Flower Walk

It was beautiful here this morning, beautiful in a way I think only Indiana can be on a cool summer morning. I'm sure there are other beautiful places on a July morning, but I love this little spot of the world so much, that my heart says surely there can be no place better.

I looked at the 5 day forecast and was thrilled to see that we will barely rise out of the 70's. Perfection. This has been my favorite summer in the history of summers. And I've had something like 42 of them. This summer feels slow and easy. And balanced. And full of gratitude.

The light was so beautiful this morning I needed to capture it. I wanted to see with my lens, what my eye sometimes misses. I love this yard, this work in progress. This place that we are creating with our hands and ideas.

Since Emma was a wee little girl, in the blooming months, we have been going outside in the mornings for a flower walk. This morning there was a lot blooming. My lavender seems happy.

This phlox is a favorite. I planted some in the front last year and had to have more.

This pink english lavender isn't quite sure if it likes its new home yet.

Love this corner of the front yard.

We have pretty much started from scratch with our landscaping. We have ripped out much of what we inherited, reshaped beds, put in stone borders, moved raised beds and planted, weeded, planted, mulched and planted some more. It is such a labor of love. And money. There have been some misses: I may have badly pruned a favorite hydrangea leaving it with two lovely pink blooms, I can't seem to keep delphinium plants alive in this zone to save my life, I apparently murdered my speedwell, I need to relocate some things I didn't plan very well, something is eating the heck out of my green beans and I honestly just fail at planting pots. But. There have been many successes too and more importantly I enjoy the process more than I ever knew I could. I'm gone. A dirt junky. A flower addict. Stand near me for very long and I will bend your ear for hours about the pleasures of getting your hands in the earth.

But This. This is my most exciting accomplishment as a wannabe gardener. This is the first sign of flower buds on my crape myrtle. This transplanted southern girl has missed crape myrtles above all other southern flowers. This gives me complete joy.

This is the first summer of my gardening life that I have not tired of gardening by approximately mid June. This is a major accomplishment. One that is best celebrated with the purchasing of more flowers I think.