Thank you Friday! I don’t know about all of you, but I am ready for it! Thanks so much for your comments on my running dilemma. It’s nice to know I am not alone with that. I probably won’t run much anymore, but then again, I keep saying that and then I go do it again. Guess that is why I am a Gemini 
I had a good night’s sleep last night for the most part other than being a little hot. I told myself I could sleep in this morning and I did until 7:15!! John still says that is early, but heck – it isn’t 6 am and it was almost 8 hours of sleep!
I did some work and then made breakfast. I played around with the pumpkin breakfast cake and did it with banana instead. I think I need to play with this a bit, but could be a keeper!
It’s kind of like banana bread pudding. I topped it with coconut butter and a drizzle of chocolate sauce that John made.
The garden isn’t doing a ton right now. Just a bit of rest before the long-haul perennials start blooming. My astilbes are up and running:
This is the deutschland variety. There are other colors of this and they do really well in shaded areas for some color.
Geranium with some fresh rain on it. (Hello car).
More virginia spiderwort.
The back of the house on the side is something I am going to work on for the next couple years. I have about 10 feet done, but the rest is a mess of these spiderwort by the shop:
There are some other bushes in there, too, and most of this will go and become garden bed. See the nice dumpster my neighbor’s have just to the right? It is *enormous*! And we look directly at it when working in the shop. They just had it delivered. You can also see the repair done on our shop wall behind that greenery from where the snow plow guy ran into it this last winter. Obviously still need to paint that.
Potted Argyranthemum with another flush of blooms:
They are so happy and colorful:
The bushes are blooming on the other side of the house. They are the other neighbor’s bushes, but I get to enjoy the blooms. I think they are boxwood, but they are soooo tall!
They really smell nice, too. I just wish the neighbors would actually trim the hedges once in a while…
Next week should be day lilies and possibly some butterfly weed.
Even though it was drizzly, I still had lunch on the porch so I could oversee the garden. Shrimps!
You can see the heliopsis clematis starting to creep up in the background. That is a monster plant and has been slow this year.
John brought me my latte this afternoon while I worked feverishly.
I got a slice of dried crack pineapple. Love that stuff.
Did a quick smokehouse trip to pick up some ground beef and pork. I have been missing meat for the last few days! John grilled up some burgers for dinner.
So tasty. I topped mine with the laughing cow and caramelized onions. Need to make more of those. Had a peach on the side. I am going to make some jam this weekend with the rest, hopefully.
I will be doing some soapmaking tonight:
This is black cherry, which I actually cannot stand! I have to make 25 pounds of it, too. But, that is money that gets socked away towards our Disney trip – yay!
The rain should clear out by tomorrow morning and that means long ride day!
Have a great weekend!
Hey Lori!!!
Running lost its rosy glow for me too. It just felt like i was beating myself up everytime i ran and that was just not a place i wanted to be. So now i walk and bike and if i’m feeling good i’ll break into a jog. Now i have put weight back on but i really think thats just a matter of needing to rein in my eating more. I exercise 5 days a week.
I wanted to ask you about those astilbes. Do they winter over well for you??? Do you cover them in winter??? Also those flowering bushes of your neighbors i do not beleive they are boxwood because i think they have pretty insignificant flowers if any. It doesn’t ring a bell with me as to what they are though. sorry. Being a garden center gal i should know…
This is the 2nd year I have had the Astilbes and I don’t have to cover them in winter because they get buried in snow! These were under several feet of snow for most of the winter. That is good cover 😀
I wasn’t sure about the bushes, but after doing some research, they do appear to be some type of boxwood, but a very old fashioned one. Not surprising at the age of the houses around here. The flowers are tiny and don’t last long, but smell very nice!
Lots of blooming going on. Love all the colourful flowers.
That dried pineapple rings looks so tasty. That is one of my favourite things, must pick some up at the market.
Enjoy your long ride and have a great weekend!!!
Your astilbes are gorgeous. I bought a pink one this year, but it looks kind of puny next to yours.
Mine actually aren’t that big. Not quite 2 feet tall. I think it is the angle of the picture. They are about 3 years old (I have had them for 2 and bought year old plants).
I am so happy to see that picture of the virginia spiderwort! I have some in my flowerbed that I had gotten from a lady giving plants away I never knew what it was called. Yeah now it has a name. I shall call her Virginia!
And seeing your dried pineapple ring reminded me I had bought one at the market. I just ate it Yum Yum!
It took me forever to find out what those spiderwort were. I didn’t like them at first because they spread like crazy and were all over the house when we moved in. Now they have grown on me.
Flowers look beautiful!
I love to get up early. I’m a morning person. Normally I get up at 5.30 am on weekdays and in weekends around 7.30 am. Now that I have a vacation I still get up at 7.30 am because that’s sleeping in for me 🙂
I love the saying on your breakfast plate! LOL!
Glad you had a better night’s sleep, Lori! Your garden is beautiful!
can’t wait to hear about your long ride! i am not motivated to ride because it is cold and foggy here at the coast. i hope it clears up. love your garden-very pretty!
My hubby & I have different hours too – he stays up late & gets up later….
Always love the garden pics – beautiful!
I am guessing you are going to the Florida Disney, not CA. If you come this way, would love to meet you! 😉
On the running, if you decide to take it up more, I highly recommend those Hoka shoes I got. They are an investment so best want to run for a while vs. not. I can’t believe how they have changed my life since the feet issues. Lori, honestly, I thought I was going to have to give up a lot of my workouts when they got really bad….
I love those astilbes – very pretty and unusual!
Looks good – especially the peach! While cutting the grass the other day I saw a peach pit that likely some squirrel had buried somewhere, and I’ve been craving a peach since! Peaches taste awful here at this time of year — but maybe I can snag a good one *somewhere*. Hmmmm.
Flowers look great too! It’s so easy to forget winter when the flowers are out! 😀
Dawn
PS I love the “sleep” plate! LOL
PSS You didn’t say the cake was GF!!!! Oh laa laaaaaaa! MMMMMMMM
Your breakfast looks great – did you post the recipe for that? That’s a great breakfast in my book!!
Love your garden photos! Gosh, those white astilbe look gorgeous against the green foliage. And I love the color of those argyranthemum.
I’m going to pop over to your post about running and comment over there.
Yum, that dried pineapple ring looks SO good! Dried pineapple tastes like candy. My husband always tells me to sleep in when he doesn’t have to work, and I’m thrilled if I can sleep past 7 or so. My body just wants to get up at 6–ugh.