Landscape Perfection

This is ideal, isn't it? Pick one area of your property to be perfect and let the rest go natural. I love this landscape design, don't you?🌿 photo source

Friendship Token

The back of a Victorian 1883 Liberty Nickel.

I love the penmanship that was somehow etched into the metal looking as if it were done with a single stroke. I love the two engraved hands  symbolizing the friendship. source

♡ F + B ♡

Joan Didion's Kitchen

Vogue Magazine 1972

I never would have pictured this kitchen belonging to Joan Didion. It appears she's a real cook and this surprises me because she is so very thin  and I just never imagined her cooking. I love the wire baskets, the herb pots holding up the cookbooks, and her recipe cards in a real box!❤️

UPDATE: Thanks to PAM here is the article she posted in the comments. The 100 Greatest Home Cooks of All Time and Joan Didion is near the top of the list. Who knew? Thanks, Pam❤️

Your Dog & A Gardening Poster

Here is another Illustrated Quote I made long ago and posted back in December 2010 so newer followers probably haven't seen it. 

The seed planting posture made me laugh. I use this position too when I have on my "good" clothes and don't want to get my knees dirty when weeding. Poster image found on Pinterest.

Hello, August -- Gather Your Rosebuds

First published on my blog back in 2008

New version of this etching from my Royal Book of Crests showing what a difference a thin black border can make. It's not that obvious when you view it on a computer and in the full version of my blog with the gray background. But it makes all the difference in the world when you see it in the email version if you subscribe or in the mobile version if you are viewing on an iPad or your phone. August always make me want to hold on to each day in the last month of summer and gather all the buds I possibly can before the leaves start falling.

xo

My Bookshelves & One More Dahlia

It's hard to show you anything but dahlias so here is a detail of the bookshelves in my bedroom.

And ONE MORE dahlia, shot this morning in my front garden. Have a great weekend. xo

Dahlia Day 7-- Fully Open

Overnight raindrops were still on the first dahlia of the season this morning around 9:00. We had very hard rain for about an hour at dusk last night. This variety has very substantial stems and stalks so no damage was done.

The shape has change dramatically from flat on the back to being rounded from the back view.

A profile view showing ball form.

Other side.

Front view showing the holly-shaped leaves and stems. I have decided this is a BLACK SATIN dahlia.

The limelight hydrangea I rooted from my mother plant in the back yard is very sturdy this year. Last year the stems were wimpy and couldn't support the blossoms so I cut it back to the ground. This year the stems are sturdy and the big blossoms are standing straight and strong. You really can't kill this shrub no matter what you do. Sometimes a severe pruning is just what the doctor ordered.

xo