From Whence I Came II

My mother and Pat, circa 1974.  Pat and his partner Rube did a lot of work around the farm for many years.  Well, so did my mother.  Still does.

Himalayan Honeysuckle

This Himalayan Honeysuckle, or leycesteria formosa, is one of my favorite plants here at Zhutopia.  It needs very little care, is beautiful and elegant, and bees and hummingbirds find it quite sexy.

It's a nice plant for the Pacific Northwest.  It dies back a bit in the winter but looks good for eight or nine months out of the year.  It's both cold and drought hardy, and tolerates all kinds of soil conditions. It also reseeds itself, but not to the point, at least in this climate, of being a pest.  I like using it in bouquets because the foliage is nearly as pretty as the flowers.

Boating on Liberty Bay

Thursday evening we cruised around Liberty Bay with some friends, including Abby, the White Shepherd with super-model looks.  She always makes the rest of us look bad.

Nights like this remind me of why I love living in Kitsap County, where it's so easy to do so many things that I love.

Saturday at Zhutopia

My cousin Liz spent last week with us, and on Saturday we had a few other people out as well.  It was a nice way to end the summer.  Wine, sausage, kung-fu, blackberry martinis, frogs, dogs, family, friends.  And the sun mostly shone.