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!

(Not-so-Recent) Garden Pictures

These are some old pics from August that I forgot to post earlier. :) At least it's not so hot outside anymore. Well, almost.

Water lettuce in my birdbath (wonder how the birds feel about that?)

Dahlia

Basil blossoms (I know, I know, but they're too pretty to pinch off!)

Water hyacinth

Coco happily chewing Dad's shoe...

Pretty pink Mexican primroses

Morning Glories growing on a sunflower stalk

...and more morning glory vines waiting to strangle slow passersby...

Fun with Aloe vera

Okay, I know technically it's not Aloe vera any more, but I can't spell the other name. ;)

The ''gel'' from this succulent is often used on burns, sunburns, and is often called "The Medicine Plant."

It's probably the succulent I see the most, where it's thriving in a windowsill.

But this plant is useful for so much more...
It makes a great booby trap...
It's fun to take pictures of...

It makes a great Lego Army guy hideout...

Or a hedge....or a weapon...

The statue of....liberty?
:)

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 (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. ;)

YUM

Purslane Madness!

I got my hands on two new pots of purslane yesterday at Target. As many of you know, I LOVE purslane. I love the flowers, I love the taste, I love the colors....... this could go on for quite some time. Anyway, they both had the leaf shape of moss rose, (if you don't know what that is, call me to set up an appointment: ) one actually was moss rose, with multicolored flowers(the flowers themselves weren't multicolor, they just had different colored flowers on the same plant). The other one was white-flowered. I potted them up in a window box with three other varieties I had on hand(yellow, hot pink, and hot pink with yellow edges). This box

is going to be beautiful once the plants start filling in all the empty space. Here's some close-ups of some of the flowers

Sorry I couldn't get all of them!

This is a mystery flower. We have no idea what it is! If you know, let me know!

I had to write a "descriptive paragraph" for my composition class. Mom said I ought to put it on my blog, so here I am. Of course I changed a few details........I couldn't remember every single word that was spoken!

The Dog Ride
I hopped up into the grooved, leaf-strewn truck bed, right behind my siblings and the two dogs. The tailgate slammed shut. Amos, the dog, gave me a lick on the face. “All ready?” came the call from the cab. “Ready!” we yelled. With a lurch, the truck started. My sister squealed with delight as the ride bumped and jostled us against each other. Once we were to the side of the road, we picked up speed. The wind whistled past the sides of the truck. It was exhilarating. As we whizzed along, I looked up at the sky, which was a delicate azure, with hardly any clouds. Beautiful. The air smelled of pine and sweet grass. It also smelled of dogs, but I didn't mind...too much. Gleefully, Amos stood with his front paws on the side of the pickup. Elated at this unexpected bit of fun, the other canine stuck his nose in my face and grinned, if ever a dog could grin. I laughed and smiled back. Stroking his soft fur, I thought, Surely, surely, they must have dog rides in heaven.

Thank you for the dog ride, Grandaddy.