me a chance to get in today's steps.

We might actually make it to 66°F today, about the temperature we hit yesterday. When I read about the heat in much of the rest of the country, I feel real gratitude for the mild temperatures and high humidity we have here. The flowers, wildlife, and all the rest of the June abundance loves it. 

I sat down to read a new book yesterday, and by the time I had read the first hundred pages, I realized I had read it before. And not that long ago, either, since it was written in 2015. Since I remember so little about it, I'll enjoy the second read, probably even more than the first one. I went ahead and re-read the last chapter, and the entire book came back to me. Now I'll enjoy a slow immersion into the rest of it, as I currently learned that the ending is a satisfying one. Do you ever forget a book like that? I never did when I was young, but now... 

:-)