Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Block Party, Blooms, and Hail Storms

We had a neighborhood block party to celebrate the end of school, the beginning of summer, and well, just having an excuse to drag out the grills, block off the cul-de-sac and eat, laugh, and play.

Can you see Frisky's tail and paw? He's always trying to get in the picture. What a ham!

I can't remember if this Daylily is Stella de Oro. I love the lemony yellow color.


Can you see the interesting little red and black insect on the Chamomile?



I love the cool blue green of sage.





The front walkway was littered with leaves and small branches the morning after a hail storm slammed through. It was moving so fast, I thought it was going to go right over us. Boy, was I wrong! Thankfully we didn't have any major damage, but will have to have the cars repaired for hail damage.






17 comments:

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

I think chamomile (and pets in photos) is just so cute!!

Roses and Lilacs said...

It sounds like it was bad enough if you have car damage. Those things are freaky.

What do you use the chamomile for or is it just for a pretty garden flower? I wondered if you made tea with it.
Marnie

Nola said...

Your block party looks like a lot of fun; I wish our neighborhood would do something like that.
You know, I used to have tons of chamomile, but over time I've lost it all; maybe I should start some up again.
Stay in and out of the heat!

Cheryl said...

Gosh are you serious? Was the hail really that bad....damage to the car?

I love the colour of sage to.....many miss the texture and colour of leaves...often more interesting than the bloom......

Morning Glories in Round Rock said...

Monica, Chamomile just makes me smile when I see those sunny little faces smiling up at me! :-)

Marnie, I do love chamomile tea. We drink it a lot--especially in the cooler months.

Nola, Block parties are so much fun, and everyone has such a good time. It is a wonderful way to meet and get to know one another. I would encourage you to spear-head one. The 4th would be a great time to plan one. It's worth the effort and planning that goes into it. If you delegate it's not hard and snow-balls into an entity all it's own!

Cheryl, The hail wasn't that big--probably quarter size, but it continued for such a long time. There was a tornado sighted not far from us. We did get quite a bit of damage, but thankfully no large tree limbs came down or windows broken. I worried about all the wild life. It is so hard on them.

It's good to know someone else likes leaf texture. I hesitate to post those pics because I was afraid no one else would like them.

Rose said...

The block party sounds like fun, but the hailstorm definitely not. We had a freak hailstorm several years ago and had to have both cars fixed and newly painted. Hope your insurance comes through! But you are so lucky that the tornado passed you by.

I don't think that is a Stella d'Oro, if the color here is accurate. They are golder, but I have a stray lemon-yellow one like this one in my Stellas, which I much prefer--the non-Stella, that is. It's funny how I often find a stray paw or tail in my photos, too:) And, yes, do post foliage! It has a beauty all its own; after all, we can't all be showy flowers:)

Gail said...

We've had those pop up showers with hail, too! They can be pretty forceful...sorry about your car damage.

How wonderful to have a block party~~a good way to start the summer.

Gail

Morning Glories in Round Rock said...

Rose, I think you are right about the daylily. It is a pale lemon yellow with a center fading to green.

Thanks for the foliage vote. I do love the quiet coolness of green with all the varied textures. Believe me, this time of year in Texas, you learn to appreciate it!

Gail, We have so much fun at our Block Parties. It's like a carnival without the rides--well sort of--the kids all end up riding their vehicle of choice around the cul-de-sac. LOL! It's a fun way to get together without the stress of cleaning and having people over at your house. It really brings our neighborhood closer together.

ShySongbird said...

What a lovely idea for a party, it sounds like great fun, you must live in a very neighbourly area. I'm glad the storm didn't happen during it, that would have been tricky ;) We have had some heavy thunder storms this week, poor Louis {our dog) hates it and I'm not keen!

The Chamomile looks so pretty and a useful plant also.

Have a great weekend.

Brenda Pruitt said...

My yard isn't in the best of shape these days. Aside from the construction, my plants are just withering in this horrid heat.
Brenda

Morning Glories in Round Rock said...

Dear Shy Songbird,

We have a wonderful neighborhood. Of course there are a few grouches, but most are nice. I think the fact that we have these Block Parties gives us a chance to get together and know one another. The whole neighborhood has a parade on July 4th, with prizes for the best decorated bike, etc. A Christmas party, an Easter egg hunt, Valentines Day party, and Thanksgiving/Fall carnival.

Have a great weekend! We may have to hunt a good movie to go spend Saturday afternoon in a nice cool, dark, theater.

Dawn said...

Sorry you have car damage from the hail. I'm glad your house was spared. Loved seeing your cat's paw & tail posing in the photo. And your flowers are lovely! The neighborhood you live in looks very friendly. What fun!

Debbie in CA : ) said...

Sounds like you started off your Summer with a BANG! Hailstorms damage leaves around here but I can't recall any car damage in our neck of the woods. That's mighty big hail!

Summer has finally arrived with our first hot day. Oh how I love the warmth of the evening following a hot day. Star gazing is unmatched. I celebrate Summer with you.

Morning Glories in Round Rock said...

Brenda,

The heat has just been stifling. It seems there wasn't any gradual increase this year. We were having such nice cool weather, and BAM! Hot, hot, hot!

Morning Glories in Round Rock said...

Dawn,

It's so funny, I will be taking a picture of a flower and never see the kitty in the frame. The flowers are starting to show the strain of the heat, but the zinnias don't seems to mind.

Morning Glories in Round Rock said...

Hi Debbie,

I do love to sit out in the evenings as the sun sets and watch the stars come out. It is a lovely time of day, and I don't slow down enough to enjoy it as much as I should.

The hail must be bigger in Texas! We took our car in for an estimate and it is going to cost $2500.00! Insurance should cover most of it. He said he was surprised the windshield didn't shatter given the damage done to the panels.

Wendy said...

A block party to celebrate summer! What fun!!
Your flowers are lovely. I also like the lemony colour of the day lilies. Friskie is cute.

Too bad about the hail. Hope it doesn't cost too much to fix the cars.
Happy Summer!