The one thing I know about the short life of this blog is that I have posted more unglamorous photos of myself than not. A seasoned blogger would tell me not to post photos of myself looking so, well….. But honestly, I find the majority of my weekends are spent doing less than glamorous things and my appearance while doing them can be less than attractive. So I am posting one more of those, well, less than attractive photos so close your eyes and skip over it if you want. The self photo is followed with some pretty flower photos and a couple of food shots!
The weekend: Saturday was another workday (the last Saturday for a few months) so the weekend began Sunday morning with a solid, hilly run followed by a hilly hike with John, in Ijams Nature Center. These were breathless, sweaty affairs as the temperature around these parts has reached an unseasonable 80+ degrees. Summer creeps into spring’s time earlier and earlier these days.
Running and hiking were followed by gardening, also known as finishing up last weekend’s garden work. The plan was for John to mow while I planted summer flowers and that is pretty much the way we spent our Sunday afternoon.
My outfit? A a Big Orange “We Back Pat” t-shirt, worn gardening fashion with sleeves cut out in true Southern “wife-beater” style. Nice! John was horrified that the neighbors would think we were disrespecting our much loved Lady Vols basketball coach emeritus, Pat Head Summit, but no disrespect intended. It’s all about comfort on a very hot day. Then there is my running hat and bulge on my right hip which is a pedometer tracking every step. Yep, I am one of those, 25,763 steps on this day.
One of the many satisfactions of gardening is getting my hands in the dirt. I like the cool dampness of soil and the feel of the roots I am planting. I am not a glove wearing gardener , which is hell on a manicure!
Blooming in the garden right now, Henryi Clematis (don’t ask me for the loooong names, that was my worst class in a short year of majoring in landscape design… I went back to fashion).
This is a white Knockout rose. Funny, white knockouts open yellow, then fade white. I love these bushes, they bloom early, tolerate neglect and keep on blooming, or so I thought when I planted them. Then the Grumpy Gardener from Southern Living burst my bubble in the linked article “Is the Knockout Rose Down for the Count?” So far so good with my roses but I am keeping my eye on them.
The Flame Azalea, native to the Appalachian Mountains, is one of my favorite shrubs. John and I picked up this plant at a roadside nursery on the way home after a hike in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Two of the most beautiful displays of Flame Azaleas in these parts can be found at Biltmore Mansion (Asheville, NC) around Mother’s Day and Gregory’s Bald in the Smoky Mountains in late June.
The bearded iris is in bloom. We have a small patch of periwinkle colored iris. Due to the demise of a really large tree last year (fell during a major storm, luckily it fell downhill instead of on the house) the iris is getting significant sun and the blooms are more plentiful. I do love the iris fragrance.
The last two pictures are common petunias planted in pots around the front yard. Petunias are great hot weather plants (though a bit of a slug attracter) because they bloom, bloom, bloom. White petunias look cool and refreshing by late July, August and I really like the coloration of the purple petunias in the 2nd picture.
It was cocktail time by the time I finished transplanting 40 pots of nursery flowers. John had a plate of cheese and crackers waiting on the porch. While the cheeses are aged and delicious, the crackers are good, old salty saltines.
Then he baked an almond crusted salmon (his own recipe with crushed almonds, crushed basil, salt and pepper),
and served it with a salad and steamed vegetables. One of his best creations yet.
We spent the evening on our little side porch, reading, talking and enjoying a the late spring breeze. Too soon it was time to go in to get ready for the week ahead. All in all, a very nice weekend.
Hope you enjoyed your weekend! Thanks for reading!
Just catching up after my recovery week — so much here we seem to have in common, never mind your last post detailing the need for a new wardrobe after weight loss (I lost 20+ pounds, so also need new gear). I actually really like the real-life gear or the “just-trying-it-out” shots. I find some of the all-the-time style shots of our age group can get in the way of what’s more interesting — what do those women do once they’re dressed in the Outfit of the Day.
That salmon looks fabulous — aren’t we lucky to have husbands who cook?! I try not to take being spoiled for granted. . .