2016 ... In the Rear-View

It seems appropriate, on this last day of 2016, to look back and remind myself of things that happened during the year.  Truthfully, I did this about a month ago when I was writing our annual Christmas letter.  I enjoy sifting through our calendar, condensing an entire year's worth of days and happenings into a single page to include in our Christmas cards.

This is what I wrote (with some additions and edits, because I always do that whenever I revisit anything that I write.)

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Welcome to our annual recap, where we try to remember and

relate to you some of the things that happened around here in 2016.

We did a fair bit of traveling in 2016, with Connie making more trips than Steve did this year.  Connie’s travel always has a plant theme, mostly related to her work with and love of roses.  This year, she had various trips around the country to rose speaking engagements, board meetings for the Heritage Rose Foundation, and some just-for-fun-trips.  One of those fun trips was a long weekend with her mom in April to Charleston, South Carolina, with the Southern Garden History Society. 

Mrs. Whaley's Garden in Charleston

In August, we had long-weekend working vacation at a greyhound conference in Wheeling, West Virginia ... the same conference that we attended in 2015.  We again shared a cabin with our friends Kim, Andy, Gale, and Chris.  The highlight of the trip was a visit to the racetrack to watch the greyhounds run and an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the racing operations with the track veterinarian!

Petting pups at a greyhound farm.

Our annual Thanksgiving week getaway this year was a trip to Las Vegas with our friends, Andy and Kim.  The weather was a little chilly, but perfect for visiting the desert and seeing the sights.  We went hiking in Red Rock Canyon to see petroglyphs, saw a couple of awesome shows (Cirque du Soleil’s Mystère and impressionist Terry Fator from America’s Got Talent), and spent time with Vegas friends and visited the Ethel M Cactus Garden decorated for Christmas.  The death-defying part of our trip was the “Slotzilla” zip line.  You launch from 10 stories up (114 feet) and fly face first all the way down Fremont Street (1,750 feet).  It was terrifying and amazingly fun at the same time!

Pausing for a photo while hiking at Red Rock Canyon.

The nervous smile of one who has survived what felt like a near-death experience.

  

July saw the passing of Maggie, our oldest cat, at age 15.   She was our miracle kitty that spent her life surviving and thriving with one should-have-been-terminal condition after another.  She ruled our household with her velvet paws, greeted all houseguests and insisted that they pet her, and was a huge presence in our lives.  She is greatly missed.

Maggie was just as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside.

Renovation projects continue as usual and there is never a shortage of items to take care of here at The Manor.  There’s always something to repair or restore when one lives in an old house!  Projects included continuing to transform one of our outbuildings into a studio, repairing the concrete fence around our front yard, and refining and expanding our gardens. 

The concrete fence around the front is an important feature of our property.  About 1/3 of it is now repaired and repainted.

The neglected, weed-filled Rose Field is well on its way to being beautiful again, as we clear weeds, redesign beds, and replant roses.

We hope that you have a very Merry Christmas, and we wish you health, happiness and the very best in 2017.

Winnie, Ruby, and me, captured by my trail camera, while on a walk back by our barn.

With love,

Steve and Connie

(and Alice, Dorothy, Ruby, and Winnie … the furry members of our family)

"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.

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.)

I'm Still Here ... Just Not as Often Lately

Oh, my ... has it really been a full month since I posted here?  Where does the time go?

Spent some time away from home doing fun stuff ... a long weekend visiting my brother and sister-in-law at their place in SW Virginia ...

Photo of a very happy couple, during a visit to Bear Tree Lake.

... and another long weekend at a greyhound event in Wheeling, West Virginia.

These are nine-month-old pups who really wanted to snuggle.

These yearlings are the same pups that I met last year when they were four-days old.

(Photo with a puppy from last year)

Ruby and Winnie stayed with my parents while we were out of town ... it was their version of a summer vacation.

The cats ... they have been doing what cats do.

Dorothy loves her new cat basket, in the sunshine on the dining room windowsill.

I have been spending most of my early mornings in the garden.  The roses are recovering nicely from the annual onslaught of Japanese Beetles.  Their season appears to be over and the nasty critters are mostly gone now, thank goodness.

Mine Road Noisette

Indoor time has been spent doing things like canning quart after quart of farmers market tomatoes ...

... and in the basement workshop with projects.  This is a door from an antique corner cupboard that I am stripping to repaint.  I work on this a little at a time, when schedule permits.

I have mostly been concentrating on being home, decluttering and downsizing, and organizing what's left.  The pay off for this effort is a much lighter mental load, and a house that's getting a whole lot tidier.

This is a view of our family room from one morning last week, as seen from the dining room.  It's an angle that I don't think I have shown you before.

I have stopped posting to the Hartwood Roses Facebook page, and have switched to Instagram.  I'm getting the hang of it, with the hash-tags and stuff, and I find that I like the spontaneity of it.  It's fun to instantly share whatever I come across in the garden or am working on at the time, without some logarithm that limits who sees what.  Come on over and follow along, if you're inclined.

As you see, life is pretty much the same as it has always been ... I just haven't made time to write blog posts about it.  I still have lots of stuff to share, I just need to take the time to do it.