Dog Days of Summer

It has been very hot and humid for the last few days. We finally received some much needed rain last evening, for that I am very thankful. There were just spotty showers in the area and we were the blessed recipients.

I was glad for the rain, but I was in the midst of a neighborhood project, and really wanted to finish it last night. I looked at the radar and it didn't look like much rain in the area. We had just started planting when the rain started back up. I thought it wouldn't last too long so we continued in spite of the downpour. My husband and I were completely soaked and our work came to a screeching halt when it began lightening.

I finished the project this morning in spite of the heat and humidity. I didn't think I would ever cool down when I came back inside. It has been a long time since I've overheated like that. I was just bound and determined to finish it today.

We did a complete overhaul of our neighborhood median. The three trees that were in the median had been dead for a while. Our entrance has lacked color and was never landscaped particularly well. It has been a fun project and so far the neighbors seem to be very pleased with the new look. Many have stopped on their way in or out of the neighborhood to express their gratitude, one neighbor even brought me a bottle of water on her way out today. It has taken a lot of my time and energy to do this project but it has been very rewarding.

Now I have just a few more things to do to the sides of the entrance and we will have more color and nicer look for a fraction of the cost to our homeowners. We had a bid for all three sections and the total was $5637.49. The median bid alone was $1800 and that didn't include the removal or replacement of the dead trees.

I've spent about $1000 on plants and soil amendments. I love buying plants and it was so much fun to shop the different nurseries in the area and spend someone else's money!

Once it's mulched I'll have to take some pictures of the project. I wish I had thought to get before and after shots.

Enough about the neighborhood project. Here at Robin's Nesting Place only the hardiest of plants are looking good. It has been so dry and hot that many of my plants are looking a little ragged. I have a lot of sunflower's blooming and the grasses look so pretty with their plumes.


We are so very thankful that New Orleans was spared the worst from Gustav. My husband's brother lives there and we feared that he might be displaced again. He lived with us for several months after Katrina. He has often talked about the stress of living around the aftermath of Katrina. It has taken so long to rebuild and a lot of people are just worn out and depressed. They sure don't need more to cope with. We hope he finds everything alright when he returns home.

Happy Days Are Here Again!!!

It has been a very good, (and busy), week here at Robin's Nesting Place. We had a week long visit from my parents and niece and we finally got the call we had been waiting for! Kerry was offered a position with a company that he has desired to work for for several years now! He starts work on Monday! Things definitely worked out for the better in this case. He enjoyed his other job, but he was considered self-employed and therefore had no company benefits. After having been with a great company for 15 years, a job with no benefits greatly bothered me. I really missed having the perks that a larger company afforded. I'm so thankful that he is now going to have those "perks" again. We are so thankful that the unemployment didn't drag out any longer than it did. We are also very thankful that we can stay right here in our beloved city of Noblesville. I think I'm finally beginning to breath normally again.

We have several friends close to us who are still unemployed. Some are in the same industry as Kerry and a few are not. It is very tough economic times for many people. Our prayers continue to be with those who are still waiting.

2008 Indiana State Fair

Yesterday I finally had the opportunity to visit the Indiana State Fair for the very first time. The State Fair is a big deal around here and I was the only person I knew who had never been. It was a beautiful day, right around 80 degrees with very little humidity.

I love the smell of cotton candy! It is one of those smells that immediately triggers childhood memories.







I spent the last hour of my time there just sitting and watching people eat.
Fair food doesn't really tempt me too much; deep fried Oreo or Snickers isn't very appetizing or appealing to me.

Deep fried Pepsi? I wonder how they do that.

I skipped the fried veggies too and had ice cream instead, that is always tempting to me. The chocolate milkshake from the Dairy Barn was delicious.

A mass planting of chili peppers.



A couple of young girls in Pioneer Village.




Getting ready for judging. They were gorgeous, especially exquisite decked out in their finery.

Well, now that I have finally been to the Indiana State Fair, I feel like a real Hoosier!

Hummingbird Clearwing Moth

I was in the kitchen this afternoon and thought I saw a hummingbird moth fly by the patio door. I grabbed my camera and went outside looking around the yard hoping to find it. I was delighted to see that it was indeed a hummingbird moth. My first one to see this year!

I was able to get a few pictures of them last summer and was hoping that I would see them again this year.

Usually I plant the lantana in pots on the patio, but this year I planted several in the ground. They are doing much better than the ones that are potted. This was the favorite of the clearwing moth.



I'll have to keep a closer eye on the lantana now that I know which plant it prefers.

Hummingbirds

I've never had large numbers of hummingbirds visit my feeders, usually just one or two at a time and the most I've ever seen at one time was four.There were three hummingbirds fighting over the feeders today.

I stood very still on the patio, ( in the drizzling rain), waiting for one to light on the post long enough for me to snap a picture. It always amazes me to witness their diverse flying maneuvers.

I took these pictures through the window, which was still wet from the over night rain.

We had a terrible thunder storm that terrified our golden retriever, Lilly, and alarmed us too, we needed the rain though and I'm very thankful to have received it. Now I need to do a little more weeding while the ground is wet.