A Daisy If You Do

Canterbury Bells cope with heavy rains.

37. That was the number of undaunted bikers who peddled past me as I ripped away at the weedy mess that some day (soon) will become My New Street Garden.

I avoid working out on that busy street as much as I can. (Hence, the weeds.) When I do work out there, I absentmindedly tally up all the passers by.

In between torrential downpours, I'd scurry outdoors to make a little bit of headway on my great, big, garden project.

Then, I'd scoot back inside when it began to rain. Which it did, several times during the afternoon.

I felt kind of lucky, in comparison to those overly optimistic bikers. They saw rays of sunshine as an end to this misery, not simply an intermission. And, they didn't have a garage to dash into when that intermission was over.

It's not a gentle rain. Thunder, lightning, fierce winds... pretty much all the drama Mother Nature can muster.

She's been raining on us every day, for 2 or 3 weeks, now.

Lawns squish underfoot. Horses stand dejected in their muddy corrals.

Weeds aren't even weeds any more. They're mushrooms!

My water wise perennials are near death. Drowning from the one thing this high plains desert never gets: too much moisture. So, I guess when it comes to environmentally conscious gardening... I'm damned if I do. And, also if I don't. :)

* 'You're A Daisy If You Do' is an old wild west term implying that if you cause trouble, you could get shot, and then you'll be pushing up daisies. Popularized by Val Kilmer in the movie, Tombstone. Which, incidentally, is a great cowboy flick if you're stuck inside on a rainy day.

Canterbury Bells

Campanula Champion Blue might be appearing in your supermarket flower shop right now. Pounce on a pot! This zone 5 biennial will bloom for months, when transplanted into your summer garden.

Ah, summer... those were the days. Before I had a mountain of snow clogging my driveway and life felt [almost] under control.

I've been spending a ridiculous amount of time standing in line at the local post office. I keep hoping they'll hire someone who actually cares enough to do his or her job.

This dilemma began with the folks who insist on sending important stuff like paychecks via snail mail. From there, we can implicate the overzealous snow plow guy. He's crushed 3 of my (rural) mailboxes in 4 short weeks.

Outside the sunny window:
The 7 foot tall arbor is nearly buried in snow.

Next up, the mailman. This rat promised faithfully to hold my mail at the post office and then immediately lost every single envelope with my name on it.

5 Stamps to Bermuda
So, there I was standing in line at the post office. Listening to them explain how they returned all my mail 'address unknown.' Apparently, without a mailbox, I don't exist. But, I have a mailbox, I declared. I bought a pretty one right inside your building, here, so you couldn't screw up anymore!"

And, that's when the customer at the next window asked how much it costs to mail a letter to Bermuda.

Why mail it? Let's just go!
Canterbury Bells look like little tea cups to me. This variety is a biennial, meaning she'll die in 2 years though she will happily reseed and grace your garden with bright purple flowers for many years to come.

* Campanula Champion Blue: There's nothin' blue about 'em. They are the truest purple flower I've ever grown. USDA zone 5, full sun, drought tolerant. Mature plants stand about 2 feet tall. Find a spot for Bellflowers in your garden.