Happy July, everyone!  My oh my, this year seems to be moving along too quickly!  The growing season is finally in full swing here in Central Illinois.  Here are a few pictures from my backyard and front porch.

The hostas along the north side of the garage look spectacular!

Aren’t these incredible!  Look at the size of those leaves!

One my old copper boilers filled with beautiful annuals among the hostas.

The coneflowers around the deck are large, beautiful deep green color, and just about ready to bloom.

One of my favorite things in the backyard – the old sink filled with petunias.

Another picture of the sink.  Love it!

I am so happy that the roses survived the brutal winter.

 Beautiful red roses.

An old metal gate stands among the coneflowers bordering the deck.  I have two of these gates – one from my husband Murray’s childhood home and one from his great-grandmother’s farm, where we live.  You will see the second gate in the following pictures.

I love the rocking chairs on the front porch and I love sitting out here in the evenings.

The second gate.  I wasn’t’ sure what to do with it, so I just put it behind the primitive bench.  I think it looks great with the watering cans and the birdhouse.

I think it looks very nice.  And you can see the gate from inside the house!

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you all had a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July!

Until next time,

Pat, Kathi, and Carla