Been A While

Here's what I've been up to...............

Christs Church on St Simon's Georgia built on the site where John and Charles Wesley ministered under the oak trees.

Next is the lighthouse near the pier at St. Simon's where the light was turned off for the first time since WWII so repairs can be done.

Then there's my favorite store in the village...Dutchman's. It's one of those stores that will make you ooh and aah over the gorgeous things for your home. And they have a blog!

The next photo is our very comfortable hotel room at Sea Gate. That's my friend Lynn with her back turned (Don't take my picture!)and the sunrise I saw while walking on the beach.

Last is the new and improved me....still in progress. Now where is that plastic surgeon?

Wistful

The last daylily of the summer is blooming today. Makes me feel a little bit wistful. Lots of days will pass before I see them again and who knows what changes will occur in my life during that time, but I don't want to get ahead of myself!


The glory bower continues to be glorious.

Peppers and pentas

New coleus - KONG!

Magnolia seed heads turning pink.

Love those volunteers!

Late Summer Garden

No more of the fresh green of the garden in early June, the relentless sun has faded everything in the late summer.

Only the chartreuse Margarita Ipomoea batatas is brightening dark corners on this hot August day.
As the summer wears on it just can't rain enough to battle the effects of the intense heat and wilting humidity so any bit of shade is not only sought out but battled over.
Witness any asphalt parking lot about two o'clock on a busy day. The heat lightning turns the evening air an unnatural rosy pink which becomes an even more unusual yellow green after the relief of a final downpour.

The wind and the angle of the sun are changing.
Soon it will be time for a Labor Day hurricane to come roaring into the Gulf. Until then there's time to wander around the garden to look for the last of the summer flowers.

Extraordinary Gifts

Once in a while someone crosses your path who makes you stop everything and pay attention to their incredible talent. Now, I had seen the name Christopher Grigas before because he's the friend of a friend on facebook, but today I saw one of his floral designs for the first time and it stopped me in my tracks. I had to see more! There is a gallery of photos on his website with his creations from weddings, flower shows, and his own collection that is so inventive and stunningly beautiful it made me tear up.

The autumn arrangements with their gorgeous jewel toned gerbera daisys, berries, and orchids, summer garden wedding bouquets of lush pink roses and green hydrangeas, and Easter baskets filled with periwinkle grape hyacinth, pink tulips, magenta roses, and green orchids, will send you running to the wholesale florist to load up on flowers to fill your home.

Visit Christopher's website and blog and soak up some of the inspired creativity.

The Best Wings In The World

Okay, that's a pretty big boast, but since its son Jack's recipe am I allowed? Just a little parental pride? You'll need a large package of fresh chicken wings, salt and pepper, one bottle Mojo marinade, fresh garlic, Tabasco sauce, one bottle Sweet Baby Rays barbeque sauce, one can unsweetened pineapple juice, a disposable aluminum pan, foil, and a charcoal grill
Start with a large package of fresh wings, about 24 pieces. Season on all sides with salt and pepper and place these in a ziplock bag with one eight ounce bottle of Mojo marinade, three cloves of garlic, and one Tablespoon Tabasco sauce. Marinate for at least an hour but not more than six hours. Place the wings on a hot charcoal grill for 20 minutes, turning and basting with the marinade after 10 minutes. Then move the wings to a disposable aluminum pan, cover with one bottle Sweet Baby Rays barbeque sauce and two cups unsweetened pineapple juice. Cover the pan with heavy foil and leave on covered grill for 45 minutes to one hour. Remove from pan and serve with cole slaw, barbeque beans, and bread. The wings will be falling-off-the-bone tender and have a fabulous flavor.

Barbeque Shrimp

This recipe has the best of both worlds.....seafood and barbeque....with bacon and Sweet Baby Rays sauce for good measure. Nothing wrong with that!

To serve four hungry adults or a family of six, two pounds of fresh large gulf shrimp is plenty. Peel, devein , and rinse the shrimp them wrap each one with half a strip of bacon. Thread five or six wrapped shrimps on presoaked bamboo skewers and brush with olive oil. Place on grill away from direct flame and cook about three minutes on each side. The result should be firm, pink shrimp and crispy bacon. Serve on plates with Sweet Baby Rays barbeque sauce on top.

To complete your meal add thick slices of Beefsteak tomatoes, cheesy garlic grits and fresh baby butter beans. What could be better than that!

Fourth Of July Love

I hereby declare my daughter Emily the Best Daughter In The World. I've been suffering from an untimely bout with summer bronchitis and she has come to the rescue. With my sister, brother-in-law, and six nieces and nephews arriving to move in next door and an Independence Day celebration to put on there was no time to lie on my fainting couch. But this lack of oxygen was not letting me get up for more than ten or fifteen minutes at a time. So Emily swept in on Saturday afternoon with an armload of red and white roses, sparklers, ingredients for a Peach and Blueberry Cobbler and Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars for the newly arriving kiddies. There was a flurry of peeling, chopping, measuring, mixing in the kitchen and....voila! a beautiful holiday spread. She served a delicious spaghetti with grilled Italian sausage and garlic bread to the hungry travelers then the fabulous desserts after some vigorous sparkler waving outside. Whew! How in the world can she top this performance? I think she's planning homemade ice cream and watermelon for Sunday after church.

Look Who's Coming To Town

Due to an incredible set of circumstances and all the tumblers of Fate falling into place, a one-in-a-million chance is about to come in. My sister and her family are going to become my new next door neighbors. It's only for a year but I'll take whatever I can get.

Because of our age difference, we've only lived in the same house five years of our lives. After that we lived in the same town only a couple of years. We talk on the phone several times a week and visit back and forth a few times a year, but it's just not the same as being right there day to day.

Now we'll be able to do neighborly things like borrow sugar, check mail, and dog sit for each other. But my favorite part about this whole deal is having my six nieces and nephews right next door so I can spoil them on a daily basis instead of just on Aunt H visits.
I'm sure my sister won't mind if I ruin their appetites with goodies and let them play Wii whenever they want to. There's lots of catching up to do with random gift giving and baseball games. They'll probably want to go to Busch Gardens and Adventure Island at least once a week, too. Think of all the cute clothes I can buy! This is going to be fun.

English Roses

Can you blame me for loving the name of this rose? It's Teasing Georgia and besides having a fun name it has gorgeous color, bold fragrance, and can be grown as a climber or tea rose.

Abraham Darby is a brave little rose. For a smaller plant it works hard to impress with a fully double, deep-cupped bloom. It doesn't settle for one color, either, going from apricot with pink edges to yellow as it opens. On top of all that it has bold fragrance and can be a short climber or prune for a more compact plant.

This feminine little lady is Tamara. Another compact plant that would be perfect in a container or as a mass planting with morning exposure. The apricot double bloom has a shallow cup and pink tips. It's fragrance is a very unusual lilac and mimosa blend.

Don't let the name"English roses" throw you...all of these do well in the US. The three that I featured here can even thrive in zones 9-10. Generally, afternoon sun will be too strong for them in these zones and they will need daily watering if it's not raining. Try these beauties and you'll be rewarded for your labor of love.

Cure for the brown thumb

Who hasn't seen those beautiful rose gardens and wished they could have just a small part of one? Think of roses and visions of spraying, pruning, dead-heading, and spraying some more come to mind, right? In some states the results are just not worth the trouble. If you've wished of having roses without all the bother you've got to try the Knockout rose. This amazing performer loves heat and humidity. It laughs at fungus and red spider mites. It's self-cleaning(not like an oven) which means no dead-heading. No pruning necessary, either. You can stick one right in the middle of a flower border or a pot on the deck. I love them massed in front of evergreen shrubs with thyme planted in front. Along a fence would be nice. If you plant one today you'll have blooms in a week if not sooner. Just be sure to give them a good soak the day you plant and everyday it doesn't rain for about a month. A good trick is to fill the planting hole with moisture retentive soil mix (in bags at Home Depot)then you can skip some of the watering. Just don't let them go completely dry. Clusters of cherry red blooms are your reward for a little bit of time grubbing in the garden. You can't beat the Knockout Rose!

The Night Before

We hosted a rehearsal dinner for our good friend's son's wedding last Thursday night. It was a group effort by the best friends in the world and a wonderful time was had by all.
There were six tables and each one was decorated a little bit different from the others.

The theme for the decor was birds in spring. Birds, nests, birdcages, and pots of fresh grass and flowers everywhere.


The decadent desserts were set out in the dining room. Betcha can't eat just one!

The happy couple just one day before wedded bliss.