A Little Piece of Sunshine

Dear Sisters,

Can you believe it’s the middle of August already? Where has summer gone? I feel like I say that every year come this time. If August was named after a color I reckon she’d be called yellow, don’t you? The rays of the August sun bring a brightness equivalent to the most brilliant yellow and a mellowness of the palest golden yellow of fresh churned butter. No, I haven’t taken up churning butter but I did go on a hunt for a little piece of sunshine to share with you! I think you’ll like what I found!

If you’ve been with me for a while it’s probably become pretty obvious that I don’t stray too far from home that often.  I LOVE being at home ( in my garden and at the beach ) those are my happy places, my little pieces of sunshine. Right now my dahlias and zinnias are putting on a show and I’ve been working on a couple of pieces of furniture for when I restock at Burlap and Bling ( my booth at Main Street Antiques in Plymouth, MA.) Nothing too hurried as I’m still soaking in the lazy days of summer but, I’m beginning to smell a change in the air and my ole E.S.P. is telling me we are going to have an early fall this year. I’m not quite in nesting mode yet, but it’s a comin’! In the meantime there’s still some summer sun ( and fun ) to be had!

Out in the cut flower garden my zinnias are standing tall reaching for every ray of sun they can get. I grew a mixed variety of Rene’s Garden Seed Zinnias this year and I love them all.

Cactus Flowered Zinnia

The cactus flowered zinnias come in a rainbow of bright colors and are fabulous for cutting. Growing 3-4 feet tall on sturdy stems they make a delicious colorful splash in the garden come mid August and will continue to flower until frost.

Check out the pollen sacks on this busy bee below. I don’t know that I’ve got the time or the inclination to become a bee keeper along with everything else I do but it makes me feel good that the bees come to fill up at Dandelion House. Just look at those saddle bags on that honey bee!

” Benarya” Giant Zinnias are just as lively and colorful and the petals are somewhat wider than the cactus variety. They come in 12 bold colors and fill a vase just beautifully.

This gorgeous hot pink blossom is from the Raggedy Anne Collection.

Cut and Come Again Zinnias are an old fashioned favorite in many gardens. The more you cut them the more they bloom! Isn’t this one the prettiest shade of peachy-pink you’ve ever seen?

I don’t know what the name is for this cute candy striped zinnia. Just look how similar the colors are to this dahlia!

See that patch of red  petals at the bottom of the flower? This is a color mutation that can happen with flowers. When the conditions are right, just a slight change in the DNA structure can result in an unusual bloom like this one! I think it’s purty!

And here’s another blossom from the same plant but the petal pattern is in reverse. Isn’t it amazing? Here’s a few more of my mid August garden stars! Forgive, me I don’t have my dahlia plant list together. I just get so excited come planting time that I haven’t gotten around to writing them all down yet!

I’m just mesmerized by the dahlia. Did you know they are native to Mexico and began as a single petal flower? Much like the one below I imagine.

My garden brings me a lot of little pieces of sunshine each and every time I go out to work, weed and wonder in it! My little luv bug Max brings his own brand of canine sunshine to my world. He’s always by my side, inside and out ready to play, nap, and so full of love.

My girls and I cluck back and forth when I’m outside too! I wish I could let them free range, but they are much safer inside their roomy run. This corner of the run is where I toss in chicken treats for them.

Before I go, I have to share my latest furniture find with you! This night stand was given to me by a friend a few years back. I just needed some inspiration for moving forward on her makeover! All it took was one look at the soft, buttery yellow of the color Arles from Annie Sloan’s decorative Paint line and I knew what she needed! Ya ready?

BEFORE~

AFTER!

This little piece of sunshine is headed to my booth ( Burlap and Bling ) today!

I don’t think a farmgirl needs a BIG HUGE LIFE to be happy, content, and satisfied. Give us someone to love, ( two legged and four legged ) wholesome food, a cozy home, some good dirt to grow in and a place to strut our stuff now and then and that’s some good livin’ in our book. As long as our hearts are full, our loved ones cared for and our hands are busy life is GOOD! Right sisters?

Until our next shoreline visit, I’m wishing you time to enjoy your little pieces of sunshine too!

BEACH BLESSINGS and SUNSHINE!

Much Love,

Sister Deb # 1199

  1. Adrienne says:

    That is indeed a very happy place and your colorful flowers love the attention from the sun, rain and you. The New England admonition of "Provide, provide" is in full swing for you, I bet: planning for fall and winter, canning veggies and fruit, and preparing for the holidays (yep, Halloween is coming sooner than expected followed by Thanksgiving and Christmas). This year, Hannukah begins on Thanksgiving, bringing another reason for gatherings of family and friends. Woohoo!

     

    Hi Adrienne!

    True indeed, harvest season is upon us and the nesting instinct is strong here in New England. We’ve got to prepare for hurricane season which begins in late September and long, cold winters that follow. I’m already dreaming of baking my first apple and pumpkin pies! Thanks for reading and the visit! xo Deb

  2. Nancy says:

    I agree–zinnias are my favorite flower–so bright and easy to grow. The night stand looks nice, too.

     

    Thanks so much Nancy! xo Deb

  3. Diana Henretty says:

    Good Day from the Ozarks,
    We too have noticed the change in the air here in Missouri, its come to us 3 times in August, so rare for these parts, we are usually hot and miserable, and over 100 outside.
    But this year is so different, lots of rain came our way, which brought us lots of weeds and grass in our gardens, and many gifts of vegies too.
    You can smell the change, the cooler winds, even colder nights, and sitting on the front porch is a real treat to watch it all arrive!
    Hugs from the Ozarks, Diana, Noel, Mo

     

    Hi Diana! Great you can get some porch sit’n in this month!

    Enjoy! xo Deb

  4. Kathleen says:

    What an amazing job you did on the nightstand!

    And your flowers are so beautiful; dahlias and zinnias are among my favorite flowers too.

    Thanks for the "lift up" today!

    Kathleen

    Hi Kathleen!

    Thank so much for the visit! xo Deb

  5. Sylvia J says:

    Thank you for sharing your garden and your thoughts. The zinnias are stunning. Iʻm not much of a gardener but Iʻm learning. My tomatoes are going gang busters now. I just have to keep my oldest wienerdog out of the garden. He eats green veggies! Each year I try to grow pumpkins for the grandkids. Mmmn, I see the little darlings start on the vine, then, whoosh, disappear. Just caught the little bugger snatching one! does any other sister have this problem?

    I haven’t had much luck with pumpkins in my garden either so I’m not much help for you, but I love the image of your little wienerdog out in the garden munching away! Thanks for reading ! xo Deb

  6. Jaimey says:

    I love your flowers! They are so beautiful!! You did such a good job painting your new booth!

    Thanks so much Jaimey! xo Deb

  7. Shery says:

    Your flower show was like a 4th of July display!

    What a transformation that little butter yellow commode[?] underwent. She’s totally chic now.

    Max is a Corgi cover-boy…so photogenic. ;o)

    As always, your blog is a piece of sunshine.

    Howdy Shery! So great to hear from you! I fell in love with my little yellow commode! It was hard to let her go! LOL I think we should start a magazine for max titled DQ… Dog’s Quarterly… after the well known GQ… Gentlemen’s Quarterly! LOL! Happy golden September to you my dear! xo Deb

  8. Tina Hart says:

    it so nice to see the flowers again! lol I live in a Pensacola Florida suburb and we’ve had rain for the entire month of Jul, and most of August now. Very little sun. My poor flowers bloom, then the next day the blooms are washed away by the rain. So sad. Good to see the colors of summer that I am missing right now. Here’s to hoping September will be sunny and dry! Cheers!

     

    Hi Tina! We’ve had a funny summer weather wise too… lots of sprinkles here too. I feel like I have to run out and cut my flowers before the rain comes so they don’t all fall to the ground! And, more bugs than usual as well. My morning glories are chewed up by something, not sure what and my tomatoes are just now starting to ripen. Every year is different in the garden isn’t it? Wishing you a sunny September! xo Deb

  9. Deb, Everything is just beautiful…I love love love the nightstand, it is going to really set things off at the Burlap and Bling, I know it won’t be there long before someone snatches it up..I am still going to come up that way visiting, maybe sometime next year, me and my sweetie will take a glamping trip that way.Love ya, keep that beautiful smile and Be Blessed! Neta

    Howdy Neta! So great to hear from you… If you come glamping up our way, look into staying at the Bourne Scenic Park. It’s right along the Cape Cod Canal. Very pretty, with walking trails and access to Cape Cod if you are inclined to take a day trip! Keep me posted!!! Love ya, Deb

  10. Pamela deMarrais says:

    Deb, your garden is a ray of sunshine even on a cloudy day! All of the flowers are so beautiful, but I have to say that the peachy pink zinnia gets my vote as a favorite! Do you sell the seeds?
    The wash stand/night stand is stunning in the pale yellow. I can see it in a room with flowered wallpaper and lace curtains. Keep up the good work!
    Pam

    Hi Pam! Oh, I love your vision for the wash stand/nightstand! I want to sleep in that room! Maybe some MJF organic bedding to go with it too! I’ll see if I can save you some seeds from the peach zinnia and send you some! Thanks for the note!

    xo Deb

  11. Kristy says:

    Those mutated zinnias really intrigued me. What fun

     Hi Kristy! It’s actually the dahlias that have the color mutation and the zinnia that looks like them! They are amazing aren’t they? Thanks for the note! xo Deb

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *