I See Sunflowers!

Just as spring is the anticipation of summer, seed packets are the anticipation of beautiful blooms.

The sunflower is Kansas' state flower, but was originally native to Central America  by at least 2600 BC.  The earliest known examples of a fully domesticated sunflower north of Mexico have been found in Tennessee and date to around 2300 BC. Different varieties of sunflowers grow along the roadsides and highways here in Kansas.


In the ditch, just down the road from me.

SO,  I brought some packets of bloom home! Then, a sunflower table was in order.

I started with these woven chargers, and added Bordallo Pinheiro plates.

Next, I added sunflower napkins my mother hand hemmed for me.

I am crazy about these sunflower salad bowls!

I really like the detail on this vase.

Woven chargers-World Market

Bordallo Pinheiro plates- garage sale

Sunflower plates- dollar store

Napkins- hand made by Mom

Tablecloth- Ralph Lauren

Green goblets- Target

Vase- garage sale, says Kirkland's on bottom

Green birdies- Michael's

Here's to growing sunflowers!

I am joining 

today.

My Gardening Buddies

When I walk through the yard to look at things, this is who is always there, and this is the end I generally see!

This is Oscar, the 11 year old wienie dog in the Bishop's Weed. He is always looking for chipmunks, finding lots, catching none. The Bishop's Weed is on the north side of the house, so it self-contains.

And here is Roxy, also looking for chipmunks in the hosta bed.

Here are the sisters, Roxy and Tilly together on the hunt.

The hosta bed is looking good, we have had plenty of rain.

The lilies are blooming nicely.

Lots of buds today on these pink Asiatics.

The first of the daylilies are out, an old, old one called Siloam Double Classic and below is a  NO ID one in purple.

These purple perennials are doing great, this is their third year. Are you familiar with the little perennial saying?

First year-sleeps

Second year-creeps

Third year-leaps

It really is true. Does anyone know the name of these? Someone gave them to me and I don't know. Here is a close-up. The flowers are about the size of a ping pong ball. 

Thanks for looking, summer is exciting with lots more flowers to bloom. 

I am joining 

Strawberry dishes for strawberry shortcake

As long as I can remember, I have strawberry memories. When I was a little girl, we would go out to a little town in the river bottoms (the BEST farming land) and pick strawberries. Then we would have strawberry shortcake two to three times a day for dessert as long as the strawberries lasted.

As a young, stay at home mother, I planted a large strawberry bed in the back yard. At one point, we were picking 20 flats of strawberries a season. I remember the summer my daughter turned 2, she would run out to the patch in her diaper and pick strawberries to eat. The trouble was, she picked the green ones and then tell me she didn't like strawberries!

So when I learned of a new place to get strawberries about 20 minutes away, we hit the highway.

One acre of strawberries on raised beds. Wonderful!

You could smell the berries on this humid muddy day.

  I found these beautiful strawberry bowls at TJ Maxx, and I had to have them.

There is a cute little honeybee on each piece.

And I found these napkin rings on Etsy. They are Avon.

Now, what you put in these bowls is as varied as the number of strawberry varieties. Ask anyone what strawberry shortcake is to them, and they have a definite opinion. Some like pound cake slices, some like the little sponge cakes from the grocery store, still others like the sweet biscuit type cake made at home.

My mother made a pan of shortcake from the Jiffy Mix box, so that's what I make.

Some people insist on Cool Whip, some real whip cream, and others, like myself, use  cream on strawberry shortcake. It's all in what you grew up eating! SO, what's your strawberry shortcake like?

Here's a fun site that tells of the history of many foods. Check out the article on strawberry shortcake.

The Kitchen Project

Today I am joining Marty at 

Iris TIme Part II

The iris are still battling wind and rain alternately. It has been hard to get pics that are not blurry due to this wind.  Here are a few more new blooms from this week.

This little ruffly thing is called Lemon Brocade.

See the "horns" on this one? Horns are kinda unusual. It has some really subtle coloration between beige and lavender. Thornbird has won many medals in the iris world and people tend to love it or hate its look. I like it because it is just interesting, and I have the room for it.

It looks great next to this one, a deep burgundy called Superstition.

This is an oldie. Helen Collingwood from 1949.

This fella is so ruffly and  velvety looking .

This one is an old historical iris, and truly this iridescent.

Here's another handsome boy, Ringo.

I am joining

                                                                            
                                             And