Saturday, August 08, 2009

A Breath of Cold Air

A break in the weather! When I woke this morning it was a chilly 51 degrees. (And, I was quite delighted.)

Vintage Cabernet Double Hollyhock*

My most prized possession weathered the high winds. She is, without a doubt, the most impressive double Hollyhock I ever did see. I stroll out there to have coffee with her in the mornings and I can attest that this gal is tough as nails! [Even the sight of me in my cowgirl jammies and scary hair has not frightened her out of opening up more flowers.]

A blurry afternoon:
Dust storm coupled with smoke from wildfires.


Ever get that feeling trouble is brewing? I get that all the time. And, some day? Well, I just might heed those warnings.

I went riding alone ~ which after last year's concussion, busted ribs, yada, yada is a blinky no-no ~ but it's not like I'm going to get in trouble because I no longer tell people I'm doing such things.

Anyway... that first cell phone storm photo was from high on the hill as we were heading back to the barn. This second one is after we made it home without a hitch. Though... if ever a horse could say, 'I told you so,' this should have been the day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Why don't you ever blog about your veggie garden," demands my good friend Haze, veggie gardener extraordinaire.

What's to say?

Vegetables are delightful to eat, slightly boring to grow.

They just sit there quietly ripening on the vine. I'm glad they're doing so well this year.

When the high winds hit, my tender little veggies started blowing up the hill toward the neighbors. So, now I have something to say. Goodbye, wonderful to have known you!

Perhaps I should be personable about this whole thing and go visit the neighbors. Will they understand? Or, will they think I'm tossing heirloom tomatoes in their direction?

Whatever the case, the horse and I survived the storm.

And, so did these little weirdos:


* We don't know the real name of the Vintage Cabernet Hollyhock. We might have been drunk when we gave her that nickname but we still think it's kind of cool...

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kate, with you being west of the Rockies, I think your climate is milder, like the West Slope of Colorado where they are able to grow those wonderful Palisade Peaches. Where we are we have already been experiencing morning lows in the 30's and 40's, more often than not. I had to bring my geraniums indoors already. It has not been especially warm at my house all summer--maybe 3 days of really warm weather (meaning around 75-79 degrees)! No wonder you can grow such luscious varieties of flowers including those absolutely gorgeous double hollycocks!!

But now, riding off into the sunset in the face of danger...you are a wild thing! :)

Chloe m said...

These Hollyhocks are gorgeous! I am a sucker for a cottage garden flower. I think the Cabernet sounds good, who cares what the real name is?
Rosey

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hi, Jeannie!

I didn't realize our micro climates are so different. It's been miserably hot around here - which is unusual. I wilt like that wizard of oz witch when it's this hot and humid. :)

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hi, Rosey!
I love that color, too.

I can send you some hollyhock seeds if you like.

{Same goes for you, Jeannie! Might be worth a shot...}

If you want some, just let me know, I'll have tons of extra seeds toward the end of October. :D

Anonymous said...

Kate, I would LOVE to try and grow those Hollycocks. Thank You!!

Chloe m said...

Kate,
Yes to the Hollyhock seeds! I hope I had something worthy of sending you, Cosmo seeds, Anthemis, Feverfew, to name a couple.
About the music on your blog, it is super-easy. Go to Playlist.com and sign up , it is free! Pick your music, then get the code and add it to your blog. I think there maybe other ways to do this, but this one worked for me. Playlist has limited selection, but it is alright, considering it is free. What I like about it is I can change my playlist whenever I want and it automatically changes on my blog. Sometimes I am not sure if people listen or even enjoy the music on my blog. Glad you did.
Rosey

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Rosey - Thanks! I'll definitely check out playlist. I liked your blog music a lot and would love to give it a try.

I'll get in touch with both of you later in the season for addresses. I always have buckets of seeds to share... :)

KC said...

Hey Kate, Could you save some of those seeds for me too. I also need instructions. The seeds I planted this year only got about a foot tall. What is up with that?

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Big Hollyhocks sometimes take 2 years to mature. It's a long time to wait but I personally think they're worth the effort. :)

Kylee Baumle said...

Kate, it's been a little while since I've paid you a visit, but I sure enjoyed browsing your summer antics. WOW! on the lightning photo! Love that! And enjoyed the hike and alpine flowers. Oh, to live among such things...

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hi, Kylee!

Thanks for stopping by. I was just over at your blog last week and got distracted so forgot to leave a note. I noticed you, too, are a certified wildlife habitat. Are you having any trouble with the wildlife? They're trying to run me off my own habitat!

Kylee Baumle said...

Ha! Not yet! We did have a doe and her fawn hanging out for most of the summer. Well, the fawn isn't so little anymore, but I think the cats pretty much keep things from getting too close. We see wild turkeys on a regular basis. Right now, they have quite a brood they're parading around.

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Oh, I would love a little fawn. My 'newcomer' wildlife is more on the order of skunks and snakes and other not so welcome guests... :(

Jessie said...

Hi there! I realized this is an old post but do you still have Hollyhock seeds up for grabs? I love yours. Can I send you shipping money? I am in Zone 6A. I usually have trouble growing from seeds but our local nursery tells me these are pretty easy.

Many thanks! I love your blog.

Jessica
JessicaDePaiva@gmail.com

Jessie said...

Hi there! I realized this is an old post but do you still have Hollyhock seeds up for grabs? I love yours. Can I send you shipping money? I am in Zone 6A. I usually have trouble growing from seeds but our local nursery tells me these are pretty easy.

Many thanks! I love your blog.
Jessica
JessicaDePaiva@gmail.com