Treasure Box Wednesday: Summer's Promise

With the Pittsburgh Marathon on Sunday and every major highway in the whole of the 'Burgh, it seemed, either closed or down to one lane, your intrepid Hostess this week was... well... frankly, trepidated. And I didn't brave the traffic and long waits for the more thrifty pursuits in life.

Instead, I stayed home and tried to be productive writing on my novel-- up to page 259 in the manuscript so far... and like the traffic, it's been a long journey. So today's Treasure Box also keeps us close to home, with the beauty that lurks in the flowers of the season.

I liked in particular, this little viola which has worked itself into the cracks in my driveway...


They pop up every year, and every year, I just can't bear to remove them. I pull the weeds, but let my little purple friends greet me each evening when I come home. They're rampant all over the neighborhood.

Here in the backyard, the mossy phlox are wet, but still lovely. I enjoy this nook with my statuary, rosebushes and creeping phlox...

There just seems something a little magical about all that color.

And this... I just wish the creeping phlox could flox like this all summer long...


What a carpet of tiny flowers! But alas, they'll only be around like this for a few more weeks. By mid-June it's guaranteed to be gone-- and green.

And the bleeding hearts have come out in full force this year! Every year, the planet gets bigger and with more and more hearts dripping from its branches...


Here you can see a few of these pretty things just a bit closer...


The lilac is well on its way, too. You can see all of those flowers just about ready to come open. In another week or so, the backyard will be smelling like heaven. (Achhooo!)


And my very first rose was popping today... This is the Rose de Resch, which is an old-fashioned tea rose, and has an incredibly strong perfume-like fragrance...


If you remember the old Avon Roses, Roses perfume, this rose smells just like that.

And lastly, we have roses to come... Like the lovely Helen Hayes here...


Helen is one of my absolute favorites. She gets big yellow flowers that turn from yellow to pink to orange to mauve... It's a bit like having a sunset on a shrub.

Well, that about does it for today's Treasure Box.

• If you missed Sunday's post on Actress Postcards from the Late 1800s and Early 1900s, click here.

Otherwise, make sure to give yourself enough water, a little sunshine and some decent meal, and I'll see you next week!

Treasure Box Wednesday: The Best Things in Life Are Free

This is my absolute favorite time of year. The world has gone bright with blooms, showcasing some of the treasures in life you just can't buy.

Well, okay, yes, sometimes you have to buy them to plant them. But not always! Like these little fellows in my neighbor's yard...


I don't know what they are (anyone know? Greg?), but I love how they've just nestled themselves in her grass and then run rampant. The reason she hasn't mowed the grass yet is because of an attachment to these free-roaming little purple and white lovelies...


And who can blame her? When nature puts on a display like this, forcing it into submission just seems wrong somehow.


And here are some more rogue flowers. Little violas that have infiltrated the neighborhood, and have embedded themselves wherever there's dirt and a drink of water-- even between the cracks in my driveway...


I just can't move myself to root them out. It's so cheery to come home to a driveway populated with little purple blossoms. :) As you're probably already getting the impression, I try to roll with nature's whims a bit; I like to think we're both happier that way.

The backyard has also given forth a pretty amazing display of mossy phlox. Here they are after some morning rain, dripping down my back wall onto the plaster seat. I wish they stayed this vibrant all summer long.


Also, the bleeding heart this year has gotten large, and is loaded with hearts. No Victorian garden is complete without one!



And lastly, here you can see the front yard, filled to bursting with more mossy phlox-- and the infamous mosaiced stepping stones.


Well, I hope you enjoyed this somewhat different Treasure Box Wednesday. I think it's nice to take a step back and appreciate all the natural beauty around us now and then. It's not all about the thrift store. (Though that's fun, too!)

Oh- for those who have children of your own, or who just remember being a kid, I thought you might enjoy a post this week on my humor blog entitled, "Stealth Mom and the Mayonnaise Infiltration of 82."

• If you've ever tried to make your kid eat something he or she didn't like-- or if you were that kid (pick me, pick me!)-- I believe you'll be able to identify. Click here to check it out.

• Also, if you didn't get a chance to see Sunday's post on the Cottage Living forum's spring swap, you might find something of interest by clicking here.
  

May there be an excellent day ahead of you!