Gathering Storm and Flowers

Yesterday was hot and humid with gathering storm clouds. 

Mt. Rainier peeked in and out of the moving clouds all day, with the occasional rainbow to lighten the mood. 

I just planted a new garden and knew I had to go out and do some staking before the rain. 

The heavy flowers would surely fall when waterlogged, so I spent the morning propping and tying and fussing over them. 

My hydrangeas were so full of heavy blossoms that I had to temporarily prop them up on rolled sections of fencing. 

I will remove the fencing once I harvest all the blooms for drying in a few weeks. 

You can see the fan propped in the window, pulling the cool air in from the Northwest side of the house. 

You can also see The Mr.'s sawhorses in the loft window above. We are still under construction up there. 

Coral impatiens and variegated ivy spill from the window box above a large leaf variety of hosta. 

This area gets no sun. 

My sweet Mr. placed this bench here for me to admire my hard work! 

Bright crimson elderberries hang from above. 

The trees are alder with holly and thimble berry growing beneath. 

But there was no time for rest, the flowers needed staking before the storm! 

As you can see, I had plenty of interested onlookers! 

This is a new garden of cutting flowers. 

I have not finished planting yet, so it is still a little sparse. 

I planted several varieties of hirta and rudbeckia for cutting. 

I just love the bright colors. 

Bright colors stand out against all the green of the natural landscape. 

Sweet William is also blooming along the edges of the forest and in my wildflower garden in front of The Mr.'s tool shed. 

After completing my task, I cut some flowers to bring inside. 

I gathered some vases and crocks to make some arrangements on the deck as I watched the storm clouds rolling in. 

It was so still, even the birds were quiet and I could hear distant thunder. 

So I hurried with my task. 

There! All ready for adding some cheer! 

Bright yellow for the mantel.

Matching flowers and vase. 

Do you see my new bottle - 'Big Blue' on the closed lid of the wood box? 

This beautiful bottle once graced the front porch of my Dear Mother and Father's home. 

I had enough flowers to fill my enamel coffee pot, too. 

A cheerful place to enjoy some solitude and watch the storm coming in! 

And a whole crock of hydrangeas to grace my table! 

A nice cup of Starbuck's ground coffee to reward my hard work. 

As gathering storm clouds glow in the late evening sunset. 

The last rays forming a beautiful streak of red in the clouds. 

Wishing you beauty even in life's storms. 

xoxo