Alive and Well

I love the profusion of color on choleus leaves. Just more proof of how much fun God had with the crayons and paints while creating this world.

3 types of Hosta, 2 Choleus, Fern from the banks of the stream behind my sister's house in the Catskills, Choral Bells -- all blooming in pots along the driveway out front.

A little pot of miniature roses pickup up while grocery shopping one day has grown into a wonderful flowering rose bush in a pot outside the front door. The roses are orange as buds, deep coral-pink as they open and then turn paler with dark edges, until they fade as pale pink petals falling softly into their next life.

That's a partial view of the flowers growing on my little deck, outside the kitchen glass sliding door. They are so colorful and a joy to look. I've cut back the cleomes so that each stalk is now growing at least two more blooms.

The lower geranium is sharing the pot with an orange poppy which is still offering blooms one at a time -- one grows, fades and the next bud opens. I'm so pleased I don't let anyone mention around her that the poppy season is over. The upper pot has petunias, yellow marigolds, thyme, a petite petunia and rosemary.



This little fellow, below, was sitting so quietly on the bonsai maple leaf that I almost didn't notice him. A week later, again while watering the flowers, I felt a strange, light gripping sensation on my hand and looked down jsut in time to see the pale green grasshopper -- this time much bigger, before he hopped to another leaf. So beautiful!

Hope your Summer is flourishing too!