Mary Mary, Quite Contrary

BSC and I have worked our butts off this season to make our garden and lawn look semi-decent. We've had to repair three years worth of damage from the previous owners, and we still have a hard time getting plants to grow in our garden. I have a feeling that next season will provide a bounty of beautiful blooms and produce, where as this season we are still a bit lacking.

Nevertheless, we still really enjoy relaxing in our back yard. We recently bought a patio set with four swivel/rocker chairs and a tiled fire pit table that also doubles as a drink cooler when it's too hot for a fire. I'll just not mention here that our deck is a safety hazard and on more than one occasion my guests and I have almost fallen through the deck ... note to self: next year we must replace our deck!

I just thought I'd share with you some of my blooms so far this year. I don't know the names of any of them, so just look and enjoy the fruits of my labor:

These beautiful purple flowers are part of a vine I planted last year. It surrounds the lamppost in our front yard and has recently exploded with these blooms. The vine has grown very fast and has made our out-dated lamppost look spectacular.

We have tons of roses. Roses are some of my favorite flowers because they are so easy, and bloom all season long. We have several different types of rose bushes growing in our front and back yard. I never realized how easy roses are ... why are they so freaking expensive to buy at flower shops?

This little purple bloom looks like an old man. Can you see it?

This is my bleeding heart bush. One of the few names I actually know.

This is one of my mini mums.

Some pretty pink perennials.

Also, someone has been into my cookies. Maybe you can help me decide which one of these suspects it could possibly be: Could it be this little angel?

Or one of these two boys?

Aha! Cookie crumbs in the eyelashes ... I have a clue who it might be:

Yep, he's been into the cookies. If he weren't so stinkin' cute, there'd be some trouble.