Thursday, July 2, 2020

I Like Thursday: July 2, 2020


Good Morning!  It's "I Like Thursday" and time to plant positive likes on the internet!  Be sure to visit our hostess, LeeAnna to read more positive blogs!!!


First off, Happy Canada Day!  I know I'm a day late but I have to send out well wishes to our Canadian friends.  I used to go to Canada every summer when the kids were young to a family cabin my friends owned.  Canadians are the nicest people and we loved all the time we spent there.  Now I have Canadian quilter friends and they are a delight.  So Happy Canada Day my friends!

I'm grateful to have the garden and something to keep myself busy during these anxious times.  
Our first pepper!!  This is the smallest pepper plant we have and not very bushy at all but it has fruit!!

I like this butterfly bush.  I have the traditional purple butterfly bushes throughout my garden but just loved the magenta color of the flowers!


The purple butterfly bushes self-sow everywhere in the garden and usually I weed them out.  But last year we removed our willow tree from the garden and our shade garden was quite stressed with all the full sunshine.  I transplanted two butterfly seedlings in an attempt to create a shade screen for the plants and it seems to be working...as long as we get some rain...which we did this past week.  Two storms brief but heavy gave our garden a good soak!
Last year was also the year we didn't have many of our hydrangeas bloom--but this year--Yowsa!





Even the mystery hydrangea is blooming.  My husband bought this on a whim a few years ago at the grocery store and it hasn't bloomed.  But this year it may be small, but it is getting colored blooms and they are so pretty!

I know I am going on and on about the garden but if you are lucky and persist, there are a few times when things come together and you are grateful for all the hard work you've put in.  There will always be weeds and challenges but there is enough beauty to sustain you.  That is what I feel about the garden this week.  And maybe that is just another way to look at life.

Scout has been upset in the garden lately and mostly at night.  We knew something was visiting our garden, we suspected skunks.  And whatever it was I thought was encroaching too close to our peppers so I fenced it off and put a potted geranium near it.  But one night Scout was absolutely on guard outside.  

My husband had an ingenious solution.  He has a hunting camera that takes photographs when it detects movement.  So umm...here is what he got Tuesday night...


Nothing last night but that have been because of where he had the camera set up.  Stay tuned... 😁

I haven't done much sewing since Tuesday but I wanted to share an interesting link published by the Craft Alliance.  It's a survey about quilting and you might find it enjoyable.  It is here!

Have a safe and happy day!







9 comments:

Jocelyn is Canadian Needle Nana said...

Hi Michele, thank you for the kind words about Canadians...I feel the same way about Americans. I was on a cruise once and almost all of the fellow passengers were from the US...Indiana in particular. They had won it through home sales of some product line. It was wonderful...never had so many great chats with strangers in my life. It was just like home.
I love to see your garden and read what you write about it. YOur hydrangeas are far ahead of mine which are just starting to flower. That new one your Hubby bought looks interesting...pretty too.
Wow, that's a fox right? Or coyote?

Libby in TN said...

Our hydrangeas are quite prolific this year, as well. They were new last year and the deer got to them before we could protect them. I must have several varieties because I have several different bloom types. It's nice to have those pops of color in the garden.

Kathryn said...

I have a hydrangea that hasn't bloomed in the 20 years I've lived in this house. This year it has plenty of buds. Whether they'll mature to blooms is still to be seen.

Our local fox has been named Archie. He is helping keep the squirrel population under control.

Home Sewn By Us said...

Hi Michele! Your hydrangea bushes are just gorgeous! So big and healthy. Is that a fox that has been poking around in your garden? It's amazing that you were able to catch a few photos of it! Happy 4th to you and yours. Stay safe. ~smile~ Roseanne

PaintedThread said...

Ooh. Cool likes! Those hydrangeas are terrific!! That hat made me laugh. Yay for little pepper. Your butterfly bush is pretty - love that purple.

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

Your garden is just beautiful, Michele! You can share it all you want! I love the hydrangeas - have never tried to grow them. We definitely have a skunk in our neighborhood, because we can smell them at night - yuck! But that looks like a fox. No wonder Scout is upset!

Carol Andrews said...

Hi Michelle. Thank you for wishing us Canadians a happy celebration. Most celebrations were cancelled so we can continue trying to keep our numbers down. Thank you for sharing your happy gardening photos and even the pesky fox. Happy Fourth of July to you all in America.

Rosemary Dickinson said...

Your flowers are beautiful! We have a few hydrangea bushes but nothing has bloomed yet. It's been very dry here this year. I want to get a Butterfly bush! A friend at work showed me pictures and I think they're so pretty! I see foxes in my neighborhood when I go to work. They're a little scary!

LA Paylor said...

mystery hydrangea!! That purple/blue one is astoundingly beautiful!! A fox... yikes! Scout, no use in going after that thing! Peppers! hooray, there is nothing much better than eating from one's own garden!!!