Happy Monday!
Instead of Christmas in July, I’m having some rib-tickling Halloween in July fun
with some gardening help from the skeleton crew!
Long time readers know I love Halloween but if Halloween
isn’t your cup of tea, I apologize in advance. <|;>)
Rod and Rowena are the skeleton crew at Hawthorne Gardens.
They came out of the closet early this year to lend a hand to help
with the deadheading, watering, weeding around the Potting Shed.
Rod is a master gardener and loves working in the garden!
He says there’s nothing like a little fresh air and sunshine to cure what ails you!
As a former beekeeper, Rod’s motto is Bee Kind.
He wants to raise awareness of the importance of pollinators
and the plight of the Bombus Skellitus in particular,
which have been dying off at an alarming rate.
Rod was reunited with his long lost love, Rowena, a couple of years ago.
It was love at first sight and he was drawn to her beautiful smile!
Rowena is passionate about flowers and serves as in house florist for Hawthorne Gardens.
She also loves to set a festive table, even if it’s just a table for two on the porch.
She can hardly wait for the Limelight Hydrangeas to burst into bloom
to use in her arrangements, which should be in about a week!
She says to make sure you don’t miss this Public Service Announcement:
Plant a Limelight Hydrangea…or Five
Rowena shares Rod’s love for bees and is wearing her favorite garden apron.
Rowena doesn’t have the stamina she used to have and is often bone tired.
She’s content to sit and keep Rod company while he works and
watch the bees buzz and bumble around the Chaste Tree.
Rod has been busy as a bee with his garden chores, so Rowena encouraged
him to take a break and rest his weary bones. . .
Thank you for indulging my skellie humor and bad puns. . .
I hope you found this humerus. ;)
Rod says “Bee Kind” and he hopes to see you again soon!
More Rod and Rowena adventures:
No Bones About It: It’s Warmer by the Fire Pit!
Hawthorne Gardens Wicked Beautiful Flowers Tablescape + Rib Tickling Fun
Skeleton Crew and Dogs on the Porch
Bone Appétit: Rod & Rowena’s Last Hurrah and Halloween Fun
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Thank you for your visit, sharing with:
Between Naps on the Porch
This is a scream Mary! I can only imagine what your neighbors must think but I love your sense of fun! I hope to see more Rod and Rowena adventures in July! 🦴🐝🌸❤️
Good morning Mary, Up early this morning out on the porch watching the ariel show by our bats. Love your Halloween in July. Feel much like Rowena during these hot days of summer and could use a skeleton crew to help with gardening chores. Thankful for my flowering shrubs to provide some structure and color in my yard. Planted 5 Vitex and 3 Limelight Hydrangeas about 6 yrs
and they are now in their prime. The Vitex are pollinator magnets and you can literally hear them hum when you go by them. Surrounded one with mountain mint and the variety of bees ,wasps and butterflies is amazing.
Thanks again for making me smile this morning with your puns. My Mother used to say,she would stay cool in the dog days of summer by taking off her skin and dancing in her bones. What a great idea!
Thanks for starting my Monday off with a smile and a laugh!!!
Hilarious, Mary. They look frighteningly real in their poses. Mary’s smile is to die for. 😜 Your garden looks about as amazing as your watering can collection!
Always happy to see Rod and Rowena any time of year. It’s a favorite holiday for so many of us. Thank you for the eye candy!
Oh my! What a hoot! I,too, love Halloween and do a lot of indoor decorating but I may have to see if Rod and Rowena have any relatives that want to move to Virginia and spend time in my garden and woods. I have a life size witch that talks and spends most of October on my front porch. Last year she carried a sign encouraging folks to vote. I so look forward to your posts. Best way to start my day. Thanks for sharing your creativity. Peace to all.
I agree with Cindi – what a hoot! And what a fun way to start the week! I, too, love all your posts. You are an AMAZING and CREATIVE woman. I love all your posts and look forward to seeing the next email in my inbox. Hope you have a great day! Thanks for sharing all your wonderful ideas.
That was great fun thanks for the pre morning laughs! Its been so hot for so long I REALLY appreciate your whimsy and dead pan humor! I can’t imagine moving around that much to even take a picture 🤒
I have heard of Christmas in July, but I believe I like your Halloween in July even more. Too funny! Perhaps Rod and Rowena could deter the deer from entering my garden! As always, your garden is an inspiration to me. Thank you for your wonderful posts!
That is just too cute!!!
I love this post. Do they help keep the deer and crows out of your garden?
Hi Kim, We don’t have deer (knock wood!) but they might scare them away! :)
Link for the large gold bee?
WONDERFUL!
So fun, Mary!! Thank you for sharing and starting Monday off with a few laughs!! Blessings to you…..
Before I got out of bed this morning I thought I wouldn’t hear from you today as it isn’t the first or third Monday of the month. So what a nice surprise! What a fear start to the day.
Great not fear start to the day.
Love that Rod and Rowena are getting to putter around the garden Mary! They brightened my day! Happy Monday! Clara❤️
How fun! All those skeletons would fit right in with Pirate Weekend on our lake next weekend. Gardens are gorgeous as always!
Rod & Rowena made my day today, and made me smile!
LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! Laughing all the way through!! I love Halloween! In fact, I love all holidays that I can decorate for…this is a welcome break from all the Christmas In July that’s going around!! Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas but sometimes it’s just too much! I’m hoping to see celebrations for HALLOWEEN & THANKSGIVING! I know that Halloween is not a national holiday but it is/was always fun and we need more fun and Thanksgiving (the forgotten holiday) we need more giving thanks!! Keep up the good work and don’t EXPIRE Rod & Rowena!! I think I might buy my own Rod or Rowena!! Again, another great idea Mary!!
Such a fun post Mary. I love that you are a kid at heart. Rod and Rowena are just precious. I could use their help in my gardens as well. Thanks for the smiles on this hot Monday morning.
Funny, cute and as always wonderful!!!
Love the bee apron & all the humor that your post inspires. If we could all try to add to the fun in the garden, that would make for many more laughs. We need more Octobers in July for sure.
This is so fun so thank you! In the dog days of summer, I look so forward to my favorite time of year which is fall. I’m already looking forward to warm colors, autumn recipes, and just a bit of cooler weather. Thanks for posting!
Love, love, love!!!
Loved this.
Love it! 😆 I have a neighbor up the street that keeps her skellie out all year on the porch and she changes her look each season. Always look forward to seeing her!
Mary, you are tooooooooo much! I’m not much of a Halloween fan but love fall—& this post! You’re hilariously humorous!
Mary, I can’t tell you how much I enjoy your posts and this skeleton garden posts was just what I needed today! This skeleton crew could come work in my garden any time. Love, love, love it!
Oh my gosh, I lost it when you said that Rod was helping you with the “deadheading”!!! Sometimes I think that’s how they are going to find hubby and me after weeding the garden. One positive note is that I guess you no longer PERspire when you EXpire! :)
What a wonderful blog! So funny and clever! Thanks for your hard work! It is so appreciated!
Mary, this is definitely a scream! What a fun Halloween in July. Your sense of humor is wickedly funny!
Delightful, I was wishing it was autumn this morning and fulfilled my wildest dreams
No bones about it. Rod and Rowena leave me bone-dry from laughter!
I love Rod and Rowena!! And
Also BEES Keep those humerus posts coming
I laughed out loud! Thanks for the giggle! Rod and Rowena are putterers just like me… but they dress better then me when I’m gardening.
Thanks for the fun!
What wonderful fun Mary!! I’m not into Christmas in July this year either, but I am loving your summer skellie-fest with your hilarious skeleton crew! Love the Bee Kind tshirt, and yes, Save the Bees Please!!!
Jenna
Ha, glad to see they are getting a chance to stretch their bones a bit in the garden Mary! We can all use a little help in the yard this time of year… If Rod still mows the lawn, send him over please:@)
Your Skelly Gang, just made me laugh!!!Great photos!
Yay! My MOST favorite holiday ever! Cannot wait for October!
Maybe my favorite post ever!
Too funny! I love your wonderful Halloween ideas and now I can’t wait for October!
What fun! I’m already looking forward to fall so this is just the dose of happy that I needed :)
I so enjoyed your “humerus” post with the adventures of Rod and Rowena. How nice to get help from your skeleton crew. I know just how bone tired the feel. Thank you for the fun gardening antics of your helpers.
I love that you did this post! I have been thinking about Halloween so much, planning in my head what I would like to do. Your garden looks spooky and wonderful. It’s nice to see skeletons in summer attire with lush foliage in the background. I had no idea that Amazon had so many articulated animals. Thanks for providing the links, I am off to investigate that.
OMGoodness, Mary, this was hysterical! You had me laughing out loud with your HUMERUS puns!!!! Loved it all. One question, what is a caste tree?
Thank you Pinky, I’m glad it tickled your funny bone. :) Chaste Tree, also known as Vitex or Chasteberry, has lilac colored blooms and is hardy in USDA zones 5 – 9. Happy Weekend ♥
Oh yes I found this Humerus! Lol……I HAD to post a bunch of these photos to my Hunny Falloween board. Mary, you always make my day! Gotta get my a couple of skeletons….how fun!
How fun! I love Halloween. I like how you gave your skeletons a summery feel.