What's in your garden today? Part I

 

I'm on the mend and back in the garden today. It's a beautiful morning, 

bright sunshine and cool but warming up. I need to really work on the back

 bed along the fence where recent heavy rains wreaked havoc. 

Lots of weeds and mini oak trees sprouting, jasmine vines beautiful

 and fragrant from their flowers, but really out of control regarding size. 

The climbing roses need reigning in a bit, so tall this spring and

 heavy with bunches of large blooms flopping everywhere.

Many busy bees on the roses - grand to see this early in the year, and

 I can stand there watching without fear of getting covered in mosquito

 bites for perhaps another week or so, they will arrive soon no doubt!

Grey Squirrel with a Hickory nut unearthed from last Autumn.

Better than devouring the birdseed in the feeders!

Northern Mockingbird : Mimus polyglotto

A favorite of mine, especially young males who sing at night.

Don't you love to listen to birds singing in the darkness of evening, or 

early morning before the sun rises?

Male and female build the nest and feed their young, 2 broods per year, 

sometimes more. Dining favorites are insects and fruit so they stay away

from the seed feeders, but love our fig tree!

Pretty, pale pink New dawn roses are great this year - look at the buds, 

so many blooming. I will cut a few to bring inside for the weekend. They don't

last long but are lovely until their petals soft petals fall quietly.

I was planning to show you more but that will have to be another day.

It's so perfect outside so I've been out taking photos, now I need to go out

 and work!  I must scramble into my gardening gear, put my sunscreen

 on, grab my brimmed hat and gloves and head into the

 garden to work.

Oh, I'm also baking a cake to nibble on Coronation Day tomorrow!

Will you be there?

Will you watch on TV?

If here in the US will you set your alarm and get 

up at 5 AM tomorrow to watch it live - or record

and watch later? I'll be up.

Or, maybe like some, you're not interested.

The pomp and glory of another British coronation, a ceremony

of deep tradition, a time when pageantry is at its best, is 

exciting for me. I was a child when Queen Elizabeth II had

 her coronation. I recall it well in my Devon neighborhood, Mainly the

 noisy, colorful 'street party' with tables laden with food, decorated in

 bunting, music from some source, and on a beautiful sunny day.

Later we watched some of the ceremony on our next door neighbor's

 small b/w television as my parents had yet to purchase one.

Fortunately tomorrow I'll be up before dawn and glued to the color TV

I'm hanging out my Union Jack - hoping it will blow in a nice 

sunny breeze. I know I'll be feeling homesick.

The language of flowers -

The symbolic language of flowers has been recognized for centuries in many

countries throughout Europe and Asia. Flower meanings have fascinated people

 for centuries. The special symbolism of flowers became a very popular pastime in

 Victorian homes of the 1800's where, alongside a Bible, they often had guidebooks

to decipher the 'language' of flowers. 

You of course know the red rose was used to openly express feelings of

 love - but did you know the pink rose represents grace, happiness and gentleness?

Today my pale pink New Dawn rose is blooming on the back fence and I must

admit its grace is certainly bringing me happiness.

The Victorians believed the human quality associated with the peony was

 'bashfulness', a gentle old fashioned word, but sadly not heard so much

 these days.

Rain and storms seem to have disappeared from the weather forecast.

An amazing week ahead is showing days of abundant sunshine, perfect 

daytime temperatures in the sixties and seventies, with cooler nights once again.

I planted my dahlia tubers yesterday - a first for me - and am so hoping they 

grow and bring summer color later.

The tomatoes are doing OK and I think the naughty rabbits have moved

 on to another neighbor's garden!

I scrubbed the last of the pollen off the deck furniture, blew the 

cobwebs out of the gazebo to enjoy warm evening suppers without spiders!

The front porch is clean and bright and providing our outdoor seating

throughout the day - waving to passing walkers - enjoying a drink. . . . .until

 the beastly mosquitoes arrive!

  Growing and blooming should be continuing with assistance from the

 garden hose. . . . . . . and what's more enjoyable than being outside

surrounded by beauty, blooms and birds at this time in the world!

New Dawn . . . . . . . and appendicitis!

It's a new day - it's a NEW DAWN. . . . . . rose, that is. 

They are in full bloom right now, delicate in their pale pink ballerina-like skirts.

Enjoying the garden - this is really the best time of year for color. . . . . . . and of

 course weather, for the southeast garden. We are reveling in the beauty.


However - I've been very busy helping my granddaughter Jasmin (21) since
 Wednesday morning when she called needing assistance. 

Severe pain took her to the doctor, followed by a CT scan at the radiologist,
(where she had a mild allergic reaction to the contrast dye, which held us up longer),
 and then off to the Emergency Room at the hospital where appendicitis was
 confirmed and she was admitted. Appendectomy surgery was done at 7:30 pm 
 and she stayed in the hospital overnight. I brought her here yesterday morning
 after being discharged. She's doing well but won't be able to drive, work, lift
 heavy items etc. for a while. 
Please think of Jasmin and wish her well - many of you
know how precious she is to our family. 
Thanks.