Hanging in there

I found this little fellow the other day living on a rosebush I trimmed; he's not typical of frogs we see regularly. I enjoyed his moves and think I know how he feels, holding on for dear life.

Gardening in Texas is not for the faint of heart. If nothing else we've got fire ants & mosquitoes. I'm pretty much a fair weather gardener so most of my waking hours have been spent outside lately as this is the prime window of opportunity to get everything in shape before the wicked Texas heat comes bearing down. My energies, creative or otherwise, are outwardly focused for now.
We did take a break to camp in Austin over Mother's Day weekend. The highlight was brunch done by the kids on Sunday morning topped off by a nice massage. Definitely enjoyed.

This past Sat. we did lots of outside work with Ashley & Frank's help and then we took a break to visit the Marquis' homestead in Stoney. They were having an auction (lots of great collectibles) but my favorite treat was the gardens. I think June's been working on them 20+ years and it shows. Wouldn't this fence be great for rust dyeing?

My birthday was midmonth and I had multiple celebrations with family and friends. I like Karl's idea that you get to celebrate longer the older you get. I'll take any opportunity for chocolate & Michelle did herself proud with this cake.

I hope I've been missed a bit in blog land. I've missed keeping up with some of my favorites and finding new ones. I'll be back inside soon as there's no doubt the temps will head upward. I hope to bring some inspirations from nature with me to the studio.