Tuesday, August 6, 2013

T-Tuesday and Tea!

 Stormy Kitty and I had just sat down with the first cup of the day and I decided I needed to check up on what old friends were doing today.  I went to Altered Book Lover blog to see what Elizabeth and Bluebeard were up to and ran across the T-Today post!  WOW I don't think I realized that T-Tuesday was happening but now that I have found out I think I will post.  Elizabeth lives about 200 miles north of me in Kansas and reading her post it made me think about all the rain we have had here in Oklahoma.   I can't remember the last time it was this green on the 6 August!

My new raised beds are doing awesome and so green this summer.  I think part is the new raised beds and part has to do with the rain we are getting.  I took this picture in the rain this past week. 
The new raised beds are awesome!  I love the way everything is contained.  Poor tomato in the back was a yellow pear vintage breed that didn't have the VFN protection and the wilt got to it.  I have since replanted that box with potato sets that I found growing in my garage...yes I forgot and left the potatoes in the garage and hopefully I can salvage something from my mistake.  Potatoes are now $3.58 a 5# bag here and that is too much to waste. In the closest bed I have planted cucumbers, yellow and green squash this week.   Growing season here in Oklahoma lasts till November most years.  Don't know what it will do this year though since like I said I have never seen this much rain or green in August!
A view from the patio.
The plants in the far left box are a second crop of corn.  The rain has caused some rapid growth and it is now twice the height and starting to tassel.  The big leaved plants in the boxes are Sunflowers...Mammoth variety.  I bought a package at WalMart in the spring and planted the whole package and had to thin them down a lot.  The plants are about 10 feet here and with the rain grew a couple more feet and started to bloom prolifically.  Here are some pictures of those Mammoth flowers. 
The plants are about 12+ feet tall now.  The flower heads seem to turn and follow the sun each morning. 

Beautiful!
I didn't realize that sunflowers are like Poinsettias and that the yellow petals are actually leaves not the flower!  if you enlarge this picture you can see the little flowers and stamens.  Learned a lot by planting these flowers this year!  They attract beetles called assassin beetles that love squash bugs.  Horrible looking bugs but if they keep the squash free of creepy critters I am all for them.  
Well lots of things left to do today and I haven't even started to get them done.  Hope everyone has had a more productive day that I have...I laid a bed way too long today but good reason...I was crafting all night!!  Come check it out on WOYWW tomorrow!

39 comments:

  1. Thanks for visiting my blog on T Tuesday! Your garden looks GREAT, especially the sunflowers.

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  2. Happy T for Tuesday! Yes it it time to get handmedowns from the kids lol.

    I love your raised beds and the sunflowers are brilliant!

    Stormy Cat looks helpful too.

    Cazzy x

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  3. You slept in late, and I was taking a nap when you posted. I didn't plant a veggie garden this year, because last year's was such a disappointment. Now, with all this rain, I wish I had. Yours looks simply incredible. I've wanted raised beds that actually work for a long time, and yours are a testament to hard work and lots of added soil. BTW, I'm glad to know I'm not the only water-logged person on the planet. It's been hard this summer, since August is normally the time when nothing is growing, including the grass.

    Thanks so very much for joining T today. Bleubeard is jealous that Stormy Kitty gets to sit on your computer keyboard. I think he'll get over it, though (grin). See you for WOYWW soon.

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  4. What a beautiful garden!
    Thanks for stopping by my blog and happy Tuesday. :)

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  5. wow, your raised beds and sunflowers are gorgeous! your Kitty looks quite comfortable in front of the monitor...must not be as camera shy as Bluebeard!

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  6. I am confused...it is WOYWW and I find myself on Tuesday...kind of like Groundhog day? Love your garden though... #43

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  7. I came here looking for your Wednesday work-desk, but I am glad I did. What beautiful sunflowers! Here (in Spain) it is very hot and everywhere is shades of brown. I am looking forward to seeing some green when we visit family back in UK in September. They have had more than their share of rain too. Now I'll just pop up to see your desk. Kate x

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  8. Love those gorgeous sun flowers.Always so happy looking.Nothing like good rain for growing wonderful things.We live in a fairly dry place, so I seldom complain about rain.
    Judy #32

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  9. It just shows you what a bit of rain can do!! the flowers love it!
    Happy T time
    (Lyn)

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  10. Your garden looks absolutely delicious. Well done for keeping us updated.
    Sandra @46

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  11. I always love to come visit! Love the photos of your garden. East Tennessee has also had so much rain this year...at the mid way mark we had already had a year's worth of rain. Definitely feeling a little moldy around the edges. Hehehe...

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  12. Just a flying visit for T for Tuesday - late but happy to see everyone this week... Cheers Mxx #23

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  13. I love sunflowers and enjoyed your info about petal/leaf. Stopped by from T Tuesday. Fun to meet new to me bloggers.

    Darla

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  14. It has been a very rainy summer here too. I only wish I could have a garden....but lack of sunlight and woodland critters are reasons enough to not garden.
    I wish I could grow sunflowers. yours are so beautiful.

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  15. I usually only plant cucumbers, but none of the three batches I planted made it this year due to the extreme heat, then too much rain. Our growing season is considerably shorter here in upstate NY. Happy T Tuesday!

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  16. I have all my winter veggies in and they are doing really well with the rain that we have had both my water tanks are full and hope they can stay that way through the coming summer.. Love to see all the green and your sunflowers are stunning maybe might plant me some of those this summer.
    Happy WOYWW
    Sandy :)#61

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  17. What a lovely garden! Those sunflowers are literally terrific! They are one of my favourite kind of flowers, always lifting a cheery face to the warmth and light! Julie Ann xx #41

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  18. I love your garden!!! The raised beds are fantastic! Kitty is very silly laying across your desk. :) Thanks for stopping by my blog!

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  19. Your sunflowers look fabulous!!!

    We only have one lonely volunteer, but it's gotten huge--almost as tall as yours.

    Happy woyww to you!
    :)trisha
    #17 this week

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  20. I do love sunflowers! So do the insects- bees smother them over here.Your garden is beautiful, so green. Have a great week, Hugs Shaz #48 xx

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  21. ive lost Wednesday its Tuesday here but love the flowers have a fab week Andrea#42

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  22. Wow those yellow flowers look amazing!
    It does look very green and lush in your pictures
    Jackie29

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  23. What fabulous plants! have a good week. Helen 6

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  24. Amazing what some rain can do, your raised beds look lush and green so hopefully you will have a bumper harvest!

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  25. Your garden is perfection! And that sunflower - OMG! Gorgeous!

    Happy (still catching up) WOYWW!
    Mary Anne (28)

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  26. Happy T Day on Thursday instead of Tuesday...this week is getting away from me!

    Your garden is so beautiful and lush and those sunflowers just make me smile!

    oxo

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  27. Your so lucky your cat sits in front mine likes to sit on it or across my hands so I'll stop typing and have to pet him he's such a suck lol
    hugs Nikki 7

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  28. Happy T-day, a little late :) Can I join in if I drink coffee? Your raised beds and flowers are beautiful! Oklahoma sure does get a lot of rain in spurts in the summer which is so nice to keep everything pretty and green. Thanks for the info on the sunflowers. I have tried growing them on and off since I came to California but mine don't do well here. So now I get to watch yours grow!!! Big Hugs, Rasz

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  29. Happy Belated WOYWW. I don't normally visit workspaces on a Sunday, but I was up early due to pain so decided to do some Happy Touring as well as more boring stuff. Fab raised beds. We have just moved house and really want to sort out our garden. It has been left for over 2 years and the builders have dug up a lot of it for drains. Ali x #60

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  30. Thanks for stopping by - I'm late with comments too, so shouldn't worry! Did you realise that there are a lot more examples of my work on other pages of my website?
    Have some browsing therapy time!
    I know all about not feeling well, and using art & craft as a therapy. In short, breathing problems since childhood, RA at 19, Prostate Cancer in late fifties which the Lord has healed. Now praying that He will heal the chest issues - not smoking related by the way.
    Anyway, enough of me, hope you soon feel better so that you can really enjoy your art and craft. Love the photos. The close up of the sunflower is a cracker! Kind regards, john-w #77

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  31. What a stunning garden!
    Finally getting round to visiting, it has been a hectic week. Thank you for visiting.
    Karen #69

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  32. I so love the sunflowers and yes they do turn towards the sun and keep smiling at it. They are such a wonder. Looks like those garden beds are thriving with all the rain.

    Hugs Eliza & Yoda

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  33. Vicki you have posted last week blog in error . Francesca #62

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  34. Great garden photos - I adore sunflowers - sun in the rain what more could you ask for - and lots of edibles to sample too ! Ali x #49

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  35. Love your cat and your garden. The sunflowers look stunning!

    Wishing you happy WOYWW and a lovely week.
    xx Monique #97

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  36. Your garden looks great. We must be having similar weather here in Kentucky because our grass looks great and it was a little nippy this morning during my walk. April #120

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  37. Wow, your garden is amazing. Love those 12 foot tall sunflowers!

    Happy Woyww,

    Sandy #17

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  38. Hi Vickie,

    How about T - Thursday?!? Your garden looks amazing. What a nice, long growing season you have. Our first snowfall is usually around Halloween so our growing season is much shorter. Raised beds are the way to go, so I hear.

    I didn't know that about the sunflower. Very interesting. I had a few "volunteers" from the bird seed so I just let them grow. Not nearly as pretty as yours but it was fun to watch them grow.

    Thanks for visiting me on Tuesday. I really have missed blogging and all the wonderful relationships I've developed. Things are still up in the air with me - waiting for my insurance company to either approve or deny my short term disability. Not sure what the next step is if they deny me..... stress has been my constant companion.

    Hugs,
    Kay

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  39. I'm only two weeks late but trying to play catch up with those who commented on my blog.
    Can't seem to find WOYWW so commenting here instead and cannot believe your growing. There is so much to see and how wonderful it all looks.
    You obviously enjoy your gardening.
    Hugs, Neet xx

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I would really love to hear what you think about my art and my posts. Please leave me a comment and let me know! Thanks for visiting my blog. Vickie aka Okienurse