Packing Material

 Last week, we received delivery of a very heavy package, double boxed. The outer box was filled with these tent-like cardboard gizmos. They did their job, in spite of the box itself arriving somewhat mashed. Who invented them? This is the sort of project often assigned to industrial design students in college. We now have thousands of these little guys in the house, waiting to be recycled. Before that, I am contemplating saving a few. Taken apart, they have possibilities for stenciling, collaging or reconfiguring in some way. But I don’t need thousands.

July Means Fireworks

 Independence Day may be over but opportunities to enjoy fireworks continue. The city of Alexandria celebrates its founding on the Saturday after the Fourth. Fire and police boats herd all the other boats into an area a safe distance from the barge filled with the fireworks. Eventually the sun goes down and the orchestra the 1812 Overture starts. As the cannons boom, the first fireworks shoot up into the sky, white, red, violet and gold. The colors reflect in the Potomac and fizzle down into the water. I just happened to snap one that never made it up into the air---a reminder that there is a reason why we watch the show from a distance!

A Meadow In The Yard

 More people are ditching their lawns and opting for a meadow. As the seasons progress, short grasses and clover give way to taller plants. In this yard, coneflowers add pops of color. Queen Anne's lace sways in the too-hot breeze. Seed heads are forming and I know that birds are waiting to come and feast on them. Some neighbors may be taken aback to see a tidy green lawn disappear, but the birds, bees and butterflies are happier.

Horsenettles

 

A line of Carolina Horsenettles has grown in the sliver of dirt between a brick wall and the sidewalk. Considered a noxious weed, we see more of it each year as the climate warms and it extends its territory northward. I love the old folk names that plants like this have collected. Sometimes known as the Devil's Tomato or Apple of Sodom, it’s a member of the nightshade family. Every part of this plant will make humans and animals sick. Imagine wandering through a field in bare feet and stepping on one of these thorny-stemmed plants. It also earned the name Tread-Softly. It’s a scourge in tidy gardens but here, for a short while, it is a thing of beauty. Just don’t touch--or eat.

Peppers At the Farmers Market

 Now that we are past the longest day of the year, the asparagus and early lettuce have given way to more substantial produce. These sweet peppers all sported hues from the warm side of the color wheel. Some showed lovely mottling as they transition from green to yellow or orange. Shoppers rooted through the shiny pile, searching for perfect peppers for their recipes. Tasty or not, each one was an objet d’art.

Bird Topiary and Forget-Me-Nots

 A dear friend has been on the trip of a lifetime. It included a visit to Hidcote, the century-old garden in the Cotswolds. I have wandered along those same flower-filled paths. A favorite memory is of walking down the steps guarded by two friendly looking bird topiaries. Bright blue forget-me-nots edged the steps and spilled over the circular path. They are a flower full of symbolism, and a necessity in most English gardens. It was the first time I saw them in such profusion. Now I understand why people love this cheerful little flower so much.

June Roses

 Roses traditionally represent the month of June. While long-stemmed beauties from the florist shop are expensive and considered exotic, the truth is that roses are a rather hardy flower. If left to their own devices, they will clamber over decrepit chain link fences, creep along above roadside ditches and bloom on the edges of neglected properties. While red is not my favorite color for a rose, I will always welcome their open faces and bright yellow stamens, wherever they appear.