Fingers in the dirt...toes in the sand

Yesterday was such a glorious day. There was plenty of warm sunshine with breezy gusts of balmy winds to periodically blow away the gathering humidity. My friend Debbie picked me up and we headed to the Cheesecake Bistro to split a huge shrimp, crab and avocado salad. Of course we ALSO split a piece of Black & White cheesecake! Then it was time for a stroll around the Boardwalk to walk off lunch before going down the road to Ellis Pottery to catch a sale on flats of bedding plants - there were endless varieties in so many colors! Debbie and her husband have some large flower beds at their home in a rural area out from town, so she was looking for things that would spread and cover quickly like Vinka (Perriwinkle), Moss Rose, and Mexican Heather. The front bed at our house, however, gets very wet feet when it rains and most things seem to do better in pots that can drain properly. The plants that do anchor the bed are all green, green, green! A row of azalea bushes have already closed down this Spring's show of hot pink blooms, leaving nothing but new charteuse leaves. Liriope that began over ten years ago as a neat border around the azaleas has encroached far beyond its original boundaries to become a shaggy emerald carpet, badly in need of a haircut. (another day, perhaps) And "Whitney's ivy," transplanted from a potted plant brought home from dear nephew Whitney's funeral several years ago, now looks like a beautiful fountain with endless shades of green spilling out from an over-sized terra cotta pot. So my mission yesterday was to break up the very chlorophyll-heavy palette with some bright spots of color. I chose brilliant blue Verbena, an almost neon salmon Impatien, cinnamon-clove perfumed Dianthus in a mixture of white and magenta pink, some flirty frilly pure white petunias, and a sunny yellow daisy bush. From the time Debbie dropped me off in late afternoon until past sundown I had fingers in the dirt - planting and watering, trimming and arranging, until the desired result was reached. Couldn't resist running out today before church to take a picture of the flowers as the morning sun brought out their cheery beauty. An added bonus is, because of the limited places at our house to put them, there were still many plants left over to take to Mom's tomorrow after work - now SHE is the one in the family with the true green thumb - and any flowers planted at her home will surely thrive under her care. I only hope the blooms at our house will do as well!

While I had fingers in the dirt yesterday evening, son Matthew was on his way back to Arkansas after his idyllic week at Gulf Shores. He played golf daily, enjoyed time with family at the condo (including, I'm sure, some of his Aunt Phyllis's great cooking and maybe Uncle Jim's grilled dinners) and spent plenty of time relaxing on the beach with toes in the sand. It was back to the Real World today - no being lulled to sleep by the sound of waves, or waking to the calls of gulls. Only a few more weeks, though, until he'll get to go back to paradise with me and his dad for another week of surf-side fun. Hubby has just recovered from a stomach bug (as if being in the middle of an Iraqi desert in 100+ heat isn't enough suffering!) so he is, perhaps more than anyone in the family, counting down the days until he is home on R&R and beach-bound with us. I can't wait! Matthew sounded very wistful when he called today to report they'd made it back to Arkansas without any problem. As hard as it was to leave the leisurely life by the sea though, he and I agree if we lived there all the time we might just start taking it for granted (well, it's a possibility!) so we'll enjoy vacations to the beach as something special and a break from our usual routine and environment.

Before ending this post, I must share some updated photos of "Mr. Charles" garden - from an earlier post you'll remember he is a local Master Gardner who anually turns the entire area behind his townhouse and along the bordering parkway service road into an absolutely breathtaking sight, reminiscent of a Monet painting. His constant gardening makes my little forays of fingers in the dirt look like child's play! With each pass down that road I keep thinking the scene can't get any more lovely, but as the season progresses there is always MORE to enjoy!