Some Random Fun Stuff!

I recently posted about Chief Joseph Lodgepole Pine here.  This is a small pine whose needles turn a gorgeous golden yellow in the winter making it quite a cheery presence during those bleak months.  I've made special trips to Portland Avenue Nursery during the winter just to drool over this gorgeous tree.  While I've wanted one for years, I just didn't want to spend so much money on one plant.  It seems that some crafty birthday elves (My sister Dirce and her daughter Alison) from Alaska have been reading my blog. Yesterday, I got an email saying that a gift from them was waiting for me at PAN.   What do you suppose it could be?  If you guessed Chief Joseph, you'd be right!

Isn't he handsome!

 When I saw him at the nursery and realized that he was mine, I nearly cried.  What a thoughtful and extravagant gift and what a special family I have!

 It's the time of year again when the spiders seem to be much larger and more numerous.  I revel in the hundreds of little golden baby spiders that emerge from their eggs in the spring and like to think that some of them enjoy my garden enough to stay.  I love spiders and have been known to capture files to give to spiders who've built their webs inside my house.  (Yes, I know I'm weird.)  This beauty has set up shop outside in an opening of our back porch.  (S)he's (It's bad form to ask someone his/her sex n'est-ce pas?) lovely and I enjoy watching the web spinning and insect eating that goes on.

 On the way back in from taking the Chief Joseph pictures, I looked back at these beautiful and very colorful new additions to my garden.  The Danger Gardenette continues to expand.  Three of the four agaves in the picture were a gift from someone who had fallen out of love with and neglected them.(I bought the agave americana 'aurea'.)

 The hydrangea 'Pistachio' that I got in June has nearly doubled in size and continues to produce cool blooms which, I might add, are holding themselves up.

 Mostly, I see the faults and editing that needs to be done in my garden but every now and then, I just feel fortunate to live in a zone where I can grow all these things, and to be surrounded by so many cool plants.  I wish that the fullnes of your own late summer garden, the love of family; biological or chosen, and joys as simple as a spider web surround you and fill you with warmth that will last through the colder days ahead!