Summertime Yard Projects

Let's face it, chicks, life is not leisurely in the summer time when you want to plant some new roses front and back, change the bark that washes out with each rain and gets blown into the neighbor's yard 1/2 block down the street when it's windy with 2 1/2 yards (that's the big machine with a scoop) of Wild Rose Mountain Stone which you and hubs will shovel out of the trailer into a wheelbarrow and put into each garden area in the front of the house, the back yard looks like Grasszilla's yard, planned trip to see granddaughter in Washington state and hubs is running for a state position, has a convention and you want that new security camera for the front door put up "on your time frame" and not "hubby's time frame!"

One of the roses I bought to put into the front rose garden.

The "grasszilla" back yard. I'm hoping the quote we have asked for from a lawn service to weed and feed or whatever it needs goes easy on me or I may faint!

The first of my rose carpet on the back fence.

Another one that needs to be planted about 8 feet from the above one.

Second carpet rose we planted on other side of an archway. I have another one to plant about 8 feet from this one also.

This one will go in the rose garden in front also.

This is my neighbor to the east of me or left when looking at the front of my house. You see that tree???? It's only four years old and humongous! It's a Navajo willow or something like that, but it grows tremendously fast. It was in a 3 gallon pot when the previous owner planted it.

The honeysuckle on our garden shed is growing just fine this year.

Okay, okay, I said I was giving up on my star jasmine. I lied. I am going to try 2 more and see how it goes. If nothing else, I'll have had it for this summer and that's okay too.

Do you understand "grasszilla" yard now? Plus the guy came to see what we could do and found out we have a fungus on our pear tree (not pictured here). So we did what he said and hope it will be fine. We'll have him spray to weed and feed in a few days and then need to cut the grass down as low as possible, de-thatch, and then plant some other seed. Apparently this was a cheap seed when we had it sprayed on 4 years ago. So we'll go with a better seed this time. This stuff is pathetic.

My pathetic little garden for tomatoes, peppers and cukes. My gardenia is still alive though and that's a miracle. I haven't killed it yet.

~*~

Random Thought:

Cajun style food in any other part of the world would be called "burned and blackened!"

Gardens Are Looking Good So Far

Does this look good or what? I am so impressed by the man who came the other day to "fix" our yards up. The back yard needs weed and feed and de-thatching so I won't show that to you yet, but here is the front yard.

We call this the porch garden. Two hydrangeas in front and rhododendrons in the back. Soothing water effect comes from the fountain against the garage wall.

Hostas, a bright and fragrant lily 2nd on left, hydrangea and another hosta in back. In front, 2 more hostas. I may plant more. I just love them.

Rose bush will go in round spot.

Bilbugs got hold while we were in California but it has been treated and going away nicely.

I bought 2 more David Austin rose bushes to go in here.

Bush on right hand side will stay to kind of balance out this area.

And here is the biggest surprise. Pinkish/lavender rocks! Yes, you heard that right. When we were at a nursery the other day we were looking for medium sized rocks. Hubs came across these and said he liked them. I pointed out that the "Oregon Trail Rocks" were $34.99 a yard and these were $119.99 a yard and he gulped. Last night I asked him which one we should buy and he said the pink/lavender ones would look so pretty! I almost fell over in the doorway to his office. BUT I sweetly said, "Yes, they would be beautiful." I had him at that point, chicks. He wants them! I told you guys like pink! Do not doubt me on this, my friends. So we will get them in a day or so.

Now, this is hard to believe and the photos don't show it well but the nursery lady told me they get even more pink/lavender when wet! Be still my heart. They do! When we get them down in the garden spots I'll try to capture them again, but they are called "Wild Rose Rock." And they really are a different color from regular rock. Just gorgeous. I am sooooo excited.

Pink Saturday and Random Thoughts 6/13/09

Happy pink saturday to all of you. I've been very neglectful (chalk it up to "old age"!) in linking back to Beverly of How Sweet the Sound. I apologize to her and am remedying the situation now by inviting each of you to click on her link and go see the list of others participating in this event each saturday. It's certainly a lot of fun for me.
~*~

Like a lot of you, I've come to the realization that my house will never look like those in the magazines. BUT I can still do things I like to do and it can look similar to those that we like without the fancy prices.

I love the look of old doors, windows, shutters or dividers in my house. I have a trellis divider I've used and recently took it down and stored the 2 pieces behind bedroom doors until I figure out what next I'll do with it. But look at how this homeowner got a gorgeous look using them. Just kinds of separates the entry to an apartment from the living room. I need to do this also since our entry is right into our living room. This would help define it a bit.

A branch with tea lights. How darling. I'm sure they are the battery kind otherwise we'd..........okay, okay, I'd burn down the house. A neat idea for a party or "house warming" though.

If you're like me and have no fireplace you can still have a faux one with a mantel as a focal point in the room instead of those ugly big televisions. These owners used it to hide an old steam radiator. Clever idea!

~*~

I was reading a blog recently about a woman who lost her diamond and it reminded me of when my daughter was just over a year old and she lost my engagement ring.

I had gone in to take a shower and left her in the front room watching cartoons. When I got out I noticed my rings weren't in the spot I had left them. I asked her if she did something with them and can't remember what she said but I did find the diamond wedding ring soon. But the engagement ring wasn't so easy. I somehow found out she took it to the play area in the back of our apartment. There were swings out there and we learned she had it out there. So we sifted through the sand with the help of some neighbors and finally found the ring. Needless to say, we were thrilled. I think we had a big party that night to celebrate—on us of course. I was never so glad to find something in my life!!

~*~

I am an excellent speller but with the advent of "spell check" I don't worry about it so much but the other day I couldn't figure out how to spell "principle"—the word that means a fundamental quality. I typed principle and then principal and neither looked right. Principal, of course, is the school head. I think I'm relying on "spell check" and my calculator too much. *Sigh*.......

~*~

Have you gotten into your car and had an itch on your back and just CANNOT satisfy it? I must look a sight driving down the street or freeway with all the gyrations I'm doing in the seat to get to that itch.

~*~

And while driving the other day I heard an ad on the car radio for a nasal spray that had the side effects of "nasal bleeding" and "glaucoma"! Why in the world would someone use it if those were the side effects. I'd rather have a stuffy nose, for heaven sakes!

~*~

Recently I was driving the car with hubs in the passenger seat and was trying to turn off the "change lane/turn" signal. The windshield wiper kept coming on. After about 4 or 5 times of this happening I turned to him and said, "Something's wrong with the car; I can't turn the signal off." He looked over at me and said, "Try the other one; you're trying to turn it off with the windshield wipers." Another DUH moment in the life of Connie. I truly was clueless........uhhhh, just for the moment though. ^—^
~*~

Why do ads always come out on sunday instead of saturday or monday? We don't shop on sunday and sometimes when I get to the store on mondays the item I'm looking for is gone. I think they should change their starting days for the ads or put some back for those of us who honor sabbath and don't shop that day.
~*~

Vintage Wedding Gowns, Wallpaper and Hats

Two vintage wedding gowns were displayed in the master bedroom along with parts of the trousseau. These women must have been tiny and short because these gowns are very petite. I felt like an Amazon beside them and I'm 5' 4 3/4". Those shoes looked like children's shoes.

Original roses wallpaper adorns the walls in there. It would be absolutely something we would lust for today. Gorgeous.

Part of the bridal wear.

Lace curtains original to the home. Exquisite!

More original wallpaper. I just had to get pix of it because I know how hard it is to get vintage wallpaper today and a lot of crafters pay dear for it.

Looks like craftsman-type on this piece.

Just like toile we would use today.

Yes, this is a hat original to that era belonging to one of the women in the home.

Red velvet sofa holding bridal items and a antimacassar.

~*~

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? :-)