please bear with me....

But I'm a sucker for Nea.
We played hooky today. Sarah and Eric came up with Nea to spend a day by the pool.
Not sure about entering via the steps.
Practicing the dog paddle.....before the race.
Nea jumps the gun.
Sarah's ahead by an arm.
Good dog!
Ohhh...shake off!

return to the first harvest

I've been in Bermuda for a week...on a cruise.
My favorite way to relax and get away. Read lots of great books...including the final Millenium Book: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest. Loved it!

Back to soapmaking and gardening!

Look at these beauties: French Breakfast Radishes!

How should I enjoy them??

With butter and salt as recommended by the LA TIMES?
or as Molly describes on Orangette?

a new soap mold...

one that doesn't need to be lined!

Now that's something that I can get excited about! Here is the soap block that slid out of that new mold...with a new special coating that Pentti came up with.


You know how much more time I could have for Mah Jongg if I didn't have to fold the paper and line all of those molds??

Still a few kinks to work out.....but definitely going to work!
Good job, Pentti!

now that's what I'm talkin' about

Finally...the unbearable heat on Wed. brought these beauties into full bloom! This is the 3rd year for these two peonies and they are spectacular this year.

Sarah arrived yesterday morning and we made our annual trip to Rudolph Gardens.
Bought a carload of gorgeous perennials and came back to my house to plant:

Mock Orange by the porch door so we can enjoy the lovely fragrance:
Yellow digitalis grows wild in my garden. Sarah planted some in and around the Etruscan pottery relic I found last year at Erie Basin! That's blue bell flower behind.
More yellow digitalis and a new variety added to it...
Sarah composed this lovely color combo with a red lupine, pink/yellow columbine behind some lambs ear...and more digitalis...and a euphorbia myrsinites on the rock...
We had a lovely day even though it was a bit of a busman's holiday for Sarah.

planting day

It all finally came together today.

Nice weather, garden finally ready and the seedlings I started in February ready to go in the ground. I hope we have a good tomato year. I have 45 plants here.


Some cucumbers, too...and radishes and swiss chard seeds planted! Oh, my achin' back!

Here's a peak

at my daughter Sarah in the June issue of Martha Stewart Living.

Sunday Best

so excited to see it on the newstand today! A mom can brag a bit, can't she?

after 2 flower school classes....

I'm ready to venture out on my own. I took a second class at the little flower school on the Saturday before Mother's Day....it was a mother/daughter class...so I 'had' to attend.
My arrangement from that day is gone....(OK I forgot to add water and then I wondered why it wilted)

But today I did one on my own. With some help from Saipua flowers that have been out on my 55 degree porch since Monday. And this time I changed the water and clipped the stems to keep them going.

So I started with a base of Mountain Laurel from my bush out by the front step. It needs to be pruned anyway:

Then I added some "show" flowers. Gorgeous tree peonies....

And then I filled in with solomon's seal, lavender, rosemary sprigs, lambs ear and white iris (from my garden) and more peonies and some garden roses.
Here is the result: (oh and a couple of ranunculus for 'gestures'....)

How'd I do Sarah?