Grave Gardeners

I'll admit it, I have been a fan of CBS Sunday Morning from its inception in the '70s.  Considered an "old people's tv show" I find it to be educational and interesting.  This past month one story was on the Grave Gardeners at The Woodlands Cemetery in Philadelphia.  It is a place I will visit on my next trip home and wished there was such a group here in Tryon. Click on the highlighted "The Woodlands" to go to their website and blog to read more.

 The Woodlands

A lot of the graves are French, made in the form of a planter.  Each person gets a "planter" and must plant flowers to coincide with the year of the grave.

In the main building at the Woodlands, 200 year old seed packets were found in the floorboards when renovating.  I have always loved historic cemeteries, such as the one I would visit in Atlanta, Oakland Cemetery.

 The Woodlands

Tryon actually has a small historic cemetery, so off we went to see if there were any French graves.

So far, a lot of lambs.  Evidently a lot of children.

This was as close as we could find to a French planter grave.  This cemetery was surprisingly unkempt.

These photos were taken before my camera died and went to the shop.  I need to get back to Asheville to pick it up.  I had planned on doing that for a garden tour this weekend in the Victorian section of Asheville, but that was not to be.  My back was thrown out picking up my old dog, couldn't do the drive.  Just hoping I can drive two hours next weekend, have a weekend planned with rescue friends.

Now Blooming:  Chickory

Goose Neck Loostrife

Monarda (Bee Balm)

Queen Anne's Lace

In rescue this week:  Charlie was left in an apartment when his owner fell ill and was admitted to the hospital.  He was there for three weeks before anyone knew.  After a lot of frantic coordinating, Charlie is now with a friend in Atlanta awaiting his trip to NJ to his rescue.

Southern Belles

When I started selling linens, I had a few old pieces from my mom that had what I soon found out to be "Southern Belles" embroidered on them and also found out they are very popular to collect.  This week I found this pillowcase with a crochet skirt.

I also found this pillowcase that looks more like Cinderella than a Southern Belle.

This one is a table runner that I had stored away that I had gotten from my mom.  This one has sold.

Another from my mom.

This one from the church sale.

Another pillowcase with a belle and a garden!  This one also sold.  I wish I could keep them all!

Fifteen days and 22 inches later . . . my plants are mush.

But we do have mushrooms!!

On the dead tree in front of the house.

Okay.  The bamboo LOVED the floods, so now my pasture is fast becoming a bamboo forest.

Hydrangeas also love the excess water and are looking good.  Panda, on the other hand, hates wet toes, as all chows do!

Tomatoes liked it, too, and are starting to show their little fruits.

This weekend was the work weekend we had planned for Memorial Day, but with that horrible rain, nothing could be done.  I started painting the living room a brilliant white, and I love it!  It is now so clean and bright and fresh!

See the difference??

Bob worked in the bedroom, he took down all that nasty acoustical tile.  Now he has a lot of staples to extract.  SHIPLAP BABY!!!  Joanna Gaines has nothing on us!

Always a mess somewhere.

Scraping doors.

We had to get new boathouse steps, which now need to be stained. With all the rain, they surely would have collapsed. 

The mimosa is blooming and the butterflies love it.  The water was so churned up, not a day to go swimming.

Now blooming:  Butterfly Weed

Cannas saved from "my house".  At least a few were saved.

First gardenia of the season and the bush is loaded with buds.  My favorite.  I can smell these all day!

Lacecaps

Late blooming azalea

Rose Campion

Magnolia

In rescue this week:  This is Rojo.  By chance, I contacted a chow rescue friend in Wisconsin about someone looking for a puppy.  She told me about this girl who had some medical issues and had two days to be saved.  I got to work networking her, collected over $1,000 in pledges and found a rescue in two days!!

Here she is with her foster mom.  Another one saved!!

Started working on Stella, a senior with medical issues in Kentucky.  She has someone who wanted to adopt her in Michigan, but did not know how to go about it, so after talking with the shelter and setting up a transport, Stella should be going to her new mom this coming weekend!

For a chuckle, I got this message from my friend Debra working at her local shelter this weekend:  "Girl today at the shelter. This redneck comes in and says I found this puppy in my yard..... fastforward a bit. I kept the little bunny between my boobs until we found a heating pad and then rescue arrived

Now with a wildlife rescue.  Hope she makes it.