Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm' As you may have noticed the site has been up and down all week, a metaphor for my week in general.  ASW and I have had a stomach virus which is still lingering.  I'm dealing with site issues, and I'm trying to leave town for the Garden Writers Syposium in Portland where I can't wait to show you everything I get to see. This morning, as I was trying to pack, HH called and was stressed.  He's always stressed when I leave town.  If he's coming with me, it's worse.  Our house is very long and neither set of phones can be used in each end.  Going from the kitchen to the bedroom, I lost the signal. HH started saying "Hello, Hello?" Hurrying, I turned to go where he could hear me.  I stepped upon a piece of luggage sitting on the floor.  This particular piece has rollers. ...

A David Austin rose My apologies to Dire Straits. "G" may be for Garden, but apparently HGTV hasn't learned its ABCs. A disturbing trend of Home and Garden Television is its continued emphasis on the home; selling/buying or remodeling (as if any of that truly spoke of "home") at the expense of any garden themed programming. And, no, Curb Appeal doesn't count. If I want to see something garden related, I'm now limited to Gardener's Diary reruns and the yard remodeling show, Desperate Landscapes, actually shown on HGTV's sister station DIY. On Thursday mornings, at 6:00 a.m., I sit under the covers clutching my tea mug and waiting for my one televised garden visit of the week.  Lucky for me I missed most of the original shows, so it's all new to me.  I've been introduced to some lovely gardens and gardeners, but at some point, HGTV you have to...

So, I ask you, why was I out this morning in my ratty tatty shorts, an OU Professional Writing t-shirt, and my Nikon D40X slung around my neck? I'm sure that I looked pretty funny awful to the Edmond Electric guys as they topped the foggy hill in their work truck and found me taking photos of roadside weeds wildflowers. At least they smiled and waved (albeit with quizzical expressions.) I guess I have no shame, but while the images from last night's Harley ride with HH were still fresh in my middle aged mind, I was compelled to put them in a more permanent form. Quintessentially rural Oklahoma. Yesterday, just before dusk, we headed out on the Harley to our favorite backroads destination, Pops. How do I describe Pops? It's a post modern building where you can have a hamburger from beef produced by No Name Ranch, or grab...

Rosa 'Golden Slippers' A couple of weeks ago, I heard the term "Second Spring" on one of my favorite gardening shows, A Gardener's Diary, and it stayed with me. The gardener was referring to how North Carolina suffers through the long summer and then re-emerges into a second spring in September and October. Many years, I think Oklahoma does the same. Once the fall rains begin, the garden perks up and spends her remaining days covered in jewels like one of Jane Austen's rich matrons. This morning, camera in hand, I walked my garden. It's looking quite grand considering fall is creeping up on it a little more everyday.  With a cold front barreling in from the north, and Gustav's remnants pushing from the south, half the state saw rain last night and this morning.  So far, we have little rain, but this morning's low was 65 degrees.  Our projected...