The Epic Saga of the Porch

Peach blossom!

Sorry it's been so long. That's apparently my theme now. But here comes our game of catch-up...!

Dan took a jackhammer to the cement slab of the porch (since the sledgehammer didn't do anything) and divided it into 13 huge pieces that were (just barely) moveable.

There was sand underneath the cement.

Elphaba supervised.

There was a lot of debris.

But don't worry! I rescued most of the plants!

Um, our entryway didn't have any support. Yikes! (Don't worry! Handyman Dan fixed it.)

Gasp! Wonder of wonders, there was an old stone staircase underneath all the cement, cinderblocks, and sand! How cool!

Isn't that spiffy? It was like finding a fossil in the front yard.

Dan and his dad reinforced the living room bay window bump-out. (The metal post that "supported" it before was just stuck into the ground. No concrete, nothing. REEEAL safe.)

Fast forward through many days and weeks of abysmal weather to yesterday: Dan and Garrett put down the flooring of the new deck!

Great picture.

And when they finished, they enjoyed their hard-earned relaxation.

Success!

On the garden front, I had wee small daffodils this year!

I love the burgundy layer when the hostas are coming up.

Dan trimmed the heck out of our newly discovered forsythia and threw the discarded branches on the burn pile, where I took this artsy picture of them.

As always, our magnolia was breathtaking!

Sweet little tulip-looking blooms!

Here are some of my Expatriated Irises.

It turns out there are THREE secret rosebushes in the side yard!

My lone tulip of the year.

My helleborus blew me away this year!

I thought my clematis might have died, but it's exceeding all expectations! Look at the fuzzy white new growth!

And even through all the hardship, I have TWO iris buds! I didn't think I'd get any this year since I was mean enough to move them and thus save their lives.

Actually, I got several tulips this year. But creepily enough, these bloomed without even making it out of the ground. *shudder* Super eerie.

I didn't think the peony tuber that I planted last year was going to do anything, and then this year it knocked my socks off by coming up and thriving! Let's keep going, Sarah Bernhardt!

I think this number is a columbine, but I can't be sure. It's on the other side of the fence, by the Secret Side Yard roses.

Isn't that what it looks like?

Some little violets that haven't made it into the ground yet.

Magnolia blossoms with leaves!

I just love the artsy shots.

My Comte de Chambourd rose, which I bought as a stem with a root last year at Home Depot. Looks good!

It even has a few buds!

Our pretty hedges are blooming. Too bad we'd rather tear them out than deal with them.

My sis with the newest pup in the family, alternately named Uno and Bandit. ;)

Isn't he sweet?!

We wore him OUT.

BLACKTHORN SANG ME HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! And I even got my picture with Fred, the keyboardist/percussionist/flutist. My sis and I have a crush on him.

Clearly, Uncle Dan is the best.

The fam!

Would a post be complete without D?! No, I say!

Daddy's girl.

Also Mama's girl. And sister's girl. haha

My new camera lets me take high-ISO pictures with no flash without taking forever to expose and thus producing huge blurs. I love it because now all my pictures of the girls don't make them look demonic.

Long cat! Look at her cute back paws.

A little bath.

Preparing for hunting camp

The Yellow Rebel has finally peeked out of the leaves and opened up! But it seems not to be doing quite as well as the Lucky Strikes. Hopefully it perks up.

Also, our hedges have started blooming! They're really pretty, but it's kind of hard to appreciate them when they're absolutely FULL of maple seedlings. Stupid maple trees, reproducing everywhere!

Blurry, but you can see a little better detail.

The Dynamite Light Blues are doing nicely. Such a pretty color! (I've pretty much given up on the lamb's ear. I think it's supposed to be an annual, anyway.)

My Dynamite Oranges aren't doing quite as well, but this one is pretty.

The dark purples and the violas are positively flourishing!

So are the Red Vista salvia. :)

Preview of Coming Attractions: So many tall stalks with buds on this patch of irises!

My little dahlias are coming up from the tubers I planted! They're technically dahlias, but they resemble daisies more than the traditional dahlia. I can't remember what they're called.

This little lisianthus is really very pretty. I'm glad it's doing so well, considering I bought it at the grocery store. ;)

A little blurry (the zoom is great on my camera, but my hands are a little unsteady), but these little Gerbera daisies don't seem to be getting the weird brown spots on the petals like their late brothers did. Knock on wood.

I really can't get enough of these dahlias! They're just so fabulous!

And here she is, the guest of honor: My purty iris!