Signs of Summer

My concern over a possible missing spring, as referenced in the directions accompanying the replacement spools of nylon line for my Craftsman Weedwacker, was allayed when I plugged in the battery pack this morning and the trimmer worked fine...

This really needed doing worse than I realized.  I could have baled hay...

So, I've done what passes for lawn mowing here and things do look a lot better...

I also trimmed a lot of dead out of this wild rose bush that grows at the corner of the deck...

I love what I thought were wild sweet peas, but see they are Yellow Banner Plant, Thermopsis rhombifolia, so trimmed around them.  I can't believe how quickly they've come and gone.  Everything here at this altitude has a very short lifespan to fit into the short growing season...

I made sun tea today with Celestial Seasonings Acai Mango Sweet Zinger Ice Tea...

...Isn't this a gorgeous color?  I didn't note that it was already sweetened with stevia and added more stevia when I had some for lunch.  Sweet!

When I was rummaging in the woodshed yesterday, I uncovered this wind chime I'd found at a thrift store some time last year and tucked away...

 ...It joins this bamboo chime I bought the first year I was here.  I tried dozens before I decided this one wouldn't annoy anyone.  It has a very gentle tone, but does have a tendency to get very tangled when the winds are strong.  I try to remember to just take it down during those times.

I also found my succulent wreath...artificial...that I bought at Goodwill last year for $2.99! 

 
Do you know how much each of these succulent plants costs at the thrift stores?  I was sure the person who priced this was not a craft store patron.  Some of these are taking on that strange turquoise hue some artificial greens turn when exposed to intense sunlight.  Next year, if this survives another summer, I might try to figure out a way to tone those down.  I'm not sure paint is the answer.  I'll have to experiment.  I've been looking for real hens and chicks for weeks in all of the garden centers and haven't found any.  They'll winter up here because I've seen them in plantings around some cabins.  I may have to ask for a starter plant.


It looks like summer to me, but NOAA is predicting a low of 38F degrees tonight and 35F degrees Sunday night with winds gusting between 24-26 mph.  I'll need a fire!   Teddee