What's Blooming Now

 It's lilac time.  I love to cut branches and them and bringing them inside.  My mother always did this when I was little.

  I just had to show you this bridge we crossed in West Virginia recently.

 It's quite remarkable since the entire bridge is made of wood.

 Click for a closer look.  I've never seen anything like this before.

 The W's have been spending a lot of time on the stone floor in the garden room with their fan blowing on them. We've had some horribly hot weather for this time of year.

 I am always happy to see a chow chow waiting for me at the top of the stairs.

 Willie with an (almost) smile.

 Winnie patrolling the gardens.

 I cleaned my outdoor sink area.

 My rhododendrons are blooming on the side of my house.

They are quite glorious this year.

This is a rather secretive side entrance to the back garden.

 I have Jack-in-the Pulpits growing along the path.

 Winnie loves this area because it is a pathway for feral cats.

 She likes to sit here waiting for them to show up.

 My patio planters are filling in nicely. 

 We are having two blissful cool days before the heat returns so I built a fire.

 I smoked my dogwoods.

 They are blooming more abundantly than they have in years.

 The Oakleaf Hydrangeas show last years dead growth sitting next to this years new growth.

 They are one of my favorite plants.

 The new growth will have bloomed and turned from white to pink by the 4th of July, a sure sign that Fall is on the way.

 This sits in the middle of my stone table.  The geraniums are filling in quickly.

I'm really excited to see how my 'all geranium' garden turns out this year.  I've planted every color I can find.

And I just had to show this wonderful thrift shop find.  This will hold the cutlery for my Memorial Day party!  1.99, quite a good buy especially because it is handmade! I am hosting a big party on Monday for friends and family.  I can't wait and I have tons of cooking to do.