Finished Crocheted Throw

I crocheted this throw for the church. We have several cold-natured members in our church, and it was suggested that we might need some afghans that match the new benches. I'll be taking this one to prayer meeting tonight to see if they like it.

Update: I just got home from prayer meeting. They loved it! I'll be making more of them as the year goes by.

Another Joseph Coat Update...

I know. Too many Joseph pictures in too short a time, but I just had to share this. Another bud opened, making the contrast of colors more pronounced. I wanted ya'll to see it.

Joseph's Coat Update

I wish the photo was a pretty as the actual plant, but I wanted you to see how the same rosebush, from two days ago, looks today. I hope you can see how the rose has turned pinkish, and the newer bloom is beginning to pink as well.

Herbs

Time for a little break in the rose parade to show the changes I've made to my herb pots. Last year, I planted in wire baskets with coco liners for the first time. I'd never used them before because I was afraid they'd dry faster, needing more frequent waterings. I was pleasantly suprised at how well they held the moisture. Even during the heat of the summer, they didn't need water any more often than the other pots. This year, when the perinnial herbs returned, I got another nice surprise. My oregano had pushed its way through the coco liner, and began to trail down the side of my window box. Beautiful. I liked it so much that, when I thinned out my mint garden, I cut another slit in my window box, and stuck a few sprigs though. It took root, and is growing nicely beside that oregano. Of course, I had to add basil, because we use it more than any other herb, but I also placed a marigold in that pot for color. I also planted a geranium in the pot with my lemon thyme (I'm really liking the addition of flowers to my herb gardens). Another change I made involved no new plants. I can't believe this, but I'm actually having fun, seeing the changes that can be made with little shopping and buying. I had two potted herb gardens from years ago. I guess I had over filled them, because the onion chives had taken over one pot, with the exception of a little sprig of purple sage hanging onto life. In the other pot, nothing survived but sorrel. These plants have been growing strong since 2006, with very little effort on my part. This year, I decided to repot them (about time, huh). Just a simple repotting was all I had in mind, but after I got into the task, I wanted to have a little fun. I divided the sorrel, and the onion chives, and placed a secion of each into the new pots (actually, recycled pots from last year). I left the purple sage with one of the sections of chives, because the roots were so entangled. So one finished pot contains onion chives and sorrel. The other pot, much bigger in size, contains sorrel, onion chives, and the sprig of purple sage. Still the bigger pot had space available, so I divided off a small section of the new basil plant to fill that hole. I'm very happy with the results. It's a great feeling to have a completely new looking herb pot without having to buy a bunch of new plants.

Joseph's Coat Rosebush

Tired of roses yet? My Joseph's coat rosebush bloomed today, and as I was taking pictures of it, it dawned on me. My last two blog posts were about my rosebushes...maybe I should write about something else, and leave these pictures until tomorrow...but, I just can't wait that long. Joseph's coat is a very intersting rosebush. It's a climbing bush, that produces clusters of buds. These buds open into yellowish orange roses, which change colors as they mature. The ideal is a dazzling display of various colored roses on the same bush. I've had my Joseph's coat for two years, and yes, the roses are beautiful, and do change colors. Unfortunately, my plant has never produced more than a couple of roses at the time, but I may have found the solution. Last year, as I was making room for the groundcover at the side of the house, I moved my potted Joseph's coat to the front of the shed. Since this is a much sunnier location, I decided to leave it. I'm so glad I did, because this plant has more buds than I've ever seen on it. Maybe, I just wasn't getting enough sun before. If so, this may be the year I finally see my Joseph's Coat in all it's glory. I'll keep everyone posted on it's progress...if you're not sick of roses, that is...

Rose Buds And Blooms

Yesterday, when I looked out from my window, I was saddened to see that the heavy rains of the previous night had claimed my two pink roses. There was no reason to be sad, I was to discover. A closer look revealed many roses to come...

The Results

Well, I'm not sure what to think. Frosting with the cap is how I used to always do my hair, but it's been so long. At first, I must confess I absolutely HATED it, but that's not longer the case (thankfully). I probably just needed a little time to get over the shock of being blond again, because I'm starting to warm up to it a bit. I'm a little reluctant to post a picture, because I'm still getting used to it myself, but it's hardly fair to tell my blog audience that I'm doing this, then not show the results. Dave took my picture outside, using my newly bloomed rosebush as a frame. Maybe the beauty of the flowers will distract from the scarey blond posing by them. lol