A Kansas Prairie Garden

Tomato, tamahtoh...delish any way you slice 'em

Came home from a trip at the end of September to this lovely bounty of tomatoes from our Fourth-of-July variety we planted this spring. It wasn't a super harvest, but enough to keep me happy.

Garage sale season...score!

Garage sale season is in full swing now that school has started. We found these great chairs for only $5 each (to replace the fast-wearing-out ones that were here.) Plus 50 cents each for the striped pillows. That's my idea of a great bargain! And the chairs are super comfy too!

Mid-September...favorite time of year

We've had such a pretty fall! Plenty of rain, not too hot, just perfect. I've been able to work at my laptop out on the deck many days. Makes for pleasant work.

Discovered a new vantage point for the back yard, though it involves hanging precariously out our bedroom window.

After squirrels ate half a dozen strings of lights, we decided to give these rope lights a chance. So far, so good (though I do wish we'd gotten the soft yellow option instead of the "blue light special"!

August Rain

Rain in August in Kansas is fairly rare, so we were delighted to get over an inch of the stuff last night, with more in the forecast in the coming week. This is only about the second time we've seen the creek in the back out of its banks like this. It looks like we live at the river's edge!

Shasta Daisies...a new favorite!

Ken wanted Shasta Daisies in the worst way. I wasn't a fan of the idea, but I must say I'm coming around! Especially now that it's mid-June and these are tall enough to be seen right outside my office window. So cheery and bright. I've definitely become a fan!

A week in June

It's been a beautiful early June and these were the views throughout this past week:

The clematis is going nuts this year! It came to life before we had a chance to prune it this spring, and I'm thinking that was a good thing!

The pink roses are blooming along with the orange butterfly weed. I love the color combination!

It won't be long...

...before we have Shasta daisies galore!

We so enjoyed watching this little clutch of robins hatch and grow up. Alas, today two of them met a tragic end at the paws of a squirrel! I'm still in shock and grief. (Didn't know squirrels would do such a thing! My opinion of squirrels has taken a nosedive. :( )

This hot little bunny cooling under the chair brightened our hearts after the robin tragedy.

Though the days have been warm, the evenings are lovely, and I've sat out here many a night until after dark enjoying the sounds of our neighborhood. It feels completely like home these days.

A collection of succulents

The head gardener (that would be Ken) has been wanting to plant a succulent box so yesterday we got everything we needed for that and put it all together in an old Coca-Cola box our oldest daughter gave me a few years ago. It turned out so pretty and I think it will do very well in this sunny spot on the back deck.

Magic Mulch

Mid-April, and we're so enjoying an early spring. We had six yards of mulch delivered and spent the next three hours hauling and spreading it on every flowerbed, tree, and shrub. Amazing how "finished" and polished it makes everything look (and how sore our backs are after a mere three hours of work!) Can't wait to go buy our flowers for the pots now. But the hardest parts of gardening are over and the pleasantest parts will remain all summer.

The jaunty tulips have given me joy all spring long! They were a gift from my Club Deb group in memory of my mom, who passed away last October. I didn't get these planted until mid-November and was afraid it might have been too late, but no!

Full-on Spring

The first week of spring and today, March 25, we're getting some much-needed rain. Our little redbud tree we rescued from the front entry flower bed a few years ago is thriving in the backyard. And the pansies I planted in a strawberry pot are loving the rain.

A gaggle of geese...or one gagged goose?

This goose got brave (or he was really hungry?) and came up under the deck to filch some bird seed from the cage we have set up there. Kind of cute, but not sure we really want the geese getting too cozy in our back yard.

The last of the leaves...we hope

It's a new year! 2017! The middle of January already, and I think we've finally gotten all the leaves raked up. It was a rather pleasant job with the wonderfully warm weather we've had. That can't be all the winter we're getting though. Still, the days are growing longer, so spring can't be too far away.

First snow of the year!

December 17 and we got our first snow of 2016. Only 2-3 inches, but it sure is pretty. (Of course, I'm not the one out shoveling it.)

Critters in the yard

Mid-December and one thing we really enjoy about this yard—especially in winter when we can see into the trees—is all the birds and squirrels and geese and other critters we get to enjoy just outside our windows.

December and we're STILL raking leaves!

I don't remember the leaves ever staying on the trees so late in the year!

Planting tulips...an exercise in patience

These tulips were a gift from my Club Deb friends in honor of my mom. We got them planted in the nick of time (I hope!) before the ground freezes and keeps them from settling in in time to bloom this coming spring.

Foggy November morning

I love it when a morning fog hovers over the creek behind our house. It never lasts for long, but so magical for the brief time it is happening.

End of October

We found this barn red gate at a garage sale for $5. It matches the deck and makes a perfect backdrop to the orange cosmos (which came up wonderfully again this year!) and also offers a touch of privacy between the space beneath our deck and the space beneath our next-door-neighbors'.

Cuddled our youngest granddaughter on a chilly October morning. A bittersweet time. The kids were home for an unexpected visit for my mom's memorial service (see the lovely flowers sent to the service on the table). So thankful my mother is in Heaven after a few difficult years, but at the same time, it's hard to imagine a world without her in it.

Mid-October glory

It's been a very early and very pretty autumn. Mid-October found us sitting on the deck every chance we got. And watching the trees change slowly, but surely.

Evening color in the garden

September 20 and everything is so pretty, thanks to abundant rain and a bit cooler weather. Makes us sad the days are growing shorter with less time to enjoy the outdoors!