I Think It's Time For Some Flowers...LOTS OF FLOWERS

Can we take a break from all those dog photos?!?!
Dogs are all well and wonderful, but you might be aware that my other great love is gardening. Let's get in the garden! Mother Nature has been extremely kind to all things vegetative here in the past 6 months. (Tho' by vegetative, I am leaving the teenager and his summer vacation out of this post...).

Below: OOohhh, I love this: Dark purple pansies behind Sedum 'Angelina'. 'Angelina' is one of my regulars throughout the garden.

In the interest of full disclosure: The above pansies are pretty much fried since this past week's 100+ degrees heat wave. So much for kind Mother Nature...taken in June.

Oenothera 'Siskiyou Pink' blooming her heart out behind Quail With Three Eggs :


At the entrance to the "Island Bed":

'Blue Celeste' Sweet Peas - I grew from seed - still blooming on July 19! That's a first! I love the rusted arbor with the pale blue. That's a tough, dependable HOT PINK (yeah!) common geranium in background. Common Geraniums: One of my current top five Tough, Low Water Plants For Ann's Garden.

In the "Island Bed":

Above: That's a white 'Iceberg' rose, with yellow Gaillardia 'Lemons & Oranges'.


Below: I love this combo! In the backyard, on the the hill - Geranium 'Rozanne', Euphorbia 'Tasmanium Tiger' and front, Heuchera 'Pewter Palace' :


Unexpectedly this year, this area became one of the prettiest spots in the garden. Bad photo, but beautiful results with wildflowers:

The wildflowers mix had some sort of white daisy (on left), tall red Shirley poppies on right, plus some reseeders from last year (California poppies). Sadly, I didn't get a photograph when it was in its prime.

Wildflower, Farewell To Spring Clarkia amoena:


More "Island Bed" - this was in June:


Behind the house, on the patio, some pots:

yuk - messy oak leaves! These pots look lots better now..stay tuned.

Below, Rose 'Barbra Streisand' or Babs, as I call her...

Taken in early morning shade. Same rose below taken in afternoon sun.

And, for the faithful dog followers, here's some canine action in the yard - black tri JJ (Ebbtide Careful What You Wish) and his mom, Fern, CH Ebbtide Fern. That mauve rose? The one I was trying to get rid of in the spring, Barbra Streisand. I decided I wanted to replace poor Babs with low-water Coleonema 'Sunset Gold'. Just across the path to the right (the entrance to the pool) there is a coleonema growing, and I thought it would be a nice formal (!!) element to the pool entry. So, I pruned Babs back hard after her spring flower flush, with the intent to dig her up and...relocate or sell...her. Well, she responded by quickly going right back into bloom and has not really stopped yet. So she has a reprieve until fall. I'm taking offers on her...

At her feet: dark blue Salvia 'May Night', Verbena "Homestead Purple ' (maybe) and that lime green foliage peeking out - Spirea 'Goldmound'. There is also a yellow rose behind her (she'll stay!):



The photos below are for Chuck, at My Back Forty (Feet), who writes one of my favorite blogs. He has a young wild grape 'Rogers Red', just like the one I have on the pool arbor:


Below: A closeup - before pruning on July 3rd:

The arbor is 10 feet above the deck. The top of the deck is 3 feet off the ground (where the little Vitis californica was planted 5 years ago). Chuck had a photo of his 'Roger's Red' on his blog and said he was "letting it go a little this summer". I recall saying the exact same sort of thing a couple of years ago ;-) It is growing in rocky, compacted, non-clay soil, with little water and lots of sun. LOL. Chuck, look out.

Zayvee, Warren and their new CD!

Not THAT kind of CD! In the dog show world I sometimes visit, "CD" has long stood for "Companion Dog" degree. It is the first title you can earn in obedience competitions. I always compared it to earning your high school diploma, because, as a younger woman, I felt EVERY dog should have a CD title. Actually, I still do. But, now, in my older, wiser years, I realize that was in my Perfect World.

So, thanks very much to Warren Teitelman and his lovely dog, "Zayvee", EBBTIDE GOOGLE'S GAMBOL CD, for keeping my little dream alive. AND they did it with style! Last weekend at Del Monte KC (very stylish place, by the way) Zayvee and Warren competed in Novice A Obedience and won a FIRST PLACE on Saturday, TIED FOR FIRST on Sunday, but, boohoo, lost the runoff , so came home with a respectable SECOND PLACE. A wonderful accomplishment for first time obedience competitors!! Zayvee had two consistent scores of 193 1/2. Well done, guys!





And Warren was brilliant enough to have this beautiful win photo taken with Saturday's judge, Ken Blanchard. That's Warren on the left and Zayvee in the middle ;-) Here's another dog show tip: The judge holds the prizes and the handler holds the dog leash. And the Breeder takes all the credit...
wait, WHAT?!!?! I'm joking! I will tip my hat to Zayvee's incredible little obedience machine mother, "Maddie" EBBTIDE MADAM PRESIDENT CD. She has produced some outstanding performers for Ebbtide. Of course, she had some help with the "G" Litter - our thanks to their handsome sire, CH RaineDance Written In Stone OA AXJ (THOSE are agility titles).

Gotcha Wins Three (Yes, 3 !!) Altered BEST OF BREEDS

This Fourth of July was celebrated with our very own firecracker, "GOTCHA", EBBTIDE GONNA GETCHA CD RA GSN JSN RSN, along with owners Susan Gore and Trish Maddan, attending the ASCA show in hot, hot Gridley, CA on the 4th of July weekend. They were saddened when I informed them I "don't do" dog shows in weather over 100 degrees. Hey, I'm old and have been doing this for 40 years: I can be choosy. Anyways, they certainly don't need me around anyway: Gotcha competed in ALTERED CONFORMATION and came home with THREE WINNERS BITCH, THREE BEST OF WINNERS AND THREE BEST OF BREEDS and one RESERVE WINNERS BITCH (it's good not to be too greedy...). WOW!
Congrats and thanks to Gotcha's handler, Trish Maddan who did a fine job out there. Also thanks to Raine Lutz for showing Gotcha on Saturday morning, for one of the Alt WB, BOW, BOB. And don't forget Susan the groomer, photographer and assistant - Well Done, Team!

Gotcha now only needs a major win to earn her Altered CHAMPION title! Rumor has it Team Gotcha will wait until October for the ASCA Nationals in Greeley, Colorado, to find that major. I like that kind of thinking...

So, it appears Miss Gotcha is our newest over-achiever (since Spencer is "on vacation", Judi??). We found out earlier this week Gotcha also qualified for the ASCA Nationals Obedience Finals in Novice! And you knew that she does a nice job out there in Agility, too, right??!!
Team Gotcha: Just awesome.

Panda's Best of Winners Photo!

Here's the as-promised photo of Panda (EBBTIDE YOUR WISH IS MY COMMAND) as she won the 5 point major at the New Hope ASC ASCA show in Texas on June 13, 2009. Owner/handler Nancy Pantusa had remarked she was naked (errr, that's neked in Texas): The win photo seems to support this allegation...thanks to judge Anne Shope for seeing past the lack of hair. Lookout when she gets her hair back!
Congratulations again to Nancy & Panda! We are proud of you two!