Storm Pictures From Yesterday

Around The House

Below are some random pictures from around the house from the past few weeks.

The first shot is a double rainbow after a near miss from a storm last week. It rained just to the west of us as the sun was setting, and the rainbow on the east side of the house was the result.

Here's another storm that never made it from a few days ago. This one was to the south of us, we got some wind as it collapsed, but that was about it.

As it's been too hot to work in the yard, we decided to redo our border in the kitchen, to go along with the Hawaian theme we're working on in the living and dining rooms.

Here are Emily and Brenna in the backyard last night as the sun was setting. Emily is showing off her new haircut and Brenna is uninterested in the whole thing.

And finally, what you all came here to see, the latest on my gourds! These are the best two that have developed so far.

Hot, Dry August

Our monsoon is in the midst of a two week vacation, and it keeps getting hotter in the meantime. It's 113 right now, and although we've had a few passing clouds and thunderheads in the distance, it's done nothing to beat back the heat.

Despite this, and thanks to the sun being at a lower angle now, my plants on the north side of the house are back in the shade and perking up (with the exception of two roses that died, one choked out by a creeping trumpet vine that came up from seed, and another for unknown reasons).

Below are recent pictures of two roses on that side of the house that have come back from the brink of death, blooms from the creeping trumpet vine, and my first gourd sighting.

Gourd Invasion!

In the past week or so, with all the rain we've gotten, and the increased humidity, this gourd vine has really taken off (same with my grapevine, which is in the background). The leaves on this vine are probably 6-7 inches across, and it's blooming a lot, but no gourds. I've had to hack it back because it was attaching itself to my fence and the roses, which are making a nice comeback as well.