Our Patriotic Summer Porch

Hi folks!  Can you believe June is already half over?  Honestly, I can't.  This has been the fastest spring and summer -- the days just fly by faster and faster.  I wanted to share the further progress that I've made on our front porch.  The three things I mentioned in my previous porch post that I wanted to do can be checked off my list.  I still have a couple more things, and then I'll consider the porch done for the summer (except for keeping the flowers watered, of course).

First of all, we got a new Welcome mat for the porch; the other one was at least eight years old and the design had totally faded out.  It looked pretty sad.

I found this one at Lowe's, and I just love it.  :)

Secondly, I got the glass, as well as the frame of the storm door cleaned.  This is the cleanest and most streak-free I've ever gotten our door, and I'll share with you how I did it later this week.

Third thing on the list was to get a fern for this table, and, Yay, I found one!  I'm picky about ferns, and I had to look several places before I found one that I really like.  This is a Tassel Fern; I've never had one before, so I hope it does well.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.  :)

I love the detail on this little table, which I found years ago at Sam's Club.  It's wrought iron, so it's very sturdy.

I added a new piece of statuary -- a little stone garden angel.

I love our sweet bunny.  He was a gift many years ago from my mother-in-law.  He was made by Virgina Metalcrafters and has such a nice patina.

I'm happy to report that my squirrel "forktress" (as my husband has christened it) is still working beautifully.  :-D  The squirrels seem to be leaving my plants and dirt alone.  I got this great idea from Lynn at Happier Than a Pig in Mud, and you can read about it Here.  Thanks again, Lynn!!

I'm not showing you the tenacious weeds on the right side of the porch because being weeds, they're ugly.  It seems that each year in addition to the usual weeds, we are treated to new varieties of even peskier, more bothersome weeds.  I don't know what these are, but they're a real nuisance.  They grow straight up with groups of leaves similar in shape to my rose foliage, but more ragged and absolutely covered with thorns.  There's no pulling these bad boys out by the roots, even with garden gloves on.  To make matters worse, they grow right up through the middle of our shrubbery, so I'm afraid to spray them with Roundup®, which I would dearly love to do.  I had cut them down as low as I could manage, and now they've all grown back as big as ever.  Sigh.

The temps are supposed to be in the 90's here all week, so I don't know if I'll get out there to weed this week, or if I'll have to wait until next week.  It's really bugging me to look at them, so I may try to get out there in the morning or evening when the sun is not at its hottest.

  
We put our American flags out for National Flag Week, and we're leaving them out until July 4th.  I love seeing them everywhere in the summer, especially on our own front porch.  I think now, more than ever, it's important to remember what our flag stands for, and how lucky we are to be able to freely fly it.

I'll have one more thing on the porch to show you a little later.  Right now, I'm happy with the way it's turned out.  It looks cheerful and welcoming, and that's what I was aiming for.  :)

What have you been working on, and what are you enjoying most about June so far?  Thanks so much for your visit and have a wonderful week!!

I'm sharing this post at:
Home and Garden Thursday, hosted by Kathy
Home Sweet Home, hosted by Sherry
Metamorphosis Monday, hosted by Susan

Denise