I’m afraid my posts are going to be rose-heavy for a while! The new roses from Martha are so beautiful and each new bloom is perfection. I deliberately purchased two pots with the roses already growing instead of bare root roses. I’ve also purchased bare root roses in the past, but this time I wanted to see some blooms quickly.
The At Last roses:
And my Lady Elsie May bush started blooming. It’s in the front-of-the-house garden bed. Both that bush and the Julia Child bush were in such bad shape last summer, due to two brutal winters in a row, that I thought they were goners. I cut the dead wood back as best I could, then did another trim this spring. They’re sort of unattractive at the moment, a mixture of old and new growth, but they’re blooming!
Huzzah!
I was outside yesterday, pulling weeds, watering the plants, filling the bird bath – which was the site of constant bathing and drinking activity yesterday. Non-stop. Even the bees and bugs were sipping the water. As I walked around the front of the property, the scent from the Catalpa tree blossoms kept wafting through the air. I don’t know if you’ve ever smelled a Catalpa blossom, but the scent is heavenly. The blooms are open on all the Catalpa trees around here – there are a lot of them in this neck of the woods. Heck, we have three Catalpas, but two of them are up in the wooded area of the property.
The blossoms are beautiful and delicate. Catalpas have big heart-shaped leaves.
I sat on the glider and read for a while, listening to the bird song and watching the activity all over the property. It was very soothing, which was what I needed.
Critter update: I saw Henry the other day. I hadn’t seen him for weeks, but there he was, resting on the ramp that leads to the shed door.
Don spotted the baby fox a couple of days ago. Once again, he trotted across the street, causing cars to slow down and us to shoo him away from the street. Yesterday, I looked out the kitchen door and he was in our yard (he’s bigger now) so I opened the door. He looked up at me and ran around the back side of the shed.
This morning, my favorite Mourning Dove was in the new Memorial Garden bed, and two bunnies (Mom and baby) were chomping on the grass. The dove used to have a mate, but I haven’t seen the other dove this year, so he/she must have died. That makes me sad. I think my favorite bird is the Mourning Dove. In fact, I can hear her right now. The call is so beautiful (I love anything in a minor key) and they are so gentle. I see her at the birdbath every once in a while, too.
Don’s day on the set of Mr. Robot went well, but he was pretty exhausted by the time he got home last night. He is supposed to shoot two more episodes in the coming weeks.
And there you go.
Happy Thursday.
Thank you for sharing the beautiful flowers. I love to hear birds singing too. I find it interesting that you can tell what key the mourning doves sing. I couldn’t tell you.
Once a musician and singer, always a musician and singer, Trina. I find I’m almost always drawn to songs that are written in minor keys. So is Don.
I use to be able to sing high notes but older I became , the more alto I have become. So disappointing. LOL.
That happens to everyone, Trina! (Me included!)
beautiful roses!
Thank you, Carolyn Marie!
I love the flowers so please keep posting! My husband will be so happy to hear that Mr. Robot will be hitting the television again! Have a peaceful and productive day <3
I think it premieres in mid-July, Liza.
I’m really enjoying your roses Claudia so keep the photos coming. The critter update makes me smile. I’m feeling a bit better today but still my heart is heavy. Time for my yearly checkup and I will need to discuss my meds with her and (gulp) my weight which has gone up. I’m hoping as I’m feeling better I’ll exercise more and I really need to watch my diet. Anyway, I hope you have a sweet day!
hugs,
Linda
Take care of yourself, my friend. I’m trying to lose weight at the moment and I have lost a bit, but not enough!
Your roses are beautiful! I didn’t realize the morning dove’s song was in a minor key…I’ll have to listen more carefully. I did have one morning dove pair, that were regular visitors…..but now, I only see one. It seems to be without it’s mate too. I’ve got a blue bird causing all kinds of commotion at the feeders this morning…everybody seems to be fighting for space! Enjoy your day! ;)
Maybe that’s why they’re called “Mourning” doves? – it’s plaintive and haunting. Tell that bluebird to settle down!
Ha…good point! Never thought to check the spelling! Thanks! ;)
xoxo
Claudia, I sipped my morning coffee on my deck today, listening to a pair of mourning doves softly cooing on the telephone pole nearby. It always brings back sweet memories of my childhood in Indiana – I always loved their sweet and plaintive call. I’m so happy your roses are doing so well! The At Last is stunning, and the name seems so fitting. Peace at last. :-) Have a lovely day, xxo.
They are so beautiful, Martha. I can’t stop checking in on their progress! And supposedly disease free. Fingers crossed!
Claudia – I think when I had Mourning Doves nesting at the old house, I did some research and found that they mate for life. If something happens to one of them, the other literally mourns her/his self to death. Sad but true love.
Be sure and let us know when Don is going to be on TV.
Your roses are beautiful.
Judy
Very sad. Though this one has been hanging in there for several months and is eating and drinking.
I just read that they mate for life and the call I hear is almost exclusively the male’s and he’s wooing/calling for a potential mate. I hope he finds one! I’m not reading anything so far that they mourn themselves to death. I’ll keep looking.
From another site: They will mate again. This one hasn’t yet, but yay!
Would you like a few more Mourning Doves…. we have many, many of them in our yard. I am willing to share the bounty!!
The roses are so pretty. This must be a good rose year, as mine as well are blooming more than I have ever had previously!
I have found one empty spot that is in need of a pot and some color, so that is on the to-do list today. Now that I have noticed it, it seems that is all I can see!! I don’t know if we are ever done in the yard, are we??
Never! Although I’m taking a wee bit of a break, just watering and maintaining at the moment.
We used to have tons of Mourning Doves when we lived in San Diego. We had a raised feeder and they would congregate there. So beautiful!
Your roses are beautiful. My mom gave me a climbing rose bush a few years ago, but it doesn’t look like it’s doing very well this year. And the weeds seem to love it. They keep growing underneath the bush. Hard to pull them with all the thorns, even with gloves on. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a Catalpa tree around here. I’ll have to be more observant on my walks and drives. We have a lot of Mourning Doves here – their cries are pretty much a constant. I find their cry hauntingly beautiful. I was just working outside, replanting succulents and pulling weeds. Took a lot of photos. Then just sat in the chair on my front porch, listening to the rustle of the wind through the trees (it’s finally cool and windy today) and the cries of the Mourning Doves. I probably could just sit out there all day, kind of meditating and relaxing like that (my anxiety was sky-high this morning and this helped)…but a shower and housework now beckon! Have a beautiful day, Claudia.
I find it really hard to weed under my rose bushes for the same reason. No matter how careful I am, I get pricked by a thorn.
I agree about Mourning Doves – their cry is very calming and restful for me.
i am on the machine here only because it is lightly raining just now – soon as it quits, i’ll be back outside enjoying the same types of things in my yard that you do. we have a lot of mourning doves here as well. but we also have a lot of screaming/screeching grackles, which i don’t enjoy much at all, lol. so interesting to read of don’s connection to mr. robot. i very much enjoyed the first season and am looking forward to season 2. –suz in ohio
He plays the father of the young female lead (with the long, blonde hair,) Suz.
oooh, this is exciting – many thanks for the info. i will watch for him. –suz
He was on last season, too, so you’ve probably already seen him!
i will definitely look for him – it’s been so long since the first season was on that i’ll be going back anyway to on-demand some of the old episodes to refresh my memory before the new season starts. this is fun – i originally came to your site for the gardening, stayed for the (ohio) pottery and your miniatures, and now there’s another connection. –suz in ohio
“Rose-heavy posts” are exactly what we need right now, Claudia. I believe your other readers would agree with me.
Thank you, Nancy. I’ll be happy to oblige.
Nature at its best, Claudia. I’m glad to read Henry has re-surfaced, and maybe toddler fox is learning some smarts. To read that the Mourning Dove is your favorite bird is music to my ears….my younger daughter’s animal name at the zoo where she used to volunteer is Mourning Dove. She chose it the summer after her dad died, as a tribute to her feelings about her dad’s death. The Mourning Dove is her favorite bird too. They used to come to my backyard, but with the upheaval of the landscape work, they disappeared. I’m hoping they will rediscover my yard and return frequently.
I hope they come back, Wendy. Love that your daughter’s animal name is Mourning Dove!
We, too, have a single Mourning Dove that has returned to us. The couple returned to us every year and nested and raised their young. It is so sad that it’s mate is gone and it is now alone. The Mourning Dove call is so hauntingly beautiful~
I know. I feel so badly for him/her. Lonely, I imagine, and sad.
How nice it must be to hear nothing but what the cavemen heard 1000s of years ago. The seething of treetop leaves. Birds singing their individual songs. The whirring of bees. Birds splashing water in the birdbath. I remember how the quiet but incessant breaking of waves on the shore would always lull me to sleep when I was a kid. This must be why natural sounds are so completely soothing – they’re what the human ear has heard the longest. They must somehow be hard-wired into our DNA. PS – you’re 100% right. A “rose-heavy” post is sorely-needed. And yours are downright breathtaking. What IS IT about roses? There simply isn’t a poor one in the whole species! 🌹
I think it must be hard-wired into our DNA, Janet. We just spent 2 hours out on the porch, watching and listening to the sounds around us.
Bring on all the roses you can..we need them…I remember a beautiful Catalpa tree in the neighborhood I grew up in…of course we kids all called it a cigar tree..it was a favorite climbing tree…Thanks for bringing back a good memory…It just seems so odd for that the little fox has been seen so close to people…and numerous times…The mourning doves song is both sad and relaxing…a mourning dove in the Memorial Garden seems so appropriate…
There was a young fox several years ago that did the same thing. He’s a bit more wary now, but he’s young. He’s exploring. Or looking for his mom.
Beautiful roses, Claudia…I love the peachy color!
I do, too, Linda. Thank you!
All in your yard sounds so lovely.
Computer crashed; only one I have. At least 2 wks for repair. See you then; I am on someone else’s laptop & struggling with keyboard, I don’t do Mac, so this is it for me; I’m offline and will have to catch up on all your posts. Take care, from Vicki in SoCalif. Took me forever to type this…
Thanks, Vicki! The only computer I use is a Mac!
Your roses are so beautiful! I am trying to gently coax pumpkin seeds to take but our weather is the opposite of yours and we have had snow on the hills around us, so I am having to live my gardening dreams through your photos.
Just as I live mine through photos from the Southern Hemisphere come winter time!