Mona the Cat dangles her foot while trying to stay cool during our recent heatwave.
Moving a blog from one platform to another takes time. I dreaded working through this process, and now, I’m simply overwhelmed by it.
The list of required changes looms large on my list of lists. Days continue to pass by me but daily I’m trying to learn a new trick here at my new home while I’m still cleaning up over at the old blog.
A bloom on a Hypoestes phyllostachya (aka Polka Dot Plant).
Recently I’ve been collecting seeds for Milton’s Garden Menagerie and I’ve been taking notes on where to find more seeds in the coming weeks.
This Polka Dot Plant is a plant I grew from seed this past winter and I hope to collect its seeds in September.
(I just love this plant.)
Lilies in a friend’s garden in August.
Garden tour season is in full swing. I’ve been trying to get out to see more gardens but my physical therapy is taking up a lot of my time. (I cannot begin to express how much better I’m feeling after back surgery.)
Sometimes I’m amazed that I’m just seeing some gardens for the first time, but life has been keeping me busy these past few years.
Maurice the Cat trying to sleep through the heat.
My garden is still in the middle of a major redesign. As I remove plants that have underperformed for me—rather than shop for new ones to fill the space—I’m just enjoying the emptiness.
Zucchini Salad: fresh uncooked zucchini, fresh Italian parsley, olive oil, and a pinch of salt.
Recently, Paul Bonine of Xera Plants Inc invited us over for dinner and we had the pleasure of returning the invitation to him this past weekend.
It was terrifying to have him over because my garden is such a wild mess, but the conversations he and I had as we walked through my own urban jungle helped me so much.
I badly needed guidance.
(He brought me some seeds too.)
My breakfast in the garden à la John. Eggs fried in brown butter, polenta, and a side of prickly pear.
The next morning I awoke recharged and refreshed. I went out to the garden to weed and John made me breakfast with a side of prickly pear.
If you’re new (or a veteran) to this blog, you may not know that my oft-used online handle Ficurinia is Sicilian dialect for ‘prickly pear’.
It was his first prickly pear experience—and he like it.
Good to know since he married this Ficurinia 11 months ago today.
Amateur Bot-ann-ist 
Such a lovely stream of thoughts and photos. Glad you are feeling better, and happy 11 month anniversary! I really admire that you’re changing your blog over to another platform; seems like it would be so difficult. Yours looks great!
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Thanks so much for checking in with me! Switching over is always such a gamble since sometimes you lose readers but I’m hopeful that I’ll find new ones as I improve both how things look and work harder to include better content. We will see…
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I don’t envy the tech work. I’m a self-proclaimed computer illiterate. It’s a miracle I can even post several times a week.
I’m so excited to start following along as a newbie. It’s fun to see what’s happening in gardens in your own neck of the woods. Love the kitties, too.
Hope you’re able to make the tour this weekend. I’m nervous/anxious/neurotic/crazed as all get out, but I’m also super excited.
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I am notoriously bad about following along with blogs. Don’t hate me if I’m an on-again off-again reader. I just don’t have much time and am returning to work after a long absence. I’ll be doing the best I can though. Adjusting to all the change while be challenging. I hope more reading will help me feel more balanced again.
As for the tour this weekend, don’t worry about it! It will be great! Gardeners are wonderful folks.
Then again, my garden is not exactly a showplace, and I’ve never ACTUALLY had it on a tour, so I can truly only imagine how you’re feeling right now. I think of my place as more of a flophouse—both inside and out.
Looking forward to seeing you on Sunday!
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Looking good! I’m impressed. Wading through all the technical stuff has kept me from even changing themes. I was thrilled to see you show up in my comments, so perhaps being elusive gives you more cachet?
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Love the new blog (which I guess isn’t all that new but I just realized you’d moved with that comment you made to the FB group. Good to know you’re still at it.
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I am working on updating and getting things back together. Clearly I’m behind. Just realized I never responded to this, or maybe I did? Ugh.
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