Tiny Tuesday : : Summer

The high pressure front (or ridge or whatever it is) has moved and the marine layer is once again allowed in to act as natural air conditioning. It was foggy and cool this morning and damp enough to activate my windshield wipers this morning as I made an early morning run into town. By the time I got home and we finished walking the dogs, the sun was out, but not brutally hot as it has been. I have put a picture of a man at last week's graduation with an ingenious solar powered (the flat white thing on top) fan hat especially for you, Hare Brain.

I took a break from crawling around the office floor where I have laid out the tee shirt quilt,  to check out the garden for seasonal possibilities.There is rampant growth everywhere. The roses are blooming for the second time, the cana lilies in the sun are loaded with orange flowers, while the ones three feet away in the shadow of the eaves have yet to blossom.  Their green and red striped leaves are almost more colorful than the flowers.Cutting off the spent blossoms of the bird of paradise (Strelitzia) is almost a daliy task.

OilMan and I are both whacking back the oregano in the herb garden so it doesn't overwhelm the tarragon and the purple petunias are threatening the apricot colored ones. I've managed a reprieve for the moment for the borage which OilMan hates. It would seem that he dislikes furry plants. 

OilMan did hours of research on something called "red mulch", which looks like reddish plastic to me, but it certainly does seem to be working for the tomato plants. I can almost see them growing. They are taller than me and full of yellow blossoms and green tomatoes. The dahlias are blooming and the zinnias will be out very soon. 

All this exuberant growth certainly indicates the season, but is hardly macro. My attention was caught, however, by the leaves of the gigantic sunflower plant which sprang unbidden from one of the veggie beds. I would have needed a ladder to shoot the flower, but the birds seem to like the leaves almost as much as the seeds and created a nice lacy effect. It's not exactly macro, but around here, 'macro' and 'summer weather just don't go together.