Flowers, Food

Heat, Color, and Making the World a Better Place

43 Comments

At last the rain has come, and the temperature has dropped to 75° Fahrenheit. A big relief. But the rest of the week was so hot and so uncomfortable that today I feel a little woozy, as though I’m recovering from the flu. We have no air conditioning in our house—in the past, we’ve never needed it—but if this hot trend continues, we might have to reconsider.

Though it was hot, we had our Fourth of July gathering. While we didn’t solve the problems of the world, we did have this luscious ice-cream cake that Alice made and brought. How good it was!

Despite the heat, my gardens are looking good. Most of my plants are very hardy, and I hand water when it is needed. As I’ve written previously, because we live in the woods, I’ve finally given up on the notion of having gardens with bursts of flowers. Instead, I’ve succumbed to hostas, which have their own quiet charm. However, as this picture indicate, there is a bit of yellow to liven up the green of the hostas.

And a few astilbes, too.

Out back, where there is a bit more sun, we have a little more color—some orange to go with the yellow, and I really like the way the flowers look against my blue fountain.

Here is a closer look at the lilies.

Finally, I want to let my blogging friends know how much I appreciate your understanding about why I feel down in the dumps about this country. Near or far, I feel as though I have found a group of kindred spirits, who, through your writing and your philosophy, make this world a better place.

Many, many thanks!

43 thoughts on “Heat, Color, and Making the World a Better Place”

  1. That cake looks yummy!!

    Glad that it’s finally cooled down some for you. We’re supposed to be in the 70s tomorrow too – very excited about it. Think we’ll take the girls for a nice hike – it’s been too hot to do much lately.

    Gardens are looking wonderful as always! 🙂

  3. I hope you’re feeling fine now. Hostas often have beautiful lily-like flowers when they are established and astilbes can be pretty spectacular too. Will foxgloves grow where you are? Some people might be wary of them because they are poisonous, but then many plants are if you were to eat them.

    My house has no air conditioning and the car’s is broken despite the efforts of three different garages. At least in our cooler (as a rule) climates, this heat shouldn’t really last many weeks longer. And I sympathise with your politics. Ours is pretty much as scary. Happy belated 4th July – it’s as much about the people as it is their leaders.

    2. Thanks! Haven’t tried foxgloves. So sorry about your politics. Yes, scary.

  4. So glad to hear the weather is a bit cooler Laurie and we hope you feel better soon 💜 Your garden looks lovely with the splashes of colour and we can all make the world a better place by sharing the light in our own creative ways 🤗💖🌞 xxx

    1. Today is beautiful! Even the powers that be can’t take that away from us.

  5. What a lovely garden. It’s in my garden I can find peace and rest from the rest of the world. I understand your frustration with a world that wants to fight, argue, and only think of themselves. I’ve found that the best way to change the world is by sharing love and kindness one thoughtful act at a time.

    1. Many thanks! Such a terrible time for this country, and it just keeps getting worse.

  7. Your yard is looking great, Laurie! These are the days we wait for in February.

    Stunning photos, especially the one of the fountain and lilies and – are they sundrops? Do I remember that Shannon gave you that fountain?

    And, finally, I also feel better when I hear people whom I know to be fine and good say they feel bad about the state of our country. It matters.

    1. Thanks, Jodie. The fountain was indeed a birthday present from Shannon as well as Mike, her husband, and our other daughter Dee. We have every right to feel upset as each year gets worse. But it is a great comfort to have such a wonderful group of blogging friends, which, of course, includes you.

    1. Sure is. Sigh. But you are so right about the garden being a haven of peace.

  10. The gardens hopefully provide a place of solace. Your gardens look wonderful and as a ‘shade garden enthusiast’, I can appreciate the texture and leaf design at the expense of blooms. As for the sadness and despair over the state of our country, I understand. We feel terrible grief right now and for the first time a real lack of confidence that better days are ahead. Everyday, Rick and I try and remind ourselves of the power of love and good intention with hopes that the ship will right itself and healthier times are out in front of us. Difficult right now, isn’t it? Thank you ( and Cliff) for being beacons during this rather dark time. There is solace in that, too. Be well, my friend.

    1. Yes, my shade gardens would be right up your alley. A very, very difficult time for our country, and it gets worse each year. I am so hoping that the fall elections will make a difference, but you never know. Sigh.

  11. I could really go for that ice cream cake. Garden looks great. Don’t despair, the future still has all kinds of possibilities – and we can’t know what comes next.

    1. The ice cream cake was delicious. Thanks for the words of encouragement. It is hard not to despair, but you are right.

  13. Your garden looks wonderful and I hope you’re feeling better with the cooler temperatures!🙂 I would love a month of weather like the last two days, but I’m hoping this nice break will help me deal with my attitude when the heat returns. Love your blue fountain!!🙂

    1. Thanks so much! Yes, definitively better with cooler temperatures. Perfect summer weather.

  14. I envy all shady gardens because we try so hard to get shrubs and trees to provide shade in summer…so your garden looks like a dream!

    1. So nice to have your perspective! You have made me look at my gardens in a different way. And maybe one day I’ll even stop longing for a cottage garden. 😉

  15. Isn’t the world a better place, now that the temps have cooled down?! I mean, politics are still awful and there’s bad news all around but at least we aren’t drowning in our own sweat–that helps my outlook a lot. If you continue to consider AC, I can heartily recommend just one simple window unit in one room–having a cool space to retreat to makes all the difference!

    1. Yes, that is what I was thinking about—one simple window unit. Next year. We definitely feel better now that it’s not as hot, but what a discouraging state of affairs in our country. Sigh.

  16. What a feast for heat-sore eyes! Those lilies are divinely fabulous. What a colour. And I really like your blue fountain.and the astilbe. And the stone cat. But I could really bite into that ice cream cake right now. We’ve been having hot weather too.

    1. Thanks, Cynthia. And I have noticed that we tend to have similar weather.

  17. I have never seen pretzels on an ice cream cake but I bet it was a terrific combination. I agree that gardens can be a great solace. Just remember the tenacity of the weeds. We will create the change we want to see in the world.

  18. Your garden looks so cool and green and I love the splashes of colour. We don’t have much shade near the house so we have been growing trees in the hope that by the time they are tall enough to provide shade we will still be here to revel in it!

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