August Begins: Flowers Inside and Out, and Some Drawing

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Good evening! Yes indeed it is August---the second month of summer has begun. A heat wave is coming again, happy to report my main AC is replaced and cooling beautifully. Summer's halfway point is mid-August, lots of time to enjoy every moment. I'm trying to plan--and do---one fun summery thing each day. Today I swam in my pool, despite the intense shoulder pain I have. So serene and calming.

 Mo and I enjoying my deck garden still, especially loving the new white windscreens and privacy. The cannas are a surprise success. I read up on them after being gifted with them for Mothers Day and discovered I had been planting the tubers too early and too deep.

In the end I left the volunteer marigolds in the smaller canna pot. They don't ''go'', had hoped to put neon impatiens and lime green sweet potato vine but they are brave and cute and flourishing, 

so go, marigolds!

The zinnia crop is odd. Good thing I impulsively bought the Dollar Store seeds this spring. They are growing well and blooming nicely The large flowers last a really long time.

Terrible crabgrass in the area of the pot with the Baker Creek seeds! Were their seeds contaminated with the weeds? Like most crabgrass I can't get ahead of it and the roots are long and tough.

One Baker Creek plant has grown, the peppermint zinnia. I may a have a chartreuse zinnia coming from that batch too. Nothing on the other fancies.

The coreopsis and lilies pot is a bit in the doldrums,  though a few wildflowers also Dollar Store seeds, have continued to bloom. A bachelor button! Borage, baby breath, etc. The yellow coreopsis should rebloom in a few weeks as I deadhead it rigorously.

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Indoors, my Trader Joe flowers. The stocks were messy, I always forget that because I love their sweet old fashioned charm.

The ranunculas didn't last long but I do love having them.

Tiny bouquet in seaglass bottles. Much less to cut and bring indoors with the seeds failing in the big pots.

Bac on the deck, the gerbera daisy is blooming nicely. I thought I ordered cut flowers in June but this is what the grocery guy brought me.

Mo continues to adore deck time.

I found an ice cream that won't make him sick  and I don't give him his jerky stick chew at the same time. Either no chew or later, like now when I am doing boring to pug things like typing my blog. In the photo you can see his special ice cream bowl with the snowman, he sees that bowl and he gets so perky, dances all around. Pugs are 100% food motivated, but he is happy with only a few spoonfuls. [Dogster doggy ice cream]

He looks so fresh and sweet after his bath Monday!

But the groomer was rude and also nearly doubled her rates, from 50.oo to 80.oo. No tip for her anymore. Why do people, especially people performing a paid service think it is okay to be rude? What is their intention, to make me upset and angry? A NY behavioral mystery.

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And here is a recent nature journal cartoon page:

I also bought myself this cute little watercolor set. 

Color me a lazy b#$%ch but I was annoyed that the little watercolor blocks came double wrapped, in both paper and cellophane. That's an hour I'll never get again, spent with a letter opener prising off all the layers and refitting into the box.

This is my usual little travel or field box. I love it but there are a few colors that this set's pigments just cannot produce: sharp pink, purples, bright orange / cheddar, turquoise. My colors!. 

So I added the second set. 

All because getting out my large box of watercolors and real papers seems like too big a commitment when my work is not so good, yet? ever?

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Mornings on the deck are very hot now. Too hot to eat breakfast or lunch outdoors. But by 330 Pm the sun moves and usually a breeze begins. We will not have cool weather til November now and very little rain. Tomorrow we will finish the TQC Tiny Sampler maybe. 

Today I wore my boho cotton top from Old Navy. It is either too big or there's a flaw in the pattern. It sort of just falls OFF. Swimsuit underneath but still. At least I love the fabric.

Have a good rest of the summer, enjoy each day.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....