Frazzled, Frantic, and Frenzied

If last week was crazy, then this week has been pure chaos.  After two weeks of spending every moment possible trying to get the garden in order, it was time to get my house in order.  Husband, aka Mr. Procrastinator, finally got around to some of the chores on the to-do list I had made up nearly 10 months ago, and once he started, I didn't think he was going to stop.  Weeds were trimmed around every outbuilding on the farm, and broken or dead limbs cut from every tree until we had a brush pile big enough for a Homecoming bonfire. 

The front yard, where a wedding reception/party for Daughter and new Son-in-law will be held, is looking good.  But if Hubby is Mr. P, then I am definitely his soulmate, Mrs. Procrastinator. 

After months of indecision, I finally decided on new carpeting for the living room and family room, and new tile for the kitchen.  When would it be put in? Why, this week, of course!  Why not add to the chaos by moving all the furniture out for three days and trying to remember where I moved the phone or the coffeepot?  Working around the flooring installers and coordinating deliveries and last-minute details, my mind is going in thirty different directions, unable to focus on one task for very long.

I walk around the garden each day, pulling the overlooked weed, wondering what will be in bloom by Saturday.  Probably no one will venture as far as the lily bed, so they will miss seeing the new Byzantine glads at the back of this border.

The purple iris' blooms will probably have faded by Saturday.

Plans to move all the furniture back in place Tuesday night were stalled when I was told the grout had to sit for another twenty-four hours, and the carpeting--promised as a one-day job--wasn't finished.  Breathe in the perfume of the nearly blue new iris, Rose . . . it will all get done eventually.

Wednesday morning the tent was put up, and I started to worry about rain . . . or even worse, strong storms like last week.  But the weather forecast is for 0% chance of precipitation . . . let's hope they're right for once. 

 With the tent in the middle of the yard, probably very few, if any, will even venture up to look closely at the garden.  But it's hard to miss the red Knockouts blooming away in the front bed, where 'May Night' salvia and 'Walker's Low' nepeta vie for attention.

All the containers have been filled to add some color in this in-between stage of blooms.  On the back steps, this container only got a quick infusion of yellow petunias, as the pansies just weren't ready to give up yet.  How they've survived this week of 90-degree heat is beyond me.

Lefover impatiens from another project went into the blue pot in the shade garden along with a caladium and coleus.

The new spirea in front of the house--name escapes me at the moment--is putting out its first blooms.

The shade garden has been top priority in the last two weeks, since it is the most visible from the party area. 

The good thing is that plants are so crowded together here there's little chance for weeds to grow.  Even the lamium that refuses to stay in its place is putting out a few blooms to add to the festivities.

If anyone wants to look closely, maybe they will notice a few late hellebore blooms instead of a stray weed. Even I didn't notice them hidden under the growing hydrangeas.

Or maybe their eyes will be drawn to the Heucheras, like this glowing 'Tiramisu.'

Or if a guest wants to look more closely, I'll point out my new namesake, the dainty little tiarella 'Rosalie.'

I'm frazzled and frenzied, bone tired at the end of each day.  But don't worry about me--I'm typically stressed out before any big event I plan.  By Saturday evening I will relax and enjoy greeting family and friends.  There will be time next week for relaxing, reading blogs, and catching up on some much-needed sleep.

There will be time then to stop and smell the roses.