Rain is headed our way at some point today, though maybe not as much as predicted. Nevertheless, we should be getting rain over the course of the next four days. To all of you who are desperate for rain, I send a prayer up that rain will soon be on its way to you. I’ve been there, and it’s very stressful.
It was very sunny when I took this. It’s so hard for me to capture the beauty of this area once everything starts blooming. I don’t know why. The spirea is blooming, the hydrangeas are starting to turn white, the roses are really taking off this year, and the clematis is in the last of its bloom. We mowed the front lawn yesterday and I was so taken by the flowers! I don’t always get around to the front of the house, especially since the critters are demanding my attention on the side of the house. That’s not really brown in the lawn, it’s the grass trimmings that turn brown. It’s pretty green out there right now.
The other rose opened yesterday morning. So lush and beautiful! I only wish they lasted longer, but within a few hours, the look of the flower changes dramatically and it starts to decline. So I have to run out there and get a picture in the early morning hours.
We’re off to buy groceries this morning. Exciting, right? Actually, it is – there’s very little food left in the house. We hope to beat the rain.
Meanwhile, the birds are singing. The other day, I walked up on the trails that run through our little patch of woods and the bird song up there was incredible. So much more intense than what I hear down by the house. It was magical.
And those robins that I wrote about the other day? I was right. They either fledged that morning or the day before. We’ve had three bird nests this year; two at the shed and one in the burning bush. And of course, baby groundhogs as well. And baby rabbits, but I have no idea where that warren is. I’m sure there are a lot more nests on the property, these are just the ones I could see.
Stay safe.
Happy Thursday.
The rose is gorgeous. Can there be a more beautiful color. Thanks for sharing.
You’re very welcome.
How are you feeling?
Stay safe, Kay.
We’re just leaving to grocery shop, too. I actually enjoy grocery shopping. It’s putting the groceries away that I don’t enjoy. I’m looking for sweet Ontario strawberries to make a rhubarb/strawberry pie and some fresh shrimp for salad for tomorrow. I made Don’s apple pie filling and made an apple crisp. Not sugarless anymore but not too sweet. I’m wondering if we could do something similar when peaches are in season. 100% Peach concentrate is hard to find. But maybe the apple juice would work? Has Don tried other fruit? Your flowers and in particular, your rose are beautiful. Hope you enjoyed your grocery shopping. You have 17 little ones to feed, lol. Hugs, Elaine
Don has mentioned trying other pies that are sugar free, but he hasn’t yet. Apple juice would work but you’d have a combination of peach/apple taste.
Stay safe, Elaine.
The color of the rose is exquisite. It seems to say.” Yes, it is summer and I am beautiful.!”
Take Care,
Kaye
Ah, thank you, Kaye.
Stay safe.
glad you will be getting some rain over several days and that the big mowing work is done for now.
also glad you found another rose blooming … beautiful color!
your mention of getting groceries makes me think to ask … are you or anyone else here finding some products hard to find again? hope not. i am … for at least a couple months, been finding no name-brand bleach wipes or none at all, or only the sickenly-sweet-and-badly-named “waterfall” national brand of disinfectant spray (which i’ve grudgingly been using, though i much prefer unscented things) or, again, none at all. other flavors of the same brand are available and bought, but for months haven’t found the vanilla non-dairy dessert my father likes best. shelves for toilet paper and paper towels remain consistently almost empty. same with several other things. and that’s at both the locally-owned stores and the big “w” stores in this pretty big metro area. just seems weird (and frustrating) after all this time.
happy thursday to everyone. stay safe.
kathy
We’ve been aware of stocking problems for quite a while. I haven’t bought bleach wipes, but the shelves are often missing items. Really, it never got a whole lot better than it was during the pandemic.
Stay safe, Kathy.
I completely agree. We still do pickups but also in-store, at more than one store; constant out of stock or delays. I’ve turned my back on one big-box store because I’m just fed up. I know people who have a fave item that they’ll go to half a dozen stores looking for; everybody’s running into the same issues. Definitely has not gotten better; I had, in fact, BETTER luck in the first year of pandemic!
Exactly!
xo
You’re lucky to have another rose…that color is just gorgeous! I live very close to a grocery store, so I do go quite often…a chance to get out of the house for a while!
I’m not a big fan of shopping anywhere (except for an antique shop) but, after Don doing most of the shopping lately, we’ve discovered that we save money and have someone to run choices by if we’re together.
Stay safe, Barrie.
Love that you could enjoy all that bird song!
We did that yesterday, too; went to the big box outlet to do some stocking up on food which we hadn’t done in months; had let the ‘pantry’ at home go a bit too low. I cringed of course at our total spent; groceries are SO expensive.
While we were over that way (in another town) since it was first day of summer and SUNNY which has been rare where I live in Southern Calif of late, we also ran the dog unfettered at our local beach; so great to see him run free and hard on the wide-long, white-sand beach; of course he lays down in the breaking waves and gets drenched; this rescue dog is nuts about the ocean! (The water was a beautiful sea-blue/aquamarine and not as cold for him as in the past months. We passed by walkers and joggers on the beach path and everyone was so friendly and nice, remarking upon the sun and how we’ve had ‘way too much of the May Gray and June Gloom ‘overcast’/marine layer clouding over us for too long.)
I wanted it to lift my spirits (being at the shore) and it did, but on one beach was a dead sea lion and on another was a dead dolphin. I had just read that it’s happening up and down the coast here but I need to read it again; something to do with some microorganisms in the water. No signs were posted for humans to stay out of the sea; in fact, it was one of the most-crowded beach days I’ve seen in a long time with sunners, swimmers and surfers; there are already a lot of vacationers on the road and loving the coastal route. I tried to tell myself that at least these creatures of the sea had passed in the environment to which they were familiar, with their sounds and sky and surf; had likely happened before dawn with no humans near.
Arriving home, I tried to concentrate on other things more pleasant that I’d just seen while out in the car after a week of not going anywhere; glad we got a lot of errands done. Glad my back is getting better so that I can resume my decluttering/downsizing project here at the house. I’m gonna have a ton of books for Friends of the Library and Goodwill.
Wanted to say thanks, Claudia (and to kathy in iowa) for kind words about the loss of my meadow-flower patch when I spilled about it a couple of days ago; I appreciate the support. I was upset too because my cousin is enduring chemo and picked up an infection that went wild and he was admitted to the hospital for three days, presenting with a fever of 106 degrees and that is just ‘way too high although he’s better now. Can you believe he didn’t own a thermometer. The oncologist said, “When you called, if I’d known how bad your fever was, I would have sent an ambulance to get you to the ER rather than have you be driving yourself, by yourself; you could have passed out.” My cousin said, “Yeah, I felt a little light-headed on the freeway.” Hear me gasp: My cousin is age 75 and a really-intelligent guy, but not when it comes to his own health!
You’re very welcome, Vicki.
Stay safe!
Those roses are glorious! What a wonderful late spring/early summer for babies! New life in nature always delights me and brings me hope. I took a tour of your girls and I loved it! You certainly have a wide variety of expressions and attitudes in that family, and I love your taste in clothing. Thanks to you I have three Blythes, and I love them very much. One is factory, and the other two were painted by Rita from Etsy. They have similar very soft faces which please me. I hope your summer is beautiful, once we get through the next few gloomy days
Gloomy days, but we need the rain, so I’m okay with that!
Thanks so much, Nora.
Stay safe.
I tested negative last night! Dean was negative on Tuesday so we can now truly kiss Covid Island goodbye and we hope never to visit again!!
Just love the color of that rose. I am enjoying the blood red roses on the vine growing next to the window where I have a work table. For some reason that vine took off and is blooming like crazy this year. To sit at that window and work on my needlework is such a joy.
Hope you get lots of rain.
Take care,
Kay
Hurrah! Such good news, Kay. You’ve been rescued from the island.
Stay safe!
My wren is still in residence and I think the fledged sparrows (wherever their nest is) have discovered the feeder. I see them feeding each other and now seeing slightly smaller ones at the feeder bar, not quite sure what to do till mom feeds them. But at least they know where to go! My hydrangeas are still green. We’re due for sorely needed rain this weekend. It’ll probably rain in the basement. News alert… I don’t care. Just bring it on.
Exactly. We’re due for rain starting today and through Sunday and I’m just fine with that!
Stay safe, Jeanie.
I hope we get some of that rain. Unfortunately our monsoon season is coming, so we won’t just get rain, but bad storms. So sad…..they just announced that the men on the Titan all perished in a catastrophic event.
The families must be crushed. I agree with you about shopping. Bill does most of it, but thrift stores, I am there on the hunt. I also am attempting to clean and organize my office/craft room. A huge project. I did end up selling one of my dollhouses. I was running out of room! It was a beautiful Craftsman. The girl who bought it said she had been looking for that particular one for years. That made me happy it was going to a good home.
We leave for San Diego in a week for our annual 4th of July celebration. I will love to be in cooler weather and by the ocean! So happy you are enjoying your groundhogs. They are so fun to watch.. I watch the bunnies and the quail here. Enjoy your flowers!
I read the update right after I read your comment, Deb. So sad. But they didn’t go through a prolonged period knowing they were going to die. That’s a slight comfort.
Ah, San Diego. You’ll have a good time, Deb.
Stay safe.