Dahlia Time

Every summer, about this time I am thinking about and blogging about my dahlias. I did a quick search on the blog, and found that I have posted about the dahlias for the last four August seasons. But, but they are such amazing creations that I want to post once again and go for five straight seasons.

We are really fortunate this year in our weather. Normally, by last week-end we would have had at least a mild frost, if not a really hard one. This year our nights have been in the 50's most all month, and the dahlia's are loving it. Here in Central Oregon they come on right now (end of August), because we have to plant late due to June frosts. I think that's partly what makes them so special, all the work and worry involved. I do try to dig and store the tubers over the winter, but only have mild success. So, I order some every spring from Swan Island Dahlias in Canby, Oregon, and try to just look at them as annuals. I did have 3 tubers make it this year, and they are blooming as I write.

 

 

 I thought I would show a few of the dahlias, and the uniqueness they bring to a garden. This beauty is called 'Lynette' and has petals that curl the way you curl your tongue. She is a deep pink with a yellow center, large and about 5" wide.

 

 

 This one is called 'Sheer Heaven' and does come close I think. What a beautiful dahlia! The insurance man and I marvel each time we walk by the bouquet on our kitchen table. These leaves are flat and wide, with a full center almost like a peony. The outer leaves are a blush peach/pink with the inner leaves a creamy yellow. How amazing to find two very different colors unfolding and complimenting each other.

 

 This one is 'Brittany Rey' and these two photos were taken a day apart, so that the dahlia had opened up a bit more, and you can appreciate the white edges on each deep rose petal. What amazing forms these flowers have. There's just nothing else quite like it.

 

 

 

And finally there is 'Gabrielle Marie'. A deep orange dahlia. Orange is not usually my favorite color in the garden, and I pretty much try to avoid it as it clashes with my pinks and purples. But when it comes to dahlias, there are no wrong colors and they all flow together wonderfully. This one is a bit smaller, probably about 3-4" across, but just as showy.

 

Wow! I know I am a bit obsessed, but I just love growing these, and enjoying them for the few weeks they treat us. My mother-in-law was telling me that her Aunt grew dahlias, probably in the 1930's and 40's. She only had one standard yellow form to start with, and starting crossing them. I feel so lucky to have so many wonderful choices to order from, and they have done all the work for me. But of course, all the glory goes to the Master Creator!

This Week's Farm Basket

Our family signed up for a membership to a local farm CSA this year.  We paid a large amount of money at the beginning of the growing season and then each week we receive a share of whatever the farm is harvesting.  We have thoroughly enjoyed our fresh vegetables.  Here's what we got this week:

2 quarts green beans

2 large onions

2 fennel bulbs

huge bunch of scallions/green onions

3 green peppers

large bunch of beets with greens

bunch of carrots

2 quarts potatoes

1 bag of salad mix greens

1 bunch cilantro

So what's on the menu, you ask?  I'm still deciding, but I'm definitely making something Asian with my scallions and cilantro.  I'm trying a recipe for Pad Thai for dinner tonight and and later on an Asian curry soup with fish in it.  Those beets will be great cooked, sliced, with butter and salt for dinner this week with a venison roast in the crockpot.  Maybe I can put together a bouillabaisse with the fennel.  Any other suggestions?

Golfing-First Outing!

I am glad to say that I have some pictures of Mom to post!  (Thanks to my sister, Joy)  As Mom has been cooped up, healing, for the last several weeks, she was a little nervous about the prospect of going out to the golf course at Black Butte with Joy and her husband for an afternoon.  Joy won a free 18 holes for four golfers at her class reunion last summer and needed to use it before it expired.  It gave her a good excuse to come visit Mom at the same time.  

 In the end, they had a wonderful time, with Dad spontaneously joining in and loving it. 

 I was shocked at how he fit right in!  I know that he doesn't golf, but you would never know it looking at this picture.  They said he played a great game too.  You're awesome, Dad!

 Here she is!  I was really happy when I saw this picture.  It's the first I've been able to "see" her since her accident.  This picture is deceiving, because she looks better than I thought she would.  My sister did her hair  (hard to do with one hand) and she's out holding the flag for their game.  These things are actually a big deal and firsts for her.

She said that "coming out" after her confinement indoors was really wonderful, enjoying the great outdoors by riding around in a golf cart, even though it wore her out.  This is a happy victory.

Fresh Peaches

During the summer months as each fruit season begins I always think this one's the best. First strawberries, then raspberries, then the melons and then more berries etc. But right now is the peak of the peach season, and I found myself thinking "is there anything better than a ripe fresh peach?" At our local fruit stand on Saturday, a clerk offered me a just-cut slice of a fresh peach and it just melted in my mouth with it's juiciness and sweetness. Of course we had to bring some home (which was the clerk's plan) and the next morning they adorned some yeast waffles and were in turn adorned by a few dollops of whipped cream. Oh boy, I do think peach season is the best, and I'm sure they are doing their best to aid in my recovery.

In Which I Post my Own Thank You

I'm back!! Well, at least a little back. I wanted to add a little something to what Julie already graciously posted.

I want to thank everyone for their prayers and cards. I received so many nice cards and get well wishes, it was hard NOT be encouraged.

I want to especially mention how nice it was to meet a few new friends, and thank Connie in Jacksonville for sending a card with encouraging words. She quoted I Peter 1:7 "These trials have come so that your faith, of greater worth than gold refined by fire, may prove genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." What wonderful words to hold onto. Thanks for writing Connie!

And thanks to Brenda, a sister in Christ from the hills of West Virginia, for sending the cutest card ever! Yes Brenda, I do remember you fondly, and thank you for your encouraging words as well.

All of your prayers mattered, and several specific requests Julie wrote down have been answered. 1) I was and continue to be encouraged by others and by the tender mercies of our God. 2) I am growing stronger each day, healing and am back up on my feet, some. Not 24-7, but enough to help me begin the process of gaining strength again. 3) Many good things have come about as a result of this accident. I will talk more about them later. I have in mind a few posts to talk about what I am learning as a result of this injury and 'confinement'.

 

And finally, I loved Julie's photos of Bronwyn so much that I just had to post a couple taken of Julie at that same age. Sadly, I don't have one of her in that same shirt. (If only we could look down the path of life 30+ years to see that one day we would need one)

 This is Julie at 10 months, in her PJ's on our living room floor. The photo below is one that Julie just posted of Bronwyn. The shape of their faces are different (Bronwyn's is much rounder) but the hair and noses are the same, and the sweet smiles. Seeing the photos of Bronwyn just made me want to scoop her up into my arms as I did her mother.

 

 

And this is Julie at one year. Both happy, happy babies. We are so blessed.

As for the shirt Julie asked about, I found it in a store. It was specifically hers (not a hand-me-down) and that's why I passed it on to her. Aren't all babies 'hand-made by God'? These two surely were.

Thank You and an Update

Thank you for praying for Mom and for writing to her!  She has received so many cards and so much encouragement.  

Three weeks have passed now since her accident and surgery and she is coming along.  She is fully off of the pain medications and muscle relaxers that she was on and is very grateful for that. 

It will be quite some time before she regains the use of her limb.  She will begin physical therapy in another 3 weeks or so.  The doctor says she can expect to have full range of motion after a year.

I hope to be able to visit her within the next few weeks.  I believe your prayers have been effective and they are appreciated.

A Little Something Vintage

 Last week a few of my kids and I did a little exploring at Goodwill.  I don't go that often.  We hadn't been in quite some time.  My kids surprised me.  They are great at finding cool and useful things!  I just wandered among them seeing what they'd found and never even really browsed myself.  One of the fun things that Amelia came home with was this vintage puzzle.  Not only did we like the vintage flower prints, but the unique round shape of the puzzle and the box, as well as the quality and the price (99 cents). 

 Amelia's big brother William is a big fan of puzzles.  They actually picked this out together and plan to assemble it together. 

 I am a big fan of vintage things, especially when they involve flowers.  Isn't this iris pretty?

 Pansies, tulip & marigold?  It will be fun to see it all done.

 Vintage item number 2 is not my 9 month old.  But the little pink shirt she is wearing happens to be one that I myself wore when I was her size.

 She was doing a great job at giving me smiles, but since she can't sit up well without propping herself on her arms, I wasn't able to get a very good shot of the shirt.

The shirt says "Handmade by God" and has a hand print on it.  I thought she was pretty cute in it.  I wonder if Mom could tell me more about the origin of this shirt?