My African Foxglove are finally blooming. I have saved the seed for years now of this rare annual. I had begun to think that the few I had tucked into my narrow, overcrowded and slightly shady border would not bloom this year, but they did. So sweet they are. 

It is seed collecting time in the garden. I have zip lock bags filled with the seed of my pink morning glory,now intertwined and blooming with the Sweet Autumn Clematis, Datura, and Moonvine, which are all blooming so beautifully these cool moist evenings.

The Night Blooming Jasmine is also having a great year, putting out it's

third flush of fragrant little green flowers after dark. I did get to photograph it one rare morning when the blooms remained open after sunrise. As did this  moon flower. I was also enchanted by the dewy bud of tomorrow evenings bloom.

These are the little miracles I experience in my garden that remind me that the world is beautiful, in spite of the Grand Irrationality of the human world as corrupt structures implode for the purpose of renewal and growth. 

Soon these lush plants will succumb to the destruction of a hard frost, until then, I delight in the grace they add to my world. These night blooming wonders remind me of the magic that this world is truly made of.

Ike

You can't be suspicious of a tree, or accuse a bird or a squirrel of subversion or challenge the ideology of a violet.

Hal Borland

I gathered with the High Country Water media Society for a workshop on Daring Color with Ann Abgot.

It was great, no politics, beautiful weather.....and I produced my first still life. I removed myself from the stress of hurricanes and the state of the world.

Great works of art are never produced in a workshop, but so much is learned. You can see my notes scribbled in the sidelines. The drawing was done in a hurry, I need to learn so much more about shadows and backgrounds, but this workshop was a big growth spurt for me.

As always I am inspired by the workshops offered by this amazing group of artists. I am now inspired to look for little silver vases in the thrift shops. Ann does a great job of sharing her technique and is so worth attending her workshops if one gets a chance.
I did notice the people who had already worked through her book had an easier time putting the info into practice.

Finn hates workshop days. It is the only time I ever leave him in the house all alone for a full day.
I made up for it on Sunday and took him for a long morning swim at Wilson's Creek. No one there, the summer crowds are gone. Finn looked like a sea otter swimming in the clear cold water. The moss on the rocks in full bloom from last weeks rain added more beauty to the scene.

I tried to sketch while there but Finn kept shaking water onto the sketchbook after delivering his retrieved stick. He came home tired and very happy. I had the rest of the day to mow, do laundry and finish up the workshop painting.
I love weekends!

End of Summer Projects

Heather asked for a painting over a year ago.

I have mulled the concept over for the longest time.

Her daughter's middle name is Magnolia. She was born in North Carolina. I wanted to paint this one in honor of Miss Rowan Magnolia Boothby. A young girl dear to my heart. Heather has the most beautiful tattoo's of a Magnolia for her daughter and a Jack in the pulpit for her son Jack.

It is matted, framed and ready to send off to Iowa where they now live. Just in time for Heather's birthday.

I had a lot of fun with this one. Painting it on these beautiful rainy days we've had lately. Someday I will turn my Jack in the Pulpit sketches into a painting for Jack.

I have been painting and staining the shed, at last. Though I have been through several shades of red, and am about to try another. I just can't seem to get the right shade, very frustrating, but I must say it has even been a joy to spend the last two weekends up on the ladder, doing the work while listening to the crickets sing. It has been a quiet and peaceful endeavor and nothing makes me happier than making my garden beautiful. The Million dollar Red I tried last weekend is much to much!

I do want to wrap it up and build some shelves inside this weekend. I think I finally found a Moroccan Red color that is perfect...I hope. It is getting repetitive, two coats of primer and 3 coats of colors later. I feel the urge to get a lot of work done this fall. I am working on getting a new roof for the house. It is needed and I can match the color of the new tin roof to the roof of the shed.

I have some beautiful compost from all the leaves I collected in the fall, ready to mulch my beds with for winter. It is also time to get the bulb orders made for clients. People are asking for designs and I have a big fern and native woodland plant order coming in soon. We were just waiting for the rains to come.

Thanks to all the hurricanes it looks to be a beautiful fall coming up. The fall planting season begins! We have a lot to accomplish in the next few months. That's OK, we are ready.