Welcome to the last Friday of July where we are joining our friends and hosts, Rosy, sister Sunny and her two brothers at LLB in Our Backyard. Norman here, ready to share some bits and bobs from our our neighborhood. Mum tried very hard to get me to pose alone around several pretties but I wanted nothing to do with that. I thought she was off her trolley, I tell you. What self-respecting sheepdog fannies about among the flowers?
Anyway, I did pose with the Ninja at a spot that makes an otherwise bleak corner light pole look pretty “tickety boo.” You can’t even see the well worn pole at the lower sections and those flowers seem to keep the squirrels from climbing up and barking at us. What do you think? I mean come on…those Cosmos and morning glories.
Mum has always been fascinated with bugs. While I’m always good for a crunchy treat with legs, I’m just not sure what it is about those webby things some of them make. Mum doesn’t mind the bugs, but when she encounters their webs she starts flailing her arms around like a windmill screeching like a banshee. Whenever she turns on the water, she always uses a stick to wipe their houses away from the handle. Seems a bit harsh to me. Mums…what can I say? I mean look at those droplets clinging to the web…is that cool? Almost looks like an umbrella over some of the woodruff.
Everyday we walk past a house with a lovely garden and handsome Akita dog. This week a beautiful Asiatic Lily that has been in bloom but alas we haven’t seen Fred much lately and hope he’s just hanging out inside where it’s much cooler. We oohed and awed when we saw this lovely and couldn’t help but linger inhaling its divine scent. What a beauty [note to self, don’t rub one’s face against those orangy stamens, they stain and require lots of face washing by an overly zealous mum who demands clean faces]
The plumbago in mum’s garden is beginning to bloom and that blue sure spiffs it up. Soon though the leaves will begin morphing into gorgeous mahogany-toned leaves just in time for autumn which mum asked me to be sure and remind everyone will arrive in the Northern Hemisphere in 52 days. Guess all you sunlovers better make hay while the sun shines, eh?
The last thing to share is a plant mum grew from some long expired seeds a few years ago. She can’t remember what they’re called and she’s a bit surprised they returned again since Nature has been a bit cranky on the landscape with a dry, cold winter, late spring freezes and a blistering hot summer. When she saw this reappeared, she’s begun babying it so we’ll see if it continues to thrive or go roots up. Anyone know what it is? Mum thought maybe some sort of mallow but wasn’t sure but said some of you are quite clever with flower names so I thought I’d take a chance and ask.
That’s about it from me. Mum said it won’t be quite as hot in the first week of August (egad, seriously…August?) We hope you have a great weekend and are able to enjoy some great summertime weather and fun while checking out the many wonders of nature. Pip, pip…have a good weekend.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Excellent ! I have a Plumbago and now, having seen yours, I know what it is supposed to look like. Still it is winter here so I am looking forward to seeing it bloom in the spring- On the subject of blooming – the Almond tree is really blooming – pink and white – mostly white.
How exciting! Plumbago is my favorite ground cover. It’s a late bloomer, but the blue blooms are so worth it. And in late summer/early autumn the leaves turns a gorgeous mahogany.
Nice pose, norm! You forgot your mask and your social distancing tho. Cheerio!
Awk! Maybe that’s why they were so reluctant to pose next to each other. 😷
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Looks great!! Thanks for sharing!!
Our pleasure. And thanks for swinging by the Ranch. We 💙 visitors.
You’re too handsome, Norman! You make the purple flowers look prettier! Awesome spider web. Thanks to you and your Mum for posting such beauty on a constant basis.
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Thank you. Appreciate your kind words.
I was going to say, I think autumn is already here. Upper 70’s/Low 80’s all week, and a few morning flirting with the 50’s! That definitely feels like fall after a month and a half of heat indexes in the four digits…
#Paradise!
Beautiful photos!
Many thanks! Have a great rest of the weekend.
Beautiful flowers! Thanks for posting!
I didn’t know you were Canadian, eh.
Since the pandemic lay-off, I’ve been helping Lee around the house as he recreates a beautiful landscaped lawn and flower bed. I am excited that for the first time in my life, I have truly started to enjoy having my hands in the dirt LOL Your flowers are gorgeous and I am just now learning how to appreciate their beauty.
Thanks. Gardening is ever so therapeutic and rewarding. A day getting your hands dirty is a good day. Have a great weekend!
Loved seeing all the nature and blooms…and the two fourlegged blooms, too, BOL!
Your unknown bloom, that might be a Rose of Sharon, or a small hibiscus type?? If its a R of S, it will eventually become a nice pretty shrub.(I tried to grow one here, but it didn’t like our proffered conditions of sandy soil and too many walnut trees…and prolly a bad season of drought at that time …or maybe a harsh winter, Its been too long…anything that does well here has to be native or in pots…or you need to have all your time spent tending to the soil and bug control, etc, etc.
Thanks; mum does know it’s definitely not a Rose of Sharon (she’s had those in the past) but can see how you might think it. It only gets about 10-12″ tall and now bush-like at all. Her plant finder app was not helpful saying it was some sort of mallow but the plants they showed didn’t look like it. Oh well, she’s calling it ‘mystery purple plant’ and leaving it at that! 🙂 Have a great weekend.
Beautiful flowers, dog, and spider’s web
That Asiatic lily is amazing!!! And you two look so nice posing in front of those morning glories and cosmos. That’s a great shot.
Mom hates bugs too and every time she goes out the front door she feels like there is a web crossing her path even if she can’t see it. BTW, Timber caught a live cicada flying past his mouth today when he was out walking with Mom. The silly bug kept making all that chattering noise inside T’s mouth. Mom told Timber to leave it and the good dog just dropped it.
Woos – Lightning, Misty, and Timber
😲 that’s amazing he dropped the cicada! Good dog.
Asiatic lilies are gorgeous and are heavenly scented. Have a super weekend with the fur babies.
Don’t mind spiders or bugs (mostly) but webs….gah!
Beautiful flower pics. Keep them coming!
Thanks. Will keep posting so long as they keep blooming! Have a great weekend.
Mee-yow WOW Norman an Elsa such beeuteefull flowerss all over THE place!!
Wee love yore mistyery purpell flowerss….they are lovelee too.
An youss look ‘snazzy’ inn yore bandanass…(LadyMew just typed bananass! Guud thing mee cott that typoh!)
Wishin youss’ an Miss Monika a wunderfull weekend…..
***purrss*** BellaDharma an ((huggiess)) LadyMew
Thanks sweet kitty. We’re glad you liked the flowers this week! Hope you have a great weekend.
Such a pleasure to see those photographs…and many thanks tothe garden expert too.
His (and our) pleasure. We need more beauty in the world and I’ve discovered much of it on ordinary walks that turn extraordinary. Have a great weekend, Helen.
Lucy: That is a beautiful picture of you with the flowers on the pole and with Elsa. It looks like you are happy and smiling.
Xena: Your Mom wouldn’t want to take care of me if she can’t stand a dirty face. My beard gets crunchy every day because of my diet.
My mum would probably keep a wet cloth in her back pocket, Xena. 😂
Your fur-iend,
Norman
who’s prettier, you two or the flowers… (you two are)
Aww…gee…we’re blushing. Thanks! Have a lovely floral background helps 😍
You narrated us through this plush gallery like a pro, Norm.
Happy Friday to the gang.
Thanks and happy right back atcha!
Salud!
Thank you for the lovely stroll, Norman. The cosmos and morning glories were my favorite.
Glad you found something you liked. Mum planted Cosmos once and they went crazy so she’s a bit terrified of planting anything with their seeds in them. Too bad, because they always include them in wildflower packs which she really likes. Oh well. 😊 Happy weekend. Stay cool.
I had the same experience with 4 O’clocks. Happy weekend, Norman. Cool is relative these days but I’ll try. 😁
The biggest problem with cosmos were they were like small trees and the ‘trunks’ were a bear to remove. I’ll have to remember that aspect on Four O’Clocks since I have toyed with planting some in my garden. Thanks! On the plus side, there’s only 51 days until autumn arrives. 😉
Yes that is true about autumn. The only thing worth planting now is cabbage. (Okay brussel sprouts too.)
That was a lovely tour. Thank you very much. I especially loved the webby thing with the droplets. So cool!
Hope August (what? Already?) is much cooler…
Thanks for going on tour with us! Yeah, the word August is never uttered with “cooler” around here. Not only hot, but this is the month annoying flies realize they have a limited shelf life and literally ‘bug’ you to pieces. Where are those spiders when you need them, then?
Thanks, Mum has cleaned off that faucet several times this summer. And never have seen a spider. What’s up with that? #phantomspider
Oh my goodness Norman, what beautiful and interesting nature finds this week! I really like the webby faucet and the flowers you found were soooo pretty!!
Lovely pics! One of our favorite neighborhood dogs we walk by is a beautiful Akita too! Mostly black but with striking white socks on those big feets!
Fred is a handsome and super furry boy. He’s also mostly black but a real sweetheart even if Elsa doesn’t share that same opinion and always tries to stir up a dustup. 😇 Luckily everyone responds well to the treats I always carry.
Awww…Fred!
I know. Is that a ‘pawfect’ name or what? 😊
Beautiful flowers!
Thanks. Toward the end of summer things get a big bedraggled. Still hope the monsoons plan on making an appearance or three. 😉
August gets straggly for us here. June and early July are usually the most lush although this year we had a lot of rain early on and things are looking good.
Lucky your. By August things start to turn crunchy brown.
Thank you for that post, I really enjoyed it.
Thank you for swinging by. We always welcome visitors!
You two look so happy! Beautiful photos, you have many plants we don’t know. So true, tomorrow is August, who can believe it. Finally we had a sunny day here!
Hugs,
Kosmo
The plants here must deal with intense sun (due to our mile high altitude) while managing to survive with much less rain. It’s hard to fathom August is soon upon us. Only 52 days until Autumn arrives but we are ready for it even if it means winter will follow. Have a great weekend, Kosmo.
Thank you, my friend.
Hyvä viikonloppu, Kosmo. 🥰
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Great post Norman! I am with your Mom as far as the webs go!! They make me dance and go crazy too!
Glad you posed for a picture, you and your sister look pawfect! 🙂
Have a wonderful weekend! Stay COOL!
Thank you. Mum never puts that stupid camera down; I just want to be a dignified dog without posing.
LOL! Awh! But you bring smiles to us all! You are a very patient dog.
You know us stiff upper lipped Brits. We always manage to slog through whatever presents itself to us. 😉
Very true! You are a true Brit, eh! 🙂
Beautiful flowers!
Thanks; Even though many things are pretty parched, there are a few flowers that continue to make me enjoy the intense sun.
You two are so cute. Love all the beautiful flowers and love that wet spiderweb. Aren’t they amazing? The web, not the spider.
Have a woof woof day and weekend. My best to your wonderful mom. ♥
Yes! Webs are so very cool…but when they’re inhabited, awwwwkkkk! Happy weekend.