Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop # 170 and The Birthday Boy

Pembroke Welsh Corgi ( Max)

Dear friends, Welcome back to the Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop! Our 170th round up of fabulous farmgirl soul food! Life has been a little nutty here ( in a good way )  hence the absence of last weeks hop, but we're on this week and Debbie and I are looking forward to catching up with all y'all!

 As for the latest at Dandelion House, we celebrated an important birthday this week! Our little boy ( Maxi-doo ) turned 6! We didn't embarrass him with a party hat or hang a pinata' stuffed with cookies  for him chew open, but, we DID take him to the beach so he could roll in some smelly things and eat seagull poop. Do we know our boy, or what? Can't imagine what we did without him all these years. Here's a peek at how he celebrated!

Deciding where to roll is serious business...One must tune his nose to the prevailing wind to find just the right spot, then once it's located the rolling can begin.

This must be what heaven is like for dogs.

Rolling in sand appears to bring on some sort of doggy delirium...

Followed by a state of utopia which unfortunately, only lasts until the next roll... But hey, he takes what he can get!

As for us, one look from these adoring eyes and we're mush.

Do you celebrate your 4-legged luv-bugs birthdays too?  Do tell!

Now it's your turn to link up and share some of that good old fashioned farmgirl soul-food.

 Are you harvesting, cookin' cannin' and cleanin' in preparation for the change of seasons?  

Share the harvest here!

Be sure to stop by Big Sky Acres to catch up with my co-hostess and "farmgirl in crime", Debbie too! ( aka Farmgirl Unleashed)! She's knee-deep in harvest season and cooking up a storm! YUM!
As always, we thank you for all you share at the Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop! 

Put Down Some Roots And BLOOM!

Love, Deb

Zinnias~ Brash or Beautiful?

 The zinnia is by far one of the boldest and brightest flowers you can grow in a cutting garden. 

These brazen-faced, hotheaded, self assertive and if I may, uppity flowers bring the heat and spice to a fading flowerbed quicker than many deep- rooted perennials and they last longer too, blooming right up until the first frost.

I'll admit, I'm a fan of their brightly lit petals and brash undertones.

What's not to love about the nervy and vivacious zinnia? 

They adore showing off in the garden and in the vase. And, the magnetic attraction between them and the local bees is something to behold.

They can't keep their fuzzy little bums away from them!

I planted several packets of Botanical Interest Cut and Come Again seeds in late spring in  our deep raised beds of 12 inches and we've had blooms since mid-July. We always get a very high germination rate with Botanical Interest seeds ( even the Heirloom varieties)! Love them!

 Zinnias give so much for the little care that they require. All they need to start a fiesta in your flower garden is good draining soil, ( rich in organic matter ) plenty of sunshine ( 6- 8 hours per day)  and steady doses of watering during germination. Once they've got their leaves give them a good drink every few days ( more water during severely hot weather) but don't over water. These cheeky blooms, like it HOT! 

Every garden needs a PARTY GIRL!

What do YOU think about this popular heirloom bloom? Brash or Beautiful?

SUMPTUOUS, SUNNY, SUNFLOWERS

Happy September! The absolute best month of the year in my book! 

 The last days of summer seem to be marching on to a steady beat and I'm doing all I can to slow it down a notch here at Dandelion House. Our girl has returned to High School for her junior year and the sounds of empty nest syndrome are banging loudly in my ears. In other words, it's darned quiet around here all of a sudden! I bet some of your homes have quieted as well. Truth be told, I don't mind the quiet. I actually prefer it. It gives me the time I need to dance to my own rhythms ( in between gigs of elder care, house cleaning, hubby time, and Max time). Yes, the order is somewhat jumbled, but that's the way things roll around here! I'm no hermit, but if I had to choose between a day at home, ( empty or not ) or a trip to the nearest two story mall for back to school shopping ( eh hem ) you can guess which one I'd pick! Besides, it's hard to stay out of the garden right now! There's still so much in bloom and more flower arrangements to be made before gardens are put to bed. Right now, my sunflowers are showing their cheery, yellow faces of happiness and glee and I can't get enough of them! 

Heirloom Lemon Queen Sunflowers are a delight for your garden, growing at a whopping 7 feet tall. The birds and bees love em and they add a splash of happiness to any kind of summer bouquet. Lemon Queen in front of even taller volunteer sunflowers next to the greenhouse.

 I decided to make a bouquet of all the different sunflowers I have in bloom at the moment with some ornamental grass plumes tucked in for added looseness and texture! Sunflowers tend to be a little floppy in the vase because their flower heads are so large, even the ones specifically for cutting but I like the way they kind of just hang there in their unpretentious beauty facing this -a- way and that- a- way. There's a confidence in sunflowers other flowers don't have!

They know they're perfect just like they are! So, if you're feeling a little droopy, because your house is suddenly empty and quiet, like mine let these sunflowers be a reminder to you that you're perfect just the way you are too! And, you're never alone when you grown in your own garden!

Keep bloomin'!

Love ya lots!

Deb