My favorite rose bush

This is a picture of my favorite rose bush.... It has been in this spot for at least 10 years now and that must be some sort of record for me as it gets so cold here that even if I cover them they sometimes freeze out and I never cover this one. Its in a very sheltered south side of the house though so I imagine that is the secret. It gets such dainty flowers too.

Warm summer day

I found this cute little squirrel while shopping for things today and he was half price and I had to have it for this new garden of mine as the plants are still so small. This is one of the gardens I added cocoa bean mulch to yesterday. I also used some bloom booster on it so hopefully things will start to grow. It was finally a beautiful warm day today with a little rain about supper time and then it cleared up and cooled off. Tomorrow should be a day just like this. We take them as we get them and enjoy. We didn't get very much rain so I will have to water the hanging baskets tomorrow again Im sure... Gets me out in the sunshine which is always nice!
Sandra

Rainbow

The sky was so pretty tonight after the rain and when the sun started to go down that I just had to take a picture.... I took a bunch but this is the only one I took the right way I guess... at least I got one though. Its already dark out now but I think maybe we will have a beautiful day tomorrow without rain. I won't even have to water my plants but I did get some cocoa bean mulch today to put around some plants in the front yard... I hope it works to keep the weeds at a minimum... I got 3 bags so I will have a little work tomorrow but not much... I suppose I will still have to do the laundry as it won't take too long.
Sandra

Pictures of my yard

I thought I would add a few pictures of my yard and how it looks now.... it is always changing though as some flowers are finished and some are coming into bloom soon. I'm sure I will be sharing more pictures soon... Had to do it this way but you can always enlarge the pictures to see them better I guess.

Its another cool day here in Green Bay but the sun is shinning and the birds are singing and everything is beautiful. Yesterday it was only in the 60's so we are having a very cool summer so far but its easier to get the work done this way and the mosquitos didn't even bite me once when I was weeding the flowers in the front. The sun was shinning and it was a little windy but cool so a perfect day to get my weeding finished. I'm lucky we are retired so we can do the work when the time  is best. I count my blessings every day.

Hope its a beautiful day for you today too!
Sandra
I almost forgot John wants to know what song reminds us of the beginning and ending of summer.... all that comes to my mind now is Summer Time Summer Time....sum sum sum er time. LOL The end of summer would probably be a sad song like Falling Leaves...

Beautiful Day

Some of my lilies have started to bloom and others are just popping their heads out of the ground (ones I just planted from bulbs) I love lilies, they are so neat and hearty looking aren't they and so beautiful... Summer is sweet! We have been getting nice cool weather (below normal) and it suits me just fine but I guess the farmers need it a little warmer, Some farmers around here couldn't get their crops in because of the rain and some that did the plants are not growing so the warmer weather that is on the way will be a blessing for them.... and we will have to turn ou the ole air conditioning again and get our shorts etc out of hiding again.... It has been a strange year so far but the flowers are thriving so Its good for me.... The bunnies are nibbling on my glads that are coming up so nice. I planted quite a few so I hope they don't find them all....sassy bunnies... Why don't they eat that clover that grows wild in my flower garden I wonder....

Mindy's Graduation Party

So as I promised, here are some pictures of Mindy's graduation party. We all had a lovely time, it was a beautiful day for it also... Lots and lots of good food and lots and lots of fun for everyone.
   Yesterday I cut the back lawn with my new push lawn mower.  Leo was fishing so I could surprise him,he was too and very happy. It takes about this long for him to get tired of cutting it a couple of times a week. He takes so much pride in the lawn so I only could cut the back as he thinks he is the only one that can do the front the right way.... Thats just fine with me though as I have enough work taking care of my  flowers etc.... Weeds are becoming a problem, I wish someone would surprise me and pull them, but It will never happen so I am just going to look the other way and pretend they are not there until I get time again.... seems I pull them out and the next time I look they are back again. Good summer exercise I guess??????
  Bill Clinton's book came today vie UPS and I started reading it ~ I think I will like it but its very very long... 957 pages. Almost like the last Harry Potter book. I'm only on page 22 but I hope all the book is as interesting... I still haven't finished Hillerys book and I have had it a long time now.... Maybe I will read it when I finish Bills....

Progress on the new road

I decided to add the pictures of the redoing of our street. They put the first coat of black top on today and it went so fast. They did an excellent job and now in 2 weeks they will do the top coat and be all finished. It went so smooth and we didn't even have to park at the end of the street once. They said we would have to but everything went so well and the timing was perfect. 
  Maybe tomorrow I will add some pictures of our Grandaughters graduation party. We had a nice time there and lots of good things to eat ....... It was a cool but sunny day, just right kind or weather.

Fathers Day

It was a beautiful day for fathers day today. sunny and temps. in the low 70's. can't ask for better than that. The swans in the picture have single and double petunias in them.... testing to see what looks the best at the end of summer and I will plant that next year. The butterfly bush is in the background and gay feather also and some roses etc. At least all the flowers are not blooming in June but so many are and its really getting pretty around here now.

Weekend assignment #10

This is going to be a hard assignment for me but then they all are. How would I spend 2 million dollars is the question. mmmmmmmmmm let me see.  I think I would help pay for the new church we are building.... 1 million would be a good addition to that fund. With prices the way they are these days I guess it would have to be 10 million to pay for the whole thing.... the other million I would get a bigger house, not too much bigger but more space and someone to move us because its too much work to be thinking about that. Then I might get a better car and we have 7 children so you know they will want some of it.... Maybe I would not be able to give 1 whole million to church maybe just half come to think of it because my kids all need some money for their houses..... they all spend what they haven't got and their houses all get second mortgages.... Our house has been paid for for a long time now and no credit cards to pay as they get paid in full every month. I really don't dream of money so much as happiness for all my family and good health.... all much more important than money to me.
Then he wants to know what I would do with 2 million if it was all to be given to charity.... I guess my church is not charity but if it is then thats where it would go..... we have an endowment fund there also so maybe that would count.... My kids would like to be considered charity too I suspect, lol....

More rain

Yesterday I had a chance to sit and read outside as it was such a beautiful day. I took a lot of pictures too ~~~ can you believe no rain for a whole day and the sun was shinning all day. Then around 3 in the afternoon the trucks came and started working on our road.... noisy, but something to stand around and talk about with the neighbors. Only in summer..... They aren't working on the road today probably because of the rain we had last night... we had an old fashioned thunder storm but the air was so nice. I kept the patio door open and read my book into the late hours. Now the road is all ground up and we have to drive on it that way..afraid to go anywhere though because if I come home and they are working on it again I will have to walk in with my packages.... Maybe I will put my little cart with wheels in my car just in case.... Hope the sun shines again today. For me and for you.
Sandra

Peony

My first Peony in bloom with many more to come. I can hardly wait until I can show you the full bush. I just hope the rain stops for awhile so it doesn't spoil these flowers. It sure was hard on all the beautiful Iris I had this year... Still have some blooming but it actually looks like it may rain again today.... We can't cut the back yard again because it is so wet. The front seems to dry out better. Actually the weather man is saying we are going to get a few days in a row with out rain.... I just wonder about that.
Leo is fishing and I will do a little housework today and read... I hope I can take my book outside today...
Have a nice day!
Sandra

Johns weekend assignment

I finally entered my pictures for the weekly assignment.... sorry so late and not much to write about today because Im busy but I had to enter because I do have 3 lovely pets and want to show them off a bit. I suppose I could tell lots of stories but funny I just can't think of one right now.... Just that I love them all a lot and don't know what I would do without them...
Sandra

Nice Sunny afternoon

I wonder if anyone would call this day of mine wasted.... I think not. I did do a couple of minor things around the house (mostly involving eating) but it was so nice I had to step out for a minute and that turned into several hours I guess. I did get some iris dead headed and I pulled some spent flowers out and a couple of weeds and then I got a cup of coffee and sat in a patio chair (just for a minute) and one of my sisters called while I was sitting in the shade on the patio so I brought the phone outside and we talked and talked ...... then I decided to try the chairs on the front porch so I took a nice glass of water there and read for awhile and then my husband came and sat with me.... all in all it was a beautiful day. If its nice Monday I will do some work maybe... no I will and I will clean up the house better too .... It is summertime though after all and one must enjoy it every day they get a chance I think. Especially here in Wisconsin where it doesn't last very long....
I hope everyone had a nice day too.
Sandra

Would you Believe More Rain

Do You think we are getting enough rain yet.... I do and the misquitoes just love it too. At least I don't have to go out today to pick up fallen pine cones and pick weeds and dead head flowers etc etc etc but it would be nice to sit out there for awhile and enjoy nature. April Showers bring May flowers but June showers bring lots of misquitoe bites.... At least now the rivers and lakes around here are back to normal level and some are even flooding over so we don't have that to worry about this year. And the cotton wood trees usually shed their cotton when the iris are in bloom but maybe this year the rain will take care of them and we can get a year without the cotton all over the pretty flowers. Our neighbor cut 2 of his trees down but one is still standing and its very tall so the whole neighborhood gets snowed on usually. They are beautiful trees when they aren't shedding though and nice for shade too so they say. :)  But we have to get some sun around here to find out about that I guess, lol

Another rainy day

Well I wanted cool and I got it... in the 60's though and rain again today. I don't mind too much but I hate that the iris are getting so wet and starting to droop. I love my iris and it always seems the season for them is way too short. Look at that bleeding heart go though ... can't believe its still in bloom no matter what the weather... It is really 3 little bushes together and I will transplant one of them to the back where I put my hostas for a little spring color there. I hope it transplants ok.
   I guess today is a good day for cleaning and getting my laundry finished so I had better get started... Hope everyone is having a nice day.
Sandra

Tree Peony

When I saw this peony in bloom I had to go and get a picture right away ~ rain and all. Its a tree peony and doesn't bloom every year but it did bloom last year and now again this year. I have other peonys but this is the only tree peony. It doesn't get  very big here in Wisconsin though as it dies back to the ground every year and has to always start over again... Its pretty though so I keep it around.
   We had to days of warm summer weather and now after the rain it cooled off and will only get into the 60's today and that is just fine with me.... Actually there is a cool breeze blowing into this room now and I almost need a sweater, isn't weather funny. 70 something is my favorite weather with the nights into the 60's for sleeping.... :>)

Hummingbird

When I opened the window to check on the temp. I saw this little hummingbird so I went to get my camera hoping she would go from flower to flower and sure enough she did so I got my picture finally. Now if I can get her brother with the pretty ruby neck it will even be better. But this is my first picture of a hummingbird ever so I thought I would share it.
Its another warm day today so I have to hurry and get out there to water and fertilize my flowers as they are needing it now... It may rain tonight but they really need to be fertilized with good ole Miracle Grow... Hope you all have a beautiful day
Sandra

Flowers on Patio

I added these flowers to the patio this weekend...
Summer has arrived.... we turned on our air conditioner for the first time this afternoon... its in the middle 80's and humid so we thought it was time to see if its still working... thank heaven it is... I was out side for awhile today picking up pine cones and watering plants but didn't stay too long as it gave me a bad headache.... took a pain pill and was back out for a bit in an hour sitting in my new chair with the breezes blowing. I think I have to get used to the heat slowly... Wouldn't it be nice if it always stayed in the middle 70's with low humidity, LOL  See I'm complaining already.. I guess it will just take me a few days to get used to it and then I will be sitting out reading etc....
Misquitoes are very plentiful this year after all the rain... scratching and scratching.... gotta go and put some rubbing alchol on them I guess. The little buggers

Mindy Graduated Today

Mindy graduated from High School today.... Good for her! I couldn't be there because I wasn't feeling well but my camera was there and Leo went..... Time sure flew by. I used to baby sit for her until she started school and she was always such a sweetheart and still is! She will be going away to Collage in the fall and we all will really miss her. She just brightens up a room when she enters....

Johns assignment # 8

The Bridal Wreath is almost in full bloom. I got this bush when my daughter got married about 22 years ago and its still doing well. The iris are blooming nice in this garden too. I have a few roses and lilies here also and soon will add some impatients because there is also a shady space close to the house.                                                   Well, John Is on vacation and is getting a book published so he wants us to tell him What book is most like us and what book people think is like us and what book someone recommended we read and we didn't like.....
When I was much younger before I married a  teacher and a priest both told me I reminded them of someone in a Shakespeare Play.... maybe then but not anymore I wouldn't think... It was a sweet and innocent character, LOL Now I thought I was like the oldest girl in Cheaper by the Dozen ( the first book or movie) and then I became like the mother ~ you see I was the oldest girl in a family of 9 children and then after I married I had 7 kids... not a dozen but a LOT  of children... The book someone recommended I read was the DaVinci Code...  I hated the book but it didn't end too bad.... I did read the whole thing because someone told me it got better. I would not recommend that book... ;>(

Sunshine Today !

The flowers are growing like wild around my yard after the rain. I guess they liked it but some of the Iris were so big they had to be staked up. this is on the side of my garage and it shows first a Blue Indigo getting ready to bloom and some blue Iris and purple and maroon and yellow and pink Columbine with a Clematis climbing on the trellis and some others on the fence and further along is a Seven sisters climbing Rose among other things I will be taking pictures of...  The sidewalk keeps getting narrower and narrower but these will be cut back in a few weeks so we appriciate them when we get to see them.... I bought a few more plants today and still have to get 2 flats and a couple of others before I call it quits.... seems like I got a really late start this year with all the rain we had.

Sunny days are coming

I have been looking for things to do on rainy days and I have found a few, like reading a book and going shopping and watching the races on Sunday. My driver won in one and the other one came in 30th but it was fun and Rick and Carley came over and then Shari and Dan so we had a pretty good week end anyway... I bought a bunch of hanging baskets at Home Depot for 5.99 each and put some flowers on my Grandparents graves ( My sister did our parents this year) Now if we can get some sunshine It sure would be nice... It can get depressing to just see dark skys and I was just getting over it from the last big batch of rain.... we didn't break a record for rain in the month of May but we came really close with about 9 inches of rain... I guess its good for the trees..... sure has to be good for something and also the rivers and lakes are getting back up to where they should be now.
   Today I was learning how to take short movies with my camera and that was fun. I will be able to see the wind blowing the plants and trees and also hear all the birds singing.... They sure are sounding pretty nice today. I even took a cute pic of my cat and dogs .... I was surprised how easy it is so I suppose now I will keep at it until I get really good. I am saving them on a cd and I will be able to play it back this winter..... that will be nice.