Where Did My Blogroll Go?

Google/Blogger has done something that made my blogroll disappear.

My blogroll used to be right there on the sidebar, between the baseboard tutorial and the photo of Winnie.  Now it's not on the page, and the widget is gone from my template.  Poof.  Gone.

I saw a notation on a Google product forum about engineers working on a fix.  I couldn't tell if this was a real answer or a canned reply.  I used the Internet Wayback Machine to pull up a recently-cached copy of my blog so I can at least write down what I had there, which I have done ... because I just know that I'm gonna have to recreate it.

In the meantime, it's gonna be hard for me to easily keep up with all the latest stuff on my favorite blogs.  Thanks, Google. 

(This post looks odd because I'm on my iPad, out of town, doing fun stuff for the next few days.  The Blogger iPad app doesn't let me do pretty stuff like I can do with my PC.  I have a recommendation for a different app, which I will test drive soon, and let you know how it goes.)

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Edited to add:  Though my Blogroll itself vanished without a trace, the Blog List widget is still available when you click 'Add a Widget' to your blog's layout.  I did this to add the blogroll back to my sidebar, and now I'm rebuilding my list.  It looks as if I'm about halfway finished as of this morning, 10/5/16.

"Roses, Wines, and Canines"

Every year, Greyhounds Rock Fredericksburg puts on a dog-friendly gathering ... the proceeds of which are donated to canine cancer research and support charities.  This year's event was held last Sunday, here at Hartwood Manor.

We started the day off with games, one of which was to determine the "Best Kisser".  I volunteered to be the judge.

This is Danny, a greyhound service dog.  No kisses from him.

At 12:00, we listened to a presentation about the benefits of Cold Laser Therapy by Dr. Laura Chretien of Loving Touch Animal Hospital, a nearby not-for-profit veterinary clinic.

Kanga, another greyhound service dog, was quick with the kisses, then he climbed into my lap.

Lunch was at 1:00 ... a tasty array of burgers, hot dogs, pulled pork, side dishes ... yummy cook out food.  (If you follow me on Instagram, you already know that I was up and cooking at 6am that morning.)

Bill the Borzoi puppy was very generous with polite kisses.

At 2:00,  Patti Goettler, of Greyt Hearts Service Dogs, told us about training retired greyhounds to be service dogs.

More kisses from Bill.

At 3:00,  we paused to celebrate and remember all of our guests' dogs who had passed.  There was hardly a dry eye in the crowd ... mine included, as I hugged Ruby and Winnie as each name was read.  After this, Theresie Houghton blessed each dog individually, offering them prayers and a small biscuit.




Organized activities ended at 4:00, with the raffle drawings and announcement of the Silent Auction winners. Companies and individuals were VERY generous with donations, and bidding on many items was very spirited.

This is Freya, who was leery of that overly friendly lady who wanted a kiss.

... and then it was over.  In between the organized activities, guests toured my rose gardens, (which look awesome, if I do say so myself), visited our vendors, and drank wine from our guest Bacchus Winery and next door at Hartwood Winery.  No one went home hungry, and everyone appeared to have a really good time ... me included.  It was exactly the type of event we tell people it is, a relaxing, fun day in the country with your dog, to support a great cause and learn a little in the process.

Who was the Best Kisser, you ask?  Bill the Borzoi, of course, because he was such a sweetheart.

A Master Bedroom Before and After

Two or three years ago, I painted the pine dresser in our master bedroom and got rid of the huge, dated mirror that came with it.  Since then, the wall above the dresser has been empty.  I have kept my eye open for something to put there, but I haven't found anything that felt right to fill the space.  (I would rather leave a spot blank till the right element comes along, instead of filling it for the sake of filling it.)  I mentioned my dilemma in THIS blog post about how I found the lamps that are on the dresser.

Anyway ... I was cleaning the bedroom yesterday (specifically, taking all of the stuff off of our dresser and dusting) and I had a brainstorm.  We have a painting stored in the living room that might look good in this spot!  It's huge and I bought it last year at Covesville Store, intending to use it above the mantel in the living room.  I quickly scurried downstairs to get the painting, brought it upstairs and leaned it against the wall to try it out in the spot, and ....

... it looks WAY better here than it ever would have in the living room.  The light is different on this side of the house, and it beautifully sets off the colors of the trees and mountains in the painting.  I think it's perfect.

Now I just have to get out my tools and hang it properly ... maybe tomorrow.

Sunday Snapshot: Game Camera, Ruby, and Figs

My old, trusty Bushnell Trail camera died recently.  It served me well for a number of years, even though I didn't treat it very kindly.  I often left it out all year round, sometimes forgetting to latch the cover to keep out the weather.  Last week, I made a trip to Cabela's and bought a new one.  I have promised myself to take better care of it this time.

This motion-activated automatic camera is used by many people to monitor game for hunting season.  I use mine to see what kind of critters pass through parts of the property when people aren't around.  For the past week, I have had it back by the figs at the barn to assess the effectiveness of my neighbor's war on our plague of groundhogs.  I am pleased to report that only harmless varmints were recorded in the area.

Guinea hen photo bomb

All three Guineas.  They live at the farm behind us.

Ruby and me, yesterday afternoon, on our way to harvest figs.

This is the first decent fig harvest for me in three years.  We had two unseasonably-cold, awful winters in a row, that killed the plants to the ground.  Figs are produced on wood from the previous year.  No older wood = little or no fruit.  Last winter was a bit milder and the fig plants suffered little damage.  As a result, it appears that I will get a decent amount of fruit.  

This was yesterday's harvest ... 21 figs!  At this rate, I should soon have enough to make jam!!

Ruby ... this dog loves being a farm dog!  She was interested in figs as I was picking them, so I offered her one.  She carefully took it, like she does with all treats, and walked a short distance away.  I went back to picking.  Instead of eating it, she dropped her fig and the ground and proceeded to roll on it.  What a weird dog.

Just a little slice of Hartwood for you on this cloudy, cool Sunday morning.  I hope that things are just as peaceful where you are.

Happy Sunday!

Little Rose in a Downtown Cemetery

Last summer, while I was spending a summer afternoon lunching and cemetery exploring with my friend Sharon, I found a small rose that I had never noticed.  I took a couple of lousy photos of it with my old iPhone 4, to remind myself to come back another day to look at it more closely, and we moved on.

A few days later, I returned with my pruners and other supplies ... to tidy up the bush and snip a few small cuttings.  One of the cuttings rooted, and the resulting plant now lives in the rose garden in our front yard.

Which rose is this?  My own plant is still too small and immature to make an accurate assessment, so I made a visit to the cemetery plant last week to see what I could figure it out.  

I was thrilled to see that the plant was much larger and healthier than when I first saw it in 2015 ... about four feet high and three feet wide, in contrast to last summer's just-over-one-foot-high size.

I think I figured out its identity.  I believe that it may be 'Clotilde Soupert'.

Bush is thick, with rounded, disease-resistant foliage.  It has very few thorns.  Flowers open pink with a darker pink center, and quickly fade almost to white.  Spent flowers turn brown and hang on the plant for a long time.  All of this definitely suggests 'Clotilde Soupert' or another rose like her.  

Do you rose people agree?

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When I opened Blogger to write this post, I noticed that it is post #1200.  Dang!  Hard to wrap my head around the fact that I have had 1200 separate things to say here since November 2008. 

Weekend Roses and an Announcement

Weather was glorious here in Hartwood over the long Labor Day weekend. The rain and wind from Tropical Storm/Hurricane/Post-tropical Cyclone Hermine stayed to our south and east, and temperatures were in the 70s and 80s for all three days ... perfect weather to slip on garden shoes and venture into the garden with my camera.  

Sit quietly, while I will bombard you with my photos from Sunday morning.

"Ruth's Tiny Polyantha"

"Lundy's Lane Yellow"

'Country Doctor'

'Pink Princess'

'Cupid'

'Prosperity'

'Joan Taylor'

"Maggie"

"Unrootable Red China"

'Homere'

"Cato's Cluster"

'Mme. Antoine Mari'

'Rhode Island Red'

'Teasing Georgia'

Unknown Noisette

'The Squire'

"Hollywood Pink Cluster"

'Marinette'

'Emmanuel'

'Tamora'

'Belle Story'

'Dorothy Rose'

"Mableton Rouletii"

"St. Thomas China"

Unknown Floribunda

"Sumerduck Cemetery"

'Tagalong'

'Lafter'

'Patty Lou'

'Fair Molly'

'Fresh Pink'

Without too much searing heat and with adequate rain this summer, and with my renewed promise to myself to pay better attention to the fertilizer and fungicide needs of the garden, my roses look better than they probably ever have.  Even though many of them are babies, either relatively newly planted or recovering from transplanting or renewal pruning, it looks as if I may finally be on the right track with most of the garden ... fingers crossed.

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... and now for the announcement part of this post ....

Want to come see the progress for yourself and support a great cause in the process?  On Sunday, September 25, 2016, 11am - 5pm, we are hosting Greyhounds Rock Fredericksburg's annual fundraiser, "Roses, Wines, and Canines" ... a day-long event with food, wine tastings with Baccus (our guest winery) and at Hartwood Winery next door, raffles and auctions, vendor market, tours of the rose garden and vineyard, and educational presentations ... on our historic property in its lovely country setting.  This is a dog-friendly event, and everyone is encouraged to bring their leashed, well-behaved canine friends.  Admission is $25 per person (children under 12 are free).  Please click HERE to register in advance, so we can plan as accurately as possible, but walk-ins are welcome.  (Just so you know, my fall schedule is completely packed, and this will be the only day this year that the garden is available for visitors.)