This Perfectly Imperfect Life

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 

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 sample of what's blooming here at the Portable Homestead for the week ending 4/30/15.  The first photo, of the ranunculus, I took at the nursery on Monday and just had to share it! With colors like that, who needs filters?! 

A sample of blooms for the week ending Thursday, 4/23/15. It has been a crazy week weather wise, from Summer warmth to flooding rain and thunderstorms to frost and freeze watches and warnings! Most everything seems to be doing alright, although, whatever was iffy before this crazy weather week (like my 2 Julia Child floribunda roses!) may be done for, despite 2 strait nights of covering them for protection against a freeze. But, we'll see. The Weeping Cherries have been putting on such a show this year, I cannot get enough! Photos upon photos, of course! What's blooming in your garden this week?

Forsythia, bush, perennial. Pansies, annual. English Daisies, perennial. Potting up perennials on the front porch, English Daisies (left), Violas (right). More English Daisy shots, back patio, perennial. Pansy, annual. Violas, perennial. Week Ending 4/16/15. What's blooming in your garden this week?