Homeland Security

I can't begin to express how safe I feel knowing that I have two ferocious guard dogs to keep us safe here at the Stuga. They are absolute beasts, their senses honed to perfection. Nothing could possibly slip past them and commit harm to us or our property.

Let's peek out the window and see how they are sharpening their skills today...

Yankee Invasion

Last weekend we had some relatives from the North Country visiting. The two aunties, Jean and Dolly, plus Jean's husband, Uncle Carl (Uncley just doesn't work!) came and stayed for a few days. Overall it was a fairly low-key visit, but there was a lot of fun visiting and catching up.

Here is a picture of Jean and Jeff. Jeff is supposed to be about 5 years old, by the way. How did he get so big?



In gardening news, my transplanted passionflower is starting to bloom. I love these silly flowers. I originally planted them purely as a larval host plant for the gulf fritillary butterfly, but the blooms are just fascinating. This particular one is Passiflora caerulea.



I'm also getting quite a few blooms on my baby Flutterbye rose. I'm not sure why it's not more popular. It grows quickly into a large shrub with glossy foliage and pretty color-changing blooms all summer long. What's not to like?

Irises and roses

A couple years ago, one of my neighbors asked if I would like some bearded irises that someone had given her. I said sure, because I rarely turn down a free plant. When we moved, I dug some of the irises and replanted them without ever marking down any of the colors. They are finally blooming again and putting on a much better show than ever before. The yellow one was a surprise to me, which makes me think they didn't bloom well in the clay soil at our previous home.











And yes, I ended up buying a Double Delight rose ($8 - what a bargain!) and it has already put out a bloom for me. The flower itself is really pretty, but the best part is the scent - it's the rosiest smelling rose I've ever met.

A Triumph-ant weekend

The hubby, Spork, is long-time Triumph lover and has had his beloved TR6 since 1983. Last Wednesday, in a series of fortuitous coincidences we happened across a bunch of Triumphs in the parking lot of a local restaurant. We went in, despite our shaggy appearances, and found out that there was a regional Triumph convention in town for the weekend! They invited us to join in, so we did. Spork posted all the pictures he took here, so I'll just throw in one for fun.

In case you ever run into a bunch of British sports car nuts gathered in a group, I learned that the men do not like you to refer to their cars as "cute". They want them to be called "sexy" instead.