Thursday, August 15, 2019

Summer Break -- A Few Days at Home!

I came home from the lake for a week or so for a couple of reasons -- some appointments, a lovely dinner with friends, and my birthday! Rick made a lemon tart from his new Loganberry Italian cookbooks. (I helped!) And we also went to the Flint Institute of Arts for a terrific exhibit -- but that's for another day. There's lots to process for that one!


When I was home one thing that had to be tackled a bit was my garden. It's so overgrown and the blooms so heavy no one has been able to get to the back yard to mow it! Yes, there is a path there. Good luck getting through it!


But I have to say, this is the view when I open my back door every day.


Just being greeted by that burst of color is enough to start any day off well!


Sometimes I don't know what half of these are. But I really don't care! I just like them!


My white hydrangeas have gone green and I confess, I like them even better green!


And these are always pretty. Stock maybe?


What's not to love with something so cheery!


And speaking of cheery, when Rick had to bail on dinner with me because he forgot to mention he'd accepted an invitation for us (and dinner was was already going and not the kind that served up well as leftovers, there was no stopping it), I called in reinforcements!


And then we celebrated a special occasion!


Just the second day in a great birthday weekend with more to come!

48 comments:

Valerie-Jael said...

Happy Birthday dear Jeanie, happy birthday to you! Your garden is like paradise, love it! Hugs, Valerie

David M. Gascoigne, said...

I think that your "wild garden" looks great, Jeanie. It certainly is a spectacular burst of colour, and while a manicured garden may have great appeal a little wildness is good too - in gardens - and relationships too!

Susie said...

Happy Birthday Jeanie. Nothing like good friends, fun and food on your birthday. The flowers are looking pretty there also. Blessings, xoxo, Susie

Pam said...

Hello fellow Michigander! I do enjoy checking in on your blog. Gardens can get out of control in very little time it seems. The bright pink/fushia tall flowers are actually Phlox! Hummers love them!

William Kendall said...

Happy Birthday!

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

Happy Birthday. Your garden is so full of beautiful color! That tart looked great.

Misadventures of Widowhood said...

Happy birthday! You really know how to get the most out of your life. I admire that.

Jenny Woolf said...

Sounds like you have been having a great staycation break.
I've seen some of your FB posts and look forward to hearing more info about that incredible Flint art show.
It would delight me to open my door and see all those masses of flowers too! That is just my idea of pure heaven.

Joyful said...

Beautiful garden! I like overgrown ;-) A very Happy Birthday to you Jeanie. It's lovely you had a nice way to celebrate it.

Pam said...

Happy Bday to you....Loving the flowers. Beautiful. Before long the blooms will be all gone. I am ready. Ready for fall but not the season that comes after that but....Mother Nature does her own thing and don't care what I want!

krishna said...

Aww! I love the bus!

My name is Erika. said...

I think your garden looks fantastic Jeanie. Mine is pretty overgrown too but I agree, just enjoy the blooms. The tall pink flowers at phlox. I usually have a lot but the deer like to eat off the blooms. Oh no. The lemon tart looks delicious. Sounds like your birthday trip home started off fantastic! Hugs-Erika

coffeeontheporchwithme said...

August gardens tend to get overgrown - mine is. I was going to let you know they were phlox, as well, but got beaten to the punch. Happy, happy birthday! -Jenn

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Belated Happy Birthday greetings to you, Jeanie🎂🎈. I hope that you celebrate the whole year🎉. It's how I believe birthdays should be observed because we only go through that year once and should make the most of it!🥂

Susan Kane said...

Your garden is fabulous.

And happy birthday!

Evi Erlinda said...

Happy birthday, Jeanie!
I love your garden.

Iris Flavia said...

Happy belated Birthday, Jeanie!
Sorry for all the work but your garden looks awesome!
:-) Looking forward too see what´s coming next!

Prims By The Water said...

Hope you had a great birthday! I would love walking out your back door with that view every day. I have a similar flowerscape out my front door. I love flowers. Janice

eileeninmd said...

Happy Belated Birthday Jeanie! I hope your day was great! Your garden is beautiful, I love all the flowers. Enjoy your day, wishing you a happy weekend!

Victoria Zigler said...

Belated happy birthday to you.

Joanne Huffman said...

Love the garden!

R's Rue said...

Happy birthday. 😀

La Table De Nana said...

Happy Birthday jeanie!

The French Hutch said...

Rick looks very nice in the kitchen with your tart, so sweet. I love your garden, it would be hard for me to cut any to those flowers. I know you can't wait to get back to the Lake, it will be time to close it up before you know it! Enjoy while you can. Happy Birthday!

Lynne said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Looks like there was plenty going on to make it a happy day . . .
I loved the look out of your window ... flowers flowering and COLOR!

Little Wandering Wren said...

Got any birthday tart left? I have a sudden urge to fly over! Happy birthday to you, you can never have enough birthday celebrations!
I'm sorry, not sorry the flowers have gone wild in the garden, love the little birdhouse hidden there too.
Have a lovely weekend
Wren x

Rita C at Panoply said...

A happy (belated) birthday to you, Jeanie! I'm glad you enjoyed your weekend celebrating, and look forward to your post on the exhibit you attended. Your garden looks fabulously full!

Sami said...

A happy belated birthday to you Jeanie.
Love your garden with so many pretty flowers. Never seen green hydrangeas, very pretty.

bobbie said...

Happy birthday, dear Lady!!

Jacqueline~Cabin and Cottage said...

Happy Birthday!! Your garden is wonderful!

DUTA said...

Rick and tart, and the couple of friends - are the gem pictures in the crown. People are the best of flowers! Happy Birthday!

Barb said...

What a garden - you have a jungle just outside your door! I can only dream of plants growing that big here at altitude. Your special lemon tart looks mighty good. Happy Birthday, Jeanie. Summer is drawing to a close here. I hope you still have some left at the cottage.

Thelma said...

Happy Birthday. I love your garden. You have a beautiful assortment of flowers.

Lowcarb team member said...

I love your garden, it is so colourful.
Happy Birthday Wishes.

All the best Jan

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I hope I haven't missed your birthday, dear. It looks like a lovely return to "civilization." Your back garden is beautifully filled with great bursts of color. How lucky for you. I'm not sure I'd want to cut it back until autumn.

Again, happy birthday, dear friend.

Sandra at Maison De Jardin said...

Happy Birthday to you Jeanie. I love all your blooms and can just taste that lemon tart.

shoreacres said...

I just looked in my book, and sure enough -- there's your birthday, written down exactly where it was supposed to be. Well, maybe next year I'll remember to look in the book at the beginning of each month, like I promised myself I'd do this year. On the other hand, by next year I may be doing well to remember where I put the book, so there's that!

It looks like your celebrations started out wonderfully well. I'm anxious to see what else was involved -- my hunch is there was a performance of some sort!

Arti said...

Happy Birthday (belated but the wishes are just as warm), Jeanie! I can see Rick is a present in person. :) And what a lovely garden to come home to!

Pam Richardson said...

Happy birthday Jeanie and the lemon tart looks fabulous! You have a lovely view of blooms out your door, it is the perfect cottage style garden. Happy weekend!

Carol said...

Happy Birthday to you. Those flowers are beautiful.

Pamela said...

Happyappy birthday! Gorgeous garden flowers!

Lisa from Lisa's Yarns said...

Yum, that lemon tart looks delicious! And your flowers are gorgeous! I am glad you got a chance to celebrate your birthday with Rick and friends!!

crackercrumblife said...

Happy Birthday to you! It sounds like you had some great time at home. :) And I love your wild garden! Beautiful!

Marilyn Miller said...

Love lemon tart, yummmm! Love the view in your garden. It is wonderful!
Hope you are still celebrating, afterall the month isn't over.

Red Rose Alley said...

Happy Birthday Jeanie! How nice of Rick to make a lemon tart for you. I like those purple flowers in your garden, and the yellow ones are so cheerful. It looks like a nice dinner with your friends. And I LOVE that Birthday Bus!

~Sheri

French Ethereal said...

What fun!!! Glad you had fun being home, gardening, then having friends come over to eat and birthday fun with hubby!

Happiest of summers to you, Jeanie,
Barb :)

Love your flowers just as overblown as they are! Gorgeous!!!

Tracy said...

That's what we LOVE to see... lots of celebrating and HAPPY! Glad you had such a sweet birthday, my friend! ((LOVE & HUGS))

Polly said...

Lovely flowers Jeanie, I agree about being greeted with those beautiful blooms each morning :-)

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