Stopped by the Farmer’s Market on my way home from the studio…
and found I had the perfect oval for my fresh beets!

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Celebrating the first day of Summer with a great afternoon bike ride to the Chicago Botanic Garden with my biking buddy Chris. We’re both training for our IRONMAN races so we’re always looking for another chance to squeeze in some more miles. It was a great ride up to Highland Park and back with a beautiful stop at the gardens at our turn-around point.

A LOT of beautiful flowers and plants within their special “Brazil” tropical display.

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Some beautiful irises have been blooming in my front yard garden. Sadly, they’re all nearing the end of their blooming cycle. I think I might need to find some “late bloomers” to extend the iris season next year?! Any suggestions???

And my favorite little Siberian irises that are blooming well for the first time after re-locating them to a new place in the garden last Fall.

And yes, some of these flowers are HUGE!!!… almost as large as my hand!!!

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Just hanging out in Old Town this afternoon while my bike gets it’s 30-ride tune-up!

Murals making walls better in Old Town.

And some of the best… some organic and some architectural.

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Spring clematis bloom in one of my stamped & soda-fired ikebana vases.
Lovin’ the color contrast.

So which view do YOU like better?…
Straight down birds-eye-view?… or a slight angle?!!!
I couldn’t decide so you get stuck with both!!!

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Beautiful iris colors on a gray gloomy day.

At least the shamrocks in my kitchen window are enjoying the sun today… while I’m “trapped inside” without my bike AND doing my taxes today. A double whammy!!! Maybe being without my bike will be a “good thing” when it comes to getting my taxes done???… hmmm?… but I do still have running shoes!

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The last of the golden hostas in my backyard.
Great colors & textures to be covered with today’s predicted snowfall.

My condo backyard is a concrete courtyard. No soil. No dirt.
So I’ve had to create a garden oasis with potted plants… lots of hostas, bushes, flowers and trees I’ve gathered over the years… and of course, some rut pieces here & there!!!

But over the last couple weeks I’ve been seeing a new “resident” rabbit in the backyard. Every morning when I take my bike out, or water the plants, I keep seeing a small bunny hopping out from between the pots. At first I thought he was “cute.” A little slice of wildlife in our backyard. My next door neighbors have actually named him Monroe.

But now I see that this little varmint has started chewing on my plants!!! And I don’t like it!!! But to make it even worse, now it seems as though he’s making some “bedding” or just a beautiful “leaf carpet” around one of the pots??? So he’s not even eating the leaves… he’s just playing with them… just to taunt me even more!!!

Anyone have any suggestions on how I might be able to “encourage” Monroe to take up residence in someone else’s yard? Maybe some smelly flowers? Some pointy, prickly deterrents? Again, everything is on cement, so there’s really no way to stick in fencing. I don’t really want to wrap everything in chicken wire. But I also don’t want Monroe to chew off every leaf!!!

I’m open to suggestions!!!

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