Life gets complicated sometimes doesn’t it? If you add in the normal ups and downs plus Covid, we’re left with something quite challenging.
We’ve had two losses recently. A brother-in-law passed away after a wonderful, long life, and a friend lost her husband suddenly after a recent hospital stay. As people leave your life regardless of reason, it is never quite the same.
Covid numbers have moved up on the charts here as in most states. We’re still wearing masks inside places although that is definitely not the majority choice. The way I look at it, each person has to do what feels right to them.
July delivered 15″ of rain which for sure ended our drought and brought other challenges. This is the year of the $64 tomato because tomato plants are not happy with this much water. The marigolds I always plant next to the tomatoes have died. Now, there’s a weather statement.
The flowers, however, keep on blooming and enjoying the weather.
Blackberries are loaded 
Canna lily 
Coneflower 
Cosmos 
Day lily 
Mexican Sunflower
I checked on a MG project garden last week and almost fell over. The last time a friend and I had been there, we had spread a couple of yards of what looked like beautiful mulch. That mulch must have contained weed seeds because I never, ever saw so many weeds including 5′ tall Pokeweed. How many weeds? I completely filled my truck bed and struggled to get the cover over it. I got it cleaned up, but I sure didn’t move the rest of the day.
It rained last night and could rain again this afternoon, but then we have a break for several days. That is a good thing because I want those berries to ripen, and I have a day adventure planned with a friend for tomorrow.
Life – it’s a journey, and I hope yours is going well.
NewEnglandGardenAndThread 
My window boxes aren’t doing well this year. New house and new window boxes. Not exactly sure what the issue is but I won’t do them (at least with these boxes) next year. Many yards have beautiful flowers around here but I bought a home from a person who was not a gardener. Nothing except hostas which by some miracle are doing well even with our deer population.
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Isn’t it interesting what works well from one garden to another. The nursing home project I work on had two window boxes that I planted this spring. One is not great but okay, and the other one died off totally. The deer have found our hosta this year. I suppose I can’t complain because we’ve had a break for several years, but it sure looks scraggly.
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Very sorry about those losses. Each one leaves a hole that can never really be filled. You are so right that life is never the same.
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No, you have your wonderful memories, but the loss is always there.
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Bummer about the tomatoes. I don’t plant veggies, but I have lost some flowers that normally last all summer due to the rain. I see your flowers are thriving beautifully.
So sorry you lost your brother-in-law and your friends husband. Always sad to deal with. I wish you happy memories of them.
Sheesh! Nothing like having the mulch turn against you by having its own weeds built in.
Enjoy your outing tomorrow.
Ginger
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Thank you. We put on a couple of yards of black mulch that looked great. It was literally covered in weeds, and that Pokeweed had a tap root that was at least 2.5′ long. The veggies aren’t happy, but the weeds had a banner month.
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This has been a tough year for the garden. I can almost feel the pain in your back and shoulders after pulling those weeds. I hope you get nice weather for your planned adventure and I hope your berries ripen well. Your flowers are beautiful. Our marigolds lost all their blossoms, but now they are thriving and blooming like crazy. Maybe yours will spring back. I hope you have a nice week, Judy.
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My back was definitely not happy after that morning of weed pulling. 🙂 The berries are ripening, and I have a net on them for the birds, but I can’t keep the squirrels out. There are always a dozen or so just laying on the ground where they’ve pulled them off and just left them. I need to figure out a way to keep them out. I also need to find a money tree. 🙂
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Ha. If you find that tree, save me a seed.
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Big hugs coming across the border to you. Gardens, weeds and all, have been a great place to find focus, solace, remembrance and forward motion in this difficult time, and at all times. Here in eastern Ontario, we have been unusually cool this July with good rainfall which has helped the garden along. I wish you well as the year continues to unfold.
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Thank you, and you are so right about gardening. No matter how crazy the world gets or how heavy life’s journey is once I get outside and start moving around and working among the plants, life is better. We were wicked hot in June, almost floated away in July, and August seems to be coming in with beautiful 70 degree days. Who can figure out this weather? Enjoy your week.
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Judy, I am deeply sorry for the sad losses in your life. This journey is not always straight-forward but I admire how you respond with positive actions. The quilt project is completely charming and the flowers, beautiful. Have a peaceful week. (Oh, and send us a little of that rain please. None here in a couple weeks.)
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Thank you. I would gladly send you some rain to refresh your gorgeous gardens. The weather sure is strange and extreme this year. Happy butterfly watching!
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Remember when we thought 2020 will have been the worst year… ! O gosh, the deaths. Such holes in life. I’m sorry.
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Yes, we thought 2020 was the worst. Little did we know that 2021 would give us a taste of normal but only to be pulled back under the mask. Positive outlook, patience and perseverance, I guess. 🙂
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Yep. 🙂
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My condolences. This year has been difficult in general, then to have two losses so close together in time, seems unfair. Complicated and challenging, to be sure. Take care of yourself, ok?
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Thank you. Each sunrise brings an opportunity to enjoy another day and hopefully do something good. I ‘try’ every day and pull forth a treasure trove of good memories to bring a smile.
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I’m so sorry about the losses you’ve endured recently. The only comfort sometimes is to reflect on the joy your presence brought to the lives of those people. You undoubtedly gave them both a sense of security, knowing they could always count on your friendship and love.
Crazy weather is everywhere. Our heavy rain pattern settled down and it’s a typical summer now…July heat, but thankfully, low humidity. I’m starting to re-worry about covid, though, even for those of us vaccinated. I wonder if things will ever return to normal?
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We were so very fortunate to have spent many good times with our brother-in-law that I can pull up a fun memory that makes me smile. Our friend, well, I pray for her to have the strength to work through her grief. I think we have enough humidity for both of us. I think we had a glimpse of normal, and it sure was great. Now the reality of a pandemic and its variants is in our face and is pretty scary again. Stay wall, my friend.
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I’m so sorry for your losses. Having lost a dear sister-in-law recently, I know how much of an impact these experiences have on our lives. 💕❤️
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I probably shouldn’t use food as a comparison, but it kind of works. Life is like a pie and as we lose a person we love, a piece is taken from the pie. It’s never whole again. We are left with our memories, and that is a great comfort as we work through the loss. I’m sorry for the loss of your sister-in-law.
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I think it is a good analogy. Hang in there Judy!
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It seems like it is feast or famine these past few years, all or nothing. I’m looking forward to better weather this week to dry things out a bit. Enjoy your outing!
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I’ve never had marigolds die, but when you pull back the mulch, the ground is just too saturated. I’ve been able to move plants around in the middle of the summer which I’ve never done before. 🙂 I am going to enjoy my outing! Hope you have a good week.
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We are all so lucky to have our gardens to see us through such difficult times!
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You are so right! Working in our gardens is good for our body and our soul.
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We are in deep drought around here. What is odd is that while some wild flowers are hurting, others are thriving. It is a great year for ditch lilies and prairie flowers. Our family turned over 160 acres to prairie restoration and it look stunning. Unfortunately, I put off taking pictures until after the peak. 😦
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I wish I could share some rain with you, and you are right how plants adapt differently. Can I applaud turning 160 acres into prairie restoration? 👏🏻👏🏻 Mark your calendar for 2022 – pictures, please. 🙂
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I believe weeds are en vogue this year. My gardens are sporting plenty!
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Thank you for the chuckle, and, yes, you are right – it is the year of the weed.
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Sorry for your loss. Life is definitely full of challenges. I just finished making my first batch of apple sauce and made two apple pies yesterday. Apples are plenty, although small. Jelly is next on the agenda for the apples. Enjoy your day tomorrow.
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Thank you. You’ve been busy as usual. I bet it smells good in your kitchen, and a certain gentleman had a smile on his face when you pulled that first apple pie out of the oven. 🙂
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I’m so sorry for your loses, Judy. It certainly has been a hard 18 months.
I think your garden looks beautiful! I hope you have good weather for your plans this week.
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Thank you. I hope the smoke has lifted in your area so getting out and about is easier.
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It’s so much better! Thank you, Judy!!
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We have an INSANE amount of weeks including the big strangling wild grapevines and bitterroot — and wild honeysuckle and something I just call bindweed but probably has another name. The front garden is a tragedy. We’ll cut it all down at the end of the summer and hope next year is less crazy than this one. I’ve got flowerboxes on the deck railing and I’m very grateful to have something over which I can control what’s going on. The front garden is lost to me because it’s not sturdy enough to stand on. The wet earth turned everything inside it to mud and it’s going to take a while to firm up and become a bit more solid. meanwhile, stepping in there is likely to topple the big stones that keep it in place, we we are just letting it do it’s thing. But really, I have NEVER seen weeds like this anyplace I’ve lived.
At least the drought is over!
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Yes, the good point is the drought is over. 🙂 I went back to the nursing home garden yesterday, dug up more weeds from over the weekend including a Pokeweed with a 2.5′ tap root. I have also been out just off the edge of the property trying to take down Japanese knotweed and Multiflora rose. I’ve tried every tool I own and even bought new ones to try and return. The weeds definitely have the upper hand and must just chuckle at our desire and feeble attempts to eradicate them. 🙂
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I’m so sorry about the recent losses of people you cared for. It’s hard to say goodbye, even when they have had a good, long life.
I envy your rain! We have had so little. It does seems like someone could just tip our continent a bit so the water would even out.
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Thank you. Yes, it would be nice to share rain so all our gardens could have a drink.
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You are so right about how death changes life. I know we’ve touched on this before, but a sense of loss seems to be pervasive these days, and death hits harder than ever. I am so very sorry that you’ve lost two and so close together. The weeds were a lousy turn of events, and I don’t doubt you were done in after that. And your marigolds have died? Boy, does that sum up the summer. That Mexican sunflower sure seems to want to make you feel better.
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There are a couple of gardening lessons here. The marigolds are dying because of too much water, and the Mexican sunflowers are thriving in planters that have less soil than would be optimum for them. There are two identical containers holding two plants each. One container must have more than a dozen blooms while the other one has a single bloom. I’m still trying to figure out what I should learn from this one. 🙂
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I can’t help a bit of a chuckle. The lesson is that gardeners often have to take off their gloves so they can scratch their heads and say “what’s this about?” Life and garden: more questions than answers.
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“Life and garden: more questions than answers.” This is so true, it hurts.
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I absolutely agree with the above comment, that Mexican sunflower is there to cheer you up! Your blackberries are ripen nicely too, they will be a treat. So sorry that you have lost two people dear to you, I have watched Paul’s mother growing old (94!) and the sad thing is, all her friends have died, …how she misses those coffee mornings when they all played bridge, had lots of laughs and swapped photos of grandchildren.
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The quality of life certainly changes as you get older. At 94, I’m guessing she has weathered many changes including the loss of friends and could teach us a lot of lessons about life’s journey.
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I am so sorry to hear of the losses of your brother in law and a closes friend. It’s not easy to have this kind of sadness. Sending hugs to you and yours. So hard to have to deal with this after 2020!
How the heck did you pull that many weeds? Oh! My! Goodness!
I sure hope all is better at the place.
Your flowers are quite lovely! And please take an Ibuprofen as you have to be hurting after pulling all those dang weeds!
Happy August Judy!
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Thank you. I went back yesterday to dig out a Pokeweed with a full sized shovel and ended up deadheading and pulling weeds for another hour. Relatively speaking, it is a medium sized garden area, but never in my life have I seen that many weeds. I really do think the mulch had seeds in it to produce that many. I hope I don’t go back in a couple of weeks and they’re all back. 🙂
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I have peppermint taking over in one garden and I am going to do battle with it today! So here’s to weeds, peppermint and Poke. I am going to deal with a Poke at the end of the summer. Sweet man likes it …but I don’t want it getting HUGE! Enjoy your week my friend.
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My condolences on the loss of loved ones. It’s never an easy thing.
My marigolds almost alway all die. The ones I planted with the tomato are doing well. I think most of them get too much afternoon sun. They just burn up. The veggies are not doing well this year, but the flowers have done okay. We were thrilled to get 2.5 inches of rain in July!
So sorry to hear about the weeds in your mulch. What a pain! (in the back)
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Thank you. I’ve always had good luck with marigolds so this is another gardening first for me. Yes, those weeds were definitely a pain in the back. 🙂
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I hear you about all the rain. I can’t recall the last time we had such a wet cool July. My hydrangeas are very happy but they’re about the only ones … well, except for the weeds that are thriving everywhere.
It’s been such a troubling year for losses of all kinds. I’m terribly sorry for yours and I hope things begin to look much brighter.
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Thank you. Yes, my hydrangeas were enjoying the rain too. I hope they helped with your wildfires but didn’t shut down your backyard makeover. I can’t wait to see what you are doing. Of course, I’m a DIY nerd. 🙂
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I have to say I find big renovation jobs quite fascinating. There’s the demolition side which just makes everything look worse, but the stage of correcting all the foundational issues is like watching magic being performed. I’m always left in awe. Then of course, the cosmetic stage is just icing on the cake 🙂
Right now they in that second stage of correcting the foundational problems with the pool. It feels painfully slow, but progress is being made!
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Judy, I’m so sorry for the loss of your loved ones. I think one of the hardest part of growing older is the loss of friends. The rain brought you weeds but is also brought you some beautiful flowers!
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Yes, as we all ‘mature’ we see so many family and friends leave our circle. Almost everything has a plus and minus column, and you are right about the rain – weeds and flowers.
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So sorry to hear about the loss of people close to you. It does all add up on top of everything else, sadly.
We’re back to wearing masks indoors. Surprisingly, we’re seeing lots more people doing so this time around. Perhaps the message is getting out, even if the ultimate end–point (a vaccination) still isn’t going to happen for some.
I’m familiar with Calla Lillies but not Canna. You just sent me to Monsieur Google where I learned they are two very different flowers! – Marty
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The mask thing here is very interesting. I’m sure someone will write a report on the ages and other defining characteristics of those who choose to wear the mask to avoid the variants. I went in one place this morning, and my friend and I were the only two with masks, but we went in another place and it was probably closer to 25% masked up.
So glad I could send you to Monsieur Google. Cannas are big and robust, and I’ve come to really enjoy them this year. In my climate, they have to be dug up this fall and stored, but I’ll be happy to do it. Stay well.
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Oh dear Judy, I’m so sorry for your losses. You’re so right about the gap that is left when we are left by those we care about. We too are having a very soggy week with lots of thunderstorms. We do need the rain though and it’s cut the temps a bit so I’m not complaining. Sorry about the tomatoes but good luck with the berries!
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Thank you. Yes, the temps are much more moderate and that is a welcome relief. It has been interesting to watch the reactions to the rain – flowers, yes, berries, yes, and veggies, not so much. Oh well, gardening is an adventure.
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There is always a hole in your heart when you lose someone. When they leave they take a piece of memory with them that can never be shared again. Strnage month for you, sorry.
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Thank you. As we all ‘mature,’ we encounter the same loss, and it’s never easy. Good memories do help.
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Strangely here on the South Coast things remain too dry. There is the promise of a soaking rain tomorrow night and Thursday but we have been promised before. Still, the gardens are infinitely happier than last year, even tho we have to water the tomatoes pretty much daily.
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My tomatoes are producing more than we can eat, but the plants sure aren’t photo worthy. 🙂 Hope you get some rain for your gardens. We have more coming tomorrow.
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Sorry about your tomato plants, Judy, but your flowers are gorgeous. The summer has not always been kind to the gardens. We had some monsoon type rain for a day or two in June and July, but the heat and high dewpoints seem to be the main story. Thankfully, my patio flowers are doing well right now. They seem to prefer the heat over being drenched and sogged.
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Interesting that you brought up your patio flowers doing well. It has certainly been interesting to observe how plants have responded to being in pots – some are lush and huge and others are struggling. Gardening is always a learning experience. Hope you keep getting good weather for bike riding. 🙂
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Typical weather – either too much rain or not enough. And what is it with weeds?? They flourish regardless. I’m sorry to hear of the loss of those close to you, always so difficult. Your flowers are beautiful as always.
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The weeds are like someone used a sprayer to cover every inch of ground. There are tiny maple seedlings and horsetail everywhere around and under plants. I could weed every day and not get them all.
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Same here except it’s clover which just goes beserk. Grrrr
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15 inches of rain…oh my goodness. It is a wonderful your flowers are thriving instead of rotting. I’m very sorry to hear of your losses, you have my sincere condolences. We had to go to south Florida to attend a funeral of a livelong friend last month…it is always hard.
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Various plants and vegetables have sure reacted differently to that much rain. I’m going to have to pull my cucumbers out because they are not happy about it. I’m sorry about your loss, it is never easy to lose someone you care about. Hope you are staying safe down there. It looks challenging on the news with the climbing numbers. Ours are moving up also.
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Oh, Pokeweed is getting to be a real nuisance here. It’s growing in the alley and in the neighbor’s yard. I’m trying to politely hint to the neighbors that it would be wise to pull or cut to the ground before the berries ripen. I am already pulling out enough of it in my own yard. I’m afraid our trip to New England is unlikely to happen now. Very disappointing. I’ll let you know if that changes.
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I understand – safety first.
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I also been challenge as my grandma passed away. 😦 Very sorry for your loss.
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