Fickle Flowers

The daffodils have set seed now in the garden.  The tulips as well.  Purple balls of alliums stick up above the drying early flowers, the bees happily help with pollination.  And the iris.  The fickle flowers, lovely with their bib-like lapels, their colored beards, and uplifting petals.  I do not believe the flower lasts much more than a day. 

You just have to love the iris.  It's tuber sits close to the surface of the ground it is planted upon.  Hard clay, rocky assortment, loose loam - it does not seem to care.  It's tough tuber makes it through our hard winters with days and days of below-zero temperatures.  It tolerates a quick transplant from a gardener with too many things to do, too little time, and limited care on the outcome.  Iris continues to show me how tough a plant it is.  

Today, I looked out my window at the office and saw this yellow beauty.  Making a note; I will move this iris to a more secure place come fall!!  

We have a week of above normal temperatures in Wyoming.  The crepe paper orange poppies are about to burst forth out of their spiny round containers.  I love how this flower pops out, opening in its crinkled manner, leave fragile, purple pollen resplendent.  The bees come willingly as the petals fall, the pollen dries, and the woody fanciful seed pod stands proud and tall in the garden, fancying a baby's toy shaker, filled with seeds to trickle out of the clever holes the flower has left in the pod.  My my.  Nature is a miracle maker!! 

Take a minute.  Pause.  Notice the wonder of this blooming place around us. 

PS  Dear Friend Joe L:  I know you will read this, Oh Faithful Blog Follower!!  I regret we have not caught up with each other.  Hope you are well and staying cool for this hot, crazy summer!  

Barn Quilt #3

I needed a winter project last winter.  Of course, I wanted to make another barn quilt.  The problem with making one is that you really need to have a barn in mind to put it on when you are done. 

And so the process began.  

There is a lovely old barn - circa 1945 - in the east side of Jackson sitting within a park set aside by the Town for the enjoyment of many.  The west face of the barn was identified as the spot for a barn quilt.  I approached the local Jackson Hole Quilt Guild to see if they might be interested in funding this effort.  

After much to-do (what a bunch of snippy, penny-counting hags!), it was decided to move forward.  Lots of people donated money.  More money than will be needed, I am certain.  This is a whole story of its own and shameful enough that I shall not print it!

So, I started painting.  Mike put it together despite how painful it is on his knees and back.  He suffered, trust me.  

Yesterday was the big day to hang.  All went well, thanks to the help of Henry and Luca from the Walton Ranch, Jerry with the lift, Mike Bressler who swung by just at the right time to lend a hand, and a few others.  

Addie says, "it looks like jewelry on the barn!"  Great description!!