This Perfectly Imperfect Life

While I may be taking a break from the ole blog here, and writing in general, you can still find me over on the Instagram by clicking on "View On Instagram" in the right-hand column!

It's late July in my garden, and the Coneflowers are blooming away! I can't get enough of taking photos of them, every day, at different times of day, in different light. There aren't as many of them this year, so I'll have to be sure to save seeds and get them planted for next. Soon, the Zinnias will be blooming, and as the coneflowers wane, my focus will switch to them, and their colorful, happy faces. The late Summer and Autumn garden has always been my favorite! What's blooming in your garden now? #dirttherapy #summertime #gardenwalk #julygarden #summergarden #apartmentgarden #coastalgarden #inmygardentoday #simplepleasuresgreatestjoy #myperfectlyimperfectview #thisperfectlyimperfectlife 

Because #FreedomIsntFree and because not all who serve come home. #RememberandHonor today all those who made the ultimate sacrifice and paid the ultimate price protecting our Freedom. #MemorialDay  #honorandremember #memorialdayweekend #allgavesomesomegaveall #attitudeofgratitude #myperfectlyimperfectview #thisperfectlyimperfectlife  (Taken during one of our Veterans Day parades in the last few years from our float - I adore this photo of the Flag!)

🎉 And good morning & happy Saturday! #goodmorning #happysaturday #nofilter #gardenwalk #morningritual #morningmotivation #inmygardentoday #apartmentgarden #springgarden #maygarden #rosechat #simplepleasuresgreatestjoy #myperfectlyimperfectview #thisperfectlyimperfectlife 

Happy July everyone! Things have slowed down quite a bit here in the Portable Homestead garden.  The roses have finished their first round of blooms, and they're taking their time getting to a second. But the hostas, annuals and day lillies have taken over with theirs.  Slowly and surely the 'from seed' containers are beginning to bloom: Zinnias, marigolds, tomatoes, hyacinth bean climber, nasturtiums.  And the coneflowers are starting to bloom again in the raised bed.  The aphids have been formidable foes, as always, which means daily garden walks are taking longer than usual what with hosing them off the plants or spraying them with soapy water.  I hope to troll a few garden centers during this holiday weekend!  Rugosa and hostas are at the top of my list.  How are things growing where you are?  What's at the top of your gardening wish-list at this time of year! (For the week ending 7/2/15)

I have a love - hate relationship with Summer. I want to love it, but the combo of heat and the wicked NJ humidity does a real number on me physically. Makes me ill like you would expect me to be during the Winter. (A popular misconception about Rheumatoid Disease/Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is that it's at its' worst for during the Winter - often, the warm months of the year are the hardest for many of us living with RD/RA). This past week has been particularly rough. I tend to complain about Summer as others complain about Winter! But... (There's always a "but" isn't there?) These lillies are one of my all time favorite favorite things about Summer!  Whether they're growing on purpose on someone's property or growing wild along roadsides like these across the street from us, I flipping love them! (In fact, so does my Mom). Orange is a favorite color of mine, and seeing these flowers makes my heart about burst with joy! (One of those ...

Actually, it started earlier at last Sunday morning. (Not the perimenopause itself, just this most recent bout of it). Hubbs was being his usual 'funny' self, only this time my feelings got hurt, and I cried. Big ole tears with big gulps of air cried. 'Here we go!' I thought to myself. Again. After breakfast, we headed to Target for a couple of things. I saw that the iPhone 5s was finally down to $49.95, what my iPhone 4 cost us nearly two years ago. I've hemmed and hawed about upgrading to a newer iPhone (for the camera, though I don't care for the smaller screen width) because of the cost, but, honestly, between what I've spent on a Samsung WiFi camera, and Kindle impulse buy books, I could have picked up the iPhone 5s before it went this low in price, or even the iPhone 6, had I thought about it more logically. (kicks self in rear - again) The very nice gentleman checked their stock, plus the next closest Target store, and... Nodda. Notta. He eve...

Last time we met, I was on the eve of turning the big 4-Oh! (More on that another time). Since then we've been away and back, and I've been busy trying to get rid of The Cold That Would Not Leave. Instead of playing the usual catch-up ( am I the only one who forever feels like they're playing catch-up?! ), I thought I'd share our extra long weekend away in a different way. One of my favorite places is our camper, which sits on on an island, in a lake, in the mountains, in my favorite area of our beautiful state, the Skylands in Northwestern NJ, and that is where we spent our Anniversary/Memorial Day weekend just a couple of weeks ago! I can't tell you what this place means to my soul, but it is so near and dear to my heart that once we are back here on the coast, I'm overwhelmed with homesickness for the first few days. Here are some (okay, a lot ) of my favorite shots from that weekend: (iPhone) Our dock One of the views from the island ...

A sampling of what's blooming here at The Portable Homestead for the week ending 5/15/15. The azalea, hostas and bleeding heart are really taking center stage now! Another wacky weather week as well. Started off feeling like Summer and by Wednesday it was in the 40s and 50s again! And thanks to those early warmer temps, I'm dealing with rose slugs and spider mites in May vs July or August when they usually appear en force. He'll hath no fury like a gardener with critters infesting her roses! It's soapy water time...