A Walk Through Bloedel

"Come on in!" said the dragonfly with glee.

"Do you see what I see?"

"It's my buddy in a tree."
"Woof."

Then walk along to the swamp,
But tread quietly, don't stomp.
You don't want to wake them, no, no.
They're the aliens, they're waking. Oops, hello!

Then travel to the meadow,

where fields of golden grains grow.

Continue on to the garden so zen,
where you can relax, unwind, and
feel one with the earth again.

As you cross the boardwalk of sturdy planks,
observe the seed pods and plants
once called 'skunk cabbage,'
now 'swamp lantern,' we must chant.

As the tour concludes,
we look back and see the paths
we've taken and those we've crossed,
and we're thankful we didn't get lost :)


P.S. Don't worry, you won't get lost at the Bloedel Reserve!
All paths intersect paved walkways
and all of those walkways lead back to the main entrance.
Happy trails!

~Aerie-el

Wednesday Words - Garden Gluttony

The tagline for my summer so far:

Garden Gluttony...
the overindulgence, over-consumption of gardens or gardening.

Can one visit too many gardens?

Flowers in former WSU Extension Director garden


Woodland Park Zoo Horticultural Tour


Bloedel Gardens


View from one of many Whidbey Island gardens


Lake Wilderness Arboretum Gardens

Garden Gluttony...
Fault or asset?
You decide.

For other Wednesday Words, please visit Jen at Muddy Boot Dreams.

~Aerie-el

GBBD July - better late

I felt like a fish out of water on Wednesday.
I can't thank you enough for all your comments to my post that day -

they helped immensely!

We are doing okay, just waiting on more information.

I know this is a couple days late (it was supposed to be posted on July 15th for Garden Blogger Bloom Day, hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens), but I'm hoping you'll excuse my tardiness and still take a peak at what's blooming here now. There's just so much that I couldn't wait any longer to share some of it with you!

Here's a fun lavender surrounded by sedum.

Below are 4 photos of one hydrangea plant, with blooms in various stages...

I couldn't pass by this sweet little fleur without taking her photo...

I know. This rose is out of control and I love it!

There is a lot of native vegetation on the property, and here's a photo of one of them with tight buds that remind me a little (okay, hortheads, I know it's a stretch:) of Callicarpa (beautyberry).

Here it is again in bloom. Can you guess what plant this is?

Now into the vegetable garden area...
Here's a tangle of scarlet runner beans and sweet peas.

Is that a squash bloom I see peaking out between the leaves?

A few steps away, the woodland garden..
A little Ligularia 'przewalskii' and an airy Astilbe (I think its Astilbe japonica 'Europa') walked into a bar... (Never mind, unless you have a good punch line?)
The small evergreen tucked between them is variegated.
(click on any photo to see it bigger)
It is the result of a cutting I took in a garden where I was helping 'rescue' plants before the developer came in to clear the land.
Does anyone have an idea of what it might be?

A visitor to the field of Lychnis coronaria (rose campion).

And to end on a sunny, cheerful note, here is a Nasturtium 'Empress of India',
grown from Renee's Garden seeds.

Have a great weekend everyone!

~Aerie-el

All Torn Up and Inside Out

I'm all torn up and feel like my insides have been torn out...
waiting for answers, wondering what to do.

A piece of electronic equipment that my husband uses in his home office blew up and began spewing smoke over 24 hours ago. He unplugged it after a few minutes and took it outside because the room had filled with the smoke and fumes. About an hour later I walked into the office and got an immediate headache, it hurt to breathe, and my eyes burned and watered. It wasn't until then that he began to realize his lungs hurt, he had a headache, and wasn't feeling well. He called the manufacturer to ask if the chemicals in the smoke were toxic, how long they would remain in the room or house,
and how to speed up their removal.
The representative said he would call back our home number with the information.
My husband went to the Emergency Room.
He was released after some tests and being on oxygen.

I've called the manufacturer twice since then and haven't gotten the information. Once call went to voicemail where I left a detailed message and for the other call, I talked with someone who said our 'case was being handled' and then transferred me to a phone tree where I then sat on hold for over 5 minutes when I gave up and went about my day.

We've never had to retain a lawyer,
but I'm wondering if this is a time when we do?
I don't even know what type lawyer we'd need...
I'm so torn up about this, worried about our health and our pets' health,
and the safety of our home.

...

Skywatch Friday - fireworks and an eagle

I went on a tour of some beautiful gardens yesterday and have many photos from that to post. That will be another time because I wanted to first share some photos from July 4th.

The fireworks weren't as crazy, sustained, or intense as other years.
I think the economy may have affected that part of celebrating the holiday.

That was just fine with me. I worry about the eagles at the south end of our lake, especially since the juvenile has been testing it's wings,
preparing to leave the nest soon.
I was thankful to see the juvenile and an adult bald eagle on the nest
the next day eating some lunch.

I recently read in my camera user guide that
it has a special setting to take fireworks.
So I tried it out during the fireworks display around the lake here in unincorporated King County.
And that is how these pictures were taken,
no tripod, no special effects necessary.
(Click on any of the pictures to see them bigger.)

Happy summer!

More Skywatch Friday photos here.

~Aerie-el

Wednesday Words - Garden Sanctuary

(Click on the photo to see it bigger.)

See links to other 'Wednesday Words' at Muddy Boot Dreams.
Thanks, Jen, for hosting!

The photo above was taken at Lake Wilderness Arboretum in South King County. It's worth the drive to visit, especially if you visit on a Saturday (9-1) when the nursery is open for plant sales.

~Aerie-el

Happy Birthday USA

Cheers to the Red, White, and Blue,
and to all those who serve.

~Aerie-el