Movin' on down the road

Camping at Mesa Verde, CO

 Well, it has been "ages" since I have posted... a few thousand miles driving and a change of season. A springtime road trip to Florida was followed by a longer road trip to both New Mexico & Colorado, then a short jaunt to Iowa. My interests in gardens, textiles, history and camping seem to be the motivation behind my explorations, as I continue to focus on fulfilling the goals of my January manifesto.

Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings

I have been using my tent as much as possible, finding solace being closer to nature. Hearing the wind rustle through the leaves, quietly observing the environment and getting away from town life and politics has been a soothing reprieve. Hiking and simply being silent outdoors distances me from stress more effectively than my intermittent media blackouts.

Now that I am home, I am finding it is crucial to my mood to spend more time outside in the garden. June temperatures were the hottest on record, as high as 105F/40C, and here Missouri adds a huge amount of humidity, making our climate both dangerous and miserable.

My time in the garden has thus become more focused & organized to make the most of cooler hours. The newest addition to the garden is an 1800lb Wisconsin boulder delivered into the front street-side garden. That area has irritated me for years, because the nearby sugar maple sends dense mats of micro roots into that garden every time I apply compost, preventing most perennials from surviving there more than a season.  Consequently, the tough to dig, lifeless center of this garden needed more definition than annual bloomers and "wild"oregano could provide. While this garden photo appears a bit "sun tired," since it is south facing, the daylilies, aster, liatris and oregano have been drawing in lots of honeybees. The boulder fills the dead space and is a pretty cool looking defining asset.

The daylilies are blooming profusely, and while they look a bit sunburned, they are beautiful in the garden. This salmon colored one is called South Seas, and is certainly a bright spot... paired nearby with a blue balloon flower.