"It is well to remember that the entire population of the universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." A.Holmes

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Thursday Tea In The Garden ~ Blue Bottle Herb Garden


Summer is here and it appears the extreme heat we're experiencing is here to stay until fall. I have been out working in my gardens early in the morning . I did not have tea in the garden, instead I had my morning coffee loaded with real cream. I remembered my garden hat too. I have suffered heat sickness far too many times in my life to risk being miserable simply because I forgot my hat.
 The morning is a good time in the herb garden. I have a bright blue umbrella to shade me and so much to watch as I sip coffee, tea, or cold beverages. My husband & I often read there together in the early evenings.
 I hung a little pocket of sedums on one of the blue bottle trees.
 The sage , lovage, and oregano are growing and ready to pick for yummy summer meals.
 My chives , transplants from my husband's father's garden many years ago, needed pruning. I've cleaned and chopped the prunings up for the freezer to plop into stews and soups later. The chives will grow up again soon for more fresh cuttings.
 This old chair sits at one of the gates to the garden and opens up into wet land where wildlife seems to thrive. Coyotes and raccoons also love to use this area as access to our poultry and livestock.
 Red squirrel helping herself to the sunflower seeds from the feeder we keep full. She appears to be a nursing mama and was not at all afraid of me. She ate seeds as I watered my herbs within a few feet of her.
 A little brown bunny ate herbs and fallen birdseed while I sipped my coffee. She was not afraid of me either.

" I myself have a coffee memory . It works best when fed large quantities of freshly roasted and ground caffeine. Early in the morning it's the only way it works at all. " A.J. Orde
 You might enjoy sipping your tea or coffee while visiting Judith *'s  Lavender Cottage Garden and for an enchanting armchair trip to England check out Nib's End *. 

20 comments:

Sandra said...

Lovely garden !!!

Deb said...

Hi Kathy, Everything looks so lush and beautiful there. What gorgeous gardens you have. I'm so glad you don't mind the squirrels. So many people seem to hate them in their gardens. I have a new family of chipmunks living on our property right near the mouse-house. They come out of the log pile many times throughout the day for a snack. :)Pretty cute.
Now, about that tea-cup. Tell us all about it. I think it is the most beautiful I have ever seen. hugs, Deb

Anonymous said...

Your blue bottle garden is so pretty. I love the pocket of sedums and the herbs are lovely. Such a pretty cup for your coffee/cream; that's the way I like coffee too! Wishing you a wonderful weekend. xo

Seawashed said...

Your herb garden is so beautiful. I am glad that you are careful in the heat. I had a heat stroke when I was 20 yrs old. I was on my college rowing team and extremely fit but I was biking in the mountains in 102 temp. My parents did not take me to the hospital so it damaged my health for the rest of my life. As I get older, it gets even more difficult. So I have to stay indoors most of the Summer season. It is 100 today and we are in a heat wave of triple digits for the next week.

PS my daughter loves the wool from your precious sheep that I recently purchased from your etsy shop. It was the perfect gift to give her. Thank you.

joanne said...

it calms my spirit just looking at your beautiful garden. How lovely it must be in the morning dew, so serene. This heat has taken a toll on most of the things I had planted this year and it sounds as if it is here to stay. I need to find a shady place to plant a bottle tree and a fountain for some peace and quiet. thanks for sharing.

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

I see a blue/aqua theme in your garden this week Kathy - I think those bottle trees are so cool looking.
Cheeky squirrels are either trying to eat all the seed from the feeders or lately they've been tearing up my one fairy garden. On the other hand I saw two cute baby squirrels today chasing each other and rolling around on the ground together.
It looks like a cozy place to sit in the shade at your table and perhaps you should keep using the new teacup for a while as it's so pretty.
Happy Gardening!

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

I just love your garden Kathy. It all is so lovely. It is so miserable down here with the heat and humidity. I stepped out early this morning and it already felt like a sauna. :-(

I wear a nice big straw hat and it really helps.

Have a nice day and a lovely weekend.

FlowerLady

P.S. I love your cup and saucer.

Debbie said...

You're experiencing a heat wave like we had 2 years ago. Although your yards look pretty green. We are in the wet stages, and get some rain or at least cloudiness every day. I like this better than drought! I too loaded up my coffee with cream this morning and would have enjoyed some time on the patio except that it keeps looking like rain and the radar shows it's coming. Again. Still, it's July. And if we weren't getting rain we'd be getting heat. We haven't had to water anything this year so far. I really enjoy my bunnies and squirrels. We have the reddish brown squirrels you've seen pics of. They seem more tame than most species and actually get too friendly when I'm eating on the patio. I take out peanut butter and bread and toss it a distance away to get rid of them. Even the chipmunks are bold! This summer is going so quickly! My lilies are blooming but a little waterlogged. I still haven't gotten any container plants. Not eager to pot in the mud! :D

Theresa said...

Love that chair and I could sit there and have my morning coffee:) Enjoy your day dear friend, HUGS!

Cinderella Moments said...

I love that beautiful bird cup. Your garden is amazing. It must keep you so busy. What a wonderful escape! It's very romantic!
hugs♥,
Caroline

Connie said...

I love your blue bottle tree, Kathy. Your garden is lovely, and I enjoyed reading about the scene in front of you.

L. D. said...

Living with class I would say. It made me want to go out and have coffee in my yard. I just put the cushions out yesterday and things are starting to bloom. You have created a wonderful garden area with all your great things. I am going to have coffee with ice cream for sure but I don't have a cute cup like you do. I have a mug with a chicken on it and that might do for a guy anyway.

Thistle Cove Farm said...

Kathy, the heat here has been brutal...until Fri Thur or Fri when violent storms blew through. Fri night was especially horrible...winds. rain blew so hard it blew through the clapboards! Yesterday, more violent rain and wind. This morning it was 55 and has stayed coolish all day. In fact, it felt like Autumn...you know those brilliantly beautiful coolish, sunny days with a "remembrance" of cold? I've been walking around the farm simply in awe of God's beauty.
Coffee with real cream...actually, cafe au lait because, seriously, is there anything better in the morning? Mostly not, I think.
Your cup and saucer are beautiful and, I imagine, add so much pleasure to your morning ritual.

Stella Jones said...

Sounds delightful Kathy. All those little animals to watch. Here it is mostly cats and birds but still fascinating. We have such a short summer here in England that we need to make the most of it. Tea in the garden is always lovely and I'm sure you do it as often as you can.
Your china is delightful. Do you like hats? I do and nearly every summer I buy a new one in the hope I will get to use it, ha ha
Tomorrow we are expecting a heatwave here. Soon we shall all be moaning that it's too hot!

Magali@TheLittleWhiteHouse said...

Your hat matches your teacup! How perfect!

Lady Jane said...

Love your gardens. Love the bottles. Once in a while I put a lot of cream in my coffee but usually I use 1 or 2%. I am praying you are not near any fires and for all the people in Washington. Crazy weather everywhere. Hugs, LJ

Paula said...

Everything looks beautiful around your place, Kathy!!! And I LOVE that gorgeous blue hat!! *squeee*

Yesteryear Embroideries said...

No wonder the creatures are not afraid to be there with you.......it such a lovely haven.......so inviting! I love all of your garden sprouts and your lovely bottle trees!

aspiritofsimplicity said...

that is one flexible squirrel. I love your bird teacup.

Marilyn Miller said...

Lovely garden, I will have tea please.