Bells of Scotland and Garden Chit Chat

When we were in Butchart Gardens last summer, one of the flowers I noticed and loved was Bells of Ireland.  I bought the seeds and planted them inside in March.  Finally they bloomed in June, but only lasted till Aug. 1st, but I wanted to share a picture of these little cuties. Next year I will try them in a shadier place.  (They are an annual).

Now, a little garden talk.  For me it has been a terrific year for tomatoes, onions, and corn.  Blackberries are doing pretty well. It has been a bad year for blueberries, green beans, and my cucumbers aren't near as prolific as in past years.  Can't blame the crops -- it can't be easy on them to be exposed to continuous 100 degree weather. Here's a garden joke:
"It sure has been hot in Missouri."
"How hot has it been?"
"So hot you don't have to pickle your cucumbers---they shrivel up right on the vine."

What a bad joke, but a little truthful.  My cucmbers did shrivel up, even though I watered them regulary.  Now for a little scripture talk: 
 "Though the fig tree does not bud
   and there are no grapes on the vines;
   though the olive crop fails
   and the fields produce no food,
   though there are no sheep in the pen
   and no cattle in the stalls,
   yet I will rejoice in the Lord.
   I will be joyful in God my Savior."  Habakkuk 3:17-18

I tried to put myself in the shoes of men down through the ages whose livlehhod depended on their crops--- the heavy weight on my shoulders of whether my family would have food through the winter-- whether I would have crops to trade and bargain with-- to feed my livestock.  [How trivial of me worried about a few cucumbers.]  That I would always have the faith of Habakkuk.  no matter what calamity comes my way, "yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be joyful in God my Savior."