Strike Up The Band!

Did you know that Carolyn Gail at  Sweet Home and Garden Chicago
hosts a meme on the first day of each month?

Garden Bloggers' Muse Day!
Visit her site to see her post and those of other participants.

(The first few performers assemble)

So... Strike Up The Band - There's Music at hand!


We're all
in a group
where we'll watch this fine troupe
Perform
when they're finally gathered!

They give
a fine show
Once-a-week and you'd know
our town's
small enough for tradition!

Yes there's
homemade ice cream,
children laugh, dance, and twirl ---
And we
end with the National Anthem!

All's there
from a March
to an Air, and we clap
along with
the Sousa! D'you wish you were here?


by Yours Truly

This is our Municipal Band that plays for several weeks during the summer. The participants are local musicians; a few professionals, a few that play for "the fun of it," a few that have brought their old high school/college instrument back out of the closet, and a few high school students. There's always one Monday night, two-hour practice and the Tuesday night concert! A very enjoyable tradition.

This post is the property of http://yardisgreen.blogspot.com and cannot be copied.

ABC Meme - X = Exciting!

A Dear Blogging Friend shared her eXpertise with me recently!

Look at this --- a "Mouse-Over!"

One photo shows Heirloom Green Beans
The other photo shows "Mattie" Phlox from Aunt MEA

So... run your Mouse over the Photograph!



What do you think??

This was an eXciting eXperiment! The photos had to be eXactly the same size and shape... I'm going to see if I can figure out the code to be able to do this myself!! (Maybe I'm not eXpert enough?) We'll see.

Shady? No... but I'm eXperientially yours...
Shady G~


Now! You may enjoy reading other posts dealing with the letter 'X.' If so, click on the logo below:

ABC Meme - W for Wildflowers & Wildflower Wednesday!

Wildflower Wednesday
initiated by Gail at Clay and Limestone!
Click her link above to visit -
Her meme works well with ABC Wednesday's "W" week!

and

ABC Wednesday Challenge is in its 8th round. Wouldn't you like to see what other people are posting (besides me!)?? Click on the logo above.

Wildflowers, as designated here, would be those you'd find on a prairie.

So, with that in mind, we'll see what I found in Mr. Shady's prairie !
Most photos will enlarge with a "Click!"

Okay! I'm sorry. I'm going to apologize ahead of time... In order to try to make my photos larger, I "stretched" them while creating the post. This process has changed their visual acuity. I'm sorry... I won't do it again! :-(

Common Milkweed (center)
surrounded by Purple Coneflower Echinacea purpurea
and tall Gray-headed Coneflower Ratibida pinnata
(sunflower family)behind.

Gray-headed Coneflower begins to blossom.

These photos have been taken at various times over the past three years, using either of two digital cameras.

Predominately Purple Coneflower Echinacia purpurea

Oh! Look out for the Wild Parsnip Pastinaca sativa! Tall plants with yellow "dill like" flowers.
They are nasty! Touch one when it's blooming and you may wish you hadn't!!! Non-native.

Purple Coneflower with white Daisy Fleabane

Poor quality photo, but I think this is
Common St. John's-Wort Hypericum perforatum
-- does it also look as though there's some
Yellow Sweet Clover Melilotus officinalis?

Butterfly Milkweed Asclepias tuberose with Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta (sunflower family) and Daisy Fleabane Erigerone strigosus (small white flowers with yellow centers)

Great Spangled Fritillary (butterfly) on a Pale Purple Coneflower
(a sad specimen) Echinacea pallida (Aster family)!

Wild Bergamot Monarda fistulosa
(mint family) also called horsemint or bee balm

Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta with
(white) Daisy Fleabane Erigeron strigosus (Aster family)

Common Milkweed Asclepias syriaca

Deptford Pink Dianthus armeria (Pink family)

Queen Anne's Lace Daucus carota (parsley family)
also called Wild carrot.
This was introduced from Europe and is often considered a weed.
A close-up of an unusually colorful one!

Snagged again!!! (One way to broadcast seed!)

Showy Partridge Pea Chamaecrista fasciculata;
also Cassia chamaecrista

Great Spangled Fritillary (butterfly) on Thistle

Yes, it's a thistle... but isn't it pretty?
Pasture Thistle Cirsium discolor (Aster family)

Do you think this is Maximilian Sunflower?
Helianthus maximiliani

Black Swallowtail approaching Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea (Aster family)

Tall Cinquefoil Potentilla arguta (Rose family)


Great Spangled Fritillary - looks like it's making the rounds!

Monarch enters the competition

Would you argue with this fellow?

Me, neither!

Don't know how the Wild Rose sneaked into the prairie.
This photo was taken July 5, 2009. Wonder if they're still there?

Wild Prairie Rose
Rosa pratincola

The Iowa Legislature designated the Wild Rose as the official state flower in 1897. It was chosen for the honor because it was one of the decorations used on the silver service which the state presented to the battleship USS Iowa that same year. Although no particular species of the flower was designated by the Legislature, the Wild Prairie Rose (Rosa Pratincola) is most often cited as the official flower. Wild roses are found throughout the state and bloom from June through late summer. The flower, in varying shades of pink, is set off by many yellow stamens in the center. (Information taken from this site.)

Prairie Smoke - Geum triflorum
(two photos below)
This is in front of our house.
It was a gift from my Aunt MEA, gardener extraordinaire! :-)

Her original plant was dug from a prairie area alongside the road, quite a number of years ago!

That's All Folks!
Not a bit of shade here, today! ;-)

Father's Day!

To all Fathers:

We may not shower him with praise

Nor mention his name in song,
And sometimes it seems that we forget
The joy he spreads as he goes along,
But it doesn’t mean that we don’t know
The wonderful role that he has had.
And away down deep in every heart
There’s a place that is just for Dad.....

Author Unknown

In memory
and with great memories!

*photo taken from Adirondack Chairs online store (I've never used this site...)

Wordless Wednesday - Arum Italicum

June 3, 2011

ABC Wed - Vat You Vant?

I experienced a Venturesome moment a couple of months ago.

After receiving an e-mail seeking Volunteers,

on behalf of our local Art Association for our local First Friday Art Walk,



to create (or re-create) the "common garden chair."

Might I Vaunt?

I immediately Vowed to participate in a timely fashion;
presenting not one, but two garden chairs!

Voila!

It was a Vista, if I may be Veracious,















aided by Veritable childhood memories,















by which these designs were enVisioned. :-)

Whoever purchases these chairs at the end of the summer should remove
the fake flowers and plant something that will be better enjoyed.

The chairs are named...

"Sister Chairs . . . . . . But Not Quite Twins"

"Sisters ... Sisters ..."
from White Christmas
starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen
(YouTube video)

Do not Vacillate. Which chair do you like better?

You could also participate in the ABC Wednesday Challenge meme. Click the link below to view other posts!