Roses of Summer and Weeding

One saturday recently I decided to go out and tend my rose garden. I had bought some more hostas to plant under my office window because I love them so much. I think of them as elegance for my small garden.

Porch garden will be getting an update soon with weed fabric and some stones instead of bark. The desert wind blows them all over and when it rains they wash out. So we have a lawn care company coming soon to refurbish a few areas in front and some out back.

Under my office/computer room window. I planted the one in front that day and the green upright at the top of photo is a gift from a neighbor so it will remain. It's a very fragrant lily. The green shrubs will go.

I deadheaded today. I had 2 five gallon buckets of roses—all very beautiful and fragrant. I smelled every single bush I cut!

I think they make a beautiful photo. This garden is a mound in the middle of yard and will be refurbished also.

Another shot of my roses. Sob.......... I hate to cut them to throw away.

Front of office with the little window seat above the rock. Another hydrangea is peeking through the left top of the right hand shrub. And if you got that you're savvy! LOL

Okay, have I bored you to tears yet with this post of shrubs and flowers? I'm keeping that tall bush on the corner of the house because of its heights and lushness. It's not especially pretty but I need something there and it IS there.

I'm so proud of this photo I could just spit. I wanted a very close up picture of this rose. My camera is loved by me even more each time I use it and strive for "perfection"!

Same rose, farther shot.

More roses. The garden is certainly looking trashy now but you just wait. :-)

Pink petal path.

Other side of that small garden. I wish I knew someone getting married today; I'd donate the roses and petals to them to strew about the yard.

I may cry at the waste of all those gorgeous roses.

Yes, they are as gorgeous as they look and smell divine, chicks!

A perfect white rose in the garden.

Pink beauty sighing its last gasp. Pretty, even with the spots acknowledging its demise.

Another rose of a very soft pink and yellow saying its farewell in a couple of days.

This is my all-time favorite rose in the garden. Pink, of course.

Oooooh, if anyone wants to use these photos you certainly may use them for anything you might need, but I would appreciate a link back to my blog for it. It's fun and nice to share and I do this when I can also. I love finding new bloggers and appreciate each and everyone who visits me. Thank you.

Until next time. Au revoir.
~*~

Random Thought:

When trimming the roses this day hubby told me I wasn't doing it properly and should just cut the buds. He took over from there and will probably not allow me to do it again. Am I smart or what?!?! Hmmmm??? Truly? I didn't even think about it while I was doing it, but it worked out well for me, huh? :-)

Footprints and Old Photos for Wordless Wednesday

Ardenwood Victorian Home 2

Let me begin by saying that the victorian home in this historical park was closed the day we were there. However, a caretaker saw us admiring the home and taking photographs. He then told us to go stand on the porch. We couldn't figure out why but then the front door opened and he gave us a private tour for about an hour. We were thrilled to have a personal tour and all of our questions answered. He was a sweetheart and showed great kindness to us and for that we are much appreciative.

But all the shades were down and it was very dark in there so these pictures were not taken under the best of circumstances so they are what they are and we thanked him profusely for the personal tour.
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Braiding their plants was something I'd never seen before but here is a picture of it in their front porch area.

This is the front. It's one of the first homes in that area to have electricity when it was originally built. The turret is mosaic just below the roof.

Close up of front balcony.

Gazebo I would love to have in my yard.

Roses in front porch garden.

Original settee in front parlor. That floor is parquet but each tiny piece is hand set in and nailed. Not like we get now but artisan perfect with each piece put in separately. Magnificent!

Turret windows in front room parlor.

Close up of original stained glass window.

Fireplace and original mantel in front parlor.

Family private parlor, which is akin to our family rooms today. Looks like they played a lot of games with that table and chairs so prominent in the room.

Original mantel and fireplace in family parlor.

Upstairs and just starting to go through that area.

More soon!
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Walking Through Ardenwood

A bit of eye candy for you today.

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During our most recent trip back to Calif. we toured Ardenwood in Fremont. It's an old historical farm donated to the state by a man named Patterson. The victorian home on it is just lovely and I'll have pix on that in a day or so and, although I'm not too keen on viewing historical places, this one was interesting and took our minds off the sadness we were experiencing. It actually was a lot of fun that day.

The door to the old servants quarters. It is now the home office.

Flowers were abundant around the home.

The old ice house.

Ferns were abundant all over the acreage.

My family. Son, Keith, still on crutches, daughter's son, Adam, 6'4" in white shirt, granddaughter, hubby looking at the trains and granddaughter's hubby in red shirt.

They had their own railroad side there with several cars still on the track but definitely not in use anymore.

A place to rest and reflect.

Path to a gazebo.

Desert plants and California live oaks, one of my favorite trees stand together on the land.

An allèe through the park.

And a peacock that allowed me to get so close I had to take its picture for my friend, Katie. Katieeeeeee, ya better look and comment on this dude, huney!!

More pictures of the actual house next time! We got a personal tour while there.
~*~

Random Thought:

I cannot talk or text while hubby's driving because I'm the back seat driver and drivers aren't allowed to do that while driving. :-)

A Celestial Home and Celestial Language for Pink Saturday 6/6/09

I've said many times that my home is a refuge from the world. It is. In doing some reading lately I want to speak to the issue of beautiful homes and beautiful language.

I know of a man who determined to please his wife by sharing a specific compliment each night as he returned home from work. One night he complimented her on her cooking. The next night he complimented her on keeping a lovely and clean home for their family. Another night he complimented her on her sweet influence on their children. Then one night before he could speak she told him she was aware of what he was doing and thanked him for it but she then said, "Don't say any of those things to me; just tell me you think I'm beautiful." Captured my heart! I praise hubby regularly for being such a good provider for us and I sincerely mean it. He works hard so I'm able to stay home and take care of it and him.

As my close friends know I am a stickler for proper language. Oh, I sometimes slip and say a bad word but I know better. I hear filthy language all the time when out shopping or in some restaurants. It's become the "cultural" thing to do. My advice is "stop it" and stop it now! It shows ignorance when we use filthy language and allow others in our presence to do it. I've heard conversations that include the word "like" so many times I thought I'd scream. Yes, it's the teenagers and young adults and they have no verbal skills whatsoever. It shows that the teachers are not teaching them proper language skills or correcting them because it's "insensitive" to do it. Rubbish. I correct people as much as I can without being totally obnoxious. I think it's very sad that as an English speaking country we can't form proper grammar in our sentences. And the fact is that they have no clue they are incorrect!

Let's talk about music now. I am in shock at some of the songs I'll hear from MP3 players or at some homes today. (By the way, "awe" means a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear OR wonder. It does NOT mean what the cultural norm is intending it to mean today. I refuse to use it in any other way than what it is supposed to mean. I do not use "awesome!" to describe every little thing that I find astonishing.) Have you ever listened to classical music even by some of today's composers? Beautiful. It will almost always bring me to tears. Shouldn't we be allowing "beauty" in our music to permeate our homes also? I think yes. Your home is only as good as the things you allow in it: music, books, language. Think on it. I want my heart and my mind to be "heavenly" and I strive for it. I am NOT perfect. I happen to love the Air Supply, Dionne Warwick and Credence Clearwater Revival and always will but they don't play on my CD player all the time. The other day I was listening to a blog that had loud music and quickly switched it off. I then found one that had adagio music playing and it brought my heart to tears.

There is a story about Audrey Hepburn when she was making My Fair Lady and she was "disheveled and unpolished" with her face besmirched with charcoal in the opening scene. She told this man, "But I was wearing my perfume and inside I still knew I was a lady." She had to feel self-respect and pride in her appearance even for a movie role. That's how I feel about myself. I must feel clean and good inside.

Let's look at some of these pink rooms in homes.

This one takes pink a step above pink into almost fuchsia. Gorgeous!

A traditional home in pink is a rarity today but oh so lovely. Who says you have to have dark colors in traditional style?

Chartreuse and pink?? Yesssssss!

Movie star gorgeous bathroom. Clean, simple, pink.

A "gray flannel suit" wrapped in pink. Very striking.

The proverbial little girl's room in pink but with a "grown-up" twist.

A library in pink and gray. I truly believe, because some men have told me they love my home, that men do love pink romantic surroundings. The room below is a masculine room as well as a feminine room.

Ditto the above description.

A very inexpensive way to make a dramatic statement in a room.

A tad "Jetsons" style but very cute.

Drama in the dining room here. Very french and froufrou-y pink.

I would probably have fabric on the sides of the windows but I absolutely love this room and would live happily in it. Very stylish.

~*~

Random Thought

The world doesn't need any more coarse women. It needs women of virtue, strength and softness.