After the Rain

 

I'm linking up with  Good, Random, Fun and Garden Affair

Birds

 We've had so many birds enjoying the garden lately...particularly the sunflowers and the grapes.

Often I will open the back door and step outside, only to find a dozen or more quail quickly scampering away. One day I grabbed my camera and snuck outside quietly so I could get a few photographs.

I also find birds under the grapevines with grapes in their mouths. 

Antoher day I was practicing my violin when I saw a swarm of red-winged blackbirds land in the garden. They don't visit the yard often, so I grabbed my camera and went outside.

Here are a couple other types of birds I see regularly...

I'm linking up with  Good, Random, Fun and Garden Affair

Random Things

 Even though we are in mid-October, there is still so much happening in the garden. We are expecting our first freeze this week and I'm sad to face saying goodbye to the dahlias, cosmos and zinnias which all still have buds blooms. I've been making so many bouquets  - for myself and for others - to try to use up and enjoy as many flowers as possible. 

Recently my girls and I dressed up and went out for "girls night out"...it was so much fun. 

We've also been treated to some pretty spectacular views of Mt. Hood lately. One on a hike and the other was the setting of our most recent gig. 

I'm linking up with  Good, Random, Fun and Garden Affair

Zinnias

 I've been along time fan of sunflowers

About 10 years ago I fell in love with dahlias

This summer...I fell in love with zinnias. These are all from my current garden.

I'm linking up with  Good, Random, Fun and Garden Affair

Sunflowers in the Garden

I'm back from a much needed blogging break...

The sunflowers in my garden are just spectacular. I'm always amazed that so much beauty can come from a simple seed. Some of sunflowers barely grow and produce tiny, delicate flowers. Others grow taller than my house and produce huge flowers and/or multiple flowers. One single stalk in my garden has over 20 blooms on it!

 

When I saw this particular sight one morning last week, I was struck by the fact that I wait all year for this exact sight. I save my seeds and dream about planting them all winter. In the spring I eagerly wait for the danger of frost to pass so I can plant. Once the seeds are planted, I check daily to see what growth may have occurred. And then when the plants start growing, I get so excited. Finally.... after months and months of dreaming, waiting and watching...I get to see them bloom!

Above is the sunflower and scarlett runner beans during the day

Below is the same scene on the same night at sunset

I'm linking up with  Good, Random, Fun and Garden Affair

Sunflower Sunday

 I love sunflowers and have been planting them from seed (I harvest and keep the seeds each year) for several years now. This year I had a hard time....I would plant the seeds and something (I'm guessing birds because the discarded shells were left behind) would dig them up.  I had a few volunteers grow on their own and those have started blooming. I had a few that I planted take root and those are getting big. Then I also started some in my green house and transplanted them outside in early June...those are the stragglers, but they are growing. Because of this unintentional staggering, I think I'll have a pretty steady sunflower bloom through fall. I'm kind of glad it worked out this way. 

here are the phases of this particular bloom..,

I'm linking up with  Good, Random, Fun and Garden Affair