A New Routine

Ruby and I are starting a new routine.  Both of us need to get more exercise, and I can't think of a more pleasurable way to do this than by going for a daily walk together.  Living out in the country like we do, it's not like we can just go out the front door and put in a couple of miles.  Our road is narrow and busy, and a long walk in the grass on our own property practically guarantees that at least one of us will pick up a tick.  We are fortunate that there's a great county park about a half mile up the road.
 
I park my car at the farthest point in the park, at the bottom of a hill by the lake.  That way, the beginning of our walk is uphill, and we go downhill on the way back to the car.

We saw geese and swans on the lake yesterday.  (Discovered that the HDR setting on my iPhone isn't all that great in bright sunlight for things that are moving.)

Weird double image of swans

 

 

A mixed flock of geese.

 

 

Ruby and I were on the quiet park road for the first part of our walk.  There's almost no traffic in this part of the park, particularly on a week day.  She and I kept up a pretty good pace as we climbed the hill, and I was really puffing by the time we reached the top.  I honestly thought that I was in better shape than that.  I'm strong and can lift and carry, but I guess this proves that I need some help in the endurance department.

Mama and Papa Canada Geese, with four goslings.

 

 

Millions of tiny tadpoles at the edge of the lake.

 

The park has a well-maintained nature trail that winds through the woods on both sides of the road.  The one side is fairly sunny (and has more poison ivy on the edge of the path than I'm comfortable with.).  We took the shadier path down the hill and back to the car.

 

 

 

It feels really good to get out in the sunshine and work up a sweat like that.  Ruby seems to enjoy these walks as much as I do.  (I will let you know when I get to the point where I can scale that hill more easily.)

A Lovely Combination

When I was planning my first rose garden, the rose border in our front yard, I used the roses I had on hand ... 40 widely different roses, with no obvious cohesive theme.  How to arrange them?  In the case of these two, I simply put together two roses named after a famous couple ...

 

 

I think they are happy to be reunited.

 

Ruby and Roses II

Ruby's most recent portrait spot was on the sunny side of 'Alexandre Girault' on Sunday morning.

 

 

Based on this expression, can there be any doubt that one of her parents was a Border Collie?  (We will never know for certain, though, since she came to us as a rescued stray.)

 

Ruby wasn't the only one modeling in the roses.  A young lady from the local high school came with a photographer friend of hers, and they used the roses, fence, barn, etc., as settings for her senior pictures. 

 

It stormed here overnight, and now the weather is supposed to be cooler for the rest of the week ... perfect for emptying the greenhouse and planting as many roses as I can in the new garden.  I'm motivated, so we'll see how much I can get done.

 

Sunday Snapshot ... Open Garden Day

My garden will be open today, from noon to 5pm.  The weather is going to be perfect, and the roses are absolutely gorgeous ... I'm biased, though, you understand.  Almost every rose in the garden is in full bloom right now.  Our long spring, with its adequate rain and mild temperatures, allowed the roses to put on lovely, healthy new growth.  Every one of them is totally FILLED with flowers.

Here is a little sneak peek at what you will see if you come to visit:

1.  Old Garden Roses suckering and totally obstructing the paths in the Rose Field.  Hard to complain when they are as beautiful as this.

2.  Roses in trees.  These are once-blooming roses.  Every year when they flower, I see that they have climbed higher and filled more of their trees than the year before.

'American Pillar' in a cedar tree.

 

 

'American Pillar', close up.

 

'Paul's Himalayan Musk Rambler' in a mulberry.

 

3.  The Rambler Fence is at peak bloom right now, and it is an absolute spectacle.  I have been a bum and let the roses go for the past two years.  They are growing like thorny haystacks on the fence and are creeping along the ground through the weeds.  All this growth has fueled a profusion of flowers like no other.  (and the fragrance!!!) 

From foreground to background, the roses on the fence are:  'Jean Guichard', 'Leontine Gervais', 'Awakening', 'Albertine', "Peggy Martin", 'Rene Andre', 'Aviateur Bleriot', 'Paul Transon', 'Alberic Barbier', 'Silver Moon', and 'American Pillar'.   (The roses are planted 24' on center ... do the math, that's almost 300' of fence packed with thousands of flowers.)

It's warm and breezy today, perfect for spending an hour or two walking and talking and visiting the roses.  (I hope to really get busy with my camera in the next few days, documenting this season's flowers to put together a virtual tour ... so those of you who cannot visit in person will get a taste of what it's like.)

Happy Sunday, Everyone!  It's a beautiful day to be in the garden.

Add Another One to the Collection

I love old trunks.  My very first antique purchase in 1979 was an embossed tin camel-back trunk.  I still have it.  My most recent is this doll trunk ... found at Goodwill a few weeks ago.

It looks like someone tried to use it as a stepstool, by the way the top is cracked.

The bargain-basement price of $6.99 won me over, and I tucked it under my arm and headed for the check-out station.

It was only once I had paid for it and was in the car that I realized what a treasure this little trunk turned out to be.  It still has its original fitted tray, though the bottom of the tray needs to be reattached.

 

 

Underneath the tray was a collection of someone's doll clothes.

These are about the right size for an 18" doll, and they were obviously made at different times.  First, we have an eyelet slip.  The waistband and seams appear to have been done at one time, and the slip was hemmed by someone else at a different time ... perhaps someone who doesn't sew well (a child?), judging by the all-over-the-place stitches.

 

This pink dress is probably the oldest and most-well-loved piece in the trunk.  It is made with very tight pin-tucks, and it shows a lot of mending and repair.

 

 

This little cotton shift and slip are smaller than the previous pieces.  They are cotton, well made, and well loved.

 

 

 

The last piece in the trunk was this dress.  It looks to be a lot newer than any of the other pieces, still handmade, though.  The fabric is different, the snaps look newer ... it is well made but it doesn't have the same detail that the other pieces do.

 

The last thing in the trunk was this key, but not the key to the lock on the trunk, though.  Just some random key ... perhaps used as a toy.

I'm kind of torn as to whether I should repair this trunk or leave it as it is.  I think I'm going to do both, if that makes sense.  One of the pieces of cracked fiberboard on the top of the trunk is loose, and I should glue that down so I don't lose it.  I should also replace the missing nails to reattach the hinges, and tack the loose piece of molding on the lid back into place.  I think that's where I'm going to stop, though.  This little trunk will certainly be displayed up high on a shelf, perhaps in my sewing room, so having a cracked top won't matter.

The doll clothes could use washing, but I am not going to do that.  They are what they are, and they will stay stored in this little trunk ... just like I imagine they were for little girls who played with them long ago.

Peekaboo, I See You

As I was sitting here in my usual spot yesterday morning, I look out the window just in time to see the tail end of a deer as it slipped into our line of cedar trees back by the Rose Field.  I quickly put on shoes, snapped the long lens onto my camera, and I went out to 'shoot' it.

The deer was almost immediately aware of my presence, and it watched intently as I stood behind some roses, focused my camera and shot photos of him/her through the fence.

 

 

Deer around here are very wary.  As I stepped from my hiding place to get a clearer look, the deer turned and sprang away ... its white tail raised in alarm.  He/she stopped at the fence by the back of our barn, and turned to look at me.

 

 

 

This deer was a big one!  I see no sign of antlers, so I think it's a doe.  Bucks should be starting to grow this year's set of antlers by now.  (Antlers are deciduous.  They are shed naturally in winter after breeding season and they regrow in the spring.)

 

 

 

I left the deer alone at this point, and I didn't follow it any farther.  Last I saw it, it walked toward the woods at the back of the property and was gone.

 

 

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As I opened Blogger this morning, I saw that yesterday's post was #800!  Hard to believe that I've had 800 different things to say over the past four-and-a-half years ... 801 things now.

 

Thank you to those of you who have stuck with me for so many years, and welcome to everyone who is just arriving.  Sit and stay for a while.  I promise you won't get bored.

 

Ruby and Roses

Every year, there is always a place in the garden that becomes the perfect photo spot.  It's not something I plan or stage ... it just happens.  This year, 'Pink Pillar' and 'Parade' fell forward and mingled their blossoms to create a great background for a garden photo session with Ruby.

 

 

Ruby is really unsure so far about being an only dog.  She came into our family last year and had Daniel here to show her the way and give her clues about strangers and new situations.  Now that Daniel is gone, it's my job to teach her that she can rely on me to lead her and keep both of us safe.   (Her half-herding-dog genetics will still probably cause her to be a bit wary at first, but I hope to overcome this as much as I can ... and bring out more of the Labrador in her.)

 

 

 

Yesterday's open garden was to have been a good way for her to get used to lots of different people, as visitors came and went and wandered around in HER yard.  There was one flaw in my plan ... very few people showed up.  Don't know why  ... doesn't really matter why, to tell the truth ... it was just a fact. 

 

 

 

Ruby greeted the first guests just as I knew she would, by barking.  She very quickly warmed up, though, and was following along and schmoozing as I showed them around the garden.  That was enough for her for one day, so I ended her training session on this positive note and she spent the rest of the day inside napping on the sofa.

 

 

 

At first, I was very disappointed to have so few visitors.  Looking on the bright side now, the folks who did come had a perfect day.  The roses are the best they have ever been, the weather was cool and sunny and breezy, I had the opportunity to chat with everyone, and Mr. and Mrs. Mockingbird behaved themselves.

 

The garden will be open again next Sunday, June 2.  If more people come, that will be great.  If not, that's okay, too.