Tomatoes, parsley, and a paint called muslin

I probably shouldn’t get so excited over some little cherry tomatoes in my flowerbed, but I do. I guess it’s because I have never been successful in growing them.
  My parsley plant is the largest I have ever seen. After making a huge circle of fluffy leaves, it has bolted and is making seeds. It was supposed to attract black swallowtail butterflies who would lay eggs to form caterpillars to eat all this parsley, but did not; so I'm leaving it as long as I can.

The afternoon sun really punishes the hydrangeas. I made an overnight trip and missed an afternoon of watering. I came home the next afternoon to this sad sight.

But after a good drink, they looked like this. It's amazing how they can perk up.

We hung two more of my quilts in a recently painted stairwell at my church. It brings me joy to share my quilts and brighten up this space. 

Speaking of brightening up . . . seeing what the light paint did to this formerly dark space points out my need to do the same in my living room and dining room. The tongue-in-groove wood paneling was greatly admired by my husband and he would not hear any talk of painting it. I love real wood, too, but I am ready to make these rooms brighter. Overhead lights only seem to glare. I have this same wood paneling in my studio but have enough overhead fluorescent lights there to overcome any darkness.

Looking toward east wall

Looking toward west wall

The overhead beams and the paneling inside the bookcases will be left as they are now. It won't be a simple job, since the seams will have to be caulked or filled before painting. The color I chose happened to be called "muslin." That seems quite fitting!

Herbs in the Flowerbed

I love herbs almost as much as flowers, not so much for cooking as to just walk past and enjoy the fragrance. Here is my flowerbed near the driveway and garage that I walk past every time I enter or leave. From the left are a giant rosemary bush, variegated thyme, basil, parsley. Near the rosemary the light-colored plant is curry (ornamental, not for cooking) that has a delightful scent.
In the front on the right are Blue Daze (evolvulus glomerata), trailing vinca, penta, coleus, and Diamond Frost (Euphorbia). The clay pot holds an interesting blue star-shaped flower that is as beautiful as the Blue Daze (lost its name), and the white pot contains a prolific invasive weed that rewards me with green and white variegated leaves.

This is one happy rosemary bush!

I never harvest my parsley but let it grow as much as it will, hoping that a caterpillar will discover it and eat her fill and then form a chrysallis when she is ready. These make beautiful black swallowtail butterflies if the birds don't have a feast first. I try to watch for the chrysallis stage and give some protection with netting. I have even been lucky enough to see the butterfly emerge and stretch her wings before flying off. This takes more patience than I think I have nowadays, but I can try.

Variegated thyme. I am hoping it will thrive and trail down over the stones.

The basil makes a nice little bouquet when the tops need to be pinched off. It is a cheery addition to the kitchen window.