My Grama's Soul

Living in Arizona is brutal in the summer.  This summer has been very humid and hot but I feel a change in the air and I know fall is right around the corner.  As the Buddha so apply states, the only thing permanent about life is its' impermanence.  I have paraphrased here as I can't exactly remember how he phrased it...but you get the gist.                                 He was one "wise cookie"!                                          Stay happy,                                               Jo

AHHHHH.....SPRING!!!!!! Jo 

Gardening in truly the simplest of pleasures.  These are flowers from my yard. I love being able to go outside and cut flowers for inside my house. Jo 

This photo is from a trip to Ireland and Scotland we took a few years ago.  I don't think I have ever seen anything greener with the exception of the Pacific Northwest that is in our country.  Would return to these countries in a heartbeat if health and age would permit.                                                                  Jo   

Look at this beautiful hibiscus bloom....is there anything more lovely?   Any person who says there is no divine order to our world surely must be mistaken. With all the tumult around us constantly I challenge each of us to simply "go outside and smell the roses" or hibiscus for that matter. Just show gratitude for all this wonderful planet has to offer.  Instead of "whining" about what you don't have look around and see what you do have....and it doesn't cost a dime! Me on my soapbox today....Just sayin' xo Jo

Brad and I were married 40 years ago today.  It seems almost impossible that so much time has sped by.  It is a life filled with many, many memories that I never dreamed I would have. Saying those vows all those years ago in our little living room in our house on Holly makes the memories even sweeter. We started out with next to nothing...only our love and commitment to each other and my kids and we have never wavered.   He always sends me one rose for each of our married years.  This year....it is 40....such a large bouquet that the florist had to place it in two vases.  Goodness....the thought just occurred to me if we make it to 60 they will have to put the roses in a small wheelbarrow. HAHA!! I married a wonderful man....I'm VERY FORTUNATE AND GRATEFUL. Have a beautiful day, Jo

  Each year around Mother's Day Trader Joes has glorious peonies.  Sometimes they are a light whitish blush color  and sometimes they are the bolder warmer pinkish color as above. They are always reasonably priced at $7.99 a bunch.    You never know how they are going to open..whether they will remain a bright pink or fade to this glorious blush color.  This particular  bunch has flowers the size of saucers. What starts out like this becomes this..... They truly are the most gorgeous of flowers. Takes one's breath away. Just sending some  beauty out to this wonderful world of ours. Stay well and happy. Jo

You can never go wrong with flowers! Have a beautiful weekend. xo Jo

Yesterday was my wedding anniversary.  June 1st, 1979 was the day my sweet Brad and I tied the knot...  as they say. We had a very simple wedding as it was a second marriage for the both of us...  In a small home down in central Phoenix....38 years ago.  Only immediate family joined us and we were married by a Justice of the Peace.   Neither one of us had much in the way of stuff or much money for that matter;  but we had my two kids and each other and that is all that seemed to matter. Lots and lots of flowers decorated our home for this event...are you surprised? Daisies were my favorite flower then so we filled the place up. The JP wore a Kelly Green leisure suit...which I WILL NEVER FORGET.  When he rang the door bell and I answered....it did take my breath away...I'll tell you that!   :0) The whole event was catered by Miracle Mile Deli.....one of our favorite inexpensive eating places...and I...

I've posted before of the difficulty  of a spring or summer garden in Arizona.  In fact, gardening in AZ can be a challenge any time of year....here.   We have lived here going on three years now and I never tire of changing things around or sprucing things up.  In fact, at 70 years young I still get a kick out of decorating and fluffing up my house. These are photos of both the front and back gardens of our home.  Most of these plants have been here for the whole time and they just keep thriving in spite of AZ weather.  As you can tell.....I like a "full garden" look and the more the merrier I say.   For all of you who are still dealing with snow and slush....here is sending spring to your corner of the world. ENJOY!! JO

Let a new year of blogging begin for all of us.  I feel this year will be as  spectacular as this bunch of tulips. Remember......it is ALWAYS beautiful in BLOGLAND~! xo Jo

ENJOY!! Jo

My beautiful friend, Mary, sent me  this picture of lilacs for Easter.  Aren't they beautiful....you NEVER see lilacs in Arizona. Wanted to share. Jo

It has been just a little over one year since we downsized into this little spot of ours.  A year of both sadness and multiple blessings.  We have made a few changes to the inside of the house and the yard.  Wanted to show some of the changes we came up with by using old stuff in a new way. I believe the most difficult aspect of moving is how you will use your existing things since we certainly could not afford to go out and buy all new.    As I indicated in a previous post, I only kept what I LOVE and that in itself was a huge undertaking.  Using old things in new ways to bring back memories and smiles.  In the photo above I hung all my Chinese Lanterns and umbrellas from my porch ceiling.  It is a fairly high ceiling for a porch and I figured they could be installed there with little effort.   That way they can be put to use instead of being stored away;  reminding me of the many trips we have made around our country ...

ENJOY........ Jo

OH My......are their some geraniums amongst that lobelia?  It is springtime here....and everything is blooming like crazy.  We don't have a very long spring so I always revel in all the flowers and greenery that just explode. These flowers are from the side yard and are so very pretty I wanted to bring them inside. I always pick flowers from my garden when I can as I love to have fresh flowers inside my home.  It also saves a ton of money when you don't have to buy them at the store. Unfortunately the geraniums will not be long lived here as they are really a winter flower in AZ.  They can't stand the tremendous heat of our summers.  The roses, on the other hand, will bloom during April and May....they actually like our AZ heat if they are planted in the right spot in your yard. I've been fortunate to meet a Master Gardner at one of our local nurseries here.  Sheri, works for Sunset Nurseries here in Phoenix and is alwa...

Well......we finally planted our little garden in our backyard.  It is fairly small but hopefully it will yield some beautiful results.  There will be a lot of photos today so I just am giving fair warning.  LOL LOL I put lots of things in pots as we have desert landscaping here and our soil is so very bad.  Everything is on a water emitter system so we can control the water output.   Our state, along with others is facing a water shortage crisis so if we garden....we try to do so responsibly. Various shots around the yard.  When we moved here last August the back yard was so spartan which inspired Brad and I to get busy. We have two huge shade trees..one lemon...and one orange.  They give a tremendous amount of shade so hopefully they will give our new plantings some protection from our hot, hot, hot summer sun.  We also use umbrellas strategically as needed. I have always been a gardner and am sure I wil...