Lu's Rapunzel-esque Braid

...done on my birthday while watching the Barbie movie of the same name, the day after watching the Disney movie on the same heroine.  Thus the background, or lack of background.

Believe It or Not...

...I'm still here, alive, breathing, perfectly fine...except I'm very, very BUSY. Between Veritas classes, Classical Conversations, and trying (read failing) to keep the garden somewhat under control, it's been pretty crazy. Since the first day of fall has officially arrived (I don't care what the calendar says--it's not autumn 'til it gets below 70), the thermometer proclaims the news that it is 63 degrees Fahrenheit (I'm wearing coats and fuzzy socks now), we just had a weeklong break from CC, and I'm supposed to be writing an essay or five, I think it's high time I at least attempted a post. 

Some Highlights of the Summer 

First of all, my dear friend Maura sent me some MINI AFRICAN VIOLETS on Thursday. MINIS! I've been pining after these for so long...:) Aren't they adorable?

We went to our beach for Lu's birthday. Yes. OUR BEACH. Destin.

I think I'm homesick for the beach...again.

I got a lovely new jean jacket (you can read my mom's post about it here)

Our side yard was turned into a lake during hurricane Isaac...

...and I grew my first sweet potatoes. Above are the fruits of my labor. Or should it be tubers?

I solved our Silky hair problem (so what if they look like hippie chickens?).

And we finally went to the Aquarium. 

I hope to start posting again on a regular basis, but I won't guarantee anything...;)

Tell me about your experiences this summer!

So far the month has been really busy...I may not be posting again for a while, but in the meantime, here's some pics from around the house and from my grandmother's.

African violets...

Beautiful white rose...

Blueberry leaves. Aren't they gorgeous?

Berries from some shrub in the woods (I think it may be Ligustrum)

Holly...

*Squeal* Mushrooms! Aren't they cute?

My Pentas...

and...(drumroll please) my early Christmas gift...

BOWIEA! :)

The Build-a-Bed Workout!

I've been raking...

And raking....
and reading...

and more raking...

and digging...
and more raking...

until finally....

Ta-da! My new lasagna garden! Doesn't look like much, does it?

I am so tired of raking! :)

Here are the plants in the new bed:

Bearded Iris ("Clarence," "Cherub's Smile," "Full Tide" and "Immortality")

White Lantana

Pinks (Dianthus)

Crassula somthingorother ;)

Cobweb Houseleek (Sempervium)

Tawny Daylily & "Stella D'Oro"

Liriope (Monkey Grass)

Garlic Chives

Cinnamon Basil

Agapanthus "Queen Mum"

Madagascar Periwinkle

Dwarf Phlox

Spider Flower (Cleome)

Purple Coneflower (Echinacea)

Spider Lily (Lycoris radiata)

St. Joseph's Lily (Hippeastrum)

Bachelor's Button

Sunflower (Helianthus)

I can't wait 'til they all come up!

Ya know, it sure would be nice to have another bed...

Where's my rake? :)

What's Going on in the Garden

I can finally call it a garden now, instead of a "yard!" Amazing what a new border,

a fence, and a deck can do!

My newly-acquired DOUBLE purslane hybrid, "Sleeping Beauty," in a strawberry pot with some succulents.
Beehive ginger, or summer tulip

I haven't gotten any actual beans, but the flowers are pretty! :)
My first ever dahlia, "Lorana Dawn."

A cute little chair by the front door, with chenille plant in a basket.

I finally got some water lettuce and water hyacinth! I love this trio of pots. :)

I got a bridge! :) Isn't it adorable?

More purslane

:)

The Fairy House...in a Clock

Again, not exactly a recent project, but I thought I might as well post some pictures. I made this out of an old clock. It was sooooo hard to find something out of which to make a bed, but I finally settled on a matchbox (gotta love those things!) covered with blue velvet, and a pink canopy over the top. It STILL wouldn't quite lay flat, though.

If you look really closely, you can just see the little door at the top, right above the hands.

Here's a better view of the inside, and the entrance in the back.

.

The oxalis on the right doesn't look happy. It has sent up so new leaves and flowers, though. Her garden is coming along, too :)
I planted wheat grass around the path and behind the house. It filled in the extra space nicely, but then it got rather ambitious and started aiming for world domination, so I cut it back severely.
:)

The (fairly) NEW Fairy Garden

I suppose "new" can't really be used to describe this project any more, since I finished it about two months ago (yes, I have been being blog-lazy). I made it in an old galvanized tub we had been using as a water garden after Mom kicked me out of the kitchen. ;) It makes a great home for the fairies. There's a little gravel path running through the garden, a stream with a pool, and one of the fairies seems to like strange and/or exotic plants, because she has a rock garden for her echeveria, bronze-leaved oxalis, and more (hey, who says fairies don't like succulents too?).

A view of the fairy community garden on the hill...
I love the "shrub" tumbling over the fence. Looks like some visitors are chatting.
I love violas. They always look like they're smiling. :)
On a completely different topic, we now have chickens! We got them around Easter, and this picture was taken shortly after. I won't show you what they look like now, because...well, I'd rather just pretend they're still cute little balls of fluff instead of...never mind. Adolescent chickens are...I'm just going to say that they're not quite so cute anymore.
The little red one is Chloe, the white one's Sunny Annabeth (how many other chickens do you know that have middle names?), the two black ones are Tweety and Bianca (please don't ask me why Jess named a chicken Bianca, because I've no clue) and the brown one's Cookie. I believe their life goal is to

a) scratch up all the grass in our yard (which is okay by me, 'cause I'd rather have an alpine lawn anyway, but I'm not going to get started on grass)

b) catch and eat every bug on the surface of the planet

c) find a way to escape from their run ASAP

They tend to run back into their house whenever startled. I think it's strange that they're frightened so easily. What are they, chicken?

We are enjoying those last few bearable days before summer hits. I can't believe they actually have TULIPS blooming right now farther north.

Well, thanks to a recent Christmas gift (is it waaay late or waaay early?), we now have a sparkly, glittering, gorgeously blue swimming pool in our side yard. I'd post a picture but,

A) I don't have one

B) I couldn't figure out how to put it on the computer 'cause I can't figure out the new camera. Oh well.

The filter needs to run and stuff, so it'll be tomorrow before we can swim. I don't know if I'll make it 'til then. Excuse me while I find my goggles. ;)