Flower for the Day Final Day Lilies 7-16

These are the last of the day lilies. And the last from the Flower Guy

for a while as he heads out for a small expedition to Greenland.

 

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Flower for the Day Blackberry Lily 7-15

This beautiful flower is in the iris family. It blooms for more than a month and its seed pods last through the winter.

It was a gift from Russel Kraus, deceased former neighbor and owner of the Frank Lloyd Wright house.

 

Flower for the Day Day Lilies 7-14

The second growth spurt prodded by the extra rain has produced some

very subtle colors.

 

 

 

 

Don's Blog On the way to clean water

The Kirkwood Water Department heroes worked almost all night. They got the water shut off and fixed the leak as we slept. Here you can see the main water line which is made of cast iron. The three brass lines coming off it are the "service" lines carrying water to our house and my two immediate neighbors.

 

Here are some of Kirkwood's finest as they begin filling the hole.

 

The hole is filled with gravel from a dump truck. 

 

Wood shims are used so that the service lines won't bend.

 

The main line ends at the fire hydrant.

 

They have cut the ivy off the water meter and flushed out our service line and voila! we have water again. You don't have to join an NGO and go to a third world country to get pure, cool, clear water overnight. Great job guys!

 

Don's Blog - We finally get something for paying taxes.

The Kirkwood Water Department  repair team just arrived with a huge truck and a massive backhoe. The water main break is right near where the water was coming out. The must turn the water off, suction the hole dry and repair the break. Turning the water off is not easy because that valve is as old as the subdivision - about 45 years. It gets packed with dirt and rocks like concrete. The pipe is made of iron and they usually can repair rather than replace it.

Here is the hole.

 

As you can see the suction pump cannot keep up with the water so they are trying to turn off the water.

 

Quite a project next to Marie's Knockout roses.

 

Don's Blog - Water from the ground

We have been to the Lake House and after almost three weeks of rain it has finally begun to dry out. I noticed that clear water kept coming from a white plastic pipe that was down the hill from the house and coming out of the ground. Day after day it just came coming. Finally someone explained that the pipe and others were connected to a drainage system under the house and that without them the water would be collecting under the foundation. Finally today it slowed down some. It has created several pools in the grass down the hill between the end of the pipe and the tie wall at Lake Aspen.

With that in mind we get to the next chapter. We came home today and tonight when I took out the trash I noted water  going from the Grassy Ridge circle. When I checked more closely there was a steady stream of water coming right out of the asphalt street. It reminded me of my Innsbrook stream. As you can see the street itself has been raised up about 6 inches. The gentle stream crosses the street and goes into the storm sewer. I called the emergency number for Kirkwood and got the police dispatcher who sent a "water" guy right over. He said, "You've

got a water main break for sure." He called his supervisor  and they will repair it tomorrow.

I promise not to come by your house so that water won't be discovered coming from the ground near you.

The street is buckled and raised.

 

There is a nice wide clear stream coming right out of the asphalt.

 

It meanders slowly across the street and goes down our storm sewer.

We are hoping that we don't have a geyser.

 

Flower for the Day Cone Flower 7-13-15

This is a perfect representation of this years crop of cone flowers.

They are drab and droopy, and have been mainly valuable as deer fodder.

they will make a comeback next year.

 

Flower for the Day Verbena 7-9-15

Verbena (vervain) is one of my favorites in the gnome garden. It

grows on four foot stalks and blooms for months.

 

 

In a short story, An Odor of Verbena, William Faulkner described 

it symbolically as "the only scent that can be smelled above the 

scent of horses and courage".

 

Flower for the Day Oriental Lily 7-8

Here is an oriental lily that the deer mised. They have been eating 

the tasty buds of the oriental lilies and the day lilies. Once the plant 

has bloomed the white tails leave them alone.

 

Flower for the Day Black-Eyed Susans 7-7

With all the rain this year the black-eyed Susans have been especially

large and colorful.

 

 

Flower for the Day Lavender 7-6

Jan has had a lavender (Lavandula) plant ever since we moved to Kirkwood.

It has wintered over in a sheltered area and the deer have never eaten it. We 

now have some in the field which has done well for several years.