Tuesday Tidbits #385 A Quiet Week in August

~ Nancy

Hello Friends

It’s been a quiet week. No grand adventures, but being home is wonderful, and the gardens have gotten a lot of my attention.

I pulled weeds on the back patio and it looks so much better.

We like the moss growing between the rocks.

The Coleus has grown large this summer. It loves this spot on the patio.

After the rain.

Mom’s roses are still going strong after 60+ years. They have been blooming all summer.

Pig Roast

We’ve had a lot of rain. In fact, it’s storming as I write this. But we did manage to get out for a wonderful pig roast. And yes, it rained there too! But we were with friends, had great food, and sometimes that’s all you need for a good time. Have you ever been to a Pig Roast? This is our 4th or fifth time now. Our friends hold an annual pig roast to celebrate their anniversary and to show gratitude to their employees. They own a local restaurant. So they close the restaurant down for the day and invite all their employees, friends and family. It’s great fun!

Sunflowers

Another fun little moment was checking out our neighbors’ sunflower garden. The sunflowers are beautiful, and the bees are loving them. My friend Mary from Home is Where the Boat is taught me something I never knew: a sunflower is actually made up of more than a thousand tiny flowers. Who knew? I’ll never look at a sunflower quite the same way again.

Do you see all the small flowers blooming within the Sunflower?

You can see many more little flowers in this sunflower.

Bees love them!

If you want to see more lovely sunflowers please click over and see Butch and Pam’s from Everyday Living Blog. They planted many kinds of sunflowers.

Black Eyed Susans

Our Black-eyed Susans are doing very well, along with the coneflowers. The butterflies and honey bees have been enjoying them, too. I could sit and watch them for quite a while.

Black Eyed Susans by the lake.

A Swallowtail on a coneflower.

A Red Admiral butterfly on a coneflower.

Hydrangeas

The hydrangeas are doing well, too, and bringing a bouquet into the sunroom makes me happy. There’s just something about having flowers from the garden sitting in a vase where I can enjoy them all day.

The Vanilla Strawberry Hydrangeas are beginning to take on that pink hue. I love to cut them now and dry them.

Tomatoes

And then there are the tomatoes. We’ve been eating lots of them, which is exactly what summer is for! Tomato sandwiches are a favorite around here, but we’ve also been putting tomatoes on the table as a side with just about every meal. Oh, and I have turned to Duke’s Mayonnaise now as my favorite. My southern friends will agree with me, it’s tastier!

The local lettuce has been a nice addition, too—especially with all the lettuce craziness going on in the world right now. It’s nice to have fresh, local produce close by.

Thank You

That’s a Wrap!

So, no big adventures this week. Just rain, gardens, good food, friends, flowers, bees, butterflies, and plenty of tomatoes.

Sometimes a quiet week is a pretty good week after all.

Thanks for coming along with me.

Linking with my friend Terri for Sunday Stills and her The Flower Hour

And Joanne’s Talk About it Tuesdays

And Linda’s Love Your Creativity from Life and Linda

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Published by Nancy

Two Trails become One Road in Arizona. Read All About the Adventures of this Arizonian.

50 thoughts on “Tuesday Tidbits #385 A Quiet Week in August”

    1. They served this restaurants Mac and Cheese as well. Which is one of their signature dishes. Yum! Plus the bands that play nightly at the place all took turns playing at the picnic. Lots of fun.
      Thanks for the visit my friend!

      Reply

  2. Your grounds are beautiful! I had an unexpected day at home and I spent upwards of two hours outside. I did some planting, pruning, and lots of weeding. Your week of getting things done sounds lovely! How generous and kind of your friends to have a pig roast. I’ve been to one but it’s been a long time. Your hydrangeas are beautiful! Thanks for sharing photos showcasing the beauty of nature and the ordinary things that make life beautiful :).

    Reply

    1. Thank you Monica! Gosh, I was just thinking about you the other day. Are you on another cruise? We sure did have fun when we were all together on our cruise. Hugs!

      Reply

  6. Nancy We have been to several local pig roasts as well as one large pig roast when we were at a luau in Hawaii. It is interesting to see the different ways the pigs are roasted/smoked/steam & smoked (buried in the ground, covered with banana leaves) a pork kalua in an imu…to a simple smoker in a friends back yard. I do think the taste is just a little different in each method, but always good. I have to smile at your mothers roses still blooming after all these years. The floribunda roses in pink were my grandmothers ode to botanicals…and hers bloomed all summer long. After she passed and the house sold, I regretted not asking for one of her rose bushes. Have a great and wonderful day my friend, your photos are always so lovely and descriptive.💕

    Reply

    1. Thank you, Kari. You know, I, too, have been to a Luau where there was a pig roast. Thanks for reminding me.
      Thanks for the sweet visit, my friend.

      Reply

  7. So much goodness and fun in this post, Nancy! The only pig roast I went to was a luau in Hawaii years ago. Sure is good! As much as I love sunflowers, I didn’t know they were made up of tiny individual flowers. I also learned that sunflower seeds grow in the Fibonacci sequence. Sounds like the Creator’s touch at work to me!
    Your garden is amazing, love the hydrangeas. And that they grow in such abundance you can cut some and enjoy them in a floral arrangement. Enjoy your rain, but send some our way. I love your image at the end!

    Reply

    1. I have so much with my sign off images. Lol! I agree! God knew what he was doing when he made sunflowers. 🌻
      I know you need rain! I am praying for you all! 🙏
      Happy Tuesday!

      Reply

  8. Hello,
    We have been to a pig roast, but not like the photo you shared. The head of the pig was not still on the pig. Ha, it was just the rest of the pig.
    Your garden is so lovely.
    You are inspiring me to grow more coleus next season.
    xo

    Reply

    1. I use to grow Coleus in several containers and in window boxes. But I had a hard time finding small pots of coleus. So this big one did the job for me.
      Pig roasts are fun and the pork is so delicious!
      Thanks so much for the visit, dear friend.

      Reply

  10. Your garden is outstanding, Nancy, and those 60 year old roses of your beloved Mom’s are extra special. Something gobbled up my coleus, two marigold plants, basil and countless other things. That red candy dish is so pretty near your hydrangea bouquet. I’ll bet that pug roast was fun! Have a happy cheery week! xo

    Reply

    1. Thank you, Kitty. I am so sorry something ate your coleus. I know all about plant-eating critters. Between the groundhogs, deer, rabbits, and moles, it’s a wonder we have any flowers at all. Lol!
      The candy dish you enjoyed was my Momma’s. She always used to have that old-fashioned hard-tack candy in it.
      Thanks for all the love sweet friend.

      Reply

  12. What a lovely garden! I can’t wait until someone invents the transporter so i can travel and still tend my garden at home, haha! Your quiet week surrounded by that beauty sounds heavenly!

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  13. I have been to a pig roast once but I was a pretty young kid— maybe middle school and was just kind of grossed out by the idea. I bet I’d like it now.

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  14. Oh my — the tomatoes have really come into their own, haven’t they. My tomato guy (yes, I have a tomato guy) tells me this will be an excellent year. Your patio is so charming — and no! I never knew about the thousand flowers in a sunflower. How cool is that!

    Reply

    1. It’s fun to learn new things! Glad to have helped you with that one. Lol!
      The tomatoes gave been heavenly! And now the sweet corn is coming on as well.
      Thanks for the visit my friend! 🥰

      Reply

  15. Everything looks so lovely, Nancy! How lovely to enjoy the same rose bush your mom loved as well. How special. Our daughter had a pig roast at her wedding reception here at the farm in 2020. What a year to be married, right? You know, only one guest did not come. It was a beautiful church wedding at an old church in Berryville, and reception here at our farm. She actually gave the pug a smooch on the snout! A tradition we were told by the fellas that roasted it here all day!

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    1. How wonderful to have that fabulous memory on your farm. So happy for you! Thanks for stopping in. Have a beautiful weekend! 🌻

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  16. Hi Nancy, a little late commenting but bloggers have to take a vacation! I love all the varieties of coleus, yours is big and beautiful! How amazing that your mom’s 60 year old roses are still blooming! I have been to a pig roast, but I can’t remember when or where! Butch loves tomato sandwiches but strongly prefers Hellman’s mayo. Thank you for the shout-out my friend!

    Reply

    1. I have always loved Hellmans Mayo. Did you know that in the Southwest, Hellmann’s is called Best Foods? Crazy! Same label but different name.
      Thanks for all the love. I am off to eat a tomato. Have a wonderful weekend. I sure hope your vacation was fun!
      🌻🍅🌻

      Reply

  19. Nancy, sometimes those quiet weeks at home are the very best! Your garden is looking so lush and beautiful, and I love that your mom’s roses are still blooming after 60+ years—what a treasure. Your neighbor’s sunflowers are glorious, and I’m tickled that I taught you something new about them. 🌻😊 The swallowtail and Red Admiral enjoying your coneflowers are such pretty summer visitors, too. And those Vanilla Strawberry hydrangeas are gorgeous as they begin to blush pink! A pig roast with good friends and food sounds like a fun outing, rain and all. I’m with you on tomato sandwiches as one of summer’s great pleasures—and Duke’s is definitely the way to go! 🍅❤️

    Reply

  21. Your patio looks like something out if a dream. I love it! These quiet weeks when we get to fully enjoy our spaces are valuable.

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  22. Nancy, such a beautiful post. Those Vanilla Strawberry hydrangeas are so beautiful. Your gardens are gorgeous. In Kauai, we have been to a pig roast. Thanks so much for sharing at Love Your Creativity.

    Reply

  23. I’m late in reading this, but I’m glad I saved it to come back to. It has been quite a week where I summer. Our community well stopped giving us water. I am president of the co-op so I had to give the situation my full attention. We restored the water delivery, but are still trying to find the leak in the system. Now I know why I am not a plumber!🤣 So, this evening your post was a relaxing, fun way to end the day. Thank you, and have a good week.

    Reply

Thank You So Much... for sharing your kind words. I appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule to share your thoughts.