wild grapes in the city

I finally got around to mowing the back third of the lot for the first time since May (I drive on it to turn around and face the cars out the driveway so it doesn't grow very fast) and on the tree in the corner I found grapes.

It will be interesting to find out if there are any left by the time they're ripe or whether the wildlife eats them green and I don't get any.

Did you notice the spots of red to the left? When I first saw them, I thought it was spicebush, but they're growing on a vine.

I don't think I've ever seen such berries before, and I'm wondering if it was planted there by past humans or by the birds.

hitchhikers

When I transplanted all those iris and peonies, I brought some other things without knowing it. I was very pleased to see the Queen Anne's lace come up among the peonies. I shall take care not to smother it in mulch next spring.

mugs for July

This time I hung the Christmas dog mug up to look at it and see if inspiration would strike. So far, it hasn't.

I still think this paint is far far far too dark, but the more it lives with my kitchen stuff the better I like it as a color. This picture goes to prove that not everything in my kitchen is blue.

more plants

I couldn't resist buying a few annuals when I visited a nursery hunting for fruit trees to plant this fall. (And not finding them.)

Next year, I hope to get zinnias into the ground, but for now, just two in pots.

This one on the deck, next to the first geranium I've had in years.

The other one I meant to put on the front porch in a spot where I hoped the mail carrier wouldn't knock it over. But as I was picking up the rain gauge another idea came to me.

The center of the mill stone just seemed to demand that size pot.

Then there's the plant I greeted with glad cries of "Cardinal vine!" and the nursery woman called something else. It has dropped its red flowers in the days since I brought it home, but it has plenty of buds. I had one as a gift from my neighbor in the last place I lived in North Carolina, and if this one goes to seed I'll have many many more next year, for it's quite the weed.

Last but not least, a bell pepper plant. I had looked at this stone planter construction, and wondered what to do with it, besides prop garden carts on it. Nothing permanent, I think, because it looks like it doesn't have any weep holes. But here, I have a vegetable in lots of sun placed too high for the dog to pee on it. Win.

getting an idea

For more than five years I've been keeping the knives I use all the time in this mug. I just plopped them in there when I was unpacking in 2008, because there was no drawer between the stove and sink, although I don't remember what that green mug was doing there at such an early stage of kitchen unpacking. I know it was one someone had given my father full of little Christmas cookies.

So, after moving here, this spring I hung some mugs up on the wall.

After staring at them for weeks, I suddenly thought "I bet that Derby mug wouldn't tip over as easily when I grab a knife in a hurry," and behold:

In fact it is much less tippy than the Christmas dog mug. Also, in the interest of knife safety, I do not actually keep my knives on a windowsill over the stove, but the light under the cabinet on the counter was much too bad.
Also I have typed "mub" instead of "mug" every single time. If you know what a mub is I would appreciate your sharing the knowledge.