Hello! 

Ahhh wouldn't it be nice if we all got along so well? 

This is Brain, with a summer short hair cut. From the beginning, Spitty just wanted to be everywhere he was.  

I think this is one of my favorite pictures of Spitty Kitty as a kitten. Yes, she had that much attitude as a kitten. She came that way. Her first home after leaving her fur mommy was in a house with three kids and a chihuahua. They gave her away 'cause she was too much for the dog to handle. Oddly enough, she fit into OUR house just fine. She thinks our dog, Brain, is her mommy. HE'S not too thrilled with the idea, but he's a nice fur person and puts up with her. At 40 pounds to her eight (now, then only two lbs) pounds, it is his choice to tolerate her.  

This is Lady Spit Fire as a kitten. She was all ears and eyes and fluff. I call this picture the "bat cat" picture.  

Let's see, says Spitten Kitten........if I slash here, the stuffing should spray about 15 feet. Behind her is a picture of my wedding. Yes, we're big people. 

As you can see, Lady Spit Fire was an active kitten. In the space of about 45 seconds she knocked a book off the table, uncovered the couch arm and was just about to launch into space after the dog. 

She has just recently discovered "outside isn't the scary place she thought it was. It's actually made her a more sociable fur person. She doesn't bite our ankles as often, instead, she actually rubs against our legs.  

Meet Lady Spit Fire. She's earned her name honestly. She's got a lot of .......attitude. 

The cucumber vines are vining up the trellis and are blooming. There are even some small fruits beginning to set. I've also got some new lillies blooming. 

I was looking closely at my "monster" and noticed something strange growing in the middle. They didn't look like new leaves, the new leaves come up in a yellowish "spear". So, I took a closer look. 

Who knew that this is what the split leafed philodendron (my monster plant) bloomed? I'd never seen one, tho, I suppose that most plants do bloom in some form. This is a very interesting flower. The "wrap" around the white stamen is about 18 inches tall, with the stamen about as thick as a bannana. There are two other blooms that haven't opened as of yet. 

Brain likes chasing the birds. I don't think he really wants to catch one, he just likes watching them fly away. I have white winged doves, purple finches, sparrows of various kinds, grackles and blackbirds visting regularly. 

My bench and fountain corner is becoming quite verdant. I was worried that the passionflower vine would choke the jasmine, but I am discovering that the jasmine is actually spreading into the passionvine as well. I hope to have the best of both worlds. 

Dappled and peaceful. This fountain only cost about 60 dollars to buy, but is worth far more. 

Come walk in the garden.  

A close up of the star jasmine. The flowers are only about a centimeter in size, but the collective scent is sweet and gentle. 

Morning GLORY indeed. 

The water garden is blooming. The flowers aren't a traditional water lilly, instead they are fringed, golden blossoms. 

The rhododendron bush in my neighbor's yard is blooming. I get the benefit, without having to squeeze it in my own yard. I think the red leafed canna is a good match. This corner isn't finished yet. I've not quite got the complete picture in my head yet. I suspect it will end up with an herb garden planted around the bottom of the whiskey barrel, with more rocks acting as accent pieces. 

Elephant ears, growing larger, I pictured planting these here for 4 years. I finally got to do it last year. This year, after they've been established, I am very happy to see that my vision of what they'd look like was very close to reality. 

A close up of the flowers on the non fruiting pear tree in the front yard. It didn't bloom as profusely this year as it did last year. I suppose it was too cool. They are actually quite sweetly sented. The "fruits" they produce are small, hard, about the size and shape of a pea. 

My daylillies are starting to bloom. The big yellow ones are some that I propagated from my mother's yard. She got them from my grandmother.  

More miniature daylillies, the yellow Stella d'Oro and the red. 

I got this daylilly on a trip to Louisiana. It is in a pot and was in the backyard till this year. I finally have a place for it in the front, and I'm glad it's happy to bloom there.