Neglect

After being away for over a week and being exhausted for a week when I got home, I had not even been in the back yard in a couple of weeks. I got a nice burst of early-morning energy today and decided to clip the crepe myrtles and pyrancanthas. This is what I found in the back flower bed.


This is a rose bush. Really. Underneath there somewhere. I sure did hate to pull it down because I think I like the morning glory better than the rose bush. Only thing, I kind of promised the former owners that I would take care of her grandaddy's rose bush. It had put out long stems on either side and was growing in spite of being covered up.
When I saw these blooms on the fence, I thought my flame vine had finally started to bloom. Even though I knew the blooms would be big red or yellow ones, I would have accepted these cute little purple ones. Closer inspection showed that this was a weed that had twined around the vine. I'll take whatever I can get, I guess.

Bug-eaten zinnias but still plugging along.


After I trimmed back some crepe myrtle volunteers, I found this little chrysanthemum doing its best. I found it some sunshine.


These dahlias are in a pot, but they had about given up until the rain and cooler weather.


My birthday goes on. I got this nice package from Emily and Ryan this week. Really neat hazelnuts and dried fruits and pepper jelly and things from Washington along with a CD of all the wedding pictures and card that's around 2 years old. Emily has forgotten to give or send this to me for 2 years and finally got around to using it. I have a Congratulations card that I STILL have that I got for her when she finished her courses at the Univ. of SD. Then I had it for her when she got accepted to PT school and didn't send it. I even carried it in my purse to her graduation in May and forgot it again. So now maybe it'll make it for passing her exam.



And this is my garage. Someone please come help! It was bad enough when I moved in 3 years ago, but now I've received some of Emily and Ryan's boxes and several boxes of Mama's things plus all of Elise's boxes of books that I didn't have room to take her this last trip. And just STUFF. I love that bed on the left and don't want to let it go, but I may have to. The chairs in the middle are from when I had a porch, which I don't here but may have again. If I could just get to that corner, I might could stack things better.... I did throw away a big stack of things and have a pile of brush almost waist high at the curb now, so I'm making a little progress.