Yard Rambles

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

Monday and Tuesday were gorgeous her in the North Carolina mountains. The temperatures were mild and a soft breeze made it perfect for turning off the air conditioner and opening the windows. Tuesday afternoon I walked around the yard admiring the freshly mown grass. Our butterfly bush has been in a slump the past two summers due to a hash winter and this year it is back!

At the end of her last visit, our daughter left her camera with me. It takes amazing pictures and I couldn’t wait to snap some shots. I took some great ones and video of  butterflies on the bush. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to get them off of her camera!  Back up plan, use my phone camera.

By the time I went back outside, it was late afternoon and most of the butterflies were gone. As I stood there, wondering if I should try to capture some butterflies shots, a hummingbird flew in and hovered over one of the purple blossoms. She was so cute! I didn’t have the phone ready to take the shot, so I can’t share a picture, but I  was able to snap a few shots of the butterflies.

Our Rose of Sharon bush is doing better this year too and the butterflies have been enjoying its flowers too.

This summer I decided to splurge on a big basket of Coleus and I am enjoying them!  I didn’t have much success with them in Florida, I think it was the heat, but they are thriving in the milder, mountain climate. If they survive the cooler temperatures of fall, we may take them to spend the winter with us in Florida. We have a flowering basket that has spent two winters there and returned to North Carolina in the spring so that we could enjoy the blooms all season.

I haven’t picked any hydrangea this summer. They are planted on a hill and my husband hasn’t been well enough to tackle weed eating the underbrush and I was afraid of snakes! Tuesday, hubby felt stronger and cleared out the underbrush and I am looking forward to having some fresh blooms in the house.

After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I work as the publicist/marketer/ amateur editor and general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  where we frequently host the best in up and coming authors.

Tags: Butterfly Bush, Flowers