Mish Mashin' Mondays

Perennial Snapdragons, one of the cheeriest flowers in my autumn garden.

May I just say...?

This was one glorious autumn weekend! Though I had to fight tooth and nail to make it happen.

Over-achieving John Cabot Roses are still budding ~ into their 4th flowering month.

I'm odd [on many levels] but my top oddity ~ the one that makes other people c-c-c-crazy ~ is how sometimes I desperately need some down time.

As in, alone time.

Helianthus, perennial sunflowers. Had I deadheaded, she might have gifted with more blossoms.

I imagine that's the introvert in me. Hard to explain to those extroverts skulking about. Doubly hard to explain without hurting those dear friends' feelings.

Thankfully, wild Coneflowers saw the need for more color and came to my rescue.

Do you ever feel like this?  How it might be awfully convenient if cell phones were never invented? ('Cause, unlike landlines, they know you're not picking up.)

At the very least, they should offer a 50% off plan for weirdos like me who prefer to make calls, not necessarily receive them.

Blanket flowers, Catmint, and one last Pincushion threatening a bloom.

So, I'm feeling a tad bit guilty about saying, Oh, sorry... Super busy! (When I wasn't at all.) But, sometimes a gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do.

And, that scheme was a huge success. I managed to schedule absolutely nothin' for the entire weekend. Which gives most normal folks the yawns. But, I haven't had time off like that in... well, never.

Which means there's nothing worth reporting. Except for this...  

Mind-boggling science experiment!

Most beloved kitty: Bright eyes now match his bushy tail.

My sweet kit cat, Buddy, has been battling an eye infection. And, I've been battling the need to take him to the vet -- because visiting the vet really stresses him out. (And, I've got the scars to prove it!)

So, I tried that home recipe of 1 TBS apple cider vinegar rubbed into the nape of his neck. And, whaddyaknow. It works! Trust me, I was more skeptical than you are but 1) it worked on a pretty serious eye infection. 2) in 48 hours and 3) for some odd reason he didn't try to fight me when I poured that stuff on his head.

Hollyhock seeds: Want some??

Last but not least!
I've harvested a ton of Mom's heirloom Hollyhock seeds. Want some?

Tip: If you experience rust on hollyhocks, remove the stalks and all debris early in the fall, after they are finished flowering. Rust is a fungus that overwinters in hollyhocks, causing problems the following summer.

* Mish Mash Mondays is the brainchild of my dear friend, Monica ~ whom I haven't chatted with in awhile. Because she, like me, is ignoring her phone. :)

Lavender Soap

My first career, fresh out of college, was owning a retail store. Intermezzo* was a hip little joint ~ with a sales strategy of everything you've never needed. 

* The intermezzo, in the 18th century, was an interlude performed between scenes of an opera, providing comic relief.

Lavender Fields ~ Mona, Utah

During my first year in business, I spent my days putzing around the bath department, concocting soaps and lotions with essential plant oils, and waiting for a customer to walk in.

Then something terrible happened. 
We were voted Twin Cities Best Gift Shop and became a roaring success.

Suddenly, I had employees to deal with and department managers to scold. When my banker said I should sell franchises, I decided to sell the damn place instead.

I learned two valuable life lessons:

1. Success is hardly ever what it's cracked up to be.
2. How to make soap.

~~~~

You don't really need to grow Lavender in order to make soap. However! There are over 300 varieties of Lavender in the world and every one of them would look breathtaking in your garden.

TIP: The fragrance of English Lavender (Lavendula Angustifolia) is sweeter than their hybrid cousins, the Lavandins. This essential oil is wonderful for aromatherapy and perfume.

Lavender ~ Ever so easy to grow:
Choose a garden spot with good drainage and lotsa sun. Once established, she's a hardy, drought tolerant perennial - perfect for rock gardens.  

But, she doesn't start out that way.  Water her every 2 days and she'll jump for joy. Try a liquid, organic fertilizer when you water transplants. It helps her adjust to new surroundings.

In my area, our heavy clay soil causes problems. Work the soil well. It should be so loose you can dig it with your hands. Two inches of sand mulch will moderate soil temperature, reflecting heat and light up toward the plant.

Hot temperatures create more fragrant blooms. Severe pruning in early spring (to 2/3 of its size, leaving 2 inches of green above woody stems) stimulates beautiful growth. Remove ALL of the blossoms in fall. Because dried lavender will make every BFF you have a tiny bit happier.

RECIPE!  

(Finally! A post that holds some value...) 

 Let's just file this one under: Itsabout time.

Lavender Oatmeal Soap
* Oatmeal is a natural humectant, wonderful for dry skin. Lavender has a delightful, relaxing fragrance. This soap makes a rich, creamy lather and lasts forever. Makes about 45 bars.

Create a lavender infusion by pouring hot water over 1 cup lavender flowers for about 10 minutes. Set aside. Drain excess water before adding to soap.

Soap Ingredients

• 128 fl oz palm oil
• 25 fl oz coconut oil
• 25.5 fl oz lye
• 17.25 fl oz water
• 100ml lavender essential oil
• Organic rolled oats – oats will provide texture to your soap. (Begin with one cup, use your own judgement.)

~ I'm getting all scientific on you because, contrary to dress sizes, when it comes to soaps, measurements really do matter.

How to:

1. Melt palm and coconut oils to 113 degrees
2. Add lye and water
3. Stir until trace*
4. Add essential oil, lavender flowers and oats at trace
5. Pour into mold
6. Allow to set for about 3 days after pouring
7. Pop from molds and slice into bars

* No changes to ingredients, or process, when making soap at high altitude. (Soap might take a little longer to cure.)
** 'To trace' means well-mixed with no streaks of remaining oil.

Let's Take A Walk

Say hello to my happy spot.

Mirror Lake, in the High Uintas:

I live pretty high up in the mountains. Higher still are the aptly named High Uintas about 40 miles from me. We sneak up there on a regular basis ~ to beat the heat.

This glorious glacial lake starts celebrating summer... right about the time we're saying bye-bye to the same dang season.

Just wanted to share ~ in case you're goofing around doin' nuttin' like me, on this Labor Day weekend.

Doin' nuttin' is kinda fun. I'm thinkin' I might make a full-time job of it.

Sayonara to Summer

Wild 4 O'Clocks

Brrr... chilly last night... donned a jacket to stay warm as I was lounging on the porch, saying bye-bye to this busiest of seasons. 

It being Labor Day weekend, summer is technically over, though this cowgirl has her fingers crossed for a long, leisurely Autumn.

It's Sedum's time to shine.

No grand wishes for the season to end. Simply delighted to say good-bye to summer chores ~ I've run out of steam.

Autumn could be my favorite season, were it not for the fact that it's a precursor to winter. When blossoms grow weary, horseback riding winds down... And, this ex-skier, who still lives in a ski resort, starts fretting over how to keep busy. 

The last of the late-blooming Phlox.

Two months from now, when the cold winds blow, I'll wonder why I ever had the nerve to complain...

I whined, throughout June, when the rainy weather refused to cooperate. 

In July, I threw a fit about how the weeds are the busiest bloomers in my ill-kept gardens. (Must be the rains. Couldn't possibly be my fault!)

After that, a major bitch session that August is simply too hot to handle. 

One little straggler: Knautia

My oldest and dearest friend came for a visit last week. And, whaddyaknow, I whined about that, too. Why didn't she come 2 weeks ago when the flowers were perfect? 

Is it just me? Or do flowers always put on the prettiest show when I'm the only one here to see it.

Worn out Coneflowers

In spite of it being the busiest summer on record, 'twas a season filled with great days in the garden. Adventures galore, with my beloved horses. Memorable months with friends old and new.

Here's hoping y'all have a lovely, lazy, non-laborious Labor Day.

Wordless Wednesdays: Today in the Garden...

Perennial Snapdragons

'Wild' as in not hybridized Prairie Coneflowers

Ummmm.... can't remember.

Mallow, miniature Hollyhocks

My private spot.

Petie Pie keeps an eye on me while I'm weeding.

For more Wordless Wednesday participants click here.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day ~ August, 2011

 Say it isn't so! 8/15 already?? I'm worn out with the heat but not weary with this season.

I wish summer could last forever. I wish these flowers could, too.

A cavalcade of color fills the big rock garden ~ moppy head Bee Balm and Helianthus...

Hollyhocks and Purple Rain...

Phlox, phlox and more phlox. Can't resist. Must add a new one every year.

Wild 4 o'clocks and Strawflowers adorn a particularly awful section of the street garden. Both seem to enjoy massive amounts of neglect.

Clematis climbing vines add bright color to this ratty porch. (Don't get any big ideas about relaxing in that chair. Hummingbirds will surely dive-bomb you.)

 

I get so many compliments on this flowering tree... 

Though, I'll bet you garden gurus can tell it's not a flowering tree at all.

Clematis Jackmanii flowering vines do a fine job of fooling people, climbing 20 feet into the branches of this young crabapple.

Pay a visit to Carol of May Dreams Gardens ~ creator of this monthly bloom day meme.

From her website, you can connect with all kinds of flower lovin' friends...

Delightful Dahlias

'Excentric' Dahlia

A hot wind blows across the north 40. (Which, in reality, is the east one half. But, north 40 sounds way cooler, don't you think?)

I flip on a sprinkler, for the 3rd day in a row, all the while admitting it's a day late, buck short. There's no hope for the pasture grass, have not irrigated all summer long.

'Betty Ann' Dahlia (Heirloom: 1928)

But, it keeps my weather-weary horses occupied. Like 1,500 pound kids, they love running through that sprinkler. Cooling down their big bodies, keeping those pesky flies at bay.

Made a half-hearted effort to pull some weeds, trim one tree, then abandoned my chores for the comfort of an air-conditioned house.

'Junkyard Dog' Dahlia (isn't that a terrible name for such a pretty flower??)

I am eternally grateful that I have AC ~ I think it's one of the premiere achievements of modern man. Partly because I'm a Minnesotan and never learned how to cope with hot weather.

And, also because I grew up in what I call a hot family. (Which had nothin' to do with being good-lookin.) My Mom and Brother never saw a need for air conditioning, sitting comfortably in an 85 degree house with nary a complaint. While I was melting like that proverbial wicked witch.

'Bahama Mama' Dahlia

That's probably why I ended up living so high in the mountains ~ where I devote an entire post to bitching about the heat ~ when it's only 80 degrees out there.    [B.A.B.Y.]

August (as you have probably guessed) is my least favorite month of the year. When I've run out of energy to do most anything. Other than to dream of a seaside vacation...

Which is not gonna happen this year, but it did last year. The delightful Dahlia pictures in this post are from the Swan Island Dahlia Festival I attended in Canby, Oregon last August.

'Emory Paul' Dahlia

I probably should have mentioned that at the top of the post but I wanted you to be all impressed, thinking these beauties are growing in my garden. :)))

'Double Trouble' Dahlia

* PS: Email theft and craziness. Apparently, while I was on vacation someone got ahold of my email address and sent some of you odd comments. My apologies, 'twas not me.

** If you scroll down to the next post, you'll see the one lonely Dahlia that is truly growing in my garden. I'm plotting to plant a lot more of them next summer.