Discovering the area around us

We were feeling the need to see a movie and decided to try the one in St Michael, near our park.

OMG!  The lobby is done in a Parisian theme, right down to the people dishing up the popcorn wearing French berets.

The prices were great, with free refills on ANY size of popcorn and they use real butter.  The seats were comfy and the screen is 70' wide.  We may have to sit further back than we are accustomed next time.

They also have an upstairs area with restaurant and bar where they host many different live performances.  I was bummed to find out Monroe Crossing was there just a few days ago and we missed them.  They are a delightful bluegrass group that we enjoy.

But!  They have a Patsy Cline tribute coming up in July and I went online as soon as we were home to get tickets.  I sing a lot of her songs in karaoke so was excited to hear about this event.

There is so much to do in the Minneapolis area that you could be busy every night of the week.  Carol Burnett (another of my favorite people) was performing this weekend and I missed out on it.  So much to do!

I'm trying to do a better job of watching for events in the area and getting them on my calendar.

Long Live the Queen of Entertainment

Minnesota Garage Sales

It was a week of reconnecting with Carriage Manor lately.
I had supper with Bob and Dee VanDriel one night, played pickleball with Gary and Lois Payment the next day and then went lunch and a garage sale with Jan Choromanski.

When Jan saw my Facebook post about my gardens she knew she had to introduce me to her friend Linda.  Boy was she right!  Linda and I were definitely kindred spirits sharing a love of gardens, art and crafts.  I came home with several fun finds to adorn my new garden sanctuary.

This is the fun cat and bird sculpture that moves with the breeze, this way neither the cat or the bird maintains the upper hand.

This water faucet on a stake just begged to be placed by my birdbath.  Linda loves old rusty stuff just like me and obviously shares my sense of humor.

I had already added a sign to one of my trellises, so when I spotted this exit sign it not only provided whimsy but a splash of color.

I really had no purpose for this metal headboard, but had to have it.  And good thing too because it makes a nice accent to the hostas I added by the parking area. I also got the rusty metal fairy house at her rummage sale, but it doesn't show up well in the photo.

As a retired dollmaker I couldn't resist this little head, so he's now tucked beneath a fern.

Did I need yet another flying pig?  Why am I so attracted to these swine objects of art?  Oh well, he's very cute here and looks like he may be related to the other one in the back.  Oh yeah, and then I have the purple pig by the shed.  Now I'm hungry for bacon.

I also purchased many hostas from her, many of which I could divide immediately.  This will help my garden fill in quickly.

Long Live the Queen

Garden Expansion

It seems that each week I dig up another six feet (or more) of lawn to make space for more plants.  I had the nice long stretch of garden and then a big gap before a small cropping of hostas.  This just won't do.  They need to be connected.
Also, I had purchased some of my favorite plants I had had in my old garden and no place to put them. So with shovel in hand I fixed that problem.

The garden is my refuge.  It provides a lovely view to gaze at while sitting on my little deck and keeps my hands in the soil...if you can call this root chocked horrible stuff soil.  I've never liked using the term "dirt" and in my Master Gardener class was taught to only call it soil.  But really, this crap barely deserves the term dirt.

The digitalis is blooming, something I've never had success with before so I'm enjoying that very much.

My friend Marti said I had all my favorite ferns but was missing the Lady in Red, so I had to remedy that.  This is a lovely fern with nice red stems.  You were so right Marti!  The photo below doesn't do it justice.  I'm still getting reacquainted with my camera after a long absence, so I'll try for a better shot in the future.

Some new plants have been added to the side of the shed where I get a little bit of sun.  The yellow and orange flowers below are tickseed coreopsis.  Very fun and festive blooms.

the pink flowers are bee balm, behind them are the cucumbers

This is my new favorite clematis called Pink Mink.  It has an explosion of tiny bell shaped flowers.

I've never had this one before, it's called Hawk weed.  The foliage was interesting to me and now it has this cute yellow flower.  The bloom was closed up due to the rain, but I'll try to get a close up when they are fully open.  The bloom looks a little like a dandelion when fully open, but in a good way.

When I spotted this Visions Astilbe at the 101 Market I fell in love.  I know how large and sturdy this variety is.  I added this to the newer area for easy viewing when it comes into bloom.  I'll add photos later when it's blooming. It is indeed a vision.

The roots around the tree make it impossible for anything but succulents, so that's what I've added here with some hens and chicks and black scallop ajuga.  I also stuffed in some Mouse Ears hosta to see if they'll make it here.

Oh what the heck, since I had some succulents left over I stuffed them into the tree.  Yup, you heard that right..into the tree.  There was a space where a limb had come off a long time ago that just looked like the perfect spot for something to grow.

That concludes today's garden tour.  I hope you enjoyed it.  I'm learning how to make a video of the photos and will share that at a later date.

Long Live the Queen

All Decked Out

One of the many rules in this park include that there are no "decks" allowed.  You may have a 50 square foot "stair landing" in addition to your steps.

So, this is our new "stair landing". 

It provides a nice place to kick off shoes and sit on a nice afternoon to enjoy the view of the gardens and birds and of course, cats running through the tunnel.

Long Live the Queen of Decks...er, stair landings

Free Outdoor Concerts

In our little town of Otsego, population about 16,000 there are many opportunities for shopping and entertainment.  And if we can't find it here, we go into Elk River, population about 25,000, which is right down the road.

One of the things I'm looking forward to are the free outdoor concerts on Thursday nights in Elk River.  Not only does this sound like fun, but the staging couldn't be prettier.

It is set right on the banks of the Mississippi in downtown Elk River with concrete seating and grassy areas to set up lawn chairs.

This should be a fun summer!

Long Live the Queen