I used to spend at least 25 hours per weekend (yes, weekend) in my garden. Then along came Yummy Goods, the store.  I actually hadn't even touched the garden from last August till about the end of May. It was a jungle.

But for the past couple of weeks, I have been getting dirty out there from 7:15-9:15 most mornings! Oh, man. I have missed it.

Oh, lilies.

That orange! Like a blazing sunset!

Did you know that I worked as a gardener full time for about a year and a half? I loved it. It was exhausting, but so helpful for me mentally. I need that physical work. It works off my stress and anxiety.

Now that I am back in the garden at least a little bit, I am rehabbing those poor beds out back. And I have to say, it's amazing what spending just a couple of hours a day out there can accomplish!

I am now spending a few hours in the evenings, when I can, too. I am clearing spaces to sit right in the middle of the garden. For now, I just have my pladirondack chairs, but eventually I'll do a whole sitting area. I can't wait  to have some girlfriends over for the evening to hang out right among all the  perennials and tomatoes! We have a tiny old wood stove that was on the property when we bought it. I'll make that a 'fire pit' and we can toast marshmallows!

I rescued a bunch of daylilies from the dump a few years ago, here's what they ended up looking like!:

Yay for scavenging!

Rainsoaked nepeta leaning over violets:

 The grapevine arbor made of pipes that was here when we bought the place:

The prayer flags were a birthday gift from last year or the year before. (thanks, maddie!)

We don't do anything with the grapes, but they sure do smell awesome when they're ripe!

This is the pathway to the backdoor that the grapevines hang over:

As always, there is Riley waiting with a ball.

This is pretty much what I see any time I look up from gardening (complete with disgusting ball):

Aw, who's a pretty girl? Riley is!

xo, m